Cautioning on Curry’s Crazy Shooting

Insane long-distance bombs shouldn’t be mimicked by teens

It’s borderline ridiculous what Golden State Warrior Steph Curry can do on a basketball court.

I mean wow!

Curry scored a game-high 50 points. 5–0! And nailed an All-Star Game record 16 three-points. Sixteen. Every single one needed as the Team LeBron sizzled past Team Durant, 163–160.

Curry accomplished this amazing feat on just 27 attempts.

The sharp-shooting Curry, firing all sorts of crazy shots from way, way behind the three-point arc easily won the game’s Kobe Bryant MVP award.

“When Steph does this, you become a spectator. We all were,” said Cavalier first-time all-star Darius Garland. “A 50-ball, that’s crazy in the All-Star Game. I was a spectator, a fan, even though I was on the same team.”

Lesson to young shooters

On one shocking shot, Curry drilled a three from the far right corner of the court, then exaggerated his follow-through, keeping his wrist bent until he turned to the first row of fans and players and smiled before the ball even swished through the hoop. Unbelievable.

And right on cue TNT broadcaster and former Indiana Pacer sharper-shooter, Reggie Miller made his own swishing three-pointer with his comment.

“Now, I have to go home and talk to my son,” Miller said. “He’s a huge Steph Curry fan. I need to tell him, ‘Steph Curry shots hundreds of shots every day.’ ”

Translation: kids don’t try this at home.

And trust me they will.

I coach a middle-school basketball team. And every day before practice, low and behold, players are launching — and missing — Steph Curry-like shots. They definitely have the location down where Curry bombs his long-range jumpers.

The strength? Nah. The form? Not even close.

I can’t even count the times in games that I’ve coached, where my players would catch a pass and immediately launch an off-balanced shot without running the offense or looking for an open man.

Yeah, I know what you’re saying: Coach, just take that player out

Good point. However, then I wouldn’t have a starting five. Yes, it’s that bad.

Sure, it’s great watching NBA All-Stars run around making incredible shots from all over the court, slam-dunking basketballs like acrobats, and swing around the rims with the greatest of ease like modern-day Tarzans. Or what about when they drive down the lane taking oh, three maybe four steps. Does traveling even exist in the NBA?

I was never more proud the other night taking in a Highland High School basketball playoff game that featured four of my former players. Although they lost to a much taller, faster, and higher-ranked team in the quarterfinals, the emphasis was on team basketball.

Each time down the court, two, three, four, or even five passes were zinged as the players made cuts, crisp passes, and picks and rolls. No one player was more important than the other.

I wish my current middle-school team could’ve been there watching the team effort displayed by my former players instead of the long-range bombing antics of MVP Steph Curry in Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game.

Curry’s out-of-this stratosphere shooting is amazing to watch, great television, but until young players learn to pass better, set proper picks, learn the right shooting form, and box out, leave the Seth Curry shooting to, well, Seth Curry.

Kids, please quit trying this at your home gym.

Thank you for reading.

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Tagging some fellow sports fans: Scot Butwell, Gerald Sturgill, Jameson Steward, MarkfromBoston, Brandon Anderson, Scott Younkin,

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