H O W A R D S B E N D

For the past year, I have felt like John the Baptist preaching to anyone who would listen that we are in the “Age of the Great One”, the “Mesiah is Amongst Us”. I would coerce friends to watch Steph Curry perform his magic and mystical powers on the basketball court.  People were dumbfounded by this one person’s ability to glide around the court evading opponents’ vain attempts at defense and surreally lofting this round object effortlessy great distances into a round object only slightly larger than the diameter of the ball itself.  People instantly become believers.

This past weekend, I made the pilgramage to the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia to witness first-hand the miracles of this basketball saint.  The Center which lately is only half-full due to the persistent mediocre performance of the home team was full to capacity and buzzing with activity an hour before game time.  Fans came early just to watch Curry warm-up.  Almost all the kids under the age of 15 are wearing number 30 Golden State jerseys following their Pied Piper as he leads his team to the promised land.

A few nights later, the Golden State Warriors are on ESPN playing the Washington Wizards.  Curry was having one of those indescribable nights, where he made 8 of 9 three-point shots in the first quarter and when he wasn’t shooting the long range jumper from anywhere, he was making behind-the-back passes or stealing the ball from his opponents.  He finished the night with 44 points and sat out almost the entire forth quarter.  But, what was truly amazing was hearing the three sportscasters, who have been around the professional game for about 120 years collectively, go on and on about how Curry is the best shooter in the history of basketball and possibly the most entertaining person ever to play the game.  They ask how is it possible that the  MVP player from last season can win the Most Improved Player this year.

So why is Curry bad for the game of basketball?  The problem is that he makes the rest of the NBA look like an over 55 league at the YMCA.  The play around the NBA is slow, predictable and uninspiring.  Kobe, a former superstar looks old and tired.  King James looks stiff and clumsy.  Westbrook and Durant look too human as they miss key shots in big moments and Rose looks hobbled coming back from his knee surgery.

So how does an avid fan and sports junky like myself deal with the disparity between Steph Curry and the rest of the league.  It is very hard.  It is no fun tuning in to a mid-week came between Sacramento Kings and the Jazz or the Sixers and the Timberwolves waiting the entire game for one outstanding play. Curry promises a highlight clip every minute.  I change the channel looking for a good college game or flipping on the Flyers for two seconds.  The Australian Open was a pleasant diversion an now I only watch the NBA when Golden State Warriors are being televised.

It would ironic if league attendance and viewership suffered because of a player that is just too good that he makes the rest of the league look mediocre.  Can the NBA televise a Warriors’ games three or four times a week, or do we just need a Steph Curry app which gives you all the highlights from the previous Warriors’ game that you can re-play whenever you need a fix f good basketball.  I guess the NHL survived with Gretzky and the NFL survived with Montana , so I guess the NBA can survive with Curry.