Stephen Curry Raising His Game
Added on Apr 16, 2013 by Scott in
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As Golden State prepares for a likely showdown with the Denver Nuggets in the opening round of the NBA playoffs, star guard Stephen Curry has never been better. The dynamic point guard was already enjoying a breakout season, but his play over the last ten games has vaulted him into the elite category. If he continues to dominate in the coming days and weeks, Curry will prove he’s much more than a volume shooter.
While Curry’s overall field goal percentage is lower than his previous three years, his assists and three-point shooting are career bests. Equally important as his stats, he has also taken on a larger leadership role on a young roster. Combined with power forward David Lee, he is forming one of the league’s more potent inside-outside duos.
How Curry responds in his first playoff action will go a long way in determining how much he has matured as a professional. He has the skills and big game mentality to carry his team in a seven game series. Facing the balanced and disciplined Nuggets will present a significant test in what could be the most entertaining first-round matchup, as both teams run up-tempo attacks.
As long as LeBron James and Kevin Durant are gracing NBA courts, Curry will have trouble being tossed into the MVP conversation. However, at 25, he is entering his prime, and like Durant, overcoming the small market bias that often exists in cities like Oakland and Oklahoma City.
Over the last ten games, Curry is averaging 26.9 points, 8.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals. On the season, he is hitting a higher percentage of three-pointers (45.5%) than two-pointers (45.3%), including going 16-28 from beyond the arc in his last two starts.
Obviously the Warriors will need more than Curry to advance deep into the playoffs, but underestimating his chances of inflicting damage to higher seeds would be foolish, because he has never been more dangerous than he is right now.
