Curry adds spice

PARIS (George Eddy's International Show) - Why do I enjoy watching Stephen Curry play so much? Let me count the reasons.

Son of a magnificent shooter and NBA sixth man, Dell, Stephen had a brillant high school career and expected to go to a prestigious university but as he puts it "those schools didn't call". He went to less well-known Davidson, played brillantly, leading the nation in scoring and even took them to the Elite Eight.

Despite three wonderful seasons at Davidson, some scouts told him he was too frail and weak on defence to play in the NBA and once again he accepted the challenge and worked on his game harder than anyone. In this respect, he ressembles Pete Maravich or Drazen Petrovic who devellopped their technique until it became an art form. His main physical attribute, like Chris Paul or Tony Parker, is his innate quickness, which added to his changes of speed and direction (the essence of basketball) make him literally unstoppable. He's a better longe range shooter than Tony and less of a passer than Chris although this season he's upped his assists considerably to almost nine a game.

Stephen has a fluid, seemingly effortless style, like Maravich, using smart fakes to get separation from the defence to the point that he always is a step ahead of his defender. He never seems to be forcing his moves or his shots because of the way he reads the defence and then acts accordingly.

Another strong point of his game is the absence of useless, show-off moves or parasites in his shooting mechanics. His game is a textbook for young players trying to improve their one on one skills the way John Wooden's early 60's book, Practical Modern Basketball, was a permanent reference for following generations of coaches and players.

Curry is old school, using his quickness and technique more than brute strength which is contrary to the trend in modern sports. This kind of athletic elegance is rare these days compared to greats from the past like Pélé, Ali, DiMaggio, Montana or Jordan.

Along with his killer crossover dribbles (which are quite modern), Curry's spiciest moves are the simple "catch and shoot" and "the fake, dribble and shoot". He has the quickest release and highest arc in the NBA (this has been measured) because off the way he always plants his feet, then shoots from the "shot pocket" next to his right ear with very simple mechanics and follow-through.

In French they say, "Simplicity is Elegance". He doesn't over-jump and he relaxedly releases his shot just before he reaches the high point of his leap. He doesn't shoot OVER defenders, he shoots BEFORE they can intervene or AFTER a simple, quick fake has destabilized them.

Since he's so deadly with the "catch and shoot" three point shot, defenders jump out at him constantly which opens up the "fake and step back or step to the side" move to create space to shoot. He also possesses a wide variety of fakes and floaters when he drives to the hoop.

Like the great Oscar Robertson he rarely shows emotion during play but he does know how to celebrate a great play with his teammates during a timeout! He never goes charging into a defender looking for a foul; he's more like a lightning-quick Bambi gliding around the forest on fragile ankles to avoid the hunters (defenders). With his baby face- he's 25 going on 15- the Bambi metaphor seems even more appropriate. After breaking the all-time NBA record for three pointers made in a season with 272, we can only wonder what kind of amazing surprises he has up his sleeve for us this season!

George Eddy

FIBA

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