Basketball isn’t just about the NBA. Most people don’t always have two full teams to play with. You could bet dollars to donuts that pretty much every single NBA player’s first experience with basketball is on the playground with friends, where they would play two-on-two or three-on-three.
Advertisement
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry may have NBA ties through his father, yet he still experienced those playground-like battles. He might not suit up for Team USA in a FIBA 3×3 competition, but he certainly has familiarity with that form of basketball.
In a recent sit-down interview with ABC7 News Bay Area, Larry Beil asked Curry for one player he would like to play with from the past in a game of two-on-two. One name immediately came to mind.
“Allen Iverson,” Curry said. “That’s the first name that popped in for sure.”
Despite already listing Allen Iverson, the gears in his head didn’t stop turning. Curry expressed interest in playing with one other legendary guard.
“Probably [Magic Johnson]. You put me, Magic and AI, I think that’d be a solid three-on-three team,” Curry proclaimed.
Instead of staying true to the question, Curry added his own twist. Just the thought of a trio consisting of Curry, Iverson and Magic Johnson would cause nightmares for any defense. On the flip side, those three may not be the most optimal players when it comes to defense. But Curry doesn’t believe that’ll be a problem.
“You don’t really need to guard anybody in three-on-three,” Curry revealed. “Five-on-five, that’s different. We’ll need some bodies there.”
Johnson may be able to hold his own on defense, considering he is 6-foot-9 but Iverson was one of the worst defenders in the league during his playing career. Although he led the league in steals three times, those mainly came from jumping the passing lanes. In terms of one-on-one defense, the 6-foot guard struggled to get stops.
Curry’s decision to go strictly guards in his hypothetical three-man team is certainly surprising. He avoided filling positional need by adding a big man like Shaquille O’Neal, or even a bona fide dynamic scorer like Michael Jordan. Those are also two players with whom the four-time NBA champion has ties.
Perhaps Curry is following the current trend in the NBA of prioritizing offense over defense. At the end of the day, as long as his team scores more than the other, that’s all that matters. One thing’s for certain, Iverson, Johnson and Curry won’t struggle putting points on the board.
