Stephen Curry, you can’t understand him from a conventional perspective

In the NBA this season, there are many stars fighting among the gods; some veteran stars refuse to wither away and can still perform at a high level of competition.

After Westbrook was abandoned by the Nuggets, his efficiency has improved significantly compared to last season. This season, his three-point shooting rate is as high as 39.7%, setting a new high in his career. In the past few years, Westbrook has not found the feeling of being himself for a long time. With his hard work, there is no problem in playing for a few more years. Many teams need Westbrook to inject new vitality.

Harden has actually been a little frustrated since leaving the Rockets. Whether in the Nets or the 76ers, he has taken the initiative to lower his salary to help the team make room for reinforcements; at the same time, he is also willing to relegate to the team and be willing to play support, transforming from a scorer to a playmaker, which has led to a sharp decline in his personal data.

However, after joining the Clippers, Harden also understood that he needed to take on more scoring tasks. Last season, Harden felt a bit like a comeback. He was selected as an All-Star again after three years, and scored 50+ in a single game after four years. This season, Harden continues to explode in desperate situations; now the Clippers are in trouble, with an old lineup, frequent injuries, Leonard has been absent, and Harden has become the only core of the Clippers.

Under such circumstances, Harden played 51 minutes in the game against the Mavericks and scored a massive triple-double of 41 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. It has been a long time since Harden scored such data; the last time he scored a 40+ triple-double dates back to the season when he first arrived with the Nets, which was March 2021. More than 1,700 days have passed since then.

Durant is still young. After joining the Rockets and changing teams, he is still as stable as ever; while averaging 25+ points per game, he shoots more than 50% from the field and 40% from three-point range. What's even more surprising is the defensive end. So far this season, Durant's defensive shooting percentage is 39.8%, the best on the Rockets team.

And so far this season, the veteran superstar who has performed best is undoubtedly Stephen Curry.

Curry's scoring average is as high as 27.4 points per game, which is the fourth-highest season of his career. Due to the changes in the league's new rules this season, the following two behaviors will be whistled. One is the defender's behavior of slapping the pitcher's palm at the moment the shot is released. This behavior was often ignored by referees in the past; the other is the defender's action of hitting the pitcher's wrist after the ball has left the hand for more than one second.

This benefits Curry, who can also get more free throw opportunities; in the past, Curry was rarely favored by referees and basically never received whistles. This has a lot to do with his style of play. This season, Curry averaged 6.3 free throws per game, two more than last season. It was also the season in which he averaged the most free throws per game in his career. This is one of the reasons why Curry is dreaming of returning to the top again this year.

In the last two games, Curry has performed miracles, challenging the Spurs in back-to-back away games. He scored 46 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, and 49 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals respectively, thus breaking many records; surpassing James to become the player over the age of 35 who has scored the most 45+ points in a single game. At the same time, he is on par with Jordan. Over the age of 37, he can score 45+ points in two consecutive games.

To be honest, compared to Curry at the peak of the Warriors dynasty, the current Curry has somewhat regressed, mainly in terms of physical fitness and speed. Breakthroughs are not as agile as before; it is difficult to break down the defense easily. In the final quarter, physical fitness declines and mistakes will change. But there is no doubt that Curry's three-point shot deterrence is still the best in the league; basically no one can do it like him, complete the three-point shot so quickly while holding the ball, and still guarantee a certain hit rate. Including Curry's off-ball ability, he is also the best among many stars. His existence is crucial to the Warriors system.

To be honest, the Warriors this season are not without the possibility of competing for the championship. They currently rank seventh in the Western Conference with 9 wins and 6 losses, including 5 wins and 0 losses at home and have not lost yet. As the Warriors' second scorer, Butler's production is average, but his efficiency is surprisingly high. He shot 52.9% from the field and 46.9% from three-point range. His influence in the game is self-evident.

Although the overall average age of the Warriors is relatively older, they also have younger and more energetic players like Kuminga, Podemski, and Moody, rather than a team full of veterans like the Clippers. In the 21-22 season, no one expected the Warriors to win the championship at that time. They all thought they had fallen from the altar and the dynasty had come to an end. This season is actually the same logic.

As long as Curry is still on the team, the Warriors will definitely be in contention for the championship. What do you think?