If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why?

I’ve given that question some serious thought. The three stars would have to be long-form writers, thespians, or basketball phenoms. No offence, but my favourite authors are not getting any younger. Most pen their works for the love of the craft. Money and royalties are just a bonus. Having conquered the literary world, they have little else to prove.

Actors are good looking and being Casanova would be nice. I am not a fan though of their unstructured work hours. Fame on the silver screen is often rather fleeting. I do admire Jimmy O. Yang’s work. He doesn’t get the headline roles. However, even with limited billing, he always manages to shine. Being John Malkovich, Spike Jonze’s debut feature, inspired this week’s title. In said flick, the protagonists find a portal that make them become Malkovich for a few hours.

Purest shooter in NBA history

That leaves b-ball. Upon considering the current NBA crop, being Steph Curry would be nice. He’s been around the league for a decade and a half. He remains the purest shooter in history, period. After a surprising career at Davidson, he became the seventh overall pick in the 2009 draft. He was born to a family of snipers. His father, Dell, was a former sixth man of the year. He was known for his long range bombs. He had a long NBA career. His brother, Seth, would suit up for Duke. Shorter, the latter would be feared around the league for his pinpoint shooting accuracy.

Regardless, Steph is in a league by himself. As mentioned in an old post, he became the first unanimous NBA MVP. This was a feat that not even Shaq or Jordan could pull off. He accomplished this after leading the L in scoring and steals. He became the first human to win the scoring race while simultaneously posting 50-40-90 shooting splits. That year, the Dubs sported a historic 73-9 slate. They led the Cavs 3-1 but couldn’t finish them off. Common logic still places the 95-96 Bulls as the gold standard, as they won the chip.

Records and chips

Steph has gone to the Finals six times, losing twice. In his last trip, he finally got the award that eluded him: Finals MVP. He fancies himself as the best point guard ever. Most pundits would still go for Magic Johnson in that debate. If Chef Curry could garner his fifth ring, then look out.

Chef holds the records for threes in both the regular and postseason. Previously, he has shattered Walter Ray Allen’s trey count. He has since surpassed three thousand makes. If he stays healthy, four thousand career triples may not seem like a tall order.

Recalibrating the improbable

Steph’s greatness has recalibrated the unthinkable on the hardwood. If someone told us that Steph had twenty threes in a Finals game, no one would be shocked. If an online tweet had him scoring eighty-two points in three quarters, no one would bat an eyelash. If a report appeared that, in a Christmas tilt, he was a perfect fifteen of fifteen from downtown while norming a triple-double, NBA fans would merely shrug. Another day, another Curry cakewalk.

Chef’s range is mind-boggling. He shoots three pointers from the hallway, a hundred feet from the hoop. Nothing but net. He fires from seventy feet. Bang! Half court heaves look like layups to him. He makes it look so easy. Furthermore, he’s not obsessive like Allen. Indeed, being Steph would be so cool. Imaging having limitless range and just flinging treys like nobody’s business. Being Chef is video game fare. Riding his hot hand is akin to being a rock star for one night.

Steph-like range

I had a phase in high school. Before matches, I’d fling some bombs from midcourt. There were more makes than misfires. Once, in an actual pickup game, I caught the ball near mid court. My teammates besieged me with instructions. I fired a jumper that was as straight as an arrow. Some of the guys were calling me Ray Allen.

The startling thing about Curry is that he could get off anywhere, against anyone. He’s uncorking above a pick or dribbling. Straightaway or corner pocket. When he’s in the zone, forget it. ‘Hand down, man down’.

When you look at Curry, he seems unremarkable. You wonder how his smallish stature would survive amongst the tall trees. Big men have always dominated basketball. From George Mikan in the 50s to Bill Russell in the 60s to Jabbar in the 70s all the way to Shaq, this has been the man mountain’s lair. His Airness has been the exception rather than the rule. Thus, nothing was more decisive than a putback flush over two defenders. Or a skyhook against Boston.

Revolutionising the NBA

The advent of Curry has revolutionised the whole game. In the NBA, teams have taken to the three pointer. Whole offences are structured around utilising the three ball. Moreover, defensive schemes are now rooted in taking away the trifecta. To put that in perspective, twenty-six years have passed since an NBA game finished without a three point attempt.

Furthermore, Steph’s offensive brilliance has enabled positionless basketball. His Death and Hamptons lineup had no natural centres but gave other teams fits. Defenders who could switch, guarding multiple positions, has become the league’s prototype. 3-and-D cagers are now in highest demand.

Astonishing how one scrawny cager could apply his imprint on the whole league. Steph Curry is no Jabbar. He will not pummel you like Shaq. He won’t grab thirty boards like Russell. Yet he will make a difference for sure. Taller dudes like Vince Carter, Reggie Miller, and Chris Webber couldn’t tease out a chip. The list of talented cagers who missed out, goes on. Where Iverson couldn’t win, Curry could.

Curry landed in a perfect situation. His coach believes in him. He is paired with another historic shooter. Controversial Draymond anchors their defence. He was teammates with KD. Everyone buys into their culture.

Representing the marginalised

Steph has grown from a high potential cager to a woke spokesperson. He represents the shattered victims, the slain teens. He speaks his mind and makes no apologies for it. He tapes his shoes with the name of his fallen brother. He makes sure that the voices of the marginalised are heard.

Despite his success, Steph remains humble as. He does not let the winning and rings get into his head. Even when the Warriors were floundering, he never requested a trade. Though he’s the captain, he does not make unreasonable demands. When he was the unanimous winner, his salary was about ten million a year. Subsequently, he became the league’s first two hundred million man.

‘One Day’

Oh, to be Steph for a day. Between a unanimous MVP, a record breaking three, or a fourth NBA title, there’s no shortage of ‘Stephoics’. Which night will it be? Personally, I’ll take the fourth trophy. This proves, once again, that he could win it all sans Kevin Durant. This affirms that he can will a team to a chip while buying into the Dubs’ culture. Individual accolades are dandy but without team success and chip rings, they mean little. The Association is rife with All-Stars who scored a ton of points but had no playoff success.

His fourth Finals win reveals that not only is he the best shooter. He’s easily one of the top fifteen or twenty players ever. Some would even rank him higher than his nemesis, LeBron James. They faced each other in four NBA Finals, and Curry won three. Tough though he might be, LBJ was never named a unanimous MVP. Chef Curry (4) has as many titles as Giannis (1), Nikola Jokic (1), and Kawhi Leonard (2) combined.

Steph’s high character, both on and off the court, is something we should all subscribe to.