There are those sports performances that make us all remember why we first fell in love with the sport. When it comes to the NBA, many people remember where they were for Kobe Bryant’s 81 or Michael Jordan’s 63. On Wednesday another performance was added to that list and once again it occurred in Madison Square Garden.
With the last two games he has played, Stephen Curry has forced himself into the discussion as one of the best point guards in the NBA. This year he’s playing well above his career best numbers across the board, but he’s leading a Golden State Warriors team that doesn’t have the true superstar that history has shown is needed for an organization to perform well when it matters most. That was at least until Curry cast his name into the lot to be the star that the Warriors need.
In the last 85 minutes of play Curry has scored 92 points and done so in near jaw dropping fashion. He has gone 18-23 (78 percent) from the three point line; often times facing tough coverage from bigger players. One of the other fascinating points during his explosion of points is the infrequency he’s gone to the free throw line. In two games he has shot only 11 free throws, making 10 of them. Many of the premiere players in the league shoot nearly double-digit free throws a game and do not score 38 points, let alone 54 in one game. Curry’s shot 66 percent from the floor (32-48) points during this stretch as well.
To put Curry’s place on the Warriors roster into perspective, only Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry have scored more than a combined 20 points while on the floor in these last two games. Without David Lee out for the Knicks game due to suspension, Curry took over and never looked back. Unfortunately for the Warriors, their struggles in February have continued as they were unable to win either one of these games, regardless of the standout performance by their point guard.
Many individuals thought it was an egregious snub when Stephen was left off of this year’s All-Star team and his play this week reinforces those thoughts. His 54 points against the New York Knicks is the highest single total by any player this season. While he’s played fantastically for much of the year, these last two outings have given Golden State fans a beacon of hope as they struggle to hold onto a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
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