After the Warriors won their 4th championship in 8 seasons and Steph Curry finally snagged that elusive Finals MVP trophy, he asked one question. It was “What are they going to say now?”
Curry had done everything folks said he couldn’t. He destroyed the best defense in the world with the Defensive Player of the Year on the roster. He got the Finals MVP. No Kevin Durant. No stacked roster. It was Steph Curry, just doing what he does best. Cooking.
All the slights he had against him seemed to have gone to the wayside. He can’t do it on his own. He’s just a system player. He doesn’t do this. He doesn’t do that. That was all out the window.
Which is exactly why Curry asked the question he asked after they won. It didn’t feel like anyone had anything left to say.
But don’t worry, y’all. Mike James found something.
That’s right. Mike James. The NBA journeyman turned Euroleague star Mike James. He thinks Curry is a bit too “one-dimensional” to be a top 5 player in today’s NBA.
James named his top-5 players in the league and it included Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Luka Doncic. But no Steph Curry. Why? He explained:
“Steph, how he plays and how he gets stuff off, it’s just kinda one-dimensional at times. He’s not the primary ball-handler a lot, and for a point guard that kinda bothers me.”
I can’t speak for James here, obviously. But it seems like Curry is getting dinged for not simply fitting into the mold of a traditional point guard.
Warriors fans were livid.
Watch our sneaker unboxing series, Special Delivery
….. Mike James is Steph's "peer"? https://t.co/IHfgV8BiFU
— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) August 5, 2022
Opinions are free, but a player not quite at NBA caliber taking on Curry? EuroLeague guard Mike James?
Stick to your lane… you veered into oncoming traffic here. https://t.co/scsO5FMK4I
— Middle Aged Wasteland (@doblerspeaks) August 5, 2022
Is the guy they quoting still in the league? Asking for a friend. https://t.co/f59VXpZqJD
— Dametri (@Mrs_Pratt38) August 5, 2022
"EuroLeague guard Mike James" who? https://t.co/tOFh337Gnm
— Bret Yager (@pricflair) August 5, 2022
Mike James from the EuroLeague thinks Steph is one dimensional. 😂😂😂😂😂. https://t.co/vNWEFQB8VT
— Sonny G 🎙 (@Sonny_Club) August 5, 2022
Mike James is a hater dawg … you can’t be a hooper and have takes that silly. Steph curry 1 dimensional?
— Iceberg Slim (@SL7MB4NDZ) August 2, 2022
and we supposed to care about what Mike James think lol https://t.co/TgE8NzqcGo
— Aasin (dont know what to put here atm) (@aasinitall) August 2, 2022
Mike James been a hater. This is nothing new pic.twitter.com/55BYMOg1gJ
— 4 rings💍💍💍💍 (@sirkillsalot704) August 5, 2022
Here's the question, though
Why does this matter so much to them? They’re making fun of James for being a Euroleague player (which is hard!) and saying his opinion on Curry doesn’t matter (which it doesn’t!), but at the same time, they’re going so hard at him. It’s just kind of weird.
Look, James is wrong. There are no two ways about it. Sure, Curry isn’t the primary ball handler at times for Golden State. And, yes, the team has a system that works.
But here’s the thing: Steph Curry is the system. He’s always been the system. He’s the reason Draymond Green can make plays so freely. He’s the reason Kevon Looney finds himself alone under the rim sometimes. He’s the reason teams will mistakenly leave Klay Thompson (!!!!) open from deep.
We know this. We’ve seen this. Curry has 4 rings that show it works. So what Mike James — or anyone else — has to say doesn’t really matter. Whether Curry is in anyone’s top 5 doesn’t matter, either.
The dude wins. Plain and simple. And that’s what this is all about. Warriors fans should be happy about that.
