Stephen Curry looks like an early MVP candidate, and Warriors quietly find a victory over Clippers

Say it to the Golden State Warriors: they do not stop. It was a defining franchise feature over the course of five consecutive finals and three championships, and even while the Warriors perform small miracles to just tread water in the Western Conference, the fabric of resilience remains.

On Friday, the Warriors overcame a 22-point deficit in the second half to stun the Clippers 115-105 somewhat. Look no further, but Golden State is 5-4, good enough for fifth in the packed West, after going through a rather brutal scheme to start the 2020-21 season, including six games against the full-strength Nets, Bucks. , Clippers and jackets.

Since MVP candidates are underway in the early season, Stephen Curry is at the top of the list, or close. Curry averaged 38 points on Friday, raising his season average to 30.5, the second-best point in the league. He hit 9 of 14 tries. He was the old Curry in the closing time and took several tricks out of his pocket to clinch the victory.

Curry added 11 assistants to his ledger, but nothing more impressive than this:

“Dope pass,” said Damion Lee, the recipient and finisher of this penny. “The highlight is probably pretty sick.”

Curry’s all night was pretty sick, but before we go any further, a toast to the Golden State bench, which cut into the Clippers’ lead and even gave the Warriors a small but meaningful cushion just in time for Curry to re-inlet for the second half of the fourth quarter and exclude business.

When Curry sat down to start the fourth quarter, the Warriors were six lower. When he re-entered the game with less than six minutes to play, they were three. If the Warriors can only tread water over the course of the season when Curry is on the bench, they will be tough. If the bank can give a boost, it could be a problem.

Aside from the bench, Andrew Wiggins was again a plus factor, putting 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 2 of 5 out of three. Wiggins has shot just under 41 percent from three so far, and his ability to create one-on-one offense – though mostly from the breathing-midrange-jumper variety – has been a buzz because Curry is relentlessly tracked down from the ball . If Kelly Oubre ever finds his game, which looks positive for Europe at this point, the Warriors could really have something brewing. Draymond Green was a sale.

In the end, it all comes down to Curry, who has to walk a fine line to hunt down his own shot and trust his inferior teammates. It is not easy to do the latter. I do not think there is a single superstar in the league who can be as patient as Curry with the shortcomings of his supporting cast, and still get involved, but Curry plays the long game in the knowledge that even he can not. do it all yourself.

But again, this is a fine line. Curry had it going early and not doubling his rhythm, and the next thing you knew was that the Clippers were rising 20. Yes, the Warriors have climbed out of the hole this time, but that’s not a sustainable recipe. Anyone who watches Golden State even halfway through knows the difference between Curry as just another cog in the system and with the urgency of a man who knows he’s the only chance for his team. The following quotes tell you that Curry is fully aware of the need to name these delicate dynamics:

‘They sent bodies to me everywhere, and you have to find the balance – I’ve talked about it all year – to take what the defense gives you, to make the right basketball game and to get everyone involved, but to still be aggressive. to be to record, ”Curry said. “It took a minute before it clicked. If I can create a shot and create momentum for basketball, there will probably be more attention on my way, and they know I will try at all times to to make the right game and guys go, guys get opportunities. ‘

‘It’s the fine balance of being reckless and too aggressive, where you get yourself in trouble – I think I got a complaint to tackle all five guys in the early third quarter – versus being smart with the ball, looking to my lap but also to read the situation and be a little more considerate about it, ‘Curry said in a separate reply. “It obviously falls on my responsibility to figure it out.”

Indeed, it’s a lot to ask Curry to play in the shootout, a borderline desperate mode for the whole game, let alone night after night, and in the end it’s probably not sustainable. But he can not get that far from that kind of approach. If he does, the Warriors are a dangerous team, so far this season with 5-0, when Curry scored at least 30 points.

They are 0-4 when he does not.

We tend to make basketball difficult in our micro-analysis of statistics that half the world does not even understand, the simple figures above tell the Warriors’ story. If Curry is the best player on the floor, that’s fine. Or at least competitive. If he is not, they could look like a lottery team.

If advanced stats are more your tea, Curry has a usage rate of 35 in the Warriors’ five wins and less than 28 in their four losses. Translation: Give him the ball as often as humanly possible. Once he has it, it is up to him to discuss the issue. On Friday, Curry flew to wait too long to establish his dominance, but he and the Warriors bench finally got through. Quietly, Golden State might be building something.