Steph Curry’s legacy needs to be enhanced even further.
That’s the view of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, who was full of praise for Curry during the Golden State Warriors‘ comeback win against the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
The Warriors rallied to overturn a double-digit deficit against the Knicks in a victory that saw Curry display yet another superlative performance.
The 36-year-old led the way for Golden State with 28 points in a 114-102 victory in the second of a back-to-back.
This was a game the four-time NBA champion wasn’t even supposed to play in, having rolled his ankle against the Charlotte Hornets the night before.
“It was sore, but I had all the strength and stability in it,” Curry said.
“Didn’t get worse when I went through my shooting workout. That was a sign I could play.”
Curry started the game quietly in a poor first half for the Warriors, and there was a brief scare when he tweaked his right ankle again.
Although instead of derailing his performance, it sparked life back into him.
“That actually woke me up a little bit,” Curry said. “Sleepy first half.”
His stellar performance in the face of injury prompted huge praise from O’Neal.
“As the supreme leader of the big man alliance, I demand you fans to start putting Steph Curry in that greatest of all time conversation,” O’Neal declared during the TNT broadcast.
GettyLeBron James is still active and is having stellar season for the Lakers[/caption]
“Just start putting him in the conversation. There’s [Michael Jordan], there’s Kobe [Bryant], there’s LeBron [James]. Start putting Steph in that conversation. I demand it.”
Such praise from O’Neal is one that should be taken seriously. The big-man played against Michael Jordan and is considered one of the NBA’s top 10 all-time players.
“I played against Mike, played with Kobe, played against and with LeBron. They’re all great,” O’Neal continued.
“But at some point, we’re going to have to put Steph Curry in that category. I’m not saying he is [the GOAT], but let’s just have the conversation.
“I like all the internet talk and the barbershop talk, but I ain’t never seen nothing like that before, and nobody has.
“And how many [rings] he got? One, two, three, four, against LeBron. I demand that people start putting my guy in that conversation, period.”
For Curry, he will be focused on getting the Warriors into the playoffs and potentially competing for another championship this year.
His side have looked reborn since the arrival of Jimmy Butler, something head coach Steve Kerr has recognised as he says his team are developing a “real identity.”
“Two-way team,” Kerr said. “The last 10 games, I think we are second in both offense and defense. Small sample size, but that’s when we got Jimmy.”
The Warriors stay as the Western Conference’s sixth seed with the win against the Knicks, and are just four wins back from the Memphis Grizzlies in fourth.
