OAKLAND CALIF. Stephen Curry sat alone and relaxed at his locker lounging back and picking at strawberries and pineapples from a bowl resting on his lap.
More than an hour prior to the Golden State Warriors Game 4 showdown against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday the darling of this NBA postseason sat quietly in a mostly deserted Warriors home locker room.
No cameras. No recorders. Just a superstar in the making by himself.
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty ImagesFor Curry this won't happen much longer.
You re getting an awful lot of recognition these days I told him.
He lifted a slight smile unassuming in this moment just as he is on the court among bigger NBA counterparts.
Yeah you know how all that changes Curry said.
He's right. It is changing the attention is building and the crowds will begin to encircle that same locker room seat.
Curry took another step into the spotlight of superstardom in the Warriors' 115 101 Game 4 victory against the Nuggets flashing his flair for the moment with a 31 point performance that included 6 of 11 three pointers.
He scored 22 of those points and hit five of his three pointers in the third quarter when the Warriors decidedly put the Nuggets on their heels ultimately into a 3 1 deficit in the best of seven series.
Curry lit up the crowd with each arching shot. He sent the emphatic clamor of Oracle Arena into unhinged euphoria in his moments of celebration. At one point in that third quarter after an and one layup he sprinted into an exultant stance in the corner baseline and pounded his hands together toward the Warriors crowd.
When he catches fire he loses that bashful demeanor. Instead an animated tongue wagging personality is revealed.
Curry s 18 three pointers through his first four playoff games is historic as no player in the game has ever done it before. As much as Denver tried to contain him Sunday with full court shadows and face guarding Curry found ways to sneak into enough open space to connect from anywhere on the floor.
Now the basketball nation is beginning to take notice of Golden State's sensational talent.
Warriors coach Mark Jackson joked about Curry's recent attention Those guys are just coming to the hospital the baby has been born already.
Curry continues to showcase his talents on the grand stage of the NBA playoffs. Through four games the fourth year player is averaging 27.3 points 4.5 three pointers and 10 assists per game.
After not being selected as an All Star reserve Curry's game raised to an even greater high before the postseason. After the All Star Game Curry averaged 26 points including 4.1 of 8.9 three pointers and 7.4 assists.
But as much as the Bay Area's golden boy continues to be glorified for lighting it up he remains unwavering in his humbleness. He's more likely to recognize his teammates or credit the intricacies of the offense or a certain play call than take credit for his heroics.
When asked about his stroking rhythm after Game 4 Curry spoke his modest language I was just able to get good looks. Like Andrew Bogut said we were setting great screens finding openings in the pick and roll.
The sound bites aren't always spectacular he'll never say a controversial word. But the humility of Curry and that he's undersized for NBA standards at 6 3 and 185 pounds doesn t equate to timidness.
Curry has an edge. He can get feisty on the floor. He ll jaw at opponents and he ll mix it up inside.
Just ask Roy Hibbert
Curry sat in his postgame press conference with a right eye marked up and soaked with red on one side a result of being accidentally poked in the eye by Denver's Corey Brewer.
Of course the Golden State sized elephant is Curry s injury history. His vulnerable right ankle has received two surgeries and it's too often a worry.
In Game 2 in Denver Curry turned his left ankle not his surgically repaired right one. He was listed as questionable before his 29 point performance in Game 3.
Kyle Terada USA TODAY SportsCurry told me before Sunday's game it d been a year and a half since he sprained his left ankle and the pain was still with him headed into Game 4.
The ankle pain was enough to take a pain killing injection prior to the game something he said took more than a half to kick in. Warriors coach Mark Jackson said he had been thinking about taking him out.
I did have a talk with him Jackson said. I actually took him out in the first half and was considering shutting him down and I told him that. It was almost like a boxer that knew he was on the ropes because it was just a matter of time.
Thank goodness he didn't as it would have taken away that memorable third quarter.
I told him I didn't need him to be a hero then Jackson laughed. Talk about smart coaching.
Jackson uses the name Reggie Miller often to compare what Curry is doing or what he's capable of doing. It's isn't a careless connection. Curry set an NBA record this season for 272 three pointers.
Fans of the game embrace guys who launch and connect from anywhere Curry is congenial and flashes an on court personality that supports his ability to become one of the game's most popular players.
Mostly though he's no longer losing. Golden State's playoff run is propelling him onto an adoring national TV stage.
Those moments alone at his locker room will soon vanish just as they do for all NBA superstars.
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