Golden State Warriors

Kerr thinks he knows why teams don't deck Curry after he celebrates

Published Feb. 24, 2016 3:59 p.m. ET

Brett Pollakoff

As Stephen Curry and the Warriors continue to set fire to everything in their path for a second consecutive NBA season, the public opinion on the once universally beloved team is beginning to shift ever so slightly.

Part of that is due to how sports fans tend to treat a budding dynasty, with success breeding contempt more often than not for any player or team whose ongoing success remains in the news cycle for a little too long.

But another aspect is emerging, and that's the way that Curry can be seen celebrating his on-court heroics, often times in the very faces of the players he's just bested.

While a segment of fans may be turned off by Curry's cockiness, it's worth wondering if players around the league may begin to see it as a sign of disrespect. If the latter were ever to become true, it's worth wondering if anyone might try to do something about it by delivering a hard foul to let Curry know that he may have crossed the line.

We haven't seen it yet, and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr doesn't think we will -- because Curry has his opponents' respect.

Steve Kerr on notion opponents might hard-foul Steph Curry for shimmying. pic.twitter.com/BW7colQNuU
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 24, 2016

Kerr also provided a humorous reason that might even be more factually correct.

It's probably a combination of the two, but we're also in a different era of the NBA, one where rivalries are almost nonexistent and off-court friendships are common across team lines. No one's going to deliver a hit on Curry just for a little shimmy, and as long as the Warriors keep rolling, it's unlikely that we'll see the celebrating stop anytime soon.