During a recent episode of the Club 520 Podcast, former NBA star Jeff Teague shared an incredible story about defending Steph Curry during an exhibition game in China.
“I wasn’t trying to get embarrassed,” Teague said when discussing his defensive effort. “There’s 100,000 people in the stands in China. So I’m like, ‘F–k that, he ain’t about to kill me.’ But I swear to you, I never played this hard. Thibs after the game came to me and said that’s the best defense I’ve ever played. Steph Curry had 44. He hit every shot, bro. He hit every shot. I contested every one, bro.”
So many players have stories like this about Curry, because there is simply nothing a defender can do when he gets in that mode. Putting on a show for the fans in China, Curry was unaffected by Teague’s tough defense, which made for a great story several years later.
Teague also joked about Curry doing his patented shimmy celebration, which added insult to injury. This is also what can make Curry so frustrating to play against, because not only is he going to dominate, but he does it with a joy that makes it look effortless. Countless guards from the last decade understand this reality all too well, and Teague shared his experience during one of his latest podcast episodes.