Stephen Curry is currently a walking flamethrower.
After a 37-point performance in Golden State’s win over Brooklyn, Curry dropped 40 points in a win from behind against the Cavaliers. He shoots 15 for 27 from the field and 9 for 16 from the 3-point range, marking the fourth time this season he’s connected with at least 9 3-pointers in a game.
In terms of perspective, only five players in NBA history – aside from Curry of course – have had four or more games in their entire career where they’ve hit at least nine 3-pointers. Curry currently has … 38 such games.
Unbelievable, right?
This guy really made me update this ranking already!
Curry has more games with nine 3-pointers since April (with 10) than any other player in his career in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/34m5SQEDL8
– Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) November 19, 2021
Curry is such a good shooter that defending him at this point has become a game of choosing your poison, but there was one particular way he tormented the Cavaliers on Thursday.
You know what that means – go to the cinema!
NBA League Pass: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7 days free trial)
Drama
The break
Juan Toscano-Anderson missed a three-pointer from Cavaliers keeper Ricky Rubio.
The Four Warriors on the same floor as Toscano-Anderson are Curry, Damion Lee, Otto Porter Jr and Nemanja Bjelica. Toscano-Anderson put the ball up, freeing Curry and the others on the field.
Immediately after crossing the halfway line, Toscano-Anderson passed the ball to Lee. Then he shoots to the left corner to maximize the distance.
Curry, Porter and Bjelica, meanwhile, set up shop on the opposite side of the pitch with Toscano-Anderson and Lee – Curry in the box, Porter and Bjelica on the right.
Lee quickly brought the ball to Bjelica while Porter moved towards Curry as if he were about to close the curtain.
It’s safe to assume that Okoro is expecting Curry to fly off Porter’s screen based on his location. (Plus, it’s something Curry does a lot, which we’ll get into soon.)
To keep Okoro honest, Curry stopped for a dime and started walking toward the basket, almost warning him of what the alternatives were.
Okoro took a few steps towards Curry and then bam! Curry brought him into Porter’s monitor, doing something Okoro hoped to avoid.
That’s just the meaning.
Why is it important?
A few reasons.
First, this isn’t the only time Curry has ripped through Okoro and Cleveland’s defenses with his slick dribbles.
The Warriors actually made the same match on the next trip down the field, only this Curry darted in the opposite direction.
Then he did this a few minutes later:
Oh, and then he did this a few minutes later:
It’s essentially the same set on four possessions, resulting in a fairly open pair of 3s and two layouts for the guy who currently leads the league in scoring. It contributed to him scoring 20 points in goal, helping the Warriors complete a 28-point swing.
Again, just the stuff that makes sense.
We did look closely Curry’s relentless movement makes him difficult to defend, but it’s more than that. Simply put, he is a genius who moves without the ball, knows when to accelerate, when to slow down, his position, the weak position of the defense and how to control the screen. figure for your own benefit. And if his defender tries to get ahead like Okoro did not once, not twice, not three times, but four times (!) in Cleveland’s fourth-half loss to Golden State, he knows how. punish them.
“He’s one of the greatest players in the history of the game,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. talk about curry after the game. “And he’s the greatest 3-pointer of all time. And the way he moves with the ball, he’s very strong and flexible and he understands the game on and off the ball. And he doesn’t. So you throw all that together – and he’s always had the same ability to catch fire.
“It’s amazing, it doesn’t shock me because this is what he does.”
THAN: The power of Curry and Green’s connection in one play
That brings us to our second point.
According to NBA.com, Curry is averaging 6.3 points per off-screen game this season. Not only is that the highest average he’s calculated over seven seasons according to the public data we have, but it’s also the highest in the league… a mile. Kings sharpshooter Buddy Hield is currently in second place with 3.6 points per game with the screen off. The gap between Curry and Hield is the same as that between Hield and his teammate Harrison Barnes, who is 38th in the league with 0.9 points per game.
The even crazier part? Curry is in the 99th percentile with 1.40 points per possession. So not only does he lead the league in terms of off-screen scoring, he’s also the most efficient goalscorer in those games so far this season.
Curry is basically posting the numbers that Klay Thompson is at his peak, only he is also a man of the tournament The most prolific shooter on dribbling.
Just when you think you’ve seen it all from Curry, he keeps leveling up.
