Stephen Curry's dazzling performance in Warriors win owed to often underrated element

It's less than two weeks since Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry limped off the floor and straight to the locker room during the fourth-quarter against the L.A. Clippers.

There was collective concern emanating from that game. Not only had the Warriors suffered their first loss of the season in the home opener, but there were fears for Curry who had tweaked his ankle twice in the second-half.

Fast-forward to now and things couldn't be better for Golden State. They've since won five games in a row, the last of which was led by a brilliant performance from Curry in a statement win over the reigning champion Boston Celtics on Wednesday.

Stephen Curry's conditioning is an often underrated element of the Warriors superstar

In his second game back from a three-game absence, Curry had 27 points, seven rebounds and nine assists on 8-of-17 shooting from the floor and 4-of-9 from three-point range. The 2x MVP had 10 points, two rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in the final eight minutes, helping his team finish on a 30-17 run to overturn a seven-point deficit into a six-point win.

So good was Curry that it's hard to believe the injury against the Clippers occurred just 10 days ago. At the time there was concern that the 36-year-old could miss multiple weeks, particularly given his history of ankle issues.

Perhaps that actually worked in his favor though, combining with his often underrated physical conditioning to ensure that not only was his stint on the sidelines brief, but that he's hardly missed a beat upon return.

Curry was on a minutes restriction against the Washington Wizards on Monday, playing 24 minutes in which he scored an equal game-high 24 points to go with three rebounds and six assists in the 125-112 victory.

That minutes restriction was immediately lifted against the Celtics, with Curry playing over 34 minutes -- three minutes more than any teammate. That proved even more important given backup point guard Brandin Podziemski was out due to illness after leaving Monday's game during the third-quarter.

While we shouldn't be surprised after all these years, Curry's ability to defy physical concerns is an underrated aspect to his excellence. As others enter their mid to late thirties and see a steep decline in their physical capabilities and overall performance, all-time guys like Curry and LeBron James continue to rewrite what is possible in defying father time.