NEWSLETTER
Rarely is it a good idea to make comparisons to the GOAT, but I’ll let this one slide.
Former Bull and current Warriors head coach Steve Kerr couldn’t help but name-drop Michael Jordan after watching Stephen Curry on Sunday afternoon. The Golden State superstar put together one of the best Game 7 performances in NBA history. Not only did his 50 points break an NBA record for the most scored in a Game 7, but he shot a ridiculous 20-38 from the field to beat the Kings by 20 points.
With the legendary performance in the books, Kerr couldn’t help but compare watching Curry cook to playing alongside Michael Jordan.
“He doesn’t surprise me. We all take him for granted because he’s brilliant night after night. And we’ve been watching this for ten years,” Kerr said after the game. “You just have to remind yourself every once in a while, big picture, this is one of the best players in the history of the game. But that’s how I felt back in my playing days with Michael Jordan. You’d see it night after night so you just took it for granted. So that’s how it is with Steph. It’s over and over and over again.”
According to NBA history, Curry became just the 10th player ever to score 50+ points in a series-clinching victory. He’s also now moved into 13th in all-time playoff points scored. At this rate, he’s only 240 points away from passing Tony Parker for a top-10 spot, per Basketball-Reference.
He’s still got a long way to go to catch Michael Jordan’s second-most playoff points (5987), but Kerr’s comparison still feels perfectly valid. While no one is putting Curry in the GOAT conversation, there is no question he’s become one of the few players who you expect greatness from when the spotlight is at its brightest.
Curry is now set to square off with LeBron James in the Western Conference Semifinals. Game 1 will tip off on Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. CT in the Bay Area. We’ll see if Curry has got another epic performance in him.
