Nobody had more fun than Stephen Curry in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game. Curry did not hit the winning shot for the game in Atlanta on Sunday – it was Damian Lillard – but, even before the shot went up, he was waving goodbye and walking to the bench. He also didn’t win the MVP – it was Giannis Antetokounmpo – but he celebrated Giannis’ buckets as if they were his own. Curry missed the All-Star weekend last year because of a broken hand and, in a showcase that looked decidedly different from normal, it was encouraging to see him back where he belongs, bringing his particular kind of joy with he.
Curry left his mark before the game even started, putting on a show for the 3 points and still having the courtesy to leave the result in doubt until his final shot of the second round. It was his second victory in the competition and his first experience with the “MTN Dew Zone”, the point six feet behind the 3-point line from which players must make two shots in each round. Watching him hit three of his four from there, the whole thing seemed a little unfair. With the trophy in hand, he dedicated the victory to his brother Splash. Klay Thompson was also unable to attend Chicago last year, recovering from a break in the ACL, and certainly hoped to return to this stage with Curry before breaking the Achilles tendon in November.
Playing for Team LeBron in the main event, early on Curry played a game that many stars vocally opposed to a much needed energy. After Zion Williamson missed a dunk, Curry gave a pass to his left hand without looking at the counterattack to prepare Nikola Jokic for a dunk.
Left alone in the corner, he turned after launching his shot and heard the reaction to confirm that it was as pure as it looked.
The highlights kept coming. He landed a logo 3 of LeBron James, then another on Zach LaVine after losing his dribble. He threw a two-handed dunk in the alley on the ground from Chris Paul and hanging on the edge for that purpose then the two future HOFers reversed the roles and did it again. After a humming of just one step into the midfield, Curry entered the range with 22 points on shots from 8 to 11. He finished 10 from 19 to 28 points in 22 minutes.
Unlike the 2020 All-Star game, the defense was terrible for most of the game and the final minutes were not particularly dramatic, as Team Durant’s 21-point deficit after three quarters cushioned Elam Ending’s impact. Although the dunk contest had its moments, even the best dunks weren’t exactly what they could be – champion Anfernee Simons didn’t in reality kiss the hoop, runner-up Obi Toppin was not even subtle about his push. But at least we saw the greatest sniper of all time burn the earth in the 3-point contest, play LeBron for the first time and yell at bank lillard for not fighting boxing. As imperfect as this evening of basketball-related entertainment may have been, Curry made the most of it.