Why We'll Remember 2014-15 as the Season of Stephen Curry

MVP award or not, we will forever remember the 2014-15 NBA campaign as the season of Stephen Curry.

This has never been more clear than it is now following the Golden State Warriors' 107-106 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night—a game in which Curry often struggled, yet still one in which he tallied an MVP-like 28 points, eight rebounds and five assists while shooting 6-of-11 from deep.

Although his crusade is still running its course, we already know so much about the ending. It's the season that he will lead the Warriors to an Association-best record.

It's the season he cleared 23.5 points, 7.5 assists, four rebounds and two steals per game—something that, prior to 2014-15, only Michael Jordan and Dwyane Wade had ever done.

It's the season he ranked in the top three of win shares and player efficiency rating.

It's the season he seized Chris Paul's point guard crown and made it his own.

It's the season he used otherworldly abilities to create a feature film's worth of highlight reels.

It's the season he became an MVP favorite.

Irrespective of whether he earns basketball's highest individual honor, Curry is leaving his indelible mark everywhere, playing with a statistical and aesthetic flair for the ages—a peerless pizzazz we'll look back on and rave about someday.

Today, actually.

Condensing his season into a list of fast-moving moments, however spectacular, is difficult. But in light of everything he's doing, we're going to try. Highlights will appear in order of increasing "No freaking way" factor and seek to commemorate a season and player unlike any other.

Warn the neighbors. Deafening greatness awaits.

Honorable Mention: Always Dance in Reverse First, Kids

Never mind the three-pointer here. Curry may be off balance, but this particular look is a free throw to him. It's the premature, yet totally appropriate celebration that's unique.

After the ball leaves his hands, Curry stutter steps—or poorly moonwalks—in reverse before propelling himself forward using some sort of a wind-up-toy technique.

We're going to give him nine out of 10 points on the style scale. He loses one point for not incorporating The Worm into this dance routine.

Final Honorable Mention: This Is How You Boogie

Watching Curry do some salsa-ing following a Leandro Barbosa and-one straight out of 2007 is everything.

This kid can shoot. And pass. And score.

And dance.

If I'm not mistaken, that means he satisfies the four most pivotal pieces of MVP criteria.

15. Game-Winners Are Fun

This is dribble hesitation at its finest, folks.

Trailing the Orlando Magic by two inside 10 seconds to play, Curry nearly sends Tobias Harris into the courtside seats using a series of head fakes and body misdirections without losing his left-handed dribble.

Once he creates the intended space, he lets the ball fly from downtown. Naturally, it goes in. And naturally, he wins the game in the process. After all, overtimes are overrated.

14. Do the Magic Johnson

Yes, this around-the-back, right-handed assist comes against the Los Angeles Lakers defense. And yes, exploiting this defense is the equivalent of playing tennis with the net down.

But this play invokes memories of Magic Johnson's mystic one-handed dimes. For that, it gets two high-fives, six fist pounds and 53 bro hugs.

Plus, rumor has it Kobe Bryant is still scratching his head.

13. Alley "Oh My God, This Is an Actual" Oop

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's skyhook has met its match.

Bear in mind that, while agile, Andrew Bogut isn't known for his explosion. He's not going to catch an alley-oop pass that's miles above his head. He is neither Andre Iguodala nor wearing moon boots.

Luckily, he plays with Curry, who creates alley-oop environments in which the 7-footer barely has to jump. And he does this with one hand, because using two would imply that he's human.

Which, clearly, he's not.

12. Decisions, Decisions

For all he does well, Curry can be a tad indecisive.

Should he confuse reigning Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah by going behind his back or by throwing a no-look, over-the-shoulder pass to a trailing David Lee?

Decisions, decisions.

He eventually rolls with a perfectly placed over-the-shoulder bullet, but not before feigning some behind-the-back action—if only to remind Noah that, sometimes, life isn't fair.

11. It's a Stephen Curry Thing

One off-balance, left-handed pass in traffic coming right up.

Just so we're all clear, this is really hard. Curry has absolutely no time to gather himself before flinging a pass Marreese Speights' way, and yet he still finds the bull's-eye. Curry is so precise while both looking and traveling in the complete opposite direction that Speights doesn't even have to move. The ball finds him.

His only job is knocking down the jumper so Curry can meet his February Vine quota.

10. Finger Roll to the Heavens

Ramon Sessions cannot defend Curry.

To be fair, no one of our solar system can. This is why.

Finger rolls aren't supposed to soar this high. Nor should they be released prior to entering the restricted area. But Curry isn't one for convention. He sends this bad boy to the bottom of the net via cloud nine's next-second shipping service.

Short of the 6'6" Garrett Temple sitting on top of the 6'10" Kevin Seraphin's shoulders, there is no way to contest this shot. One can only do what Rasual Butler does: Stop, stare and quietly question everything about life as we know it.

9. Dribble Like No One Is Defending You

Quick review: Sessions is of this solar system, so he cannot guard Curry.

By my count, Curry changes hands four times, dribbles the ball seven times, confuses Sessions 17 times and forces the nearest referee to play a game of "Squatting Statue" at least once.

No matter, though. Drumming up his "Did this actually just happen?" totals is all in a possession's work.

"Curry, in layman's terms, is just disgusting with his handles," wrote SB Nation's Zito Madu. "They're so smooth that it's hard to differentiate when he's getting himself out of trouble and when he's just trying to embarrass the defender."

As for what Curry is trying to do here, let's not speculate. Let's just appreciate how beautifully disgusting his paddle-board handles remain.

(P.S. He's totally trying to get Sessions out of his shoes here.)

8. Work the Backboard

Straightaway scoop shots aren't ones for kissing off the backboard. 

On the other hand, straightaway scoop shots don't typically come from the free-throw line or scrape Oracle Arena's ceiling before reaching the hoop.

There are many different ways to describe this utterly ridiculous make. All you really need to know, though, is that when Rudy Gobert doesn't bother trying to block your shot, you're doing something right. And Curry, as it turns out, is doing something right.

7. The Ol' "I Have Eyes in Places You Don't Want to Know About" Trick

Remember when we didn't know about Curry having eyes in the back of his head? It was pre-Jan. 17, 2015.

Times were simpler then.

But then one fateful Saturday, with the Warriors already up big on the Houston Rockets, Curry intercepted a pass in the backcourt and found a tiptoeing Harrison Barnes, whom he most definitely could not see.

Now is when we would normally mythologize Curry's clairvoyant court vision, but this play demonstrates another equally important point: Curry is playing great defense. Not serviceable, not good, not really good. Great.

CBS Sports' Matt Moore sums up his performance on the less-glamorous end nicely:

"Curry really is a great defender this year, though. Not just a good one, or a non-minus. He’s terrific. Snipes passes insanely well."

Call Curry a product of the Warriors' stingy supporting cast if you must, but he's swiping steals on 3.1 percent of all defensive sets, the fourth-best mark in the league. He's either bathing in Tony Allen's sweat or evolving into a tried-and-true defender.

Or, you know, both.

6. Stephen Curry: Point Guard, Superstar, Seer

Here we have confirmation that Curry owns a crystal ball.

He calls it his "peephole into the future."

There's shooting in rhythm, there's catching fire, and then there's this humdinger. Curry doesn't wait around like a normal person to see if he buries his third straight three-pointer. He turns his back on the dagger instead, because why waste precious celebrating time? Those are Vine-worthy moments he'll never get back.

Good thing, then, that he majored in divination at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

5. Scoopy Dooby Doo

Bet you didn't know the painted squares on NBA hoops are just for show.

In what will be remembered as the only soundly defended possession during the 2015 NBA All-Star Game, Curry did his best "I'm better than everyone" impression, slicing through a trio of defenders en route to converting the craziest scoop shot in the history of everything.

First, he goes around Marc Gasol's unenthusiastic, exhibition-game-approved screen. Next, he dribbles into a triple-team. Then, he dribbles out of the triple-team by going behind the back.

Finally, he finds himself alone with Al Horford, who decides to contest something. Curry responds by carrying the ball away from his body—low enough so that he can scratch his itchy shin—and kisses a scoop shot off the top-most part of the glass.

All the while, Carmelo Anthony is looking on in awe, wondering if there's a loophole in Curry's contract that allows him to become a free agent before 2017.

4. Curry vs. The World

In a game of Curry vs. The World, Curry always wins.

Golden State's overlord has more win shares on his own (14.4) than the New York Knicks have victories (14) on the season. During a March 8 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, he showed us why.

Not one Clippers player is able to stop him. Matt Barnes, Spencer Hawes, DeAndre Jordan and Paul all try, but to no avail. Curry weaves in and out of a rush-hour traffic jam, eventually firing off a contested turnaround three-pointer that never touches the rim.

"What was my reaction?" Warriors coach Steve Kerr quipped to reporters afterward. "'Great shot, Steph. Good job. Just like we worked on earlier in practice.'"

You laugh—as did Kerr—but it's entirely possible, if not likely, Curry practices shots like this one when he plays pickup with the cast of Space Jam in Looney Tune Land.

3. This Ain't Twister, Chris

Stephen Curry has voodoo handles.

One crossover? Whatever. But two? In less than an attosecond? Good lord.

Paul, who has been victimized by Curry more than once this season, is almost brought to his hindquarters, striking a provocative pose in the name of Milton Bradley, as NBA Memes posted here. 

By the way, Curry drills the shot, because of course he drills the shot. His shooting percentage on sanity-shattering field-goal attempts is roughly 1,000,000 percent.

2. Magic Hands

Typically, it's Russell Westbrook who does the deceiving.

Then again, Westbrook typically isn't facing a slick occultist with a spellbinding sleight of hand.

Watch this play at eye level, and there's a strong chance you don't even see Curry throw the ball between his legs and bring it around his back. Westbrook himself barely notices, and once he does, it's too late. Curry is in his rearview, waltzing toward the rim, leaving a trail of bemused Oklahoma City Thunder players in his wake.

1. He Did What?!?!?

Here's the official, uber-technical breakdown of the dime Curry tossed Barnes in Golden State's March 6 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

I don't know.

Seriously, I don't. No one does. Curry charges into traffic, dribbles the ball behind his back, smacks it from hand to hand and slings a bullet into the waiting hands of Barnes in one fluid, eyes-deceiving motion. 

Oh, and because he's Curry, he doesn't really wait to see what happens. He turns around and starts celebrating before Barnes even finds nylon, proving yet again that it's better to be psychic and amazing rather than just amazing.

*Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.

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