ORLANDO, Fla. — As I walked from my hotel to Orlando’s Kia Center in the Florida sun and passed by all the No. 30 jerseys in every bar and restaurant along the way, a little voice inside my head whispered, “Savor this.”
I had no idea I’d have this much to savor, obviously, no extrasensory perception that Steph Curry would bomb away for 56 points to lead a rousing Golden State Warriors comeback — one that ended with a road crowd roaring “M-V-P” on his final two free throws. It was one of the most memorable performances of this or any other season.
But let’s take a step back for one second. Seeing a 36-year-old Curry approach the twilight of his career with the same energy and joy and continue to keep the Warriors relevant despite age and aprons and everything else that conspires to tear apart champions was worth appreciating, regardless of the point tally or final score.
“It never gets old watching it,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “The fans here tonight, even the Magic fans, they know they’re witnessing the greatest shooter ever and one of the greatest performers. It’s not just the shots going in, it’s the fluidity, the beauty of his movement and motion, and his audacity, the shots that he’s willing to take. He’s an incredible performer, and he put on quite a show tonight.”
The performance began two hours before the game, when a sea of fans in No. 30 jerseys stood outside the arena waiting for the doors to open. As they were finally let in, they quickly brought out their phones and headed to Golden State’s side of the floor to witness the most captivating pregame workout in sports.
Usually, this is the last place a reporter will be, with pregame coach interviews, agents and scouts to talk to, and all manner of other to-dos that need doing, but I forced myself to sit still, put the phone away and take in the whole thing.
Curry’s roughly 15-minute session with Warriors assistant Bruce Fraser — his longtime pregame dance partner — was a mix of business and pleasure that has been a hallmark of his career. Yes, there was serious basketball business happening: exaggerated stepbacks, catch-and-shoots on the move, advanced ballhandling drills. But at one point, in between shots, they played a volleyball bump-set-spike back and forth. Later, they did a few soccer volleys back and forth before Curry caught one on the move and shot a 3.
“We play 82 of these,” Curry said, “and at the end of the day, you have to have fun. It’s not for everybody, but it’s been a key factor for me. Me and (former Warriors guard) Ian Clark used to play random games during two-line layups in pregame warmups, even to the point where we were doing curling at one time.
“You want to have fun. The year is so long it can get monotonous at times, and I think it’s just a way to remind yourself to have fun; it’s just a game.”
Curry moved to half court and provided a taste of what would come later in the evening. He needed only two tries to nail his half-court practice shot, then moved one step, made another, and then one step closer — still at the logo! — and buried another before finally making a regular-distance 3-pointer from the top of the key. It was a four-shot sequence even elite pros would have trouble repeating. At another point, he made 12 straight jump shots.
It’s all part of the routine that set up Thursday’s in-game magic.
That little sequence, repeated over and over through weeks and months and years of practices, is why a 50-foot swish at the end of the first half is possible. It was unlikely, perhaps, but it wasn’t luck.
“Summertime, in-season practices, pregame stuff, yeah, I try pretty much every shot at some point,” Curry said. “You let your creativity kinda flow. You don’t want to be out there too long, but it’s the irrational confidence that I’ll make one (from half court) pretty quickly during my warmups and just kind of keep the flow going.
“It was a way to just have fun and test your range and see the ball go in from all places on the court and build your confidence.”
The other reason the half-court shot went in, though, is that he took it. A lot of players will sign up for the field-goal percentage savings club and make sure they “accidentally” fling the shot just after the buzzer. Not Curry. I should know: His 60-foot shot in Memphis at the end of the third quarter of Game 6 in 2015 was the dagger that ended our season.
“Steph hates this, so nobody on our team does this,” Draymond Green said, “but you’ll see guys hold the ball until the buzzer goes and then they shoot it. We’re not allowed to do that. … You’re trying to save a percentage for what? It’s about winning the game.”
It was Curry’s fifth “heave” attempt of the season, according to Basketball-Reference, trailing Denver’s league-leading Nikola Jokić (who has a staggering 17). However, this stat can depend on clock, inbounding and end-of-quarter rest situations; Curry led the league in heaves in 2022-23.
Curry’s bomb at the halftime buzzer set the tone for more fireworks after the break. Once Curry erupted with a flurry of 3s in the third quarter — including a five-possession sequence where he scored 11 points and fired a crosscourt assist to Green for a layup — the crowd started inhaling with anticipation anytime he was left open. The Warriors sensed it, too, at some points, breaking the offense to let Steph cook.
For instance, that third-quarter sequence ended with Buddy Hield, a career 39.8 percent 3-point shooter who is eighth in the league in 3-point makes per possession, turning down a wide-open transition 3 to set one up for Curry instead.
“An Andre Iguodala play,” Kerr called it.
Curry’s torrid night ended in a similar way, on a possession where the ball pinged around the perimeter for 23 seconds with Curry harmlessly parked on the weak side … until he managed to run away from Paolo Banchero at the top of the key. A pass from Brandin Podziemski — who was attacking the paint and could have continued hoopward — landed in Curry’s mitts just in time to shot-fake a trailing Banchero off the TV screen. Curry dropped in his 12th and final triple of the night, taking his total to 52 and giving the Warriors a five-point lead.
That’s what it’s like when the greatest shooter ever is on a heater. It happens less often at 36, and we never know how many more of these we’ll get, which is why I heeded that whisper in my head to make sure I took this one in. What made it more special was the Warriors needed every one of his points — they were trailing by 17 when he made the half-court shot and were clinging to a two-point edge when his final dagger landed.
“I try not to stop appreciating greatness,” Green said. “I watch the work that he puts in on a daily basis that allows him to have moments like that, so I try not to take his greatness for granted. I’ve been lucky to play with a guy for 13 years and see those types of performances. I’m honored and lucky to share a court with him, to be his teammate and to watch that type of dominance.”
And what an absolute honor to be in the building to witness it. This is why you do this job, for moments like this. (And for the free coffee, of course.) We don’t know how many more nights like this Curry will treat us to or how deep into the playoffs his magic can last. But the post-trade Warriors are relevant again — playing Curry’s self-described “meaningful basketball” — and his nightly shooting exploits show little sign of tapering.
So, enjoy the show while you can. The fact that Father Time lurks around the corner only makes nights like these more special.
(Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6165714/2025/02/28/steph-curry-warriors-orlando-magic-56-points/
