or Game 6, Curry walked out wearing his Under Armour Curry 1s. Normal, right? A pro playing in their own shoes to promote themselves. The only problem is those shoes are old. His very first signature shoes, they were released in 2015. They are the kicks he beat LeBron in and won his first championship in. The Shoes he wore when the Warriors were underdogs rather than a reigning dynasty. He played in Curry 1s when he wasn’t a household name.

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This isn’t actually “Like-Mike”, so why did Curry wear those specific shoes? Why wouldn’t he wear his newest shoes? Why not use the platform of Game 6 in the NBA Playoffs to promote product? Because those shoes were not a product. They were the time machine. Like Doc’s DeLorean, they took Curry and the entire Warriors team back in time. As both Brothers splashed, Draymond tenaciously defended, and Iguadala balled.

To fans not shocked by Curry’s choice, consider this: He could have worn the new KDs. Curry fans would have ate it up. Social media would have loved it mostly, except for trolls. It would have been an admirable gesture and other players would have thrown nods.

But Curry knew he had to dig deeper. He had to take himself mentally back to the days when the Warriors won with him at the helm. He had to perform with unflinching confidence despite not having the best player in the game to call on at will. Curry had to perform like it was 2015 again. To help him do that, he called on fashion. He consciously wore the Curry 1s to remind himself and the world that the Warriors could win without KD. And it worked. After a scoreless 1st half in which every Warrior carried him, Curry dropped 33 in the 2nd half personifying clutch and eliminating Houston on their homecourt.

A small example, perhaps. But a pure demonstration of the power fashion can yield.