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Road to the Championship: Stephen Curry’s First MVP Moment

By Michael Shultz

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The Golden State Warriors were flying high after a perfect road trip of 5-0 and an NBA-best 14-2 record, riding a nine-game winning streak. With the Orlando Magic coming into town, it seemed like a certainty that the Warriors would extend their winning streak to ten. It was not that easy.

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The Warriors had just blown out the Magic on their perfect road trip on November 26, 2014, 111-96, and it was not that close. The Warriors’ biggest lead in the game was 27 and it was only when the Warriors took out their starters, Orlando was able to make a late push. The Warriors had seven players in double figures, led by their star point guard, Stephen Curry, who had 28 points, hitting six threes in just 24 minutes. Curry just toyed with the Magic’s backcourt in Orlando and everyone expected the same result in Oakland at Oracle Arena.

The game started out according to plan with the Warriors up by 10 at halftime but after that, it completely changed. After a long road trip, lots of teams are fatigued due to the long flights and back to backs, making the first game back home tough. It looked as tough the Warriors were experiencing that fatigue in the third quarter. The Warriors, all season, were known for having great third quarters, especially at Oracle Arena, and blowing teams out but on this night, it was the Magic that took over the game. Led by Victor Oladipo, the Magic took a two point lead into the fourth quarter, where the Warriors’ fans would see Curry’s first MVP moment of many.

December 2, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Magic 98-97. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

That moment almost did not happen due to the Warriors’ fatigue and the great effort given by the Magic. After the Warriors tied the game early in the fourth quarter, the Magic were able to extend their lead with guys like Oladipo, Tobias Harris and Kyle O’Quinn. Oladipo went for 27 points while Harris and O’Quinn combined for 38 points, which was much-needed, especially with their All-Star center, Nikola Vucevic, out with an injury. After Oladipo hit a right corner three, the Magic went up nine, 93-84, with just 4:12 left in the 4th quarter. It looked the Warriors were going to lose another game to an inferior team, something they were infamous for during the Mark Jackson regime, especially at home. But this team was different and proved it in the final four minutes of the game.

After that Oladipo three, the Warriors turned the switch. Curry hit a left wing three to cut the lead to six with 4:00 left. A minute went by and after a great defensive possession, Andrew Bogut grabbed the rebound and found Klay Thompson in transition and proceeded to hit one of his patented right wing threes to cut the lead to three, 93-90, with 2:56 left in regulation. Once again, the Warriors played great defense on the next possession, a staple of this championship team. After the stop, the Warriors proceeded to run their motion offense, another staple, with the result being Draymond Green finding Thompson in the right corner for the three to tie up the game, 93-93. Oracle Arena went absolutely crazy, living up to its “Roaracle” moniker with the Magic looking absolutely stunned that their lead had disappeared.

After both teams traded buckets and Harris hit the go-ahead jumper, the stage was set by the future MVP. He had hit a few buzzer-beating/game-winning shots during the Mark Jackson regime but on this night, it felt a little different. This wasn’t your typical last shot. Most of the time, coaches call timeout and draw up a play but not rookie head coach, Steve Kerr. After Payton’s layup went off the rim, Curry secured the rebound. At this point, most coaches yell at the referees and call timeout in order to advance the ball. This is not Kerr’s philosophy, especially when the most crafty and lethal shooter in the game has the ball in his hands.

December 2, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr (left) talks to guard Stephen Curry (30) during the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Magic 98-97. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Curry is most lethal in transition because he can drive by you and get to the hoop or pull up for the three; he opted for the latter. He had Harris on his heels so he knew he would have space for the right wing three. After one of his patented crossovers, Curry rose up and knocked down the three, giving the Warriors their first lead since the 3rd quarter, 98-97. Oracle Arena was once again bedlam and Curry, a player not known for his emotion, was just as fired up as the fans were. This moment showed the world that Curry was not afraid to take the final shot and he was clutch enough to hit that very shot.

But back to Kerr’s decision not to call timeout, why would he do that? Did he forget to because he is a first year coach? Absolutely not. The simple reason for this is Curry is the best player in the NBA in transition so why allow their opponents’ to set up their defense when they are already scrambling to get back and locate Curry. He also believes Curry will make the right play and win the game and on this night, he accomplished that objective.

Kerr’s against the book strategy is another reason why the Warriors were so successful this season. He trusted his players to make the right plays and that trust went a long way in a team, buying into a new system. This team could have easily dismissed Kerr’s coaching philosophies because the success they had under Jackson but they didn’t. They bought into the motion offense, good defense leads to offense, taking “great” shots instead of “good” shots and that they were more dynamic than anyone in the league in transition. All these aspects came into play on that last Curry shot and the season as a whole.

After a Magic timeout, O’Quinn inbounded the ball, looking for Harris at the right elbow but once again, Green, the leader of the Warriors defense and heartbeat of the team, was up to the challenge. Green knocked the ball away from Harris as time ran up and the Warriors escaped with a 98-97 victory, extending their win streak to ten and record to 15-2.

It was performances like these that propelled this team to greatness and their superstar to the MVP trophy. This game showed NBA fans that the Warriors were the real deal and they weren’t the “same old Warriors”.

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