The Golden State Warriors have eliminated the Sacramento Kings and advanced to the second round of the playoffs thanks to the best individual score in Game 7 history. Stephen Curry scored 50 points on Sunday. Fifty. In what could have been the last day of a dynasty.
Prior to Curry, the most points anyone had ever scored in a Game 7 were the 48 Kevin Durant hung up on the Nets’ 2021 loss to Milwaukee (the famous foot game in which Durant had the toe of his shoe removed from a winning play). 3-pointer, only to lose in overtime).
To continue in this story without honoring Kevon Looney would be a crime. Looney’s 21 boards, 10 of them offensive, were just short of Curry’s 50-ball on the heroic yard. He is now just the sixth player in history to record multiple playoff games of at least 10 offensive games And 10 defensive rebounds. The Warriors better get someone to work on this man’s statue right now.
But back to Kerrie. You hear about these “refuse to lose” psychoathletes, but you can’t to refuse to lose. It is not humanly possible to what extent Curry is actually human. What you can do is refuse to go out on anyone’s terms but your own.
If Curry went down on Sunday, which seemed like a strong possibility during the first half of this game, he would go down with the pedal pinned to the floor. Dude made 38 shots. Made 20 against a bloody fast Sacramento defense that chased and chased him the whole series, as a fugitive with three strikes.
Curry hit seven 3-pointers. Simple math tells you he made 13 shots in the arc, which incidentally goes down as the most 2-pointers he’s ever made in a playoff game. Indeed, Curry had to pull all the tricks in this one. The stepback 3s. The midrange pull ups. The nice finishes, including a falling finger roll that would be laughed out of most HORSE games.
The final score of this game, 120-100, suggests a lopsided affair. It wasn’t. Sacramento led at halftime and their points, as with many of these series, came easier, typically indicative of a team going into a game by a narrow margin.
Klay Thompson couldn’t hit anything. He, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins finished 12 for 44 combined. Golden State missed 11 free throws. Aside from Looney’s heroic heroism, there was nothing about this game that suggested the Warriors could win except Curry. Turns out he’s pretty much all you need.
With this achievement, Curry continues to rise in the pantheon of all players. Where he, or anyone else, stands is a matter of opinion. But it gets to the point where you can’t responsibly keep him out of the GOAT conversation.
And I’m not talking about the GOAT point guard. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith went that route after Game 6. I see no need to positionally qualify the claim. If he’s worth a fair debate for the best point guard ever with Magic Johnson, then he’s worth a fair debate for the best player, period, because that’s where Magic rightly resides in the conversation.
I know many people will scoff at the idea of Curry rising to the Rushmore ranks. But again, I just say “in the conversation”. Because that’s all anyone can say. There are no definitive rankings here, to state the obvious. Once you’ve earned conversation status, let the people duke it out on Twitter. Bill Simmons can write another book.
It boils down. Curry’s earnings are starting to speak for themselves, and he’s not even done yet. He plays as great as he ever has with no signs of slowing down. What if he gets his fifth title, tied with Magic and Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James, who he can now knock out of the playoffs for the fourth time?
There’s a long way to go for Curry to put another ring on his finger, but it’s certainly within reach. Right now, in these playoffs, anyone can win. If Curry does it, there will be awkward conversations about where a man who has never lived up to the traditional ideals of an all-time player is actually an all-time player. Because it could be pretty close to the top. At least close enough to have an honest conversation.