Before the (potentially) epic second-round series between LeBron James’s LA Lakers & Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors kicks off later tonight, we need to acknowledge the legendary performance Curry put forth in Game 7 @ Sacramento.
Steph Curry’s greatness can sometimes be “understated” - that is, until, he drops a masterful stat line that puts him right back into everyone’s minds.
In GSW’s winner-take-all Game 7 tilt v. the 3rd-seeded Sacramento Kings, Curry dropped an NBA-RECORD 50 points, most of which came in the second half. It was a two-point game at halftime but Curry’s 3rd & 4th-quarter heroics busted the game wide open, bringing the normally-raucous Golden 1 crowd to a near, dead silence.
Curry even mimicked “lighting the beam” after cashing his latest long-range dagger - a difficult, contested triple off the dribble. Stepping up to the plate is nothing new for the four-time champion.
What’s notable, however, is that through all of Golden State’s inconsistencies this year, they still possess a few things that set them apart: an all-time talent hell-bent on proving naysayers wrong and building his legacy, a long-time core group of players and coaches with experience and success in every situation and young talent/bets (like Kevin Looney) who continue to answer the call and trim the margins.
Steph has in it him to carry Golden State to victory on any given night. When his killer instinct is entirely on display - similar to last season’s postseason run, particularly against Boston in the Finals - it’s hard to bet against him. It’s like looking into the past and seeing a competitor like MJ or Kobe - when Curry’s on the other side, the game (or series) is never fully won until there’s nothing left on the clock. You have to really beat such talents - they don’t ever do it to themselves.
50 pts in a series-clincher is just incredible*. The fact that it came in the 1st round might be just what the rest of the Dubs (& Curry himself) needed to prove themselves capable of another championship run. LeBron’s revamped Lakers prove a daunting test but if history has shown, the Dubs will never back down - not with Curry in the mix.
A legendary matchup on all sides - from the players to each franchise - here’s hoping there’s a few more, “Where were you when?” performances over the next 7 games.
*most recent player before Steph (last Sunday) was Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 6 on the 2021 Finals