There’s having a championship mentality, and then there’s Steph Curry.
After the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 103-90 on their home court at TD Garden and secured their fourth league title in eight seasons on Thursday night, their star point guard was awarded his first NBA Finals MVP award.
The achievement came following whispers about his legacy throughout Golden State’s playoff run, and Curry’s domination on basketball’s biggest stage silenced doubters while cementing his status as one of the best players to ever step foot on the court.
But he didn’t need that validation, because that’s something Curry already knew — and that knowledge is something his family has witnessed firsthand.
While the four-time NBA champion is known as a selfless and modest presence off the court, his younger brother Seth told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times there’s something else entirely churning in Curry’s brain when he has the ball in his hands.
“Don’t let that fool you. He’s a humble guy. That’s who he is on a daily basis,” Seth told Woike on the TD Garden court after the Finals-clinching Game 6. “But when he steps on the floor, he’s a psycho. Every time he steps out on the floor, he knows that there’s never been anybody better than him on any floor he’s been on.”
It’s not the first time Curry has been described as such, and it certainly won’t be the last.
His maniacal mindset is the reason his trophy case is running out of room and has allowed him to become a “metronome,” as his coach Steve Kerr puts it, when it comes to how he prepares for the bright lights both mentally and physically. It’s the reason he bounced back from an abnormal Game 5 without a three to completely dominate in Game 6. And it’s the reason he has been able to help build an NBA dynasty in the Bay.
So Seth doesn’t want to hear anything about his brother’s legacy ever again. These Finals are the culmination of a storied career — that isn’t over yet — and have effectively put an end to the discussion, Seth implied on Twitter after the game.
In similar fashion, Curry’s postgame celebration included the question, “What are they going to say now?”
He credited his brother Seth for the rally cry on NBA TV after the game.
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“He’s the first one that come up to me, ‘What are they going to say now?’” Curry said.
So, what will they say? What can they say?
Curry showed the world his on-court madness on Thursday night, and it resulted in yet another ring.
But he still has six more fingers.