When Steph Curry sat down to address reporters Saturday, he was asked how it felt to be on the wise, veteran Warriors squad trying to hold down the upstart “kids” of the Memphis Grizzlies. Curry had to object.
“I’m still a kid at heart,” Curry said with a laugh. “When we come in and sit down, you guys gotta flatter us first and then go into the hard-hitting questions. That is not a great way to start this press conference. Youthful spirits.”
Tip-off for Game 1 is set for 12:30 p.m. Sunday at Memphis, which will be broadcast on ABC and 95.7 The Game. Listen to the action on the audio player above.
Curry is in dad-joke territory now. At the age of 33, his career and the entire fate of the Warriors franchise has changed ever since the Warriors topped the Grizzlies in 2015 Western Conference Semifinals. Golden State dug out of a 2-1 hole to win the last three games of the series en route to its first title in 40 years.
“We definitely have fond memories of that,” Curry said of the 2015 Grizzlies series. “That was a springboard to an amazing run.”
Now Curry is 11 years older than his chief adversary on the Grizzlies, NBA Most Improved Player Award winner Ja Morant.
The Warriors are well aware of the Grizzlies’ rise the past couple of years to end up as the West’s No. 2 seed this season. Last season, Memphis went into Chase Center and ended the Warriors’ season in the play-in game.
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The Grizzlies are much more than just Morant. Even without Ja, who dealt with knee issues and missed 25 games this season, Memphis went 20-5. Shooting guard Desmond Bane, forward Dillon Brooks, power forward Jaren Jackson and guard Tyus Jones join Morant to form the Grizzlies’ talented nucleus.
Curry said he can see some similarities to the Warriors’ ascension before their dynasty. Now the Warriors have turned into the old guard, much like the San Antonio Spurs of the 2010s, and the Grizzlies are trying to knock them off.
“We were that team and those players at one point,” Curry said of Memphis. “Feel like the Tim Duncans and KGs (Kevin Garnetts) and all those guys who were trying to extend their prime and their careers for as long as they could when we were coming into our prime. It’s the natural evolution of sports. It’s a reminder of how difficult it is to win at this level and be here every year.”
Brooks raised some eyebrows by saying Memphis was “building this dynasty” the last time the Warriors were in town in March. The Grizzlies still don’t have a Finals trip in franchise history, while Curry and the Warriors are seeking their sixth in the past eight seasons.
“We’ve been around the block and we’re trying to get to the mountaintop,” Curry said.
