Regarding Curry, the eyes don’t lie

But that’s not why he should be in the MVP conversation. There is no doubt the national media look at the box scores the next day — West Coast Warriors games don’t end until 12:30, 1 a.m. East Coast time — and surmise, “Huh, another strong game from Curry.”

But you have to watch him night in and night out to appreciate his true value to the Golden State Warriors. Because right now, there is no more exciting player in the NBA than Curry. Period. Like Barry Bonds with the Giants 20 years ago, Curry is must-see TV.

Now the media outside the Bay Area is seeing what Warriors fans watch every game. Former NBA big man turned NBA analyst, Kendrick Perkins, has been a big critic of Curry’s over the last several years. He put out a tweet the other day, essentially apologizing for what many people consider the “hate” thrown Curry’s way throughout his career. Do a quick Google search about Curry’s run right now. NBC Sports, The Sporting News, USA TODAY, the list goes on and on with outlets big and small beginning to see what Curry is: an MVP candidate.

But it took many people to actually watch Curry’s performances, not just read the box score, to fully appreciate what he is doing right now. Curry has established himself as one of the best 3-point shooters in the history of the game.

But what has elevated him this season is his willingness and ability to finish at the rim. It is something he’s grown into over the years and this season he appears to be at his all-time high. His ball handling is simply sublime. At first glance, it’s not flashy or fancy, but on closer inspection, he is doing things with the ball that are just as jaw-dropping as he does with his distance shooting.

His ability to push the ball forward into tight quarters, beat the defender, recover the ball and go in for the layup is second to none right now. He puts defenders on skates nightly, using a variety of feints, dekes, change of pace, stutter and jab steps to get defenses grasping at air, running into screens or being put on their butts, literally.

While the debate rages about whether Curry should be in the MVP discussion, he certainly does not need it to validate his career. The best shooter in NBA history who will own all the 3-point records before he’s through, a three-time champion, and back-to-back league MVPs, including the first and only unanimous vote in 2015-16, Curry has more than enough accolades to make him a hall of fame shoo-in.

But Curry is aware of what the critics say and I wouldn’t be at all surprised that he’s making his presence felt on the East Coast as a way to bolster his MVP case.

***

Two days after a dozen of the world’s biggest soccer clubs announced their intention to form a breakaway “Super League,” the proposal seems dead in the water as half the teams, six teams from England, did an about-face.

Since then, another handful of teams have quietly began to walk back their intentions and the rest will surely follow.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that a number of the teams involved in the plan are foreign owned, a quarter of the teams involved are owned by American billionaires. What those American owners failed to realize is that European soccer is nothing like American sports. In the United States, pro sports are a business. In Europe, pro soccer is part of the community.

European soccer is a way of life. They are the fabric of communities and before “The Yanks” turned their attention to soccer, European team owners were, usually, part of that community and knew what the team meant to the common citizen. Domestically owned teams try to do right by the community. American sports owners, with few exceptions, are always looking to do right by their pocketbook.

This was a simple money grab and the rest of the soccer world simply wasn’t going to let a handful of clubs ruin European soccer without a fight.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: 650-344-5200 ext. 117. Results and statistics can be emailed to: sports@smdailyjournal.com.