HOUSTON – Through vexing mistakes, uncharacteristic slumps and a nagging finger injury, the most magical shooter in NBA history conjured the greatest postseason performance of his storied career.
To fully appreciate Stephen Curry at his peak, it helps to catalog his recent canyons.
In Game 1 of this second-round series against the Houston Rockets, Curry was waylaid by serious foul trouble. In Game 2, he was forced to the locker room after dislocating a finger on his left hand and later returned with his fingers taped together. In Game 3, he blew a dunk while going scoreless in the fourth quarter and overtime of a narrow loss. In Game 5, he committed a turnover so careless that Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr reflexively punched the air in frustration. In Friday's Game 6, Curry committed two fouls in the game's first six minutes and proceeded to miss his first six shots.
When Kerr pulled his star point guard midway through the first quarter, against Curry's wishes, the coach asked him point-blank in the huddle: "How can I trust you not to pick up your third foul?" Curry had no answer, and was forced to the bench again midway through the second quarter after picking up his third. The plan had been for Curry to carry the offense with Kevin Durant sidelined because of a calf strain, yet the two-time MVP still hadn't scored a single point by halftime.
What happened next was Disney movie fare for Warriors fans and sheer torture for the Toyota Center crowd. Curry scored 33 second-half points, 23 of which came in the fourth quarter, to lead Golden State to a 118-113 road victory that clinched the defending champions' fifth consecutive trip to the Western Conference finals.
"He just completely took over the game on a night when everything was going wrong," Kerr said. "If that game didn't personify Steph Curry, I don't know what does. He's a guy who can make some plays that leave you scratching your head, the fouls and turnovers. But most of the time, he makes these incredible plays. He's just fearless. That what makes him who he is. He made some amazing plays down the stretch."
The after-halftime turnaround started slowly, with a missed three-pointer followed by a simple layup to get on the board. His confidence swelling, Curry hit a floater, and a corner three, and a lefty scoop. As a close game went deeper into the fourth quarter, he sensed the Rockets were staggering and kept ratcheting up his attacks. Another floater. A right angle three. A nifty runner through an open paint for a banking layup.
"His spurtability, his ability to get points in bunches, is the best in the world, in the history of the game," Klay Thompson said. "I knew he was going to get going. There's nobody better to have the ball in his hands at the end of the game. His second half didn't surprise me one bit. He's our leader. He plays with great composure."
