TOM's Talks | An Interview With Seth Curry

addition for the Sixers is Seth Curry. The thirty year old veteran has been through quite a few of ups and downs in his professional career, but he comes to Philadelphia in the prime of that career. He's our guest

on this edition of Tom's Talks. Here's Seth Curry. First of all, thank you so much for being a part of this as we speak tonight, Sixers, And first and you take on the Utah Jazz as players, do you guys get a little more amp and it's that kind of battle or is it just an every night thing where you know you get up and you know you have to be professional and get ready for any single team. I mean for us, this has got to approach it

the same way. For me, trying to take the same routeam in every game, have the same mindset, And I said, approach it the same way. I think maybe if it's like an Eastern Conference team or something like that, a little bit more built up, it might might be a little different mindset the way we get jack that pregame per se. But I mean for tonight's it's another other step in the process of the regular season, trying to get a win and position ourselves as good as possible

for the for the postseason. When you reflect back on that game in Salt Lake City, which was just over a little a couple of weeks ago, how does that help you prepare for tonight. Let me, it's a different game because we didn't have Joel, So I mean we played a totally different style of basketball with Joel's now on the floor. We had a more open, open offense, and Ben was making a lot of plays, um with four guys out in the perimeter. So tonight it's gonna

be more. Um, I was playing a lot through Joe well, but um, it's another good test for us to gets one of the good teams in the in the league, and we did a lot of good things in that game offensively and defensively, it was just we couldn't sustain um forty eight minutes first in the East. Are you surprised at how well you guys have done so far this year? Um? Not surprised. We got a talented team, we got a lot of a lot of pieces that fit together, and a good a good bitch that that's

been good throughout most of the season. So not really surprised that the way we started. I think we could be even better position if we didn't have some of the setbacks with those a couple of weeks of missing a game for COVID and and playing with seven eight guys on the floor. But I think we're getting better as a team. But like I said, we've got a lot of talent, and it's just it's just a weird

year that everybody's dealing with. So UM, you gotta just approach it every day the same and try to get better. The season goes as long as even when you have stretches with we win we win games, or have stretches when we lose games. You gotta approach the same way. You're this phase your career. To me, it seems like the Sixers got you right in the prime of your career and you certainly had your you know, your struggles in terms you're going down to the G League, the

D League and not. But do you feel like you're playing the best basketball of your career right now? I think I'm the best, Yeah, the best player I've ever been. I don't think I'm right now. I'm not playing as good. I just think my body's not in the right shape that Um it was earlier in the season. Um coming back and missing those ten days COVID and trying to get back in rhythm. But early in the season, I think I was in the best playing the best basketball

our career. I'm trying to get back to that sense. And um, like, that's a long season and I've got better over my career, and I'm trying to get my body in my mind and everything in shape to be the best I could possibly become postseason and try to make a long run. And having said that, here we go, with a big break coming up. In years past, you might be thinking about a big Karen ber vacation. What is the plan? I'm sure rest and recuperation are tops

of your list right there. Yeah, trying to get away with the family and relax and try to get my mind away from the game a little bit, have a few nagging injuries, try to use this time to rehab and get over those injuries. But I think the main part is just getting you mentally, just getting recharged and refocused, because the second half of the season is gonna be

a grind. I mean just looking at that schedule, a lot of back to backs, a lot of long world trips, So you got to take advantage of these these ten however many days, seven ten days whatever. So, And I don't know how comfortably you feel about this, but like would you say, there certainly are some lingering after effects physically from having COVID nineteen. Yeah, I've had something for sure. I've talked about it to me in the past few weeks.

But um, I didn't get really sick throughout the had like a la hole and felt like when I actually had COVID, But um, coming out of it to dealing with some just some lack of energy and trying everybody as much as possible and trying to to be patient with myself and know it's not going to be a one month just get over the process, just gradually working on my body, working on my mind, and getting back in shape. So, like I said, towards hopefully towards the

end of the season, I'm I'm at my best. What did that feel like when you were in there, Brooklyn? You're you're not playing the game, You're sitting there with your teammates and street clothes and you get that tap on the shoulder after everything you've been through and the precautions and the testing and you know, everything that you guys have put into this to find out, Hey, it looks like you tested positive. You have the coronavirus. Yeah.

I mean I didn't really believe it at first. I thought it was like maybe a false positive or something because I was doing everything they asked us to do. I wasn't out per se, just around a lot of el So I still don't know how I was able to get the virus. But from then I just then my ten days quarantine and try to listen to the doctors and our trainers and get back integrate what the team is as easy as possible. Let's go back a

little bit. As I said that your time in the at the time, the D League, the Developmental League now the G League. Because you were with Erie and Santa Cruz, you'd get the call up and then they wouldn't pick up the second day. I mean that you the perseverance that you showed and just to keep on trucking through

all that. Wow, that must have been incredible. Tell us a little bit more about that from your perspective, It was just the main thing was the process of believing in yourself, knowing that I mean, if you get the opportunity at the NBA level, I feel like I was good enough to make it, to make our career out of it, and it's just about matter being patient and

getting better. But I was in Gue. I was enjoying it because I was getting played forty forty five minutes a game, work on my game instead of being one of the younger guys on an NBA bench not getting a lot of minutes. So um, I embraced it. I enjoyed um getting those NBA reps in the NBA system and I think get it paid off, just getting getting

to understand my game at this level. And and like I said, not not sitting away on the bench, but actually getting game reps, and then after you know if you will graduating to the NBA, you come up with this broken leg. That must have been a crush it blow. Talk about that a little bit in terms of fighting through that. Yeah, I was frustrating. I had to plug out a great season and Dallas the year before, and um, I was hoping, hoping to build on that going to

the next season. But like I said, I had a stress fraction of my leg missed the entire season. So it's a little set back. But I'm saying I had a similar injury in college, so I knew I would be able to come back from it, just it's a long process if it doesn't heal right away. So um, there's another instance of having a setback, having to persevere and and just embrace the rehab process, keep my skills sharp and s wait for the next chance to get

back out there on the court. And part of that next opportunity was in Portland where you guys make the playoffs, you go to the Western Conference Finals and right across from you as your brother and you guys play the Warriors. That must have been an incredible kind of a full circle moment. I would think in terms of playing against

death in Golden State. Yeah, that was a lot of fun, means a lot of memories that will remember for a long time as a family's being able to watch this at the biggest stage in the Western Conference Finals, like you said, but throughout that year, I learned them most about myself, just like I said, playing at the highest level of having some good moments in the in the playoffs and helping the team get to the Western Conference finals.

And that was a great year, I say, just getting better as a player and um and integrate to that team and making a splash. Speaking of your family and the conference finals, let me take you back into the way back machine for you twenty years ago. You're a ten year old boy. You're living in Toronto, your father's on the Raptors, and you play the seventy sixers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Your dad was actually the inbound pastor on that famous play where Vince Carter caught it

and shot it. What do you remember about those playoffs as a fan and you know, rooting for the Raptors. Yeah, I was young. I mean I remember I remember some of it. I remember just watching events and a I go at it fifty point games. I remember they were doing some some crazy things, don't that series. But I remember actually one the good wanting to travel to affiliate it to watch that last game, but my parents wouldn't

let us go. And I think my dad hits in a couple of Big three late in that game to actually bring the Raptors back close before, like you said, being an inbound passive events on that game, on that last shot of the game. But I mean that those are you know, that was my dad's last actual NBA games, So um, that was some last lasting memories that that

was some good childhood thanks to remember. And then one of my other recollections from that series with at the then Eric Canada Center, you and your brother Stephan would shoot around at the forty five and for our listeners, that's like the players go in the locker room and most of the times the court is empty and the two young Curry guys are out there and you were

literally wallowing the crowd. First of all, the crowd in Toronto was just exceptional and nineteen thousand and eight hundred and on every little shot, this hierarch not little shot, hiarching shot, the literally ooh and ah, that had to be neat to go out there. Do you remember that? Yeah, I remember, like yesterday. It was a lot of fun times with me and Steph. Um. They used to let

us run around the entire arena do whatever. We weren't really in like you said, before the game started, they used to let us on the court in front of half the crowd will probably be filled by them. And like you said, they were we were running around throwing up threes on the court away for the team to come out and warm up. But um, I was just cool memories of us running around and having a small, a nice little audience. And I'm just getting used to NBA arena and just have a fine scaest case. That

was awesome. And lo and behold, you guys are both in the NBA. You know, I've gotten to know your dad a little bit over the years, but just as primarily fellow broadcasters and just an exceptional mom. And i'd not met your mom's son you but you know, in fact, one time I borrowed your dad to try to help them, you know, put or pars out a little bit discipline to my son. They were strict with you. You went to Charlotte Christian and you were you know an academics

were so emphasized, and that was that came first. Both your parents were college athletes and you had to get your school work done before there was extracurriculars like basketball. Correct. Yeah, my mom was. Mom was a let me many school principal, so she was definitely our priorities were or school, family and basketball after that. So um, like said, she had

us in line in order. And if we mean, take care of our our housework and our academics first, and we're gonna be able to be on the floor doing we'd love to do the most something. Um means my mom uh is the one who really raised us and taught us our morels and ideas and and it's greatly responsible for the for the man we are today. That's awesome. So your mother was a volleyball player for Junior Tech. Your sister played volleyball at Elon, Your wife was a

volleyball player. That women's volleyball is a big part of you guys' life, right, Yeah, it is, it is. Um My mom is is a huge athlete, very competitive and like to my my wife is the same way. So hopefully my daughter can get instance sports and she grows older and Doc wanted to play, actually wanted to play golf and tennis. So let's see what happens. Well, those are sports for a lifetime, that's for sure, in terms

of golf and tennis. And speaking of coach rivers and call of your wife, did you have to ask Doc for for your wife's hand in marriage? I did, I did. I went through the whole the old nine yard, asking him make sure everything was good. And um, he's been very welcome from from day one and welcome into the family, um pretty smoothly. So it's been a great, great times getting to know them as a family in and being

able to work with him and ship and been good. So. But it's got to be a little unusual to look across the huddle and see your father in law. Right, it's a little a little way the first, a little way at first, but I mean after the first couple of days, Um, it's like any other coach player relationship. He gets on me, coaching me the right way, and we're trying to come in and get the job done. So we're having fun while we're doing it. But I

don't think it's any any out of usual. I think he had it as hard as he had as he could as he could coaching his son in Austin in LA for a few years. So this is probably a walking apartform circle back to six Ers basketball. Then we'll let you go, and again I appreciate it, but you've had a lot of two man game action Withinbad obviously on those dhos and the perimeter, and I would imagine

there's still quite a ceiling there for you guys. That must be a pretty neat thing to be in an action Withinbad and all of the possibilities that root off of that. It's a lot of fun. I think we're growing as the year goes along, getting better at figuring out different reads and doing handoffs, picking rolls, pops rolls, me trying to lose Max and where I can actually

screen for him White's handling the ball. So working a lot of different things, and that's just another element of office that we have to have in a half court. As the defenses getting better, as the playoffs come along, we have to get better at a half court execut And I'm having a big who can draw a lot of attention and give me shots, but also uh finished when he when he pops short rolls, rolls all into the round. Um, it's endless options, like you said, so

that's something we really have to mask us. We had to head along in the season and you've got the float game. You're a way more than some people might think. You're just to catch a shoot guy three point specialists. But you know you've worked on your game. But because I used to say to Kyle Korver, you possess you're one of the best three point shooters in the NBA and for that matter, in the world. That's a world class skill. It's like a superpower. And again you've worked

a lot at it over the years. But you know in the NBA they say you gotta have one thing, and if that's your one thing, that's a pretty special trick. You must be proud of that. Yeah, I mean, that's that's the basis of my tire game. As you said, Man, I gotta be able to knock the out shots when I open, when I'm open, and can get my shot off at the three. That's that's why I pride myself on its shooting an eye except at a big point line.

But um, at my side of being six two, I'm not six seven six say like Corver, guys like that who can just shoot over most people, So I gotta, um let get people all balance or fly me at the deep one line. I gotta ask some different elements in my game as far as um side steps, pull ups, floaters, and making plays off the dribble to be a dynamic guard and do more than just spot up. So um, that's That's something I've really worked on throughout my career

and it's been paying off for me. And last thing, but to be in the NBA with your brother who's become one of the most famous basketball players in the world unparallel, I want to say, unparalleled success, but certainly with his his skill sets and to have each other and to have those dreams as kids and now to have them materialized, that must be very special. What's that?

What's that been like? I's been great. I've been great to not only just uh learn from him and and be around him, but just watch his career grows as he's going on from high school to college and now seeing where he's at and how how better, how much hard hard work he's put in to improve his game and seeing that payoff has been great. But um, he said to be able to pick his brain, to watch his his his struggles and his experiences and learn from him and applying to my actual game has helped me

a lot throughout my career. So, um, trying to take advantage of that relationship and as much as I can for me personally, but also just be a fan and a brother in and I'm proud of everything he's accomplished as well, without a doubt when you think back to that slight young player from Davidson into what he's grown into, be like an international star. That's an amazing journey, isn't it. Yeah, for sure, it's hard to believe in time's kind of

gotten used to it. But um, I mean it's a special journey, special story, and I mean he's he's earned it, all right. Except well, thank you so much. We appreciate it, Good luck, enjoy your break, stay well, which has a new meeting these days, and can't thank you the appreciate it. If you like what you're hearing, consider subscribing to the seventy six ers podcast network feed or giving us a follow wherever you get your pods, and if that happens to be on Apple Podcasts, we'd love for you to

give us a rating. I'm Tom McGinnis. Talk to you down the road.