4. May 6th, 2013: San Antonio Spurs vs Golden State Warriors
If the last entry was Stephen Curry’s regular season breakout, this was his NBA playoff emergence. After dispersing of the third-seeded Denver Nuggets, Curry and the Warriors faced a tall task in matching up with the powerhouse San Antonio Spurs.
Curry didn’t back down at all. With the odds stacked against him, he opened up the series firing on all cylinders. He knew his team would need a big game from him in order to have a chance and he delivered.
In this first game of the series, Steph poured in 44 points and 11 assists. He knocked down a total of six 3-pointers as he shot an overall 51 percent from the floor. His dominant shooting kept the Warriors within striking distance throughout the entire game.
His ability to connect on tough shots over the pick and roll was stunning the Spurs. They seemingly had no answer for his dribble pull up. Curry helped bring the lead all the way to 16 points before the Spurs rallied back and forced overtime.
After two periods of overite, San Antonio squeezed by off of a huge shot from Manu Ginobili. The Warriors lost this game and eventually the series, but Curry’s impact was felt and the league was officially on notice.