Steph Curry Supernova
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I agree that Steph has to put in more work like this over time to jump up to and beyond these guys, but why is Durant in that list? I think Curry is already greater than Durant. Durant has been hampered by injuries and is actually about to enter his real prime. And even when Durant was at the top of his game prior to injuries, I don't think he was at Curry's current level. Besides, Durant has yet to get a ring.
I actually feel a little bad for Durant. We all thought he was going to have next after LeBron. Then when he got injured we all thought it would be Anthony Davis, but Durant might come back before AD ascends to Lebron levels. In that case, Durant may have had a couple years at being #1 on the planet. Now? He may not be #1 on his team, and if Curry keeps this up I don't think he'll get a chance to be #1 on the planet at any point now...
Sho_Nuff82
Member
Curry gonna drop 50 in 35 minutes against my Nets today. 
Michael was another level for a long time. Nobody had the combination of killer instinct and skill like he did. And hasn't since.
In saying that, Curry is doing things at the moment that even MJ didn't do. I feel like he is creating a new style of player, much like MJ did. This is special.
OKC deserves this.
dragonyeuw
Member
I think we need to wait at least a season before declaring him an outright better scorer than Durant. Lets not forget that as recently as 2 years ago, he was putting up 32ppg on 50/39/87 with another primetime ball dominant scorer in Westbrook. Even now Durant is putting up 28ppg on 51/46/90 with Westbrook putting up 27ppg. Currys doing some eyepopping stuff but he needs to do this at least for a season before we completely forget about what Durant was doing just 2 years ago. I also feel that while not as efficient, Kobe was arguably even more explosive in his prime, he wasnt the shooter and prone to dumb shots, but easily had an overall superior offensive skillset. Unquestionably Curry's the greatest marksman the game has ever seen, and the ability to shot 3's with the volume and accuracy he does means he can certainly score a ton of points in a hurry.
Defensively I agree hes not a scrub, but the gap between his defense and the others(save for Durant who is solid but not great) is wider than any offensive advantages he may have.
See above regarding Durant. Again, Curry is unreal, lets give him a season first at this level. I think we have a tendency in sports to play 'what have you done for me lately', and forgotton how special Durant was in 2014. To be clear, obviously Curry as of now is better than Durant of now, but Im hesitant to say he's clearly better than 2014 KD until he does this for the year. Overall better shooter? Yes, and thats saying something because Durant is an alltime great shooter himself. But better *player*? I'll reserve judgement for now.
timetokill
Banned
Curry is on another level.
He's doing shit that MJ could only dream of doing.
He's doing shit that MJ could only dream of doing.
dragonyeuw
Member
The reverse would be true as well. Theyre different talents, end of the day its about the results. He's got a long way to go before we start having *that* discussion.
Kobe was more explosive, but that could be said for lots and lots of guys in the league compared to Curry. Fact remains that he's putting up similar numbers in a much more efficient manner. Like it's not even really close.
Obviously to compare his career as a whole to those guys Curry has a long way to go. But as a scorer, in Dember 2015, Curry is doing things none of those guys did.
dragonyeuw
Member
I dont know about lots of guys, I dont see anyone right now or in recent memory potentially as explosive other than maybe Durant. All Im saying is give it longer before making that judgement that hes exceeded those guys definitively. Kobe wasnt the most efficient, I already acknowledged that, but he has several months of averaging 40 points on high TS% numbers. If Curry can keep this up for the year, and going forward, all bets are off. But for all we know, this could just be an incredible hot streak and he somewhat comes down to earth as the season progresses. It will be fun to watch in any event.
I don't see him slowing down any time soon. I think he's always had the ability, but was held back early in his career by injuries and a dysfunctional organization. I don't even think Mark Jackson or Kerr last year realized what they had on their hands. 3 point shooting being this efficient is simply uncharted territory for the NBA.
dragonyeuw
Member
He may not slow down. Again, lets watch the season unfold before proclaming him the greatest human to walk the earth, thats all Im saying.
Not sure who said that. Talkin' bout basketball here.
dragonyeuw
Member
Noone, it was hyperbolic. But we have people here proclaming hes the best player since Jordan, as if Shaq, Lebron and Duncan never existed.
CassidyIzABeast
Member
He's eating again.
Union Carbine
Member
not getting shit on isn't the same as elite defense. I don't think I've seen anyone suggest he's a great defender.
When did I say he was elite?
Though "not shit" is underrating him. He's been good since the start of last season.
Union Carbine
Member
You didn't, per se, but the conversation was comparing him to players who were two way elite players.
Right now, he's off the charts on offense. I'm curious if any of the defensive gurus out there have any plans up their sleeves to slow him down.
I'm merely comparing him as a scorer and his offensive impact. Every number and metric out there dating back to last season puts him in historic company.
Defense is harder to quantify and he'll never have the impact that a legendary big man like Duncan did. And he doesn't have the physical tools that a guy like Lebron did in his prime.
Also to be clear, guys like Duncan and Lebron are top 10 all time overall. I don't mean to suggest that Curry's anywhere near that (yet).
LyleLanley
Banned
Only 28 against the Nets. Curry's a bum.
theignoramus
Member
Kobe has been overrated as a defender for like, the last 8 or 10 years. And short of a couple seasons, hes always been a high volume chucker shooting a so-so 45% from the field. As many stretches of amazing performances hes had, hes had a hell of a lot of ugly ass games.
white dynamite
Member
Shot 1 of 4 on free throws too. Might as well ask for tips from DeAndre Jordan.
ryutaro's mama
Member
I just like that the Warriors winning forces ESPN to talk about them and not continue to ball wash LeBron.
Where's the Warriors Index?
Where's the Warriors Index?
The Curry Heat Index is running at 10,000,000+ Scovilles
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
They're focusing on the Knicks and Porzingis instead and how he has the Knicks Factor!
Michael F. Assbender
Banned
Not a huge basketball fan. But supposing Curry keeps up for the bulk of his career what he's been doing this year and last, would that put him above James? Jordan?
I think he has a LONG way to go to pass up Jordan to the NBA fanbase.
Jordan won 6 rings, 6 finals MVP's and 5 MVP's.
Jordan was also a better two way player. He didn't just score, he defended with the best of them. Curry has came a long way in that area but his size will always limit his ability on the defensive end of the floor.
These 22 games have been the GOAT. This peak has never been reached by anyone, imo. If you're doing a longevity argument, then of course he'd have to do this for 4-5 years. Which is hard to even comprehend.
Battersea Power Station
Member
Roger Federer had the greatest 4 year stretch in tennis ever, and he's still a controversial choice for the GOAT, with many, many people disagreeing that he's the best. I don't know how you can judge a player by 22 games.
I mean... Wilt averaged 50 points for an entire season. Had 7 consecutive 50 point games, then 6, then 5 twice.
Steph's dominance is Wilt-esque, though. He looks like he's playing with children out there. I never thought anyone would dominate the game like Wilt again. If Steph keeps this up, he is going to shatter a ton of records, like Wilt did.
Vestal
Junior Member
Jordans 87-88 Season.
He averaged 37.1 points per game on 48.2% FG. He shot shit for 3pters but he was unstoppable on offense.
Curry's efg% is way higher, as is his PER. Curry could average 40 if he wanted to.
For reference, compare their PERs
http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/per_yearly.html
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Jordan played a lot more minutes though that season. In this current stretch in terms of sheer points per minute, only Wilt's 50 ppg season compares.
The 50 PPG is kind of meaningless to me, because compare their PERs. It was such a different game too.
Vestal
Junior Member
Well I guess we will have to compare them once this season is done. Its the closest I could find without pulling out Wilts 50 pnt season hehee.
Don't know anything about 80s NBA, but the 90's hand-check stuff is way overstated. Go back and watch some older games, defenses would get CHEWED UP by todays offenses. The defensive schemes were terrible, as was the quality of the defenses.
The most basic GSW pick and roll would destroy in the 90s.
I think those teams would get smoked.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Here's a recent article discussing Curry's current scoring compared to the past:
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/12/4/9841438/stephen-curry-scoring-charts-michael-jordan
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/12/4/9841438/stephen-curry-scoring-charts-michael-jordan
I say that keeping this up for a season, much less 3-5 years, is impossible. There's just no way.
If he does, he's right below Jordan. If he throws 3-5 rings on top of it, he becomes a part of the convo for Top 3 of All Time.
But that's very far reaching. Regardless of longevity, it's a fact that Curry is changing the game right now. Or, it could just be a huge anomaly. I don't know if a bunch of people with his skill will come up. But it's so great to watch and I will enjoy this game to game while it's happening. It's unfair to start comparing him to Jordan, whose record is unblemished in the finals. Curry has to win many chips and not lose any. And he has to sustain a seemingly impossible efficiency.
I do wonder what Jordan thinks of Curry. We've heard a lot from retired players and even current peers about him. But not from the GOAT. We know that Jordan is (rightfully) cocky about comments on players (Kobe is great cause he copied my moves, I could beat Lebron at my current age 1on1, etc.).
If he does, he's right below Jordan. If he throws 3-5 rings on top of it, he becomes a part of the convo for Top 3 of All Time.
But that's very far reaching. Regardless of longevity, it's a fact that Curry is changing the game right now. Or, it could just be a huge anomaly. I don't know if a bunch of people with his skill will come up. But it's so great to watch and I will enjoy this game to game while it's happening. It's unfair to start comparing him to Jordan, whose record is unblemished in the finals. Curry has to win many chips and not lose any. And he has to sustain a seemingly impossible efficiency.
I do wonder what Jordan thinks of Curry. We've heard a lot from retired players and even current peers about him. But not from the GOAT. We know that Jordan is (rightfully) cocky about comments on players (Kobe is great cause he copied my moves, I could beat Lebron at my current age 1on1, etc.).
Curry is breaking basketball; he's found a way to exploit the 3 pointer in a way that we've never seen, and its amazing to watch.
They already play Steph Curry physically. That's the craziest thing about Steph Curry's shot, it's rarely a spot up shot, dude is always fading sideways or falling down or fading front or leaning forward etc. I rarely see him take a spot up shot.
If the season ended today,Currys ts% would be 2nd highest for a season in league history, trailing Tyson chandler's 2010-2011 season by 0.15%.
He is a long range sniper that is scoring more efficiently than the most efficient individual seasons by bigs standing next to the basket.
He is a long range sniper that is scoring more efficiently than the most efficient individual seasons by bigs standing next to the basket.
The athleticism is also off the charts these days. Guys like Barnes, Ezeli, Draymond and Iguodala have incredible combinations of size, speed and strength that I don't think most older teams could match.
I still put the Bulls on top, just because Jordan is Jordan and Pippen was also a freak of nature athletically, but I think the Warriors would do just fine against some of these older "physical" teams.
Lebron James? Maybe, like an outside chance. Jordan? Nah. I love Curry as a Warriors fan, but Jordan was so good on both ends for so many seasons. Though if you're talking just pure scoring and offensive impact, Curry will absolutely be in the discussion as one of the 3 or 4 greatest scorers ever. Just have to see how long he can keep this up.
Luckily Curry's game should age okay into his 30's since he's not relying on strength or quickness to attack the the rim.
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