Golden State Warriors: An Early Season Ode To Stephen Curry

Now, the NBA season started less than a week ago, but it is not to early to start marveling over the reigning MVP’s early season magic. Stephen Curry opened the NBA season on Tuesday night for the Golden State Warriors with a home game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The team received their championship rings, and once play started, Curry cooked the Pelicans on national TV right from the start. He had 24 points in that first quarter, and he ended up with 40 for the night with five threes.

Curry then followed that performance with a milder 25 points against the Houston Rockets on the road. Then came Halloween night, where Curry again was scary good. He dropped 53 points (one point shy his career high) and had 28 in third quarter against the Pelicans in New Orleans.

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Curry played both of these teams in the playoffs last season, and they still do not seem to have a grasp on his play. Curry averaged 33.8 points per game in last season’s series against the Pelicans in four games and a respectful 31.2 PPG in five games against the Rockets.

So it has been only three games for Steph Curry and the Warriors, but he has not missed a beat, and he might even be improving from last season (which is actually terrifying for opposing teams).

Steph Curry is must-watch TV

Curry has put on a show in every game so far this season, and although it is a small sample size, Curry looks like he might have taken his game to the next level. He has more of a swagger on the court this season, he is averaging 39.3 points, 7.3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in three games this season.

He is averaging these crazy numbers by playing only 33 minutes per game, which is flat out ridiculous.

There should be a TV channel or an alert on a website that shows when Curry starts to catch fire from the floor. It seems to happen every night so far this season. Once he hits at least two deep shots in a row, Curry is probably going to explode for a crazy stretch. He has hit 17-of-35 threes this season, and most of these threes are not easy.

Curry makes a contested shot look like a routine jumpshot, he makes a stepback look effortless, and he makes dribbling an art. His combination of handles, shooting, and passing is an art that literally no one can recreate right now. Yes, there are players that are great shooters, passers, or ball-handlers, but there are no players that can do all three at such an elite level.

Opponents throw double-teams, and sometimes triple-teams at Curry, but he still manages to get off his shot because of his ultra fast release. He needs practically no room to shoot, and he can shoot from anywhere; literally anywhere in the arena.

Although Curry gains a lot of attention for his superstardom, he also creates for others on his team. Obviously as many of you know, the Warriors won the NBA championship last year, and it was not all because of Curry. He creates for his other offensive weapons like Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, and Draymond Green.

Curry is not afraid to gamble when he facilitates, he passes without looking, sometimes behind his back, and the passes seem to always land in his teammates hands. He always has been open about trying to cut down on his turnovers, and this year he is averaging 1.6 turnovers a game, which is lower than his career total of  3.2.

Curry is arguably the most buzzed about player on Twitter and on the Internet, especially when he is on a roll. He is very humble, which makes him a likable star, and he has a sense of humor on the court.

While watching him on Halloween, people could see that Curry was having the time of his life during his hot streak, he did a little dance on the sideline after he hit a three plus the foul. He laughs when he hits a shot he has absolutely no business hitting, and people love that about Curry.

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It is hard to say who the most lovable player in the NBA was before Curry made his way to national stardom, but Curry is now the most loved player in the NBA, and there is almost no debate.

Let the chef cook

Curry is going to get his points on any given night, teams are just hopeful that he will not have a hot streak against their team. Curry’s hot streaks really put the momentum in the Warriors’ favor for the rest of the game and it is hard for the opponent to come back after that.

Making Curry work on defense could affect his scoring output, so when Curry plays some elite point guards, maybe he will get a tad worn down this season. He has cooked some great defensive players in the past, so it does not matter who is covering Curry, he will get his points and create for his other players.

The bottom line is simple, Curry makes any game that he is in must-watch basketball, no matter who they are playing. Curry played scary good on Halloween night, and he has given NBA fans many treats during this season so far.

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Thank you, Steph Curry … for being Steph Curry.