As Great As He Is, Chef Curry Is Fighting with Russell Westbrook For Fourth Place In The NBA Player Rankings Right Now
This is not built on hate. Let’s begin right there.
Stephen Curry’s brilliance is mind-boggling. His 51 points and 10 three-pointers last night left even the most seasoned NBA connoisseurs scratching their heads for the umpteenth time over the past year and a half. His scoring binge was akin to being caught in a Frazier-Ali exchange of vicious blows: 20 for 27 from the field, 10 for 15 from deep and a banked-in, half-court buzzer beater as some icing on the cake.
No one has ever scored 50 or more points while only making one free throw. He continues to boggle the mind with his offensive brilliance.
He’s the first player to top the 50-point plateau three times in the same season since the first incarnation of Cleveland Cav LeBron and the Heat’s D Wade did it seven years ago. The last Warrior to bang out 50 on three separate occasions in the same season was Hall of Famer Rick Barry.
In the last 16 years, only the great Allen Iverson, the miraculous Kobe Bryant and the mentally bankrupt Gilbert Arenas have posted three or more 50-point explosions in the same season. Oh, and by the way, to give you some perspective, Kobe actually did it in three separate seasons.
When you look at the 51 he gave the Wizards and the 53 he gave the Pelicans earlier this year, last night’s outburst in the 130-114 win against Orlando – which gives Golden State, 52-5, the best record ever for any team 57 games into the season – would make the casual fan yell that he’s never seen anything like it, and that Steph is by far the best player in the league.
But as insane as Curry has been playing over these last two seasons, he still hasn’t cracked the rotation of the Top 3 players in the NBA right now.
