Let's face it: It's hard not to like Stephen Curry. Go down the list of qualities an NBA star needs to connect with an audience of any ilk and he checks off every box. Jaw-dropping skills mixed with an air of sometimes-I-shock-myself humility, check. Boyish good looks, check. Everyman-type physique (at least by pro athlete standards), check. Spotless character, check. Unwavering loyalty, check.Let's also face this: It's hard to like LeBron James. Completely like him, anyway. Admire what he's accomplished' Sure. Enjoy watching him' OK. But for all he's done and as supremely talented as he is, there are just too many boxes either unchecked or smudged from being checked and then erased. If it's not uncertainty about where he stands with his headcoachat some point every head coachorthe team he's playing for, it's the constant resetting of the record. This year alone, he was brought out of "chill" mode by Tobias Harris, but that in no way meant he wasn't playing hard until Harris "woke him up." (His words.) He suggested that he motivated teammate Kevin Love via Twitter, then accused the media of making up that inference, then copped to it. Finally, he credited his physique to no longer eating McDonald's fast food, except that he eats it every day, suddenly remembering that McDonald's pays him a healthy sum to endorse the brand.With all that, who would make the better face of the NBA' Clearly Curry. What chance does that have of happening' Almost none.The fact that it's even possible to broach the subject is more a reflection of the NBA game undergoing a transformation than Curry succeeding James as the league's biggest, most marketable player."We're putting spot-up shooters in the All-Star Game now," said one former player with several championship rings who requested anonymity. He was referring to the Atlanta Hawks' Kyle Korver, the best three-point shooter in the league, percentage-wise. "That's what this game has come to. It's a shooter's game now, and Steph is the face of that. And I don't want to take anything away from the kid, he's exciting to watch. But the other night, Klay Thompson did all the work guarding the team's other point guard, John Wall, down the stretch. If Golden State gets matched up with Oklahoma City and it's Steph versus Russ Westbrook, that's a problem."Of course, Curry has been routinely doubted from the start, in some cases legitimately so. Those enthralled with what he has done the last two seasons conveniently forget the fragile ankles that repeatedly prevented him from finishing games or attacking the rim or getting to the free-throw line his first three years in the league. There's a reason he jumped at the Golden State Warriors' offer of a $44 million, four-year extension entering the 2012-13 season; it reflected a greater risk on their part than his.Yet he has overcome all of it, and it feels as if he's done it through sheer determination and polishing his skills to an almost blinding gloss. Despite average foot speed and mediocre hops, his shot release off the dribble is as quick and unerring as any in the league. He combines high-arcing scoop shots with perfect timing to get shots off around the rim. His ambidexterity, both dribbling and passing the ball, and rule changes that have forced defenders to play with more finesse than strength, have offset his slender build (6'3", 190 lbs). He doesn't have the length or speed to smother an opponent on defense, but his quick hands disrupt dribbles and passes and produce a league-leading number of steals."Can a guy like Steph Curry be the best player in the NBA' Yes, for a year," said one Western Conference GM. "But I haven't seen a guy of that body type be that for five, six years. To be the face of the league, you have to have sustained success. So when you put guys in that conversation, you have to look at their body. Even with Allen Iverson, as good as he was, you never felt like he was the best player in the league. With LeBron, even on his off nights, he can muscle it up and still get something done."No one questions that when it comes to personality, Curry is The Man. His league-leading 1.5 million All-Star votes are proof of that. If his Warriors continue at their current pace and he continues as their leader in most of their offensive categories along with those steals, he's the odds-on favorite to be the regular-season MVP.But all that could be washed away if the Warriors miss the Finals. Especially with the James-led Cavs looking like the best team in the Eastern Conference and a better bet to be playing in June."Yeah, I'd pump the brakes on that," said one Eastern Conference executive about Curry overtaking James. "I'm not a big LeBron guy as a person. From the human side, you're clearly going to cheer for Curry. Great person, great family, great story. But the other guy has two rings and is a force of nature. If you're picking teams, I'll let you take Steph and you know who I'm taking next. That's still part of the equation."Once upon a time, there was a racehorse named Seabiscuit, whose career started with 17 losses. He was undersized and overcame a series of setbacks to turn around his career. No one expected much of him. However, one magical year it all came together for him, a year highlighted by a head-to-head win over a bigger, far more heralded thoroughbred, War Admiral. It was such a good story that they eventually made a movie about it.War Admiral, meanwhile, never has been the subject of a film. He went down in history, though, as the better racehorse.The point' Enjoy the story.RicBuchercovers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter@RicBucher.
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