"MVP chants gotta wait til after the release lol" - Steph Curry's sister throws major shade at him for his free-throw struggles
The Golden State Warriors successfully closed out the Denver Nuggets, but the highlight of the series was Steph Curry's struggles at the charity stripe. The two-time MVP is regarded as the greatest shooter of all time, and his free-throw misses were certainly mind-boggling.
Curry's sister, Sydel Curry-Lee, taunted her brother on Twitter, suggesting the crowd needs to stop chanting "MVP!" until the ball has left his hands. She tweeted:
"MVP chants gotta wait til after the release lol"
Curry missed a lot of free throws in this series, and the home crowd was visibly distraught while the road spectators cheered in excitement. The surprised look was shared by Curry himself, who was seen puzzled after missing consecutive free throws in Game 4.
Curry also missed technical free throws in this series. Some fans jokingly suggested those shots should be given to Jordan Poole or Klay Thompson, both of whom shot better than 90% from the charity stripe this season.
When asked about his four missed free throws in Game 4, Curry acknowledged that he felt terrible. But he eventually laughed it off because his confidence never waivers. He has never missed four in a single game. He said:
"Missed free throws, I hate it. It’s the worst feeling in the world, because it’s what I do really well. The misses were all in-and-outs pretty much, so ... no, two front rim and two in-and-outs, so I know what to correct on that."
Steph Curry on his missed free throws in game 4: "I kinda laughed it off, I think I was pointing at Denver's bench and they were counting how many misses I had cos it was like an out-of-body experience..."
Curry has never missed as many free throws as he has in this series. He shot 3 of 3 in Game 1, 5 of 7 in Game 2, 6 of 8 in Game 3, 10 of 14 in Game 4 and 5 of 7 in Game 5. The total comes up to 74.4% free-throw accuracy, which is his least efficient stretch of games by far.
The lowest he has ever shot in a series or season was previously 79.2% in the 2015 Western Conference semifinals against the Memphis Grizzlies. Curry has always been over 80% in every other series or season.
Steph Curry on his career high four missed free throws: “I hate them. It’s the worst feeling in the world because it’s what I do really well.” https://t.co/KK30IO9HHB
In fact, Curry is statistically the best free-throw shooter in NBA history. He has a career average of 90.8%, leading the league in that category four times in his 13-year career. Thus, it is understandable why the greatest shooter of all time shrugged off his misses.
“You leave it in the locker room. In my head I’m still shooting 100%.”
-Steph Curry on missing 4 free throws in Sunday’s game. Curry says he’s approaching tomorrow’s game with the same confidence at the line that he has all season. @kron4news #DubNation
Steph Curry will never let Jordan Poole shoot technical free throws
The Denver Nuggets got hit with two technical fouls in Game 2. And it was probably the first time in NBA history that the league leader in free-throw shooting, Jordan Poole, didn't attempt the free throws. Curry missed two technical foul shots, and the crowd was stunned.
Many jokingly suggested that Poole should attempt the technical free throws instead. Poole was asked after the game if he would attempt them over Curry, and he laughed it off, saying he wouldn't comment.
"No comment." 😂
Jordan Poole on who should shoot technical free throws after Steph Curry missed two tonight. @JaredSGreenberg https://t.co/HX8CM9K0ac
Curry was asked the same question in the postgame interview, and he said he will never let Poole shoot the technical foul shots. He said:
"Never. Never. Even if I'll miss 10 in a row, you'll see me right there."
He then lauded his teammate for being a better free-throw shooter this season. Funnily enough, Curry missed out on being the league leader this season by a single free throw (275 of 298, 92.3%). Poole instead took that honor at 92.5%. If Curry had made 276 instead of 275, he would have led the league with 92.6%. He continued:
"I'll say I like the healthy competition, because all of a sudden he edged me out in the season-long race and he has set high standards for shooting free throws. So, it's gonna take a lot more than one free-throw champ to get me off that line for the techs."
Top free throw shooters in the NBA this year:
1. Jordan Poole (92.5%)
2. Stephen Curry (92.3)
They're the first pair of teammates to finish first and second in FT% since 1987. https://t.co/IhXz8H6Vfp