He isn't making excuses so... "Just Stop it already"

 This whole notion that Steph Curry is injured after the Warriors went down 3-1 to the OKC Thunder in Tuesday nights pivotal game 4 of the Western Conference finals speaks to how there is a double standard in the NBA. Several members of the media have gone as far to say "Steph can't be healthy, he just can't be". "How can he shoot 2-9 from the field?" How about ... maybe he is a human being and they are emotional and psychological components to having a bad game.

If you watched five minutes of OKC's victory over Golden State you would have seen Steph wasn't him self and it had nothing to do with his physical health. He ran up the court perfectly fine. His invincible release was there. There was nothing wrong with him physically. What was apparent was his energy and his attitude of "I'm just out of it. I'm over this thing already."

Typically Draymond Green is the teams emotional leader, and he like Steph were absent for games three and four of this series. What is to make of this ? A lot. The entire team is shook. We've never seen this before from Draymond, Steph or any other player on their squad. Once again the argument, Steph isn't physically healthy doesn't stand.

So lets rewind. Let's go back. Where did this hunch concerning Steph's physical health begin, because last night Steph answer to that question was "I'm fine". Curry does have an extensive injury past with him missing bulks of the regular season during his first four years in the league. Steph knows his body better then any reporter, family member, spouse etc. If he says he's fine then he is fine. If this were LeBron who sprained his knee nearly a month before the Eastern Conference finals he still wouldn't hear the end of it from the media. Steph is no different.

He's emotion isn't there and from the looks of things nor are his teammates emotionally invested in this series, which for some fans is concerning. My only concern is what's getting lost in this entire thing is how much reporters and members of the media neglect the other components of sports outside of the physical play. Sure... he hasn't made shots but like Steve Kerr said following their game four loss "It happens, even to the best players in the world". Does everyone remember Steph's game 2 third quarter explosion for 21 points. Nobody was talking about his health then. You can have a bad night or two and it have nothing to do with your physical health.

Why the "Steph Curry Phenom" doesn't exist

Three years ago you were either for LeBron or Kobe. It was one or the other. If you weren't for LeBron or Kobe, then you typically would just root against LeBron... but then last season came.

Steph Curry did something NBA fans never witnessed. Not even Jordan could touch Steph's ability to launch it from the half court logo. Steph has the wettest shooting stroke in NBA history, but it wasn't just his ability to shoot the three ball that mesmerized fans. It was his ability to shoot effortlessly from beyond 30 ft. Yes, his 3 point makes were equivalent to a LeBron dunk, "that's just too easy, but it was more to the phenom then the way the baby faced assassin heaved it from beyond the arch that intrigued basketball fans. His normalcy  in the media with his family despite winning the leagues most prestigious award resonated with fans.

But the notion that he has taken over the NBA and is the world's best player doesn't sit well with a lot of NBA fans. Five years ago if you weren't a LeBron supporter you were a Kobe lover and vice versa but now that Kobe has retired the assumption is, Kobe fans will gravitate to Steph supporters .... Ant ant... not happening. Kobe Fans like many LeBron fans are not buying Chef Curry's acrobatic and effortless offensive game.

The way Steph Curry's greatness and consistency just appeared out of practically no where doesn't sit well with a lot of NBA fans, my self included. Just like it was Magic vs Larry, Isiah vs Jordan, and A.I. vs Kobe, we were lacing it up for LeBron vs Durant for the next five plus years. Nowhere in that statement did I mention Curry. I'm still waiting on my 2012 Finals rematch of OKC vs LeBron. It's like giving me a taste of Dryer's Chocolate moose ice cream. After the taste, I want the entire gallon. We received a sample size of what the next rivalry in the NBA could look like, and we would like the finish it off.

Is today's NBA game really "watered down"... (Part 1)

Charles Barkley sits across from me leading up to game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Might remote in hand, like before every game, he is once again hammering in on the fact the Warriors can not compete with the Thunders front court which to him is an essential key to the game. Me being me, begins to hysterically laugh and it wasn't because of the comments he was making. Once again another NBA legend was throwing salt on a bad womb.

I find it interesting how the legends of the NBA in comparison to other professional sports league in the U.S. always disparage the skills of the current players. Charles Barkley is just one of the many former stars of the league who believes small ball exist simply because guys just "don't play defense". After Steven Adams comments about how difficult it is to guard the Warriors "front court players" Barkley might reconsider his initial comments.

"Man there just quick little monkeys", said Adams.

The Warriors love to run high ball screens for all of their players including their front court player, Draymond Green. For Adams coming out to the three point line just to chase Green back into the paint is similar to you trying to catch a mice underneath you cabinets in your kitchen. It's going to continue to run around whether you like it or not ... you're just along for the ride. You have to keep up other wise you'll lose him.

So again Sir Charles, is it really that easy to chase around "their bigs", more athlete and quicker as they come off of screens and shoot threes.