Steph Curry is no stranger to high pressured moments as he has been in many over the years. Just imagine going to five straight NBA finals and the stress that would bring. Friday night proved to be no different as the Dubs found themselves down late in the fourth quarter. But after a comeback sparked by great shot making and even better defense, they found themselves tied at 103 with 5.1 seconds to go and the chance at the final shot. Otto Porter Jr would inbound the ball and find Steph at the top of the key. Curry would drive left and pull up for a step-back mid-range jumper and hit nothing but net as the clock expired.

This shot inspired me to look back at some of Curry’s best game-winners. While his most recent one against Housten was his first game-winner at the buzzer, he has had many daggers that have gone in with little time left on the clock.

#1 Steph stuns OKC

The most memorable game-winner and call from Mike Breen, “They do have a timeout, decide not to use it, Curry from way downtown, BANG- BANG oh what a shot from Curry!” The matchup against the Thunder on February 27th, 2016, came down to the wire and Steph nailed a deep three-pointer over Andre Roberson with 0.6 on the clock. He ended the game with 46 points and the W, and the shot became one unanimously tied to one of the best shots of his career.

#2 Curry electrifies Oracle and sends the Mavs home

One of the earlier daggers in Curry’s career came on December 12th, 2013, at home versus the Mavs. Isolated at the top of the key, Curry would drive to his right, stop, pump fake Shawn Marion and hit the open midrange jumper for the lead with 1.5 seconds left.

#3 Steph drills a dagger on the Celtics

This one may have been personal for Steph as he had the Avery Bradley-led Celtics at home with a chance to beat them. He has always said that Bradley has been someone who can guard him extremely well. So, on this January matchup in 2014, Steph would prove his offensive dominance. With 11 seconds left he would have Bradley at the top of the key but received a screen from David Lee. This would switch Bradley off him, and he would dance with the Celtics big man until crossing over into a pull-up midrange for game.

#4 Curry beats the Mavs at home in OT

The two-time MVP would hit another game-winner in 2014, this time in Dallas. Stuck in a heated battle against the Mavs in overtime, Curry would dribble around the left side of the court and step back into a contested three-pointer which he would drain with 0.1 seconds left.

#5 Steph pulls up for 3 and beats the Magic

At home against the Magic, again in 2014, the Warriors would get a stop and possession with a timeout. They decided not to use it and let Curry work his “magic.” He would dribble up the right side of the court into a hesi and then pulled a pure three-pointer. Oracle erupted with cheers and the Magic couldn’t win even with 2.2 seconds left.

#6 Curry demoralizes Dallas for the third time

Steph seemed to like hitting game-winners on the Mavs. In 2018 with the somewhat new addition of KD, the question was who would take the last shot down the stretch. Curry has always said that it is whoever had the hot hand and he did, as he finished with 32 points that game. After a pick and roll with Draymond, he would find himself open at the top of the key and drain a three-pointer with 3 seconds left to seal the game.

#7 Steph goes down the lane and scores to beat the Clippers

The Warriors point guard would rack up another game-winner in 2018, this time on the Clippers. Locked at 127, with 6 seconds left, Curry would get a pick from Draymond, switching Montrezl Harrell onto him. He would take this to his advantage and blow past him to lay the ball up with 0.5 seconds left on the clock.

The game-winner on Friday night seemed to be a stress reliever for Steph and the Warriors. After dropping a few winnable games and losing 4 of their last 6 games they needed a boost to stay hungry and ready with Draymond still having to miss a few weeks. But one thing is clear, Curry is clutch when it matters, not just from 2013-2018 but every time he steps on the court in the fourth quarter.

(photo via Getty)