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Spurs coach Gregg Popovich pokes fun at questions from reporters all the time and can be easily irritated and annoyed, especially after losses, which is what made his reaction to Stephen Curry sinking seven 3-pointers in Golden State's 116-106 win over San Antonio last month such a rare scene.
"It's actually fun to watch," Popovich said following the game in Oakland on April 15, when he rested most of his starters. "Everybody hates losing, but I enjoyed watching a talented kid perform the way he did, and he does it with class."
Curry can captivate almost any audience in a way almost nobody else can.
What makes Curry so compelling might be the simplest of basketball skills: shooting.
Most people can't dunk like LeBron James, run as fast as Russell Westbrook or elevate the way Blake Griffin does. But anybody can shoot — or at least attempt to shoot — in a game long dominated by big men and played by some of the world's greatest athletes.
All of 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, Curry controls games without ever overpowering defenders. His shooting stoke might be the best on the planet right now, and when he gets going, nobody has found a way to slow him down.
"He has a gift that you can count on your hand how many people have," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said.
Hawks GM undecided on coach's future
One day after the Atlanta Hawks were bounced from the NBA playoffs, Larry Drew remained their coach.
Whether he sticks around much longer is the most pressing issue for a team that expects a radical transformation this summer.
General manager Danny Ferry, who will get to put his imprint on the franchise heading into his second year, said Saturday it was too soon to make a call on the future of a coach he inherited.
Drew endured what was essentially a lame-duck year after the team renewed the option on his contract last summer but didn't give him an extension. That put him in a difficult situation, especially coaching a team that has only three players who are definitely under contract for next season.