Steph Leaps Klay in Elite Company
Last Thursday, the Warriors played against long-time rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and after going into the fourth quarter down double digits, they emerged victorious, winning by 15. The crazy part about it was that 20 of the 36 third-quarter points the Warriors scored were directly from Steph Curry, although he was the main reason (as we saw in Toronto) the rest were scored as well.
With his 40-point performance in Cleveland, a city he’s historically dominated in the 4th quarter of the NBA Finals, Curry passed teammate Klay Thompson in a pretty exclusive club: The only two players in NBA history to record multiple 40-point games with only 1 or less free throw attempted. When you think about how many times guys like James Harden have scored 40 points, it seems crazy to realize that anywhere from a quarter to half of their points came from the charity stripe. It’s also impressive when you consider how guys like Kobe Bryant were putting up over 40 with a couple free throws in an era that wasn’t all about drawing fouls.
No knock to either of those guys, of course, but Curry and Thompson are probably two of the most unique scorers in the game’s history. This is, of course, partially because they’re more recent, so players who emulate their skills are just coming into the league or will be coming into the league soon.
It’s still pretty ballistic to see just how good these guys are at shooting the ball though. Generally, before the Warriors revolutionized the league, the best way to score was inside the three-point line. The hyper-efficiency era, perfected by the Dubs and so-close-but-not-quite-perfected by the Houston Rockets, ushered in a new era in which shooters weren’t just spot-up guys anymore. Steph Curry - widely regarded as one of the best scorers in NBA history - only recently passed Thompson’s career high. So it’ll be interesting to see how Klay works to get those bragging rights back in the locker room.
Of course, there has to be some credit to the two best off-ball players ever. Klay Thompson scored 60 points while only dribbling the ball 11 times. Steph Curry turned the space just beyond the three-point arc into the new mid-range. These guys play revolutionary basketball, so it’s not shock that they post up some pretty unique stats like this (oh, and the two highest counts for three-pointers made in a single game).
With Klay Thompson set to return right around Christmas, the Warriors will be that much closer to reaching their full potential. No matter how he comes back, it cannot be said enough how much Klay will help this squad. He feeds off of Steph’s energy, and it’s pretty clear he wants to get back out on the court and help this team win. He’s made some statements about how he was left off the NBA’s top-75 all time players list, even though he very clearly deserved it.
The NBA’s most dangerous backcourt - and duo in general - will be back soon. The Warriors are rolling without him. Adding a two-way firecracker of a shooter who’s also a lockdown stopper certainly will help them keep it up. And with Steph having games like these, the league should be very, very scared about what the next few months are about to look like.
(Photo credit: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)