Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter of all time, and there’s no doubt about that. It looks like he’s still not done yet either, and is currently the NBA’s leading scorer at 29.5 PPG after yet another 40-point night. Today’s performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers was his third time scoring 40 or more points in his last six games, and he was a big reason that the Warriors won 104-89. He was originally listed as questionable for the game thanks to a hip contusion, but that didn’t seem to bother him in the end.
It was one of those performances that was sorely needed, as well, because the Cavaliers were ahead 81-68 heading into the fourth quarter, before the Steph put the Warriors on his back and scored 20 points in the final stanza. His explosion keyed a 36-8 fourth quarter. Yup, you read that right. He singlehandedly scored more than double of Cleveland’s points in the final quarter.
This also happened to be another game where he made nine three-pointers, and by this point it’s safe to say that his record may never get broken. At the very least, no one from his generation’s going to do it.
As impressive as Curry’s scoring title was last season, the way he’s playing in this campaign is even better because of the team success that the Warriors are seeing. They’re now 13-2, owners of the best record in the league, and they’ve beaten some elite teams along the way.
He’s put up big numbers against playoff-quality teams, too. Against Brooklyn and Chicago, who currently stand in second and third place in the East, Curry scored 37 points and 40 points in what were both blowout wins. In their second game of the season, he dropped 45 on a Clippers team that was just enough to eke out the 115-113 victory. Against the Atlanta Hawks, who struggled to start the season but are currently on a three-game winning streak, Steph splashed 50, his season-high.
With fans back in the arenas, and a feeling of normalcy returning to the world, Curry’s become the show that everyone wants to watch. Hell, he even got MVP chants while playing in Brooklyn.
He’s always going to have his detractors, but I don’t think that many people can argue that he doesn’t make basketball fun to watch. When you can go into someone else’s building, much less one that is home to stars like Durant and James Harden, and get cheers when you make shots, you’re something special.
He’s made the Golden State Warriors must-watch TV again, and that’s good for the league. The season in general has been great with so many surprise contenders popping up, and the Eastern Conference being the deepest it’s been since maybe the ‘90s. Everything feels more competitive this season, and the with the play-in tournament still active, the stakes are much higher.
But for me, at least, Curry has been a step above everyone else so far. With Klay Thompson and James Wiseman unavailable to start the season, not a lot of people would have pegged the Warriors to have a start like this. Steph hasn’t done it alone, as he’s surrounded by both savvy veterans and emerging young talent like Jordan Poole, but he’s been the main man behind this Warriors surge.
If Klay even comes back at 70% of what he used to be, the Warriors are going to be a very tough opponent in the playoffs. That’s still a long way away, though, so for now, let’s just keep enjoying what Chef Curry has been cooking.
We’re not going to have to wait long to see what Curry does next, as the Warriors will play the Pistons on the second night of a back-to-back set at 8 AM on November 2020 (Manila time).
