Steve Kerr may have summed it up best for the Golden State Warriors in the aftermath of another Stephen Curry performance that simply beggared belief.
Steve Kerr on Steph Curry: "Nothing surprises me anymore. And yet, I’m amazed, if that makes sense."
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) November 19, 2021
The Warriors were on the brink of a surprise loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, a young squad missing some high-level talent and on the back end of a back-to-back.
For three quarters they outplayed their more fancied opponent, the Dubs seemingly sapped of energy after their highly publicized beatdown of the Nets earlier in the week.
Behind a prolific (yet typical) performance from Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors rattled off yet another win in Cleveland.
Then, as if somewhat predictable yet incredibly astonishing, Curry asserted another MVP-worthy performance. All Cleveland’s hard work, which saw them build a 13 point lead through 36 minutes, was erased within three and a half minutes.
It included three triples from the two-time MVP, and as is the nature of his style, it completely demoralized the previously confident Cavaliers. Once the Warriors got back on level terms, it seemed inevitable that they would continue the fourth quarter onslaught.
Curry’s brilliance, 20 of his 40 points coming in the final stanza, combined with another quarter of lockdown defense, the Cavaliers forced into a string of ill-advised shots and turnovers. The Dubs won the quarter 36-8, turning a 13 point deficit into a 15 point win.
The fourth quarter did mask a poor Warriors performance until that point. They lacked the energy that’s carried them to the best record in the league, giving up a plethora of offensive rebounds in the first half. Curry and Nemanja Bjelica kept them within three, but the signature third quarter run failed to materialize as the Cavalier lead rose to 13.
In the end, it was another memory to put in the Curry time capsule. Just like in Brooklyn against the Nets, Curry received ‘MVP’ chants from the away crowd late in the game. The 104-89 win moves the Warriors to 13-2, 1.5 games clear of the second-place Phoenix Suns in the western conference.