Just My Type
GRAVITATIONALLY CHALLENGED
STEPHEN CURRY
The Warriors guard may not be a high flier, but he was averaging 20.1 points through Sunday and hitting 45.0% of his threes
DAN PATRICK:Can you jump?
STEPHEN CURRY: No. I have probably three dunks in my entire NBA career.
DP:So you jump like your dad, Dell.
SC: Exactly.
DP:How do you get your shot off?
SC: I'm 6'3", below average for an NBA player. I have to work on having a quick release. Change speeds with my dribble.
DP:Tougher defender—the tall guy or the fast guy?
SC: For me, the taller guy who's also decently quick.
DP:Such as?
SC: Most of the time they put a two guard on me to disrupt my timing. Tony Allen plays significant minutes against me.
DP:Who goes deeper in the postseason, your Warriors or your brother Seth's Duke Blue Devils?
SC: Duke is championship caliber right now. I like to think we're close to that. I'll go with Duke.
DP:Which is the top NBA team in California?
SC: The Clippers just had a 17-game winning streak. It would be foolish of me not to pick them. But we're right behind them.
DP:How about the Lakers?
SC: They've beaten us twice. So I can't say we are [better].
DP:Kobe Bryant said the Lakers are old and slow.
SC: You look at the average age of their players.... When you go through 82 games, you have to be fresh. I'm sure they'll figure out a way to pick up their energy. That's the risk you take by bringing in guys who are further along in their careers.
DP:How do you explain Kobe still producing at this level?
SC: He is a different breed, man. Someone who had a broken finger, like he did a couple of years ago, would be out four to six weeks after surgery. Kobe played the entire season with that injury as if nothing happened. Even now, after 17 years in the league, he's averaging 30 points. That's unheard of.
DP:Is Dwight Howard different from how he was in Orlando?
SC: People may be underestimating the effect of the [back] surgery he had. He doesn't look as explosive. He'll continue to get healthy. He's not the same player he was in Orlando, but there's no reason he can't get back to that.
DP:Do you remember your coach, Mark Jackson, as a player?
SC: He played with my dad for half a season in Toronto. I was 11 or 12 at the time. We used to play one-on-one after practice.
DP:Have you taken on Jackson in a shooting contest?
SC: Coach has the utmost confidence in his jump shot, even though that wasn't his strength when he was playing. He challenges a lot of players in practice. He's a smart man. He hasn't challenged me yet.
"That's the million-dollar question. You have these franchise-type [quarterbacks] taking big-time hits. That question can't be answered, because no one has done it long enough. That's a concern [going] all the way back to Joe Namath, who used to be an excellent scrambler. The body has wear and tear. How long can you keep on taking shots like that?"
—URBAN MEYER, Ohio State coach, on whether NFL teams can continue to run the spread option offense
GUEST SHOTS
SAY WHAT?
New Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton told me that being booed by Texas fans late last season didn't factor into his decision to leave. But he was surprised: "You wouldn't think of the Rangers fans booing players. Yankees, [Red Sox], Cubs [fans] ... it's a different story." ... Hall of Famer Michael Irvin explained why physical talent isn't the most important attribute in a quarterback. "Tony Romo relies on what got him there: He spins out this way and that way," Irvin said. "Tom [Brady] relies on reading and processing coverage. This is why our worst athletes—Tom, Peyton Manning—are our best quarterbacks." ... South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney isn't eligible for the NFL draft, but his coach, Steve Spurrier, is certain he's ready for the next level. "He's just one of those rare guys who has tremendous strength and quickness and explosiveness," Spurrier told me.... Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez is considering retiring after the season, but he told me it won't be easy. "I'll probably play tricks in my mind," Gonzalez said. "I'm gonna miss this game. I've been doing it since sixth grade."
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MICHAEL J. LEBRECHT II/1DEUCE3 PHOTOGRAPHY (PATRICK)
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J. DENNIS/EINSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (CURRY)
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SIMON BRUTY (GONZALEZ)
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BILL FRAKES (SPURRIER)
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BRET HARTMAN/REUTERS (IRVIN)
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VICTOR DECOLONGON/GETTY IMAGES (HAMILTON)