The pre-game routine that makes Steph Curry the best in the NBA

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Why do Golden State fans arrive at Oracle Arena 90 minutes before tip-off? To see a glimpse of a basketball master at work. Max Whittle reports

The stadium clock inside Oracle Arena reads 18.02, almost 90 minutes before tip-off. While the doors opened only two minutes ago, somehow, someway, hundreds of fans are in the stands.

The Golden State Warriors home tunnel is managing to create a tension and buzz not always generated by an NBA game itself. Two security men stand either side of it on the corner nearest the court, with four more lining the walls inside. If you peer up, youll find another above the railing.

Spectators line the seats surrounding the tunnel, holding signs that read Curry for President and This is my first game. Steph, sign here. Perhaps Stephen Curry will oblige, for signing autographs has almost been a part of his contract the last two seasons.

Eight minutes pass, and 50 or so people are making their way down behind the home basket. You can hear the noise of the stairwell bouncing in anticipation. All wearing special credentials to be part of this event before tip-off, they hold wide smiles, cameras clicking at every chance. Their subject is not even here yet.

The floor is currently taken up by assistant coaches Luke Walton and Bruce Fraser. Walton, the former Laker and son of Hall of Famer Bill Walton, is joking around with Anderson Varajao, as the two go through a pretty casual warm-up that is highlighted by the great sight of the Brazilians hair bouncing up and down. Fraser has an accuracy about him too, characterised by his neat and pristine beard. Fraser is getting up his jump shots. One misses left. The next cannons off the back of the rim. He swishes the third, leaving one to imagine the struggles people face in trying to improve Currys jump shot.

Underneath the basket and slightly to the left, the floor is reminiscent of a television studio. Five camera crews, a social media team employee and six photographers are waiting, using their senses to make sure they dont miss the biggest entrance of all. One of the photographers is juggling four cameras, three around her neck, but still manages to stroll onto the court and take a selfie with her fifth camera conveniently an iPhone with the overflowing mass that is growing behind her. The media might never have seen so many newcomers for a chance to cover this man and this team.

And then, at 18 minutes past six, fans leaning over the tunnel give us the cue that now is the time to focus. Gasps, shouts of Currys name and a magnificent cloud of awe spill over, while said photographer quickly remembers why she is here.

Curry, who made an NBA record 402 three-pointers as the Warriors wrote their names into history with 73 regular-season wins, sprints his way out of the tunnel, which seems pleased to have finally lost the gaze of hundreds. Curry, as is tradition, has his laces untied, running around to the bench before tying them up. For someone so valuable to his team, it would be ironic if a trip were to leave him injured. If Curry has trained his jump shot to work in auto-pilot, he has done just as much work acclimatising to this amount of eyes staring at him. To be this close is to understand how grateful the league must be to have him.

Curry strolls over to the makeshift television centre in the corner, standing on the baseline. He exchanges a few jokes with Fraser, two balls in hand, and a minute later were away. Number 30 begins with a simple two-ball dribble on either side, then crosses them from right to left in front of his body. He alternates bounces before dribbling it through his legs, and you realise that he is a point guard, sometimes only praised about for his shooting ability. His handle is sharp, aggressive, but beautifully controlled.

As Curry begins his through-the-legs and around-the-back routine, Drake begins playing on the sound system. 0 to 100 blares out. As Curry dribbles harder, the words ring out: I been Steph Curry with the shot. Been cookin with the sauce, chef, curry with the pot, boy.

The beat of the song holds symmetry with Currys last dribbling routine, as Fraser bounces it into him as his student combines side to side, through the legs, behind the back and front and back before under-handing it back to his coach.

Q will tell you, being Stephs shooting coach is like being the Maytag repair man, or something like that theres not a whole lot of work to do, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said.

By now there are pockets of people marvelling as Curry moves to his shooting routine. The credential courtside club are all working out the best way to have their face and Curry in a selfie, giggling ecstatically. Look at his feet, theyre slightly to the left, one man says. His friend replies: My son tries to take these kind of shots. I have to try and tell him and his team that theyre not normal shots. They dont listen.

The most fascinating aspect is the peculiar and audacious shots that Curry takes in his warm-up. He starts with left-handed floaters from the elbow. Every shot is worth remembering because he is sure to use it during the game. At 6ft 3in, he gets everything out of his skillset to draw weaknesses from much taller opponents, and this is the only time the public get to see what he works on on a daily basis. A dramatic windmill-like motion ensues where his arm circles over his shoulder at almost 180 degrees as he executes a series of lay-ups, before heading back to the elbow for one-dribble, one-handed floaters.

This particular warm up was ahead of the Warriors victory over the Dallas Mavericks, which moved them to 65-7. On Wednesday night, before a raucous crowd at Oracle Arena, the Warriors broke the Chicago Bulls regular season record for wins, finishing a preposterous 73-9.

Shaun Livingston, a man who 95% of onlookers dont even realise is there at this point, is Currys warm-up partner. Its crazy, Livingston said.

Hes the owner of quite a story himself. Medical professionals were considering amputating Livingstons left knee after a horrific break left his basketball future and his ability to walk in doubt in 2007. Almost 10 years later, he is part of one of the biggest shows in history, whether thats being part of this Warriors team or just warming up with Steph.

Its just grown more and more as the year has gone on. I see the people when they get here and its massive. Steph and I dont talk about it, but I definitely notice it. How can you not? Its part of the routine now.

Curry has always been a shooter. His father, Dell Curry, was one of the great NBA shooters, and his son was around the Charlotte Hornets growing up, learning how it felt to shoot with the pros. During his sophomore season at Davidson, the younger Curry led the Wildcats to the Elite 8 of the NCAA championship with 25 points or more in each round. We might not have expected this much attention, but the signs were there. This scrawny kid had what it took to be great.

His shot looks the same as it did then, but his body is different. Still a baby-faced kid, at 28 his legs are the secret to his shooting prowess, especially from deep. With ankle guards strapped around both legs, Curry moves to the edge of the half-court logo midway through the warm-up. On this day he took 14 of them, hitting six. He even combines it with a dribble. Again, these arent just for practice.

Also seen are catch-and-shoot threes, curling from the corner to the 45 degree angle for shots, stepbacks, pull-ups and a shot from the left corner behind the backboard, just in front of the in-flow DJ. When Curry misses more than one in a row he grits his teeth, surprised and annoyed at himself. The crowd look on with open eyes if he misses only one.

Fraser is now firing balls from the top of the three-point line towards the wing. Curry, it seems, is not even catching the ball. Instead he flings the ball toward the basket the instant it hits his hands. This is the shot with the least success, taking him seven attempts before he can move on. The level of difficulty on this one is astronomical, yet it still looks controlled.

Oscar Robertson, one of the most well-rounded point guards to ever play the game, who in 1962 averaged a triple-double for the season the only player in history to do so said this season that Curry would not enjoy the same success back in Robertsons era. It might not be a response to Oscar, but Fraser and Curry indulge in a game of hand-checking now banned in the NBA one-on-one as the session runs down, with Fraser harassing Curry as he dribbles right to left, back and forth, before finding his shot. He always does.

Free throws are the penultimate post. These are a formality. He finishes with a few shots that have about 30 feet of arc. Higher and higher they go, so much so that you expect them to graze the ceiling.

On this day Curry takes 163 shots. The warm-up lasts 21 minutes. But wait. He isnt done.

Curry stands in the tunnel, which doesnt want to cede attention for long, arms leaning over each railing. The fans around him know its nearly time to hold their pens out, but Curry has to take his shot from the hallway first.

Ray Ratto, who works for Comcast Network Bay Area, sat in the press room at Oracle Arena with the eye of experience in mind. The hallway shot that people love to fixate on, I think he started doing that the year before last.

Now its basically standard and part of the show. The game is no longer tip-off to final horn. You come out early to see his circuit of threes and just watch him. He has become his own subset of entertainment.

A gentleman security guard, who has been manning the area prior to six oclock, goes by the name of Curtis. He has the job of passing the ball to Curry for this particular shot.

Ive been doing this for three years now. Its very special, he says afterward.

Curry waits for Livingston and Andrew Bogut who joins Currys warm-up near the end to begin his own to stop shooting, then Curtis promptly feeds him and trots out to put a hand in his face. After all, as challenging as this shot is, Curry still wants a defender.

He makes it after three attempts. The fans roar, then finally put down their phones to try and snag a signature. Curry signs quickly, and as fast as he shoots, he is gone, down into the locker room. Catching your breath, you realise there is still an hour before tip-off.

Bogut sits at his locker after the Warriors beat Dallas behind 33 points, eight assists and five threes from Steph. Underneath the Australian, a sign reads: mUSt be jUSt about US. Four hours before, he walked into a travelling circus, the same thing he encounters whether the Warriors are playing at home or on the road. I cant black the fans out. Its annoying, and there are too many people in the gym at that point, chuckling as he answers.

Ive gotten used to it. People want to see Steph shoot from half-court and all that. The fans somehow get in the building with 90 minutes on the clock. Back when I first started playing it was 60, so I guess theyve changed it now.

On the opposite side of the locker, Curry sits leaning back in his chair, eating a plate of what looks like broccoli, chicken and bread. When asked about his feelings toward all those people who turn up early to watch him warm-up, his answer was more thoughtful than the food.

Its humbling just to know that the same warm-up that Ive been doing for four or five years is now kind of a treat for people. Its just a way for me to get ready for the game; the shots that I need to take, getting into a rhythm, building my confidence, and that kind of support is definitely appreciated.

He had performed again, struggling with his three down the stretch but showing his ability to adapt by slashing to the basket for three successive lay-ups in the fourth to down the Mavericks. During team announcements, Curry runs out right behind Klay Thompson when his teammates name is called. The ultimate team player, as much as his pre-game routine is in the spotlight, he is cautious to remain as the sign suggests. Its all about us. The Warriors.

Walking by the team shop on the way out, a shop assistant is having a conversation with a customer, who is holding a Curry T-shirt draped in Under Armour logos, Currys kit sponsor. Nike missed out. They blew it, the worker says.

As the night descends on Oracle Arena, which shines brightly with signs of 2015 NBA Champions surrounding the place, a perfect tail is playing outside. On a small memoir outside the entrance, a father lays down next to a plaque remembering the 1975 Warriors team that defeated the Washington Bullets four games to zero to win their last NBA championship before 2015. His son is next to him, mimicking Currys shot as he releases his arm high and holds it to the sky for good measure. The older generation never thought they would see this day. For the young son, its all he knows. Hell be back in two days time, demanding to his dad that they arrive before 6pm.

A new wave of basketball fan, and player, is being affected. The Warriors began their quest for another title this weekend. Stephen Curry, has a lot of bite to him. Without saying it, he wants to be the defining player of his generation.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/apr/18/steph-curry-golden-state-warriors-nba-pre-game