When Steph Curry walked off the court and toward the locker room following Team USA’s lackadaisical win against Australia on Monday, he uttered a seven-word message.
But it was far more than a message – it was a promise.
“We got a lot to clean up,” Curry said.
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Less than 48 hours later, he stayed true to his words.
After scoring just three points in Monday’s win on 1-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, it took Curry three dribbles, 15 seconds and one firm screen from Joel Embiid to match that number and get going early in Wednesday’s 105-79 win against Serbia.
About 90 seconds later, Team USA had nine points. Curry had all nine.
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The Warriors superstar was replaced by Los Angeles Lakers star center Anthony Davis around the midway point of the first quarter, and the hive-five exchanged between the two on the way in/out of the game symbolized the passing of a mythical energetic torch.
Davis got going immediately, filling in the stat sheet in just over four minutes. Block, free throw, rebound, rebound, dunk was his order of operations in limited minutes off the bench to help Team USA close the quarter on a 19-14 run to erase its early deficit and tie things up.
Curry re-entered the game to start the second quarter and the 3-point king, once again, led another crucial offensive outburst. His 27-foot trey helped Team USA regain the lead, but he wasn’t satisfied.
He drove to the basket the following possession and laid the ball in gracefully.
His next play … wasn’t so graceful.
Try forceful. Powerful. Energetic.
Curry slowly walked his defender down with him to the wing as he scanned the floor for his teammates. Embiid hooked over his right trying to set a screen, but the Splash Bro had other ideas.
The shifty guard stepped back and let a 3-pointer fly before hitting the ground as the official’s whistle blew for a foul. He laid on the hardwood as he watched the ball swish into the net.
He made the free throw to complete the 4-point play, but not before an appropriate reaction from the Team USA bench and fans in attendance. Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi could have been mistaken for Chase Center in San Francisco for how loud it got after the play.
The mind-boggling 4-point play capped off an impressive run by Curry, who scored nine consecutive Team USA points in less than a minute. His first 3 of the bunch helped give Team USA a brief 2-point lead before Nikola Jokic tied things up for Serbia. Curry responded with the layup that, again, helped his team regain the 2-point advantage before Filip Petrušev evened things out.
But that final and-1 triple not only lifted Team USA to a 4-point lead -- it prompted an energy shift that never allowed Serbia to get close in the match again.
The way the crowd cheered for Curry thousands and thousands away from where he calls home in the Bay was and is symbolic of his unique impact.
Yes, his offense is important. Yes, his presence alone helps space the floor for others to shine. But his shooting is more than the numbers. Above all else, his offensive outbursts lead to contagious energy shifts that Team USA will need to succeed in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Curry is a showman. The basketball court is his stage and the fans in attendance – which include his own teammates – bounce off his electric energy.
And even at age 36 playing alongside 20-something-year-olds, his youthful spirit could make all the difference in bringing home the gold.
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