Daily MVP Film Breakdown: Steph Curry’s Complete Game
Calling Steph Curry one of the greatest shooters of all time is a tremendous insult to the man.
First, he is undeniably the best shooter who has ever lived. Second, confining Curry to the box of “shooter” ignores his complete game. Steph’s handle is up there with Kyrie’s, and his vision and passing is up there with LeBron’s. He hits 63 percent of restricted area attempts, defends at an elite level, and does things that no other human being has never done before.
Steph showed us his entire game Monday night in a 116-108 win over the Timberwolves, and it was gorgeous. He put up 38 points on 23 shots, hitting 7 out of 14 attempts from long range and going 7 for 7 from the free throw line. Anthony Davis edged him out by three points, but he needed 11 more shot attempts to do it and lost by 13.
Curry snagged seven rebounds, just like the big man did. He also added six assists, two steals and a block. Since Steph returned to the lineup on 12/1, he’s averaging 31.4 points, 5.2 assists, and 5.6 rebounds. He’s shooting over 50% from the floor and from three, and draining nearly six triples a game. When he’s healthy, he’s arguably the best player in the league.
Even though he finished the game with 38 points, he started the contest by getting the mere mortals involved early. All of these passes are fairly simple, but they’re all pretty in a uniquely Steph Curry way. I can’t think of another player in the NBA who regularly uses this off-hand jump hook, but Curry has mastered it.
Curry really makes the simple stuff look pretty. Just a little pick and pop with KD, but he contorts his body and makes a pretty pass with the left. pic.twitter.com/wVYtER3wa9
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) December 11, 2018
There’s just something about this lefty jump hook pass pic.twitter.com/8FE8oezrnK
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) December 11, 2018
Steph has a knack for setting up teammates in transition, whether they’re hanging out by the three-point arc, trailing the play, or streaking to the basket for a layup.
Nice little board and outlet from Steph to open the game. Most of the time this pass wouldn’t result in an assist, but Kevin Durant is an exception. pic.twitter.com/67OQ0qRPcp
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) December 11, 2018
No numbers, Steph is patient, makes a simple underhanded toss to the trailing Jerebko for 3. pic.twitter.com/BH4M2Oy8C6
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) December 11, 2018
Steph taps the loose ball to himself, immediately collects it and feeds the transition break. pic.twitter.com/BVo2qWByry
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) December 11, 2018
A beautiful no-look feed from Steph Curry pic.twitter.com/V9avKoCXIE
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) December 11, 2018
Curry knocks down an trey here, but it’s all set up by creative and unselfish play by… Steph Curry. He makes a circus pass across the floor on the drive, then keeps running to the open corner. It seems like he makes a play like this at least once a game, and defenders still forget to run with him.
This pass from Steph Curry is funky and fun pic.twitter.com/7baL7EQu4C
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) December 11, 2018
More on his shooting in a second, but first let’s check out how he gets all the way to the rim. By keeping the defense off balance with his limitless range and quick trigger, he doesn’t even have to really pump fake to get defenders out of position and create a lane to the hoop.
Fakes a 3, breaks the double, beats the help and finishes with a hop step. pic.twitter.com/bPg5F9eZEw
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) December 11, 2018
Steph’s shooting ability here forces KAT to double aggressively, and Curry takes it all the way in. pic.twitter.com/EGcGT9OhPe
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) December 11, 2018
A lot of times Curry doesn’t even need that three-point threat to create layups, he’s just plain good down low. He’s creative and quick, and he’ll attack just about anybody.
Not many players Steph’s size can gather this pass and finish this way in traffic. pic.twitter.com/xhVKVEUmDJ
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) December 11, 2018
Steph runs fast breaks where he doesn’t pull up from 25 feet pic.twitter.com/kXji9RKhBB
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) December 11, 2018
Ok, now let’s talk about that shooting. Steph is a ridiculous combination of smooth, quick, and accurate. Watch this one a few times to appreciate how there’s no wasted motion at all. It’s in and out of his hands before Andrew Wiggins can say, “Oh no.”
Steph caught this ball mid hop, locked in on the basket, and launched it in one fluid motion pic.twitter.com/63JjN4AUsm
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) December 11, 2018
Steph got his normal shots: running to the corner as a teammate snagged an offensive rebound, barely getting space off a screen and drilling a 27 footer anyway, that sort of thing. He even got lucky and turned one of his only bad passes into an open corner three for himself.
Even when Steph makes a bad pass, it turns into a great play for him. pic.twitter.com/nN5oS54D0s
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) December 11, 2018
Once the game got to the fourth quarter, and Steph had already made sure his human companions were well fed, he got into one of those “I’m just gonna rip shots and nobody on this planet can stop me” moods.
Heat check time ⏰⏰⏰ pic.twitter.com/DGIr7mYWfR
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) December 11, 2018
Even on a play where he set up KD for a wide open three, it was Curry who wound up following the play and sinking a shot that would be difficult for anyone except him.
Gives KD a perfect 3, fights for the miss, gathers and launches a bomb pic.twitter.com/lXiTDIl7sO
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) December 11, 2018
Kevin Durant is a fantastic player, but the Warriors are not the Warriors without Steph Curry. Please don’t him to a shooter when in reality he’s one of the best to ever play the game, and currently battling LeBron for the title of Best in the World Right Now. It’s really that close, and it depends on the night.
LeBron had 28 points, 12 assists and 9 boards, plus he locked up his banana boat buddy D Wade on the last play of the game to secure the win. This could have easily been about him, but not even the King is capable of doing so many of the things Steph Curry does on a nightly basis.