The secret strength that fuels Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors

IN A HO-HUM January tilt against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the rarest of Stephen Curry celebrations appears late in the third quarter, during which the Golden State Warriors hold — surprise, surprise — a healthy 22-point lead. After a Cavaliers miss, a Warriors fast break ensues, and guard Gary Payton II spots teammate Otto Porter Jr. all alone on the right wing for a 3-pointer. Curry, drifting near the basket, trains his eyes on the shot's arc, then anchors to the left block and boxes out Cavaliers guard Darius Garland.

They're not alone. Nearby are the more vertically gifted suspects, such as 6-foot-10 Kevin Love and rookie 7-footer Evan Mobley.

But there is 6-3 Curry, in prime position, watching the shot rattle in and out. He times a perfect leap, snatching the board with both hands while releasing a guttural howl. Then, Curry bounces right back up, scoring on a lightning-quick putback to give Golden State a 79-55 lead with 2:33 remaining.

Curry takes a few steps toward the baseline, staring into the Chase Center crowd. With fans along the baseline erupting in adoration, Curry stands proud, then outstretches both arms to a T, bends them inward at the elbow, fists clenched, biceps swole.

There it is. The flex.

There is a YouTube compilation devoted solely to it.

«It's fun to see when he gets offensive rebounds and he does all his flexing and stuff like that,» Warriors center Kevon Looney said. «It's always just funny to see him do things like that.»

«Physically, it's not about trying to outshine anybody,» Curry told ESPN. «It's just about trying to stand my ground.»

The two-time MVP, 34, is listed at 185 pounds but says he now weighs exactly 200. He is, almost without question, the greatest shooter in the history of