Just call him a crowd-pleaser.
Despite being on one of the hottest scoring streaks of his 12-year career, Steph Curry still has time to appease his supporters — even if that means taking mid-game celebration requests.
Curry did just that in Golden State’s 119-101 road win over the Cavs on Thursday night. After draining a long range 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter — as part of his 33-point performance — the two-time MVP ran back on defense with his arms spread in an airplane celebration.
Fans quickly caught on that the move was pre-meditated after seeing a tweet from a Bay Area reporter that Curry apparently checked at halftime.
“Hi @StephenCurry30 if you see this at halftime, would you consider running back on the court with your arms out like a Stepherson Airplane?,” Kerith Burke, a Warriors beat reporter, tweeted.
After the game, Doris Burke jokingly asked Curry why he specifically pulled out the airplane celebration in the fourth quarter.
“You know exactly why,” Curry said, laughing.
“Got good mojo going right now. I just needed to give myself an opportunity to pull it out because I didn’t do anything to do that in the first half.”
The three-time NBA champion — who recently passed Wilt Chamberlain to claim the No. 1 spot on the Warriors all-time scoring list — has said that he’s more likely to read tweets from verified Twitter accounts that feature a blue checkmark.
Curry has also admitted that he has a “sick mind” when it comes to social media and how he views internet critics.
“It’s pure entertainment for me, to be honest,” Curry said on the Dubs Talk podcast on Thursday. “[I] don’t take myself too seriously when I play well or when I don’t, ’cause I know it’s the same intentions in trying to be great. So, like, when I go read ’em, it’s hilarious just how you want to fall off a cliff if I’m 0-for-8 from the 3-point line, or I’m not shooting enough … or a night like 53 [points against the Denver Nuggets on Monday] in chasing Wilt [Chamberlain] where I can do no wrong.”
Curry has been going nuclear from three, having recorded his ninth consecutive 30+ point game on Thursday against the Cavs. Before that, he drained 29 triples in the Golden State’s last three games.
The Warriors have moved up to the No. 9 seed in the tough Western Conference race to the playoffs, as they push for a spot in the play-in tournament, which begins May 18.
