The enduring genius of Steph Curry

Big-game swagger: Curry is often at his best in clutch moments — on the hunt for points, with his signature mouthpiece dangling from a celebratory grin. Photo credit: Getty Images

Multiple cutting edges: Curry is not just an exceptional shooter. His ability to drive fearlessly to the basket opens up holes in the rival defence. Photo credit: Getty Images

Over the course of a richly decorated career, Stephen Curry has routinely produced jaw-dropping performances when his team has most needed it. But even by his elite standards, Sunday’s showing against Sacramento Kings in the winner-takes-all Game 7 was a bit special. 

Only a few players have bossed a clutch game in a hostile building with such authority. It was the most prolific Game 7 display in NBA history — Curry racked up a record 50 points in a 120-100 win that sent Golden State Warriors into the Western Conference semifinals, a result that didn’t appear likely when the reigning champion went 0-2 down in the seven-match series. 

“For Steph to be the first player ever to get 50 in a Game 7, he’s sublime,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. One of Curry’s former teammates — and Kerr’s former charges — Kevin Durant held the previous Game 7 record: 48 points for Brooklyn Nets in a 2021 loss to Milwaukee Bucks. 

Needing to win on the road facing an antagonistic, cowbell-clanging crowd at the Golden 1 Centre in Sacramento, Warriors required all of Curry’s considerable genius. 

And the 35-year-old guard delivered, hitting 20 of a career-high 38 shot attempts, responding after almost every big play by Sacramento. He also added eight rebounds and six assists in a performance dripping with swagger, his signature mouthpiece dangling from a celebratory grin.

Eye-catching acrobatics

Curry drove fearlessly to the basket with eye-catching acrobatics all game. “I just wanted to look for shots early, get my teammates going,” the four-time NBA champion said. “But when I’m looking for shots, it usually works in our favour. We started to see where the holes were and I could be ultra aggressive.”

Given Warriors’ road woes all season, it was a courageous response in the face of adversity — something only sport’s very best manage with any consistency. It was not surprising therefore that Curry’s teammates and coach recognised just how exceptional he is.

“There is a reason he is a two-time MVP, a Finals MVP, because he pushes us over the top in moments like this,” Curry’s long-time teammate Klay Thompson said. “When he’s in the zone like that, you try to just get him in his spots, get him the ball and get out of the way. This is a Game 7 I will forever remember as the Steph Curry game.”

Kerr drew a parallel with a very famous Chicago Bulls teammate of his from the 1990s. 

“We take Steph for granted because he’s brilliant night after night,” Kerr said. “You just have to remind yourself every once in a while, big picture, this is one of the great players in the history of the game. But that’s how I felt back in my playing days with Michael Jordan. You’d see it over and over and over again, so you took it for granted. That’s how it is with Steph.”

Warriors and Curry are currently locked in battle with another GOAT contender in the Conference semifinals: Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James. 

Given all the NBA Finals history between them — Warriors faced a James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in four straight NBA Finals, winning three of them — this semifinal is a main-event in itself. “We’re blessed to be playing at this level still and excited about a new chapter,” Curry said.

James, 38, and Curry, 35, are still the game’s two biggest stars — they are the top jersey-sellers in the league, James at No. 1 and Curry at No. 2, based on rankings at NBAStore.com. So when they pit their best against each other, with everything on the line and only one guaranteed to advance, it makes for can’t-miss entertainment.

GOAT vs. GOAT

“They got a GOAT, we got a GOAT,” Warriors’ Draymond Green said. “Epic. You got Steph, you got Bron doing it all over again. They’re not laying down, we’re not laying down.”

Whatever the outcome of this battle for the ages, two things are certain: Curry’s position among the pantheon is secure, it may strengthen but it won’t weaken; and even though lingering injuries have crept into this late-career phase, they aren’t restricting the range of his genius.

The first point is backed up by irrefutable evidence. Besides his championship rings and awards, he is the NBA’s leading three-point shooter of all time, having eclipsed Ray Allen, and is in the top 15 — and climbing — on the all-time postseason scoring chart. The 6’2” guard has also had a stylistic impact on basketball, revolutionising the way the game is played. 

What’s more, he has the respect of the greatest players to ever do it. James has often praised Curry, even saying he wished they could line up together in the NBA. Shaquille O’Neal described him as a one-off, saying, “There are great shooters, and there are phenomenal shooters. But there will never be anyone who can shoot like him.”

While injuries and fatigue have eaten into his playing time this season, Curry has shown that when close to full fitness, he can hit a level only the best can hope to match. The responsibility of carrying the Warriors on his back in the quest to defend last season’s title is fuelling him, as is the desire to prove that, at 35, his best is still ahead of him.

Curry joked a couple of years ago that he might play until he is 40, but a lot of true things are said in jest. He is certainly doing all he can to prolong his career, willing himself through a challenging season. He sat out 11 games with a left-leg injury and a partially dislocated left shoulder cost him another 11 games. He has missed more than 25 games in all, while also dealing with right elbow soreness and discomfort in his left ankle.

To combat this, he has focused on recovery and nutrition. It’s taking more time behind the scenes now for Curry to maintain his non-stop movement on the court, including postgame strength sessions and visits to the weight room. 

“I think he’s definitely the best-conditioned athlete that I’ve ever been around in the NBA,” Kerr said. “It’s amazing just to see what he puts himself through to be ready. He is definitely a guy who’s going to age well.”

Green, who can judge him from up close, likes what he sees from Curry. “Old is what you make it,” he said. “If you go out with an old mindset, you’re going to look old. Steph approaches his day to day better than I’ve ever seen him approach it before. And it’s showing up in his game… at 35, he’s still able to do it at that level, night in and night out, with no sign of slowing down.”