Only a few players in history have been in the kind of zone that justifies “the Jordan shrug.” That was Steph last night.
The infatuation with finding a replacement for LeBron James as the world’s greatest player has elevated Kevin Durant to a status he probably doesn’t fully deserve.
Durant was initially lambasted for hopping on Golden State’s championship bandwagon and cruising to two championships of his own, but once he raised the hardware, opinions began to change.
Problem is, people automatically elevated Durant to “best player” status on a team that already had a legend in Steph Curry who not only supported Durant’s arrival but scaled back his dominance to accommodate Durant’s variation of skills.
NBA on Twitter
The @warriors trio of Steph Curry (51), Kevin Durant (30), & Klay Thompson (19) combine for 100 PTS to pace the @warriors at home! #DubNation https://t.co/FERLmR3DEz
Curry’s willingness to relinquish stats for championships and his efforts to create a non-adversarial environment with a temperamental and shot-dominant KD should have garnered him more reverence and elevated his status as a player in the eyes of the NBA world. Instead, his aura has lost some juice since Durant arrived. Some have even forgotten how truly great, influential, iconic and badass Curry is.
If you ever want to know the definition of a superstar leader, win-facilitator and overall example of a team player, then look no further.
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Sure, Durant made Golden State even more unbeatable, but they didn’t NEED him. Curry should have been Finals MVP last season but elevating Durant fit the narrative.
Durant has still never led a team to a championship. Golden State is and always will be Steph Curry’s team. If the offense is designed to feed him the ball — and he doesn’t have to relinquish 25 shots a game to Durant — then you get historical performances like the one Curry provided on Wednesday night. The kind of mindblowing shooting exhibition that puts things back in perspective.
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In a performance that Golden State coach Steve Kerr likened to a video game, Curry scored 51 points and moved up to fifth on the NBA’s all-time 3-pointers list after knocking down 11 treys in a 144-122 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.
Curry was so dominant that his teammates were imploring him to shoot the ball. The capper was when he gave the MJ shrug. Only a few players in history have been in the kind of zone that justifies “the shrug.”
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We haven’t seen a performance of that magnitude from Curry in a while. In 2015-2016 it was almost nightly. He averaged 30.1 points per game, but since Durant’s arrival, his scoring average hasn’t exceeded 26.4.
The two-time MVP finished the night shooting 15-for-24 from the field, 11-for-16 from beyond the arc and 10-for-10 from the free throw line, to go along with five rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes of play, boosting his season scoring average to 34. 6 points per game.
NBA on Twitter
? the BEST BUCKETS from Steph Curry as he poured in 51 PTS (11 3PM) in 32 minutes of action! #DubNation #KiaTipOff18 https://t.co/rPeArOvAIj
The Chef didn’t even play in the fourth quarter, but while he was on the court he displayed a repertoire of dribbles, drives and detonating bombs, which reminded everyone of his capabilities. Put some respek on that man’s nam
