In his first game Stephen Curry reminded us that he’s still the reigning MVP and I thought as a good writer I’d wait to write about him for at least a week or two as not to oversaturate the market, per se.
Then Curry did this on Saturday night.
Fifty-three points happened. Curry turned into a monster after halftime and terrorized the New Orleans Pelicans in a 134-120 victory for Golden State.
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He went into the second half with 15 points (on 4-of-8 shooting, and five free throws) and was having a rather pedestrian game by his standards. But once the third quarter was underway Curry started embarrassing defenders right and left.
I don’t know how to properly describe what he is doing. His lightning-quick release allows him to shoot over almost anyone if they give him room, including Anthony Davis. He’s often a little further behind the arc than you might expect and almost every time a defender backs off he drains a 3-pointer.
When he isn’t shooting from deep he was driving his way through traffic and making the right moves to create shots for himself.
He went 13-of-19 in the second half while making six of his nine attempts from beyond the arc to score 38 points in the second half.
One of Curry’s more amazing plays wasn’t a Curry shot but his assist to Harrison Barnes.
It looked like a similar play from the night before where it looked like Curry dribbled himself to trouble yet he somehow came out with an assist. After all the insanity of his dribbling through three defenders he throws a no-look pass to Barnes who finished the play and earns an and one. He had 9 assists to 2 turnovers on the night.
There is no way Curry can keep of this level of play (39.3 points, 7.3 assists) for the entire season but it is still absurd what he’s doing on the court right now. No matter what decision he makes it ends up working out. Dribble in between three defenders? That’s fine, you’ll get the assist.
There is no real way to express how he’s playing right now than to say he’s in complete control of himself and the ball.
Just enjoy the ride.
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