Basketball “trick shots” are basically YouTube candy. Many of them are heavily edited, with final clips that are the result of dozens of previous attempts that were discarded. Knowing all the above doesn’t keep a clip of Warriors guard Stephen Curry casually kicking in a 70-footer from being impressive, because it’s Steph Curry kicking a freaking basketball into a hoop.
Footage from Friday’s Warriors practice is now making its rounds, and the clip features assistant coach Bruce Fraser bouncing a ball towards Curry kickball-style before Steph boots it in and hits nothing but net. As Curry celebrates the shot, a bystander is heard saying, “Somebody has to have that on video.” Thankfully, somebody did.
To put things in context, NFL placekickers take point after attempting 33 yards from the goal post or 15 yards from the goal line of the end zone. Converting yards to feet would put the standard NFL point after attempt at 99 feet. So have fun watching Sunday’s NFL action knowing Steph Curry pretty much did what your team’s kicker does, just with a smaller target. Again, this all comes with the caveat that the clip may have been one successful attempt out of dozens that ended up on the cutting room floor.
Steph’s pre-game and practice trick shots have their own mythology. Fans at home and away games show up hours early to see the two-time MVP winner drain threes from the stadium tunnel, the team’s bench, and from halfcourt while seated.
If Warriors’ owner Joe Lacob’s cringe-worthy “light years ahead” remarks or Draymond Green’s mere existence makes you mad, add Curry’s crosscourt punt as another reason to hate the Warriors. This would be a good time to point out that the Dubs are 9-3 on the season, and per ESPN’s Zach Lowe they have outscored their last five opponents by almost 22 points per game.
