BOSTON – From vulgar T-shirts to insulting signs to crude chants, the petty wars are raging during the NBA Finals as fans of the Warriors and Celtics strive to reach new highs – or lows – in an effort to express their loyalties.
Stephen Curry is caught up in it and wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I'm the petty king so I know all about everything,” Curry, whose broad sense of humor can pop up at a moment’s notice, said Wednesday.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Curry has been the target of several nasty T-shirts, including one that says he "sucks." There was also a sign outside a bar before Game 4 directed toward his wife, Ayesha, a chef and restaurateur: “Ayesha Curry Can’t Cook.”
Steph clapped back, coming to Ayesha’s defense after Game 5 at Chase Center, wearing a T-shirt with the words “Ayesha Curry CAN Cook” across the front. Subtle. But pointed.
And now, of course, there are green T-shirts scattered about Boston ahead of Game 6, yielding the original “Ayesha Curry Can’t Cook" message.
This is, according to Steph, simply the price of fame in the spirit of the highest levels of competition. Big stars, and their families, can be magnets for taunts.
“I use it as entertainment and just have fun with it,” he said. “The more you're on the stage, the more you realize the attention that is on you, how much it means to each fan base, how much it means to the cities. So, you can't really be surprised by anything.”
Golden State Warriors
Boston-area fans are notorious for their vociferous conduct, whether supporting the Patriots or the Red Sox or the Bruins or the Celtics. With this being the first NBA Finals here since 2010, when Lakers topped the Celtics, they’ve had more than a decade to store invective.
And, boy, are they letting it fly – most of it toward Curry’s longtime teammate Draymond Green, who embraces the role of the heel.
The chants at TD Garden began with the routine, “Draymond sucks,” before splintering off into the obscene “F--- you, Draymond.” Both chants, by the way, made it to Fenway Park, where the Red Sox are playing host to the Oakland A’s.
Draymond shrugged it off – including green T-shirts saying in white lettering that he is a “b----” – but the third member of the Warriors’ core trio came to his defense.
“We've played in front of rude people before,” Klay Thompson said after Game 3 last week. “Dropping F-bombs with children in the crowd. Real classy. Good job, Boston.”
RELATED: Why "Game 6 Klay" runs deeper than one memorable game
That, of course, earned Klay the ire of New England. Klay’s appearance before Game 4 prompted a chorus of boos. This is extreme. Klay is Mr. Popular, one of the few NBA stars who generally has avoided any level of scorn throughout his career.
But, hey, the stakes are high, the games fierce and the abuse continuous. No Warrior is safe in Boston, though the mood at Chase Center and around the Bay Area has been lighter.
“There's a lot at stake when it comes to winning championships,” Curry said. “Maybe back in the day, the first year, first two years, maybe things catch you off guard just because it's so new. You wonder how these narratives come up, all the distractions pop up here and there. The more you get into these environments, the more you use it as entertainment, fun, embrace it.
“Honestly, you wouldn't want to have it any other way, knowing that you're on this stage and you're playing for something that really matters to a lot of people.”
Here comes Game 6 on Thursday. Cover your ears. And maybe your eyes, too.