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Daily NBA Fix: Stephen Curry Burns Brighter Than Ever

By Ben Gibson

Dec 2, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) leaves the floor after the second half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Warriors win 116-99. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 2, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) leaves the floor after the second half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Warriors win 116-99. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /
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It seems like every game, Stephen Curry ends up doing something special as he rewrites history.

If it feels as if Stephen Curry is doing spectacular things every single night, that’s because it is absolutely true as the Golden State Warriors continue on the best start in NBA history. The Warriors advanced to 20-0 on the season as they hammered the Charlotte Hornets on 116-99 on Dell Curry Night in the Queen City.

The elder Curry was being honored by the Charlotte Hornets organization for his 10 years with the team, but the younger Curry wasn’t going to take it easy on his father’s former team according to the Associated Press.

"Charlotte Hornets broadcaster Dell Curry told his son before Wednesday night’s game, ”do not ruin my night.””He didn’t make any guarantees,” Curry said with a smile."

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It had to put a smile on Dell’s face when Stephen went 5-for-5 in the third quarter on his way to a 40-point night. Stephen went 14-of-18 on the night and 8-of-11 from 3-point range as he continues to rewrite the way basketball is being played in the NBA this season.

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Curry’s still shooting at a level the NBA has never seen, as he’s already made 102 3-pointers this season. We’re nearly a quarter of the way through the season and Curry is still on pace to make more than 400 3-pointers this season. Only twice this season has that pace slipped to less than 400.

While it is much more likely that he’ll finish somewhere in the 300 range, don’t forget his record he set last year was 286. At this rate he’s not just going to break his record, he’s going to destroy it.

What Curry and the Warriors are doing is historical on many fronts, and that’s why they’ve been the most dominant storyline this season. Despite being defending champions they came into the season with a chip on their shoulder as some critics said they got lucky with injuries (both their own and their opponents) and that their championship was a fluke.

That only seemed to make them angrier and better than ever. Eight teams have finished a season with a margin of victory of 10 points or more, and currently the Warriors are beating opponents by more than 15 points a night. That would be a new historical mark as well as no team has finished a season with more than a 12.28 margin of victory, as the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers did.

All of these are reasons why another story line this season has been relegated to the second page.

Paul George is back, and he’s playing better than he has before as he scored 31 points in the Pacers 103-91 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. He’s the NBA’s sixth-leading scorer with 27.4 points a game while shooting a career-best 46.3 percent from 3-point range, slightly better than Curry’s 45.9 percent mark this season.

After his horrific leg injury, he would be forgiven for needing some time this season to readjust to the rigors of the season, but he’s been tearing through opponents as the Pacers have a 12-5 record on the season now.

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But more impressive than his current trend in career-best points, rebounds, and assists is the fact the Indiana Pacers are one of the best team’s in the NBA right now. Only the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs have better net ratings than the Pacers do as Indiana has the league’s 10th-best offense and second-best defense.

After a 0-3 start where it looked like the team’s small-ball experiment had gone awry, Indiana has settled into their new style of play and flourishing. If Indiana keeps this up Frank Vogel and Larry Bird should be up for coach and executive of the year as it appears they’ve reworked the team’s roster and schemes to produce an exciting and successful team.

But perhaps all of this ties back together in a way. What should be one of the most talked about things in the NBA right now is barely registering in the collective NBA consciousness. The Golden State Warriors are doing something to amazing that the gravity of it just pulls everything into it.

It’s hard to get too much attention for a six-game winning streak, the NBA’s second best when the Warriors still have their 24-game win streak (they won their final four regular-season games last season) alive and kicking.

George and the Indiana Pacers are going supernova, but the Golden State Warriors and Curry are destroying the whole universe.

Kobe’s Earns the Win In His Final Game In D.C.

The Los Angeles Lakers inherited what I’m calling the Bizarro-Championship Belt when they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, but now the Washington Wizards have that title as Kobe Bryant scored 31 points in his team’s 108-101 victory.

Bryant knocked down a pair of much-needed shots late in the fourth quarter as his 3-pointer gave the Lakers the lead and after Washington tied it up a step-back jumper gave Los Angeles the lead for good.

Next: NBA: Top 10 Candidates For 2015-16 Coach Of The Year

While this season has been a funeral procession at times for the Lakers and Kobe, Wednesday night was the glimpse at the magic that made his career so special.