Golden State Warriors: 15 Greatest NBA playoff moments

9. 2013 Western Conference Semifinals: Stephen Curry emerges as an NBA superstar

The 2012-13 season is an eerie one. When looking back at this time, it is crazy to witness how Stephen Curry was showing small glimpses of the superstar he would soon become.

This season for Curry marked career-high numbers in both points and assists. While Curry was not named to an All-Star team in 2013, he made sure to put on a show each night. The peak of his season came in a 54 point performance against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden.

Curry finished the year with an NBA record 272 total 3-pointers. He would go on to break this personal record in four of his next six seasons. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

For now, Curry was a rising star who had been snubbed from the All-Star team and was looking to prove himself in the NBA Playoffs. After taking down a high seeded Denver Nuggets team, Curry and the Warriors found themselves going against one of the best teams of the 21st century.

Pinned against the San Antonio Spurs, the Warriors were heavy underdogs. This didn’t stop Curry from coming out in Game 1 scorching hot, scoring 44 points and dishing out 11 assists. The Dubs lost in a double overtime thriller, but it was obvious that this series would not be an easy one for the Spurs.

The Warriors eventually fell to the Spurs in six games, but they had already made their statement. San Antonio went on to reach the NBA Finals while the Warriors returned home to prepare for their future. Six years later, we can now see that this series was the start of a phenomenal run by Curry.