There are limits to what the human body can achieve. At least, that’s been the working theory for a few centuries. But then you watch Steph Curry light up the New Orleans Pelicans for 53 points on just 27 shots and you wonder if maybe we’ve been wrong all these years.
In the first game of the season, Curry scored 24 points in the first quarter against the Pelicans. On Saturday, in the second meeting between the two teams, Curry scored 28 points in the third quarter by himself; the Pelicans only scored 26 total. In the end, it was another dominant win for the Warriors, who beat the Pelicans 134-120, and another otherworldly performance from Curry, who is quite simply, right now, the best player in the league.
This was essentially a mix of Curry’s best hits: casually lofting a 30-foot three-pointer over the outstretched arms of the defender (in this case, Anthony Davis), making his defender look silly with a series of moves as he casually glides to the rim, sinking a three-pointer while being shoved to the floor, and a step-back that absolutely freezes his man.
Oh, and as if those insane buckets weren’t enough, Curry also added nine assists and four steals. One of those assists is already the early favorite for assist of the year.
Curry’s numbers through three games are absolutely mind-boggling. Pick whichever number you want, advanced or remedial, and it will reveal a player without rival in the infancy of the 2015-16 season. Points per game: 39.3. PER: a cool 52.3. True Shooting percentage: 76.0. Obviously his numbers are going to dip as the season progresses, but to what degree?
Given how everything is coming to him this year (and last year, really), we’re now at a point where it wouldn’t be wholly surprising if Curry simply kept this up for the entire year.
