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The Playoffs are Stephen Curry’s Playground

By Carlos Murillo

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It’s getting hard finding new and creative ways to describe what Stephen Curry does on the court. Special is a regular occurrence for the 2014-15 NBA MVP and incredible has become sustainable. Time and time again, Curry takes control of the game and provides some jaw-dropping spectacular that further solidifies his place in the upper echelon of NBA superstars.

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I wrote the opening paragraph to this piece four or five times before I came to this one. Like I said, it’s getting hard to describe Curry’s play in new ways. It seems like every game–every postseason game–he does something magical. Whether it’s a game-tying three against the Denver Nuggets or pushing a superior team to a Game 7 or topping off a 20 point comeback with a cold-blooded trey over a top 5 player in the world, Curry gets it done. Friday night was no different.

The Memphis Grizzlies, fighting for their lives, were clawing their way back into the game. The Warriors looked like they were on the brink of losing control. Their defensive backcourt of Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green were in foul trouble. The Memphis bigs were getting what they wanted from either the paint or the free throw line. The Grindhouse was coming alive.

When the lights are brightest and the moment is biggest, the smallest man on the court makes the largest splash.

Yet, when opponents show any signs of life, the Baby-Faced Assassin comes along with his deadly long range shooting. And on this occasion, when the Warriors were right on the edge of making history, Curry shot his most accurate snipe. After Andre Iguodala blocked Jeff Green’s “last second” prayer, Curry picked up the ball and fired it 62 feet across the court. He launched it over center Kosta Koufos. For those three seconds or so that the ball was in the air, there was suspense.

Why? Because Curry’s shot has become the stuff of legends. Because there was a real shot that it was going in.

When people say something is “literally” like this, they mean “figuratively” like that. But for Steph Curry, he literally has to be guarded from everywhere. And, even then, it might not matter. Nothing but net.

https://twitter.com/LetsGoWarriors/status/599669325029613568

And just like that, all the momentum that the Grizzlies were creating and the energy the fans were projecting was gone. Curry was like a knife stabbing into the Beale Street Balloon that had been inflating. And Curry, the microwave, was officially turned on.

But he was waiting to deliver the final blow to a team that had come so close for years. The Warriors built up a 15 point lead and when the Grizzlies started to chip away, Curry rattled off a cool 11 points in a row, thus sealing the Warriors’ game and series victory.

Curry is a superstar; there’s no doubt about it. He is a rare combination of flash and substance. His regular season brilliance is well-documented by now. Curry has always been the underdog, with no real expectations from experts and analysts.

But with the MVP trophy securely his, Curry must rise to the occasion and become a playoff hero. And sure, he’s had some success as the underdog in the past. He beat a no.3 seed Nuggets team, challenged the eventual-Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs, and took the Los Angeles Clippers to the limit.

But as the best player on the best team in basketball, Curry has to elevate his game to Kobe/Magic/LeBron/Jordan-esque proportions. And he’s done that. With every three pointer, Curry is setting a new record. With every step back, he’s leaving defenses confused. With every assist, he’s reinforcing championship chemistry. He doesn’t just make plays; he makes them when they count.

Curry has the clutch gene that history looks back on in admiration and respect. Already, he’s created highlights that will stand the test of time for both Warriors fans and NBA enthusiasts. If there are any doubters about Curry’s superstar ability, please ask Anthony Davis and the Pelicans what they think. And now, you could ask the Memphis Grizzlies too.

When the lights are brightest and the moment is biggest, the smallest man on the court makes the largest splash.

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