Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry says he is excited to see Tom Brady, aged 43, lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back to the Super Bowl.
“It is a different sport, a different position, but it is definitely – the little things you can do, that I have done, that I am doing now, that I can do from now on to ensure that your body is able to recover, is able to stay in excellent condition, so you have the best chance of being ready for one season after another, “said Curry on Monday. And then you make the necessary adjustments to how your game needs to transform or things like that. … The approach and discipline he demonstrated about what it means to be a professional athlete at that level with that longevity, does not happen by chance. So there are things you can do to put yourself in a position to stretch even further. “
On Sunday, Brady will face the Kansas City Chiefs in their 10th Super Bowl. He won six championships, mostly by any NFL quarterback. Curry is three-time NBA champion, but he met Brady in 2014, before winning his first NBA title.
“We just lost to the Clippers in the first round, so I had some free time,” said Curry of the Preakness encounter that year. “… It looked like he was always trying to get nuggets from other guys in different leagues. That competitive fire, even in the middle of his off-season, was still – you could see it in his eyes. You appreciate the greatness. It’s incredible. Seven years afterwards and he is still chasing Super Bowls and is one of those [situations] every time you see him in the bright stages, you can’t help but watch. You expect greatness to happen. So we’ll be watching [Sunday] and see if he can do that. “
Brady’s longevity and ability to play at such a high level for a sustained period of time is something that many athletes praised the Bucs quarterback during his career, but Curry’s praise for Brady came on a day when Curry acknowledged that he he often thinks about his own title window.
“There are things that are under your control and others that are not,” said Curry. “But all the little things you do on a daily basis, all the work you do, is growing in order to get back to that stage and understand – you are living in reality, so you know, unless you are playing Tampa Bay Bucs as a defender. now, there’s a fine line between when you’re at the peak and when you really need to get the most out of what you have on the court. That’s the perspective, so definitely think about it. “
Curry’s perspective on his future gained more emphasis last season after he broke his left hand in the fourth game of the year. Between that injury, Klay Thompson’s consecutive end-of-season injuries and Kevin Durant’s Achilles injury in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals and the subsequent decision to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, Curry is perfectly aware of how things are going. can change quickly for any team. When asked how long he feels his title window is open, Curry hoped it would remain active for a while.
“You are thinking about this year and next,” said Curry. “Are you thinking about Klay coming back, are you thinking about all these different things, but now who’s to say we can’t put the pieces together? I’m in the middle of my prime and thinking about all the things we’ve been through the last four or five years that we can build. It’s hard to say what the real number is, but I think we’re in a good situation, let’s put it that way. “
Curry, who will turn 33 in March, was asked how far he could stretch his peak, as he had just said he felt he was in the middle of his peak years.
“Let’s find out,” replied Curry.
Extending the peak years is something Brady is very familiar with. Brady is the oldest QB to win a Super Bowl – and that was two seasons before this championship run.
After five consecutive years of going to the NBA finals between the 2014-15 and 2018-19 seasons, Curry saw the Warriors become the worst team in the league last season at 15-50 and fight for a high 11-9 season and lows going into Tuesday’s game with the Boston Celtics. With all the wear and tear on his body, Curry was asked how old he felt at basketball age.
“I was going to say [after] over the course of five years, we played an extra season and a half in those playoffs, but then I got it back last year, “he said.” So, I don’t know, I feel like I’m in my 20s right now. I do not know what this means. Maybe I’m just kidding myself … I think the mind has to be strong to tell your body how young you are or how you feel. So, just repeat that. I have no concern about falling so soon. “