You’re allowed to talk a little bit of extra smack when you’re the defending champ and the reigning NBA Finals MVP.
So you’ll have to excuse Stephen Curry for disrespecting twelve-time All-Star guard Chris Paul on Monday. The Golden State superstar drove to the basket against the Phoenix veteran, who did not provide much help on the defensive end of the floor.
Curry finished with ease, drawing contact for an and-one in the process. Then, after the basket, he turned to CP3 and he was caught saying “this ain’t 2014 no more” on camera. This was just merciless stuff right here:
"This ain't 2014 no more."
Steph Curry had some words for CP3 👀 pic.twitter.com/4wCVekHyZk
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 14, 2023
2014 is a particularly hilarious year for Curry to reference here.
By then, even though it was nine years ago, CP3 was already named All-NBA First Team for the fourth (and likely final) time in his career. He was the reigning All-Star Game MVP, too, after earning the trophy in Houston during the 2013 exhibition.
Back in 2014, CP3 was already playing in his tenth professional season. That was already more than twice the length of the average NBA career! But even then, he was past the prime age of a typical NBA player.
There was a time when CP3's hacking would bother Curry. Not anymore.
Curry powered right through him
— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) March 14, 2023
Curry, too, isn’t the same player that he was back in 2014. He had only made one All-Star team and hadn’t yet won a title.
Over the past few seasons, Curry has also become stronger and a much more physical player. He has bulked up, adding significant muscle weight even in just this past season.
This insult from Curry toward CP3 may have been brewing for a long time. CP3 made fun of Curry’s shimmy in 2018 and wouldn’t let Curry practice on Houston’s court in 2019.
