Steph Curry Went Absolutely Nuclear Again And Continues To Show Why He's Still The Best Show In Sports

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I know we say it every time it happens, but that's because each and every time, it continues to be true.

There might not be a better show in all of sports than Steph Curry going absolutely nuclear on a basketball court.

Each and every time, it's must watch stuff. Every second he's on the floor, your eyes are glued to him. The way he navigates off ball around screens, the build up of anticipation starts to grow. Then, once he has the ball, you hold your breath while being on the edge of your seat, just waiting for him to do something ridiculous. When he gets rolling like these true nuclear Steph performances tend to be, as long as it's not coming against your favorite team there's nothing like it. Sure other players get hot during an NBA game. We've seen guys explode for 60 and 70+ points. 

But none of them do it like Steph. It's why he's Steph Curry

Ho hum, just a little 52/10/8/5/1 on 16-31 shooting while going 12-20 from deep. Considering Curry had 11 3PM through 3 quarters, it's actually a little surprising he didn't at least tie Klay Thompson's NBA record of 14 3PM. Especially after he hit his 12th with a few minutes to go, it felt like a lock in real time. It wasn't for a lack of trying as he did have a handful of open looks rim out in the 4th, and it's not as if 12 3PM in a single game is any sort of failure, but I can't lie and say it wasn't surprising to see him not break the record. Even with the Grizzlies selling out to take away his clean looks, every look for Steph Curry is a clean look, even if it's contested. 

Given how important this win was for the Warriors (it moved them into 5th), part of me respects Curry for not forcing things and continuing to make the right basketball play in order to secure the win. The Basketball Gods reward that type of behavior, so, understandably, the Warriors were able to pull this game out down the stretch by some big time makes by Podz and Moody. This will always be one of the true signs of the Warriors Dynasty firing on all cylinders in my opinion. They find ways to win games. If it's close down the stretch, they'll figure it out and make enough plays on both ends to secure a win they probably shouldn't. 

My question to you all is, do you finally believe me yet? Months ago, I told you we were getting the early signs that the Demon Warriors and their Dark Magic was back

Well, let's see what's happened since. The Warriors have easily been one of the best teams in the NBA since the trade deadline, standing with the 3rd best record in the NBA at 19-5. They own the 7th best offense, 1st ranked defense, and the 4th best net rating over that timespan. Given that we're in April, you're looking at nearly 2 months of basketball with this new look roster. They now sit only 2 back of the Lakers in the loss column for homecourt in the first round. Remember, it wasn't too long ago this was a Play In team. Now, there's a chance they start the playoffs at home. If that isn't enough for you to take them seriously, I'm not sure what you're watching.

It all comes back to Steph Curry. Look at what this man is doing. This is vintage Steph, the version that we know can backpack a team to an NBA title, because we've seen it (sigh). What was the formula of those great Warriors teams of old? Elite defense, Steph going nuclear, and incredible late game execution. Is that not what we're seeing right now from this version? 

Now, as we are seeing in the West, things can change literally within days. Sure, things look good on Tuesday April 1st, but given how tight things are, you really can't afford something as small as a 2 game slide at this stage of the season. Even now in 5th, with the Warriors at 31 losses, the Grizzlies are still right there (32) as are the Wolves (32 and playing right now) and the Clippers (32). We still have a long way to go until we know for certain how seeds 5-7 shake out, but one thing I'm betting on is this version of Steph figuring it out. The Warriors have won 3 in a row and 7 of their last 10, and a few more down the stretch could go a long way in avoiding a disastrous situation where you now have to face OKC in Round 1.