Padecky: Stephen Curry has made jump shot an art form

Steph Curry is the most exciting, entertaining, compelling athlete I have ever seen.

Steph Curry is more fun to watch than Tom Brady, Barry Bonds, Michael Jordan, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana and the athlete who was the previous No. 1 all-time attraction, Magic Johnson.

Steph Curry grabs the eye the way the Mona Lisa grabs the eye, the way a Space Shuttle launch grabs the eye, the way the Grand Canyon grabs the eye.

Steph Curry will stun you to gaping silence because you can’t say anything but it would demean the moment. It’s the same reaction anyone has when they hear Andrea Bocelli sing for the first time.

There, did I make my point? Or should I include the walking on the water part?

The last time a player had this effect on pro basketball was Julius Erving, not Michael Jordan. Erving showed everyone what basketball was like above the rim. Erving brought out the kid in all of us, that all of us land mammals at one time or another have had those dreams of flight, soaring over oceans and mountains. Jordan merely stayed up there longer, with flare.

So when a five-year old fan heard “Erving just flew into town” that five-year old, for a moment, actually believed it. That’s the magic Erving brought to the game. Julius brought magic to the NBA before there was Magic.

That’s what Curry is doing now. Whereas Erving made his impact above the rim Curry is expanding what we never thought was expandable - the jump shot.

See one jump shot you’ve seen them all. Right? Some are prettier than others. Some look like the guy is tossing a shot put, others a hand grenade. Some find the three-point line an aphrodisiac, a siren call that can not be ignored, however embarrassing the result, a clunker.

Curry has turned the jump shot into an art form. His canvas extends, it seems, to the parking lot. If it’s launched from 23 feet, 30 feet, 40 feet, the form is still the same and of course that doesn’t make sense. Longer shots need more effort. Right? Not with this guy.

Curry attracts defenders like chocolate attracts ants. They are there at least to irritate him. He doesn’t mind. The guy considers it a compliment. His facial expression doesn’t change.

Curry shoots so fast, so accurate, one needs a replay to confirm the ball was once in his hands. Pickpockets study him for technique upgrades. After all wallets are less cumbersome to handle than basketballs.

Curry is a pinball. There are people who follow Curry and ignore the rest of the Warriors. Curry runs and hides and dashes and dips and stops and starts. He must run. He is of slight build. He can’t outmuscle a Schnauzer. And yet he thrives among tall timber.

Curry doesn’t put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He doesn’t ask for a blow. He has trained himself during a timeout to lower his heart rate to 80 beats in 90 seconds. Curry and a Sherpa - which one reaches the top of Everest first?

Put it all together - The Shot, The Stamina, The Sprinting, The Harassing - and Curry gives you no time off. He has no competition in this regard.

Bonds had four at-bats a game. Some of them were just plate appearances. He walked more often than a runway model.

Montana and Brady both had killer instincts. They could find a hole in any defense. They weren’t quarterbacks as much as detectives, seeing things other people couldn’t or wouldn’t. But Joe and Tom never played defense.

Rice could catch rainbows, outrun an Olympic sprinter and find an opening in the secondary that needed a magnifying glass But Jerry never played defense either.

Jordan did remarkable acrobatics on the ground and in the air. He was the best to ever play the game. As a competitor he had no equal. But Michael fine-tuned what Julius first revealed.

Johnson was Showtime. He drew a crowd and made it his. His personality and game fit the headliner role but, instead of being 6-foot-9 with that wingspan, what if Johnson was 6-foot-3 and not physically structured to withstand the beatings. What if most everyone he ever played against was bigger, stronger, faster? What if?

On paper, Curry has a lot going against him. He can’t overpower opponents. He can’t fly supersonic. He has no shot like Abdul-Jabbar’s Skyhook. In theory Curry has what nearly every NBA player has, a jump shot. He is quick and fast but he is no Russell Westbrook.

But Curry doesn’t wait for the game to come to him. He comes to it. He is a superstar but finds a way to be part - not apart - from the team. No one ever has accused him of being a ballhog. He is calm with his foot pushing hard against the gas pedal. His instinct finds comfort in a single heartbeat - the time it takes for him to release a jumper.

Curry shouldn’t be shooting a 40-footer with the same effort it takes to raise your hands in class. Curry shouldn’t be running in circles with no apparent intent in mind, until he inexplicably stops and shoots, finding that sliver of light unseen to everyone but himself.

A sport is movement. It’s the one thing all sports have in common. And no one moves me like Steph Curry.

To comment write to bobpadecky@gmail.com.