Kings' De'Aaron Fox 'eclipsed' Steph Curry in Game 1, Stephen A. Smith says
Stephen A.: Fox 'eclipsed' Steph in Kings' Game 1 victory originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The word "experience" was the buzzword heading into Game 1 of the first-round playoff series between the Kings and Golden State Warriors. However, De'Aaron Fox quickly shifted the conversation to his historic 38-point performance.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith believed that Fox needed to match Steph Curry's production, as the Warriors guard scored 30 points in Game 1, which the Kings star eclipsed. As a result, Smith sang Fox's praises.
"This brother is something special," Smith told NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins on "First Take" Monday.
"And coming into this game, I'm like, 'You got to match Steph Curry.' Well, damn it, he eclipsed Steph Curry. He eclipsed him, and he's covering them in the first quarter. He's covering them in the fourth quarter ... This brother is something special with a [jump shot], with a handle, with athleticism to finish at the rim, and you cannot stay in front of him. He can go by anybody anytime he wants to."
Fox didn't get the memo about needing experience, as the 25-year-old tied New Jersey Nets' John Williamson, who scored 38 points against the Philadelphia 76ers in 1979, for the second-most points scored in their NBA playoff debut.
While Fox is getting love from the national media, Smith isn't shifting from his original pick of Golden State to win the series.
Nonetheless, he understands that the Kings pose many problems for the Warriors, which could result in the series going the distance, especially if the Kentucky product continues to perform as he did in Game 1.
"I'm just looking at them [and] I've got some questions about their size," Smith continued. But I got to tell you, if you cannot slow them down, they can beat anybody. They can beat anybody.
"Now, I picked Golden State to win this series in seven games, and you're going to have to see; you have to show me you could take out Steph and Klay [Thompson]. Okay, I'm not deviating from that. But I just said to myself. 'My God, this team is something special.' De'Aaron Fox, I'm thinking Ja Morant. I'm thinking Derek Rose in his prime. This is what I'm seeing Big Perk. This is what I'm seeing when I watch this kid."
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Fox will attempt to prove that his Game 1 performance wasn't a one-off and outperform Curry again while haunting the Warriors' defense as the Kings look for a 2-0 series lead before heading to the Bay Area for Games 3 and 4 at Chase Center.
