Stephen Curry may be the best shooter of all-time

Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates with teammate Klay Thompson #11 after making a three-pointer against the Denver Nuggets in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2013 NBA Playoffs on April 28, 2013 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. (Getty Images)

I could watch Stephen Curry shoot all day long. His shooting stroke is remarkably fluid and quick. In transition he can pull up and launch it at a moment’s notice and there are few point guard in the league who make for such an intimidating sight when they are running the break.

Normally on a fast break you try to defend the easy bucket near the rim. When you see Curry sprinting ahead with a head full of steam, chances are he may just pull up for a three. Curry is making a strong case for being considered as the best shooter to ever play the game. That is a lofty goal to aim at by itself, to be in the conversation with seriousness is something few people have achieved. But he is making it seem legitimate. In 2012-13 season Curry set an NBA regular-season record with 272 three-pointers. All while shooting 45.3 % from beyond the arc.

Like father like son. Dell has taught his son well. From a very young age little Stephen had been tagging along on the court with his father. Call it genetics or attribute it to practice or some other mystical reason, the fact remains that Stephen Curry has stumbled upon the magic touch. But it wasn’t smooth sailing all the way.

“The most frustrating summer for me.” said Stephen Curry of the summer when his father taught him to change his shooting form by bringing the ball above his head. Curry was in high school then. “I really couldn’t shoot outside the paint for like the first three weeks. All summer when I was at camps people were like, ‘Who are you, why are you playing basketball?’ I was really that bad for a month and a half [before] I finally figured it out.”

Superstars in the NBA can often point to specific games they had in which they staked their claim to superstardom. Blake Griffin had that game vs. the New York Knicks when he put Timofey Mozgov on a poster. Dwyane Wade showed his worth in the 2006 Finals. And people will point to game 4 of the 2013 playoffs between the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets as the game in which Stephen Curry officially crossed the plateau from star to superstar.

Now he’s in conversation in the same breath as the Kobe Bryants and Kevin Durants of this league. In that one game, in that one stretch in the third quarter, Curry officially stamped his name in the annals of NBA history.

Curry blew up for 22 points in the third quarter and buried the Nuggets with his hot shooting. He had 22 points in 6 minutes. He had 9 points in 42 seconds. In that memorable third quarter, Curry drilled five three pointers. He finished the game with 31 points. Now in the 2013 playoffs, during the first four games, Curry has hit 18 of his 38 threes and is shooting 50 percent overall.

“It was phenomenal to watch. I’ve never seen a performance like that from beyond the 3-point line. He’s amazing. He’s got the most beautiful stroke. The game that goes with it, that’s what leaves me in awe. He’s not just a guy standing in the corner,” Steve Kerr said, who himself was a career 45.4% three point shooter. High praise for Curry from someone who has been there and done that at the highest level.

Speaking of highest level, this is what Curry just did against the Nuggets:

Coach reaction

“It was almost like a boxer that knew he was on the ropes, because it was just a matter of time. I told him I didn’t need him to be a hero — talk about smart coaching. And I guess he realized and sensed it. And he captured the moment.”- Mark Jackson, coach of the Warriors.

“I just remember that we were chasing a double-team, and they found him at the top of the key, boom. And then he decided he could make one from 30 feet, and then boom.”- Nuggets coach George Karl.

Weak spot

“I can’t overstate how important it is to be healthy and not have to worry every day how the ankle feels and have to have minute restrictions. I was feeling a little warmer, bodywise, in the third quarter, just get a rhythm. The goal kind of looked a little bigger,” Curry said at the end.

The one concern with Curry is injuries. He is having problems with both his ankles and it seems that the only one who can stop Curry now is Curry himself. The Golden State Warriors have some of the best shooters in the league and no team wants any part of them in the postseason.

They could conceivably make it to the conference finals, and perhaps beyond. Provided that their star keeps knocking down those bombs. After all, is there really a way to stop someone who will launch it from 30 feet? Throw a double team his way and he will just find one of his potent teammates for the easy basket.

There is only one thing you can do with Curry, hope he misses.