Curry passes Pippen on the all-time scoring list
Steph Curry put up 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists on route to beating the Blazers by fifteen points. That thirty-bomb moved him past Scottie Pippen’s 62nd place spot (18,940) by five points. Some fans pointed out that Curry’s favorite number versus the Blazers is 62, as that’s how many he had last time he played them and that is his rank on the all-time list as of last night. The 61st spot belongs to Dale Ellis who is about 70 points ahead of Steph.
If he keeps up his rapid scoring this season, then he is bound to pass Ellis and those who rank ahead of him in the next couple of games. But he might not need to score over thirty every game and Friday night proved it as the Dubs received help from all of their starters as they all scored in double figures. Plus, everyone who came off the bench got on the board, as they only played ten guys due to Iguodala still recovering from injury and Kuminga and Moody being recalled down to the G-League.
This is a great sign for the Warriors and probably the best-case scenario that they could've hoped for when they set their expectations for this season. To be 17-2 and have multiple guys willing and ready to score and defend on every play, looking like they are already in mid-season form. Much of this is due to Curry as he draws so much attention offensively and is willing to set his teammates up for success. That includes getting teammates open and screening for them. Kelenna Azubuike realized this on air during the Friday night matchup and said, “Curry is the best guard screener ever, some may argue Stockton, but I’m here to say no, it’s Curry.”
That was after he set a screen for a wide-open Draymond layup and another to free Wiggins up for a bucket. This brings up the question of how valuable Steph is for this offense, as he can score, pass, and screen at a high level that translates to success. Scottie Pippen knows how valuable he is, on The Jump a few years ago he said, “We’ll never see another player like Stephen Curry.” Pippen is most likely right, as he continues to break barriers and take shots that no one other than himself can top. Leading to another question, if Curry and the Dubs are doing all this now, what will it look like when they have Klay in the corner ready to shoot? And Wiseman back as a lob threat, as well as Iguodala when he returns to help defensively.
This was their goal before the season, to be a threat on both sides, as after the game Looney said in his post-game interview, “We wanted to be a top five defense and a top ten offense.” And they have certainly done that, as they sat at first place in both categories for most of the season. Thanks and part to Curry’s scoring ability as well as his willingness to get after players on the defensive side of the ball, something opponents have struggled with against him.
(photo credit: Getty images)