When you look back at Stephen Curry's first 12 50+ points games, you can see that these games either caught up with Curry's excellent three-point shooting or caught up with the blowing free throw and won a lot of fouls.
In those 12 games, Curry shot at least 10 three-pointers in a single game in seven games, and the lowest three-point shooting percentage also reached 47.4%.
In those 12 games, Curry has made at least 10 free throws in 6 games and at least 7 free throws in 9 games.
However, in the early morning of May 1, Beijing time, the Warriors defeated the Kings 120-100 on the road, won the tie-break seven to advance to the next round, and Curry, who scored 50 points to set a scoring record for the seven-game game, did not meet the above two conditions:
Curry made seven three-pointers, but made 18 shots and shot less than 40 percent from three-point range. Curry made only 5 free throws and missed 2.
So how did Curry score 50 points? The answer is crazy breakouts.
The all-time three-point king turned into a small steel cannon, and he dominated the game in a way that was relatively different from himself.
We've seen Curry break through games, but so crazy? It's really rare.
In the game, Curry made a career record of 38 shots, and 13 of his 20 goals were scored by his own ability, without being assisted by his teammates, and his low assist rate was rare in his career. Eleven of those 20 goals came from inside the box, with Curry shooting 11 of 14 and a whopping 78.6 percent of the sights.
Can you imagine that this is a 35-year-old defender who is no more than 1.88 meters tall in the playoffs?
Curry was frustrated after the Warriors' crushing defeat in Game 6 of the series, when he shot 9 of 21, including 4 of 9 from the three-point line. It seems that the young king has exhausted Curry to the point of being abrupt and afraid of the weak. But after only one day off, still on the road, Curry squeezed his energy and played a personal career masterpiece.
This is a game that no longer needs to analyze techniques and tactics, both sides already know the bottom line, after 6 games, each of them is already a clear card, there is no secret to speak of. After losing the first two games, the Warriors won Game 3 without Green, and then used Green's strategy of playing as a substitute to win 2 games in a row. In Game 6, the King pulled out a small lineup, and the Warriors were blown out without any response. But grabbing seven, the Warriors responded. Than a small ball? Is there a team better than the Warriors?
The way the Warriors responded was to simplify and no longer play complex passes, but to give the ball to Curry, let Curry play, use blocking, single attack.
In most people's perception, when Curry turns on the ball-holding attack mode, the most way he takes is to hold the ball and shoot strongly.
For example, in last season's Finals, Curry shot 23 of 55 from three-point range in 6 games, shooting 41.8%, and he exploded the Celtics with strong three-point shots with the ball, changing perception.
For example, the Warriors defeated the Bucks at home in March this year, and Curry, who shot more than 45% from three-point range this season, opened the Finals limited edition mode and constantly used blocks to beat Big Lopez.
In these games, Curry often takes blocks to make small shots and uses misplacement to shoot three-pointers. But today is different, Curry is not chasing Sabonis Jr. to pick soft persimmons, he entered the mode of indiscriminate roll call. Whether Monk, Keegan Murray or DeAaron Fox standing in front of Curry, he can use the breakaway to score points under the basket. Even when the King tripped Curry by "closing the door," he could throw the ball into the basket without losing his balance.
Curry ate on the Kings' weaknesses, the Kings themselves are not a team good at guarding the interior, and from Game 6 onwards they removed Lane's main small lineup in rotation time, and the Kings' interior height slipped during Sabonis Jr.'s break. With Curry's experience, he will certainly chase his opponent's soft underbelly onslaught.
Throughout the series, Curry shot 34 of 90 from three-point range, shooting 37.8 percent, which is not his normal level, but Curry has no dead spots within the three-point line. Curry shot 18 of 26 from the three-second area and 36-of-52 in the entire box. When the Kings blocked Curry in mid-range, he shot 14 of 30 from the field for a 46.7 percent percentage.
"I haven't seen what kind of defensive strategy Curry has, no matter what defensive strategy the opponent uses, Curry can deal with it." Curry's trainer Payne once said.
However, you think Curry's breakout broke out just because of the King's poor interior defense? Not. This is Curry's crazy improvement dribbling, breakthrough skills, muscle building and improvement confrontation.
Last season, Curry's muscle-building success led to a decline in interior finishing efficiency, but his muscle-building effect was reflected on the defensive end. This season, Curry has recovered his finishing touch after adapting to gain muscle, and his 3-foot crosshair has reached a new career high of 76 percent, up from a previous record of 69.6 percent. In addition, Curry's shooting percentage of 55.1% from the field is also a career high.
In the playoffs and Kings series, Curry has two numbers of 100% and 58.1%, respectively.
Many people don't understand how valuable Curry can be, especially at the age of 35. For example, Curry's opponent today Fox gained muscle in 2021, and as a result, his breakthrough efficiency plummeted in the subsequent 2021-22 season, and he was unable to manage the increased muscle and weight, and had to retrain to lose weight, which restored speed and flexibility. But Curry survived the struggle period after gaining muscle and adapted to the forced change of feel and rhythm.
In front of the immature King, Curry's experience and confidence are extraordinary. Even if the Warriors are saddled with the negative label of "away bug" throughout the season, even if the Warriors are already on the edge of the cliff, Curry can still pull the Warriors back from the edge of death.
'You have to have confidence, I know who I am, I know how to fight, and that makes me feel safe. Curry said.
For Curry's self-confidence, his old rival Lillard has a very apt description: "It's an extreme confidence, with the way he plays, with his shots, and his risky passes at key moments, unless there is extreme confidence, who dares to play like that." He just plays freely, whether it's the beginning or the end of the game, whether it's the regular season, the playoffs, the Finals, he always plays in a free way, he can throw 10 in a row and then hit 10 in a row, I think that's the best way to describe his self-confidence, he just has a kind of extreme self-confidence. ”
This self-confidence, as well as the determination to continue to get stronger, supported Curry from a small school like Davidson College step by step to this position, from an ordinary no-ball shooter to a historical three-point king with strong shooting ability, and entered the discussion of the best point guard in history.