The altercation between Stephen Curry and the Detroit Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart during the Golden State Warriors’ 115-110 win on Saturday has started some banter in NBA circles. Especially since the Warriors star, uncharacteristically, brought some trash talk along with his exemplary shooting to the game at Chase Center.
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On his way to 32 points that night, Curry crossed the 25,000 career points mark in the NBA. That milestone, however, was overshadowed by the tussle in the fourth quarter of the matchup, when Stewart pushed Curry in frustration after the superstar guard mouthed off to him.
Both Curry and Steward animatedly exchanged words, with teammates coming in to hold them back as more gestures flew. Both the players received technical fouls — it was Curry’s first of the season and Stewart’s 13th. Golden State Warriors insider Anthony Slater joined the Run It Back crew on the podcast’s recent episode to discuss the run-in.
Slater noted that Curry has been feeling good lately, so it wasn’t too surprising to see the 36-year-old get taunted by opponents. He pointed out that the contest had been “chirpy” throughout. But whatever Steph said to Stew late in the game was enough to set the Pistons big man off.
Stewart is known to be an enforcer. Chandler Parsons claimed that the center even “hates Santa Claus”, so it is no surprise how things escalated.
Slater, however, noted that Stewart controlled his temper more than he had in past incidents. “I will say, [Stewart] kept it a little bit more in check than the LeBron [James] one. He wasn’t quite going after Steph like that,” Slater added.
The LeBron incident Slater touched upon was from November 2021. While jostling for a potential rebound from a free throw, the Lakers star had swung his arm wildly, catching the face of Steward. The impact caused bleeding near the Detroit center’s eye. A huge, almost physical, melee ensued, leading to suspensions for both the players.
In the Steph-Stewart affair, Slater also pointed to Dennis Schröder’s involvement. Schröder was a member of the Warriors till last month before he was moved to Detroit in the convoluted Jimmy Butler deal. He, of course, did not want to be traded to or away from Golden State. Maybe Schröder’s role in the altercation is a sign of lingering angst.
Slater also mentioned how the Pistons witnessed firsthand how much of a competitive edge Curry has. Known as the Baby-Faced Assassin since the early days of his career, Steph has become known as a friendly, harmless guy. But that changes during intense moments on the court.
Curry has been playing his best basketball of the season
Curry has been playing inspired basketball of late, leading the Dubs back to a guaranteed playoff spot in the hotly contested Western Conference. After once struggling to tread water and hang on to a play-in berth, the Warriors have looked like a bona fide playoff contender in recent weeks.
Golden State’s trade for Butler has brought renewed energy to both Curry and the team. The All-Star forward’s gritty style of play provides the perfect complement to Curry’s grace and soft touch. Butler provides Curry with a true co-star who is capable of shouldering a heavy load on offense.
With another elite talent to take some of the pressure off of him, Curry has been on fire since the trade deadline. GS has gone 13-4 since February 1st. Curry and Butler are proving to be all the star power Golden State needs to make some noise in the postseason.
