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The Golden State Warriors — who left the NBA stratosphere months ago and now orbit Earth as a full-on pop-culture spectacle — did it again.
MVP point guard Steph Curry — who ditched NBA superstardom two exits back and is now a bonafide celebrity — did it again.
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Golden State's latest marvel was perhaps the most stunning feat in a surreal past 18 months for a once-downtrodden franchise. The Warriors on Monday night beat the red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder to reach their second consecutive NBA Finals. In doing so, the Warriors came back from a 3-1 deficit in their best-of-7 series. In NBA history, 232 other teams had found themselves in similar holes; only nine had come back to win their series.
Cute stat, but this is Golden State. The Warriors are so absurd — again and again defying all belief, stretching the definition of what's possible — that it's almost funny.
Thunder star Russell Westbrook is one person who definitely isn't laughing, though — and that's where this story really gets good.
SEE ALSO: How Steph Curry became the NBA's most Vine-worthy star
Maybe you're just hitching up to this sports entertainment spectacle. The Warriors have attracted many new fans and observers along their quest to ride a sublime brand of basketball to back-to-back titles. If you're one of those newer arrivals, it can be easy to miss the games within the game.
But soap opera storylines are what make sports so simultaneously juvenile and irresistible to follow. We've got a great one here.
Just five days ago, Westbrook and the Thunder were sitting pretty. They'd lost Game 5 to the Warriors, but were still up 3-2 in the series after opening up that commanding 3-1 lead. In the post-game press conference, a reporter asked Westbrook and co-star Kevin Durant if they thought Curry — the NBA's two-time reigning MVP — was underrated as a defender.
Westbrook laughed. Durant politely but directly brushed the question aside. 'I like our matchup with him guarding Russ,' he said. But Westbrook visibly snickered at the interview table.
Westbrook laughs when asked if Curry is an underrated defender; Durant says 'he doesn't guard the best point guards' pic.twitter.com/IaDrcFLkRo
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) May 27, 2016
Westbrook overtly disrespected the two-time MVP.
Activate the drama siren! They were ticked off here in the Bay Area, as evidenced by this rant from longtime local sports radio host Greg Papa.
Legendary Greg Papa radio rant about Steph, Russ and KD, h/t @warriorsworld. SPORTS ARE SO DUMB AND JUVENILE AND FUN https://t.co/lWlYa8NP1C
— Sam Laird (@samcmlaird) May 27, 2016
But we aren't here to lecture about Westbrook's character. His internal rage is makes him such a compelling and entertaining player, as well as one of the NBA's best. We might forgive him for being arrogant, too; our current NBA moment was once assumed to be the Thunder's era of Western Conference dominance, until the Warriors rose from nothing. So there we were, with the Durant-Westbrook Thunder apparently on the verge of snatching their era back. In that context, Westbrook's snicker about Curry's defense becomes more understandable if not less arrogant.
It was a fitting sleight, in its way. Westbrook's game is smash and grab, full of kamikaze missions to the rim and one-man fast breaks. He dresses loud, too — game-day outfits stitched from leather and featuring kaleidoscopic patterns have made fashion his off-court calling card.
#tbt some Paris fashion week looks. #nyfw comingg sooonnnn!! #whynotpic.twitter.com/Fp12KaLJPU
— Russell Westbrook (@russwest44) September 10, 2015
Curry, by contrast, relies on skill over raw athleticism, beguiling bigger and faster men with his endless bag of tricks. He's seen as low-key and humble (although he's not shy about preening after big shots). He has the quiet life, the seemingly perfect family.
He was similarly understated in responding to Westbrook's laugh.
'Honestly, I could care less about other people's opinions about me,' Curry said after Game 5. 'I know what I do for my team and what my teammates expect of me on both ends of the floor.'
Then Curry went out and humiliated Westbrook for his press conference snicker.
Curry hit for 31 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in Game 6 as the Warriors evened the series at three games apiece. In Game 7 he was even better, notching 36, five and eight while taking over in the second half.
To be clear: Westbrook laughed at the MVP, then didn't win another game. But maybe you think that slight is just a media creation. This tweet from Curry's younger sister, Sydel, after Game 7 should convince you otherwise.
laughed at the bro & now going home. That's why we stay unbo- nvm y'all know lol
— Sydel Curry (@sydelcurry) May 31, 2016
Now the Warriors are bound for their second straight NBA Finals. The Thunder are going home, as Sydel put it. Oklahoma City faces a long off-season of questions about the future of its Durant-Westbrook superstar pairing.
Durant is a free agent, linked in breathless reports to seemingly half the NBA. Westbrook, meanwhile, might face a bigger predicament. Living down that laugh — directed toward the MVP, then followed by two straight losses and a historic collapse in the playoffs — could take time. Until Westbrook wins something, that laugh will define him for many fans just as much as his rim-crunching dunks and fashionable outfits.
Speaking of outfits, it's hard not to notice what Curry wore to Game 7, then sported again at his press conference after closing out the series.
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idk if Curry wore this motorcycle jacket to the post game presser by coincidence 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/oZ8t6Kqrhc
— Sam Laird (@samcmlaird) May 31, 2016
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Curry's own fashion sense has grown as his star has risen. But the motorcycle jacket he donned post-game Monday night — straight out of Michael Jackson's closet circa 1982 — pushed the sartorial limit by his standards. In a delicious twist, Curry's jacket looked just like something Russell Westbrook would wear.
Sure, it's possible we're reading too much into this. Maybe it's just coincidence Curry wore his most Westbrookian outfit Tuesday night. Maybe we're getting carried away.
But that's the thing with Curry. He's still smooth and understated, as two-time MVPs go. Oftentimes, he's subtle enough to leave you with a shadow of a doubt. But doubt him at your own peril, as Russell Westbrook just learned the hard way.
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