Stephen Curry: About Last Night’s 51 Points…

Trailing 40-18 at one point in the first quarter last night, the Golden State Warriors looked like Xerxes to the Dallas Mavericks’ King Leonidas’ act. In other words, the Mavs were showing the world that even an NBA god-king can bleed.

They were down. They were out. They were playing a good team and getting smoked at home in what felt like a playoff game on ESPN.

But then Stephen Curry showed everyone what basketball immortality looks like.

More from Golden State Warriors

No, it wasn’t Klay Thompson‘s record-breaking 37-point quarter. In fact, Curry didn’t even top the 52 points Thompson scored in his out-of-body experience last week. But during the third quarter — a quarter that is becoming notorious for the Dubs — Curry was transcendent enough to make me rethink my most recent MVP Power Rankings.

To be fair, the Warriors had clawed their way back into the game by halftime, trailing only by four at the break. But on a night when Golden State’s usually stout defense couldn’t slow down Dallas’ hot-shooting offense, Curry took over at the opportune moment.

Leading the Dubs to a 43-point third quarter, Curry scored 26 of his season-high 51 points in the third and accounted for 29 of the Dubs’ points in the quarter (including assists). He made eight of his 11 shots (6-for-7 from downtown) in the period, helping the Warriors build a four-point halftime deficit into a three-point lead heading into the fourth — despite giving up 36 points in the third.

He made 16-of-26 shots (61.5 percent) and drained an absurd 10 of his 16 three-point attempts (62.5 percent).

Your reaction to those numbers, even if you didn’t stay up late enough to enjoy the performance live on TV, probably looks something like this:

Steph Curry even makes Steve Kerr shake his head https://t.co/jKqcCS1DgZ (via Vinnyviner)
— SportsNation (@SportsNation) February 5, 2015

When your opponent is Steph Curry 😂 https://t.co/cIrcmoQxGz
— Let’s Go Warriors 💦💛💙 (@LetsGoWarriors) February 5, 2015

In 2015, Curry is averaging 25.0 points, 8.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game in 17 contests. He’s damn near about to join the 50-40-90 club this season and is the best player on the team with the best record in the league.

Did I mention that I’m rethinking James Harden at No. 1 in my weekly MVP Rankings?

One game does not make an MVP case. And contrary to popular belief, neither does being the best player on the league’s best team, because otherwise Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap and Al Horford would all be fighting for the No. 2 spot. But in limited bursts, Curry is as unstoppable as anyone in this league.

James Harden had a nice little scoring burst against the Chicago Bulls last night, but it was no 26-point third quarter. Harden still has the superior numbers on the season, but perhaps that’s because the Warriors are too good.

Allow me to explain. With a league-best +11.6 point differential, the Dubs are mostly blowing their opponents out. With Curry only averaging about 33 minutes per game, head coach Steve Kerr has been able to rest his best player(s) after Golden State builds a comfortable lead.

Harden and the Houston Rockets don’t have that kind of luxury, which is why the Beard plays three more minutes per game than Curry. There’s still plenty of time to go in this season, so nothing should be final here. However, last night showed us a few things, and not just that Curry is a magician.

The Warriors have the best defense in the league and a top-five offense. They have a deep bench, a coach who is getting the best out of his team, a fellow All-Star and Splash Brother in Klay Thompson and two Defensive Player of the Year candidates.

But in the postseason, great players sometimes have to take over to win championships. Curry has the pieces around him to be successful, but on nights like last night, sometimes he is just going to have to take over. As the Dallas Mavericks can now testify, he’s more than capable of doing so.

This isn’t the time or place for an MVP discussion. But even if Curry does lose out on this individual award to Harden, Anthony Davis or LeBron James, last night’s 51-point outburst shows no matter what, he’s got a great chance at leading this team to a championship.

Next: NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of All Time

More from Hoops Habit