Every year in the NBA playoffs, there is always a seemingly under the radar player who emerges as a superstar and makes a name for himself. The baby-face assassin, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, takes that crown this year.
The casual NBA fan can now watch the Warriors on national television and witness him torch other teams with his dazzling playmaking and his gorgeous stroke from beyond the arc. After ousting the Denver Nuggets in six games in the first round, the Warriors currently stand in a 1-1 tie with the battle-tested, veteran San Antonio Spurs as they head back home to Oakland.
Curry is currently the third leading scorer in the playoffs averaging 26.5 points per game, right behind Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant. He is shooting a blistering 43 percent from the three point line and is leading the postseason in assists per game at 8.9. and shows no signs of slowing down. He doesn’t overpower opponents with strength or size, but instead beats them down with an unguardable stroke and his dazzling passing ability.
From a fan’s point of view, it has been fun to watch Curry grow as a player and be an elite point guard after his first few years were hampered by nagging ankle injuries. Curry also took the NCAA March Madness tournament by storm back in 2009 when he played for Davidson, but has been no stranger to doubts from analysts about whether or not he could play at the next level.
He was also snubbed this year by the NBA coaches who decided that he wasn’t worthy of an All-Star vote. Curry responded to the coaches the only way he knows how, by shooting the lights out. Shortly after the all-star break, the Warriors visited the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in a game that will go down as one of the best of the season. Curry absolutely lit up the Knicks to the tune of 54 points, going 11 for 13 from the great beyond. Take that, coaches.
Curry’s multi-dimensional game is what makes him difficult to guard. If defenders give him an inch of space, he will make them pay and if defenders pressure him, he will use some of the nasty crossovers in his arsenal to get by them and get straight to the rim. It’s about time Curry is mentioned in the same sentence as Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and Tony Parker. He has proven it on a consistent basis, and if he stays healthy, he will continue to elevate his game.
The Warriors are bursting with confidence after their first round beating of the Nuggets, and Curry has put this team on his back and has finally become the superstar that the Warriors have been waiting for. He has been doing it all season and if he keeps this up, the Warriors will be an extremely dangerous teams moving forward in the playoffs.
For the fans that are just witnessing his greatness in the playoffs, welcome to the party, or as head coach Mark Jackson puts it:
“Those guys are just coming to the hospital,” Jackson said. “The baby has been born already.”
