Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson Dueling Each Other Should Terrify NBA
In the midst of a Golden State Warriors season that has been dominant to the point of tedium, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have consistently found ways to keep things interesting.
The latest example: Curry erupted for a season-high 51 points in a 128-114 home win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, drilling 10 triples to help dig the Dubs out of a daunting 20-point first-quarter hole.
The performance put him and Splash Brother Thompson in some rare company, per ESPN Stats & Info:
Dallas darted ahead early, capitalizing on some shaky Warriors ball-handling and punishing Golden State's uncharacteristically inattentive interior defense. On the night, the Mavs pumped in 50 points in the paint, and it felt like almost all of them came in the first period.
The Warriors righted the ship in short order, though, trimming 13 points off of Dallas' lead in the second quarter to pull within four by halftime.
Curry's immolation started promptly after the break.
He put up 26 in the period, hitting 8-of-11 from the field and 6-of-7 from deep. And deep is the operative word there; Curry, upon sensing the hot hand was his to command, routinely fired away from three and four feet beyond the arc.
It was a masterful performance, one that drew undiluted praise from the guy who may have enjoyed watching it the least, per Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com:
Of course, the guy who should have enjoyed it most, Steve Kerr, could hardly believe what he was watching.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban reacted similarly, proving Curry's greatness transcends even the most avid allegiances.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Curry's performance was that it fell short of the one Thompson authored in a 126-101 win over the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 23. You may remember that game as the one in which Thompson discovered a higher plane of shooting accuracy, etherizing the Kings with 37 third-quarter points on perfect 13-for-13 shooting.
His total of 52 in that contest topped Curry's output against the Mavs, albeit narrowly.
It's often said that the best way to improve is to play against superior competition. While generally true, that piece of basketball wisdom isn't all that helpful to the Warriors. Barring an unlikely midseason return by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, the Dubs aren't going to find a team objectively better than they are.
Fortunately, the Warriors have their goals properly calibrated. They know how real their status as contenders—favorites, really—is. And they've cocooned themselves in an aura of perpetual dissatisfaction that is as artificial as it is effective.
For example, Steve Kerr's team rallied from a slow start to bury a quality, playoff-tested opponent. His reaction, per Ethan Strauss of ESPN.com:
The Warriors seem to understand that the only way to become great is by fooling themselves into thinking they're not any good.
There's no resting for this squad, even though the lack of worthy opponents (not a dig at Dallas or anyone else, mind you; merely a statement on how far above the rest of the league the Warriors' level of play has been) might excuse some coasting.
Back in January, Kerr explained a somewhat sluggish win over the Boston Celtics to reporters thusly: "We just didn’t have a lot of life and legs, it’s late January, just got to fight through it...82 games is a lot. The way we play with a lot of emotion and a lot of energy to do that 82 straight times with all that passion and fire is difficult.”
Curry, on the same topic, explained the Warriors often face two foes—the other team and the monotony of dominance. Per Brian Witt of Warriors.com, Curry mentioned the “challenge of not getting bored with winning.”
Individually, Curry and Thompson have one another as motivating foils. And whether or not Curry's exploits against the Mavericks were tied to winning a friendly competition with his teammate is beside the point. What matters is that both players don't have to look far for inspiration.
Each pushes the other with his play alone.
That will only become more important as the season rolls on and, barring injury, the Warriors continue to distance themselves from the pack. As it is, the gap between their net rating and the second-best Atlanta Hawks is greater than the one separating the Hawks and the 12th-ranked Phoenix Suns, per NBA.com.
Speaking of those Hawks, who finished January undefeated and strung together 19 straight wins before slipping up against the New Orleans Pelicans, they're next on the docket for the Dubs.
On Feb. 6 the top seeds in the East and West will tangle in Atlanta, and the Warriors won't have any issues getting amped for that meeting.
As for the rest of the season, as long as Curry and Thompson keep trading historic performances, Golden State's consistent dominance will never feel routine.
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