Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry’s top 5 NBA Playoff moments

1. (2019) Delivers dagger to Houston

We all heard the criticism. Since Kevin Durant joined the team in 2016, Stephen Curry was relentlessly mocked for being second-fiddle on his own squad. The two-time MVP was accused of needing Durant to win big games.

Through the beginning of the 2019 postseason, this narrative was running wild. Durant had carried the Warriors over the Clippers by averaging an absurd 41.5 points on nearly 60 percent shooting across the final four games of the first round.

Things got worse when Curry played arguably the worst game of his career in Game 3. He shot just 7-of-23 from the field and blew an open dunk to seal the deal as Durant watched in frustration with 46 points and a loss.

That’s why when Durant fell with an injury it was crucial that Curry stepped up in his absence. Not only to keep the Warriors title hopes alive but to defend his own legacy.

Leading the series 3-2, Curry got off to a horrid start in Game 5. He scored 0 points in the first half, looking completely lost without Durant. Suddenly, Houston felt they had a real chance to finally topple the Dubs.

Of course, that was until Curry lit them up for 33 points in the second half. Curry snapped out of his slump out of nowhere, drilling 3-pointers over everybody. He outscored both Chris Paul and James Harden in the final two quarters and eliminated the Rockets for the second straight season.

Curry responded to all of the criticism and proved to the world that he was still one of the most prolific scorers in the league when he is given the freedom to take over a ball game.