Stephen Curry is a champion, league MVP and one of the greatest players to ever play basketball. Despite being saddled with a pretty weak roster and losing his running mate in Klay Thompson, he has single-handedly kept the Golden State Warriors afloat and in this year’s playoff hunt. Everything about him is legendary, except for his hideous, hideous shoes.
One of the keys to Curry’s success is his endless gas tank. He is constantly running around screens, shimmying past defenders and wearing out whoever has the unfortunate task of guarding him. These actions free him up for the trademark threes that he seemingly always hits in someone’s face. It’s also one of the things he was secretly caught on tape referencing that one time he had a private conversation about James Harden.
This week, David Fleming of ESPN took an in-depth look into Curry’s style. In the process, he detailed the secret behind Curry’s ability to never tire out.
“As the ball changes hands at the top of the key, Curry, in the right corner, does something counterintuitive, something he hasn’t done the entire possession,” Fleming noted. “He stands still.
“Curry’s second wind comes from his ability to rapidly lower his heart rate during short breaks, even in the middle of games. It’s something he trains his body to do. Once he’s out of breath at the end of most workouts, Curry lies on his back, and Payne, his trainer, places sandbag weights below his rib cage in order to overload, and train, Curry’s diaphragm,” he continued.
The Bucks owner’s daughter decided to bring 2021 in with a bang by stripping all her clothes off. https://t.co/UgzhEEna4o
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 7, 2021
“Through conditioning and breathing techniques like this, Curry can often coax his heart rate below 80 during one 90-second timeout. But here, when he goes flat-footed, straightens his back and flops his hands at his side as if to signal, I’m done, I give up, it’s mostly a decoy. And it works. Because at this point, after chasing Curry nonstop all over the court, most defenders are begging for even a hint at a break.”
This season, at 32 years of age, Curry is averaging 28.2 points on 45.1 percent shooting from the field and 37.1 percent from beyond the arc, along with 5.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.2 steals. He is doing all this in more than 34 minutes per game, with opposing defenses hanging all over him.
If ever there was any doubt regarding how truly great Curry is, this year should go a long ways in answering any and all questions.
Related: Kyrie Irving’s Honest Reaction To Nets’ Struggles
Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
