“What I feel today is not what I imagined I would feel at 35. This number seems crazy, but in my head, I feel like I have a lot of things to do”. Like, for example, reaching the 50 point mark the day after his birthday. This is the feat achieved by Stephen Curry against the Clippers. A feat for nothing since the Warriors lost for the 9th time in a row outside. If we speak of an exploit, it is because Stephen Curry equals Wilt Chamberlain for the most matches at 50 or more points for a 30-year-old. The two have reached this mark 7 times. Michael Jordan had stopped at 6.
“You know me… It’s good to play well, to shoot well. This is what I expect to do every night” tempers Stephen Curry. “No matter the stats at the end of the game, it’s frustrating not being able to surpass yourself and not find a way to win, especially when you know what you’ve achieved this season away from home. So our job is to keep playing, to stand up to the opponents and try to find a solution. »
The solution may come from his teammates, and Steve Kerr points to the big failure in the racket with 16 offensive rebounds for the Clippers. “Given our current workforce, with absentees, we are vulnerable under the panels” reminds the coach. “I think the Clippers played a great game. Steph was sublime. It was amazing to see him play tonight. It was a very big game. We just missed. »
At 35, he’s still getting better
Draymond Green blames himself for spoiling such a performance. It’s the second time this season that Stephen Curry has reached the 50-point mark and each time the Warriors have lost. “It sucks… We wonder what more we could have done to help. When you have a guy who is wild like that, you have to find ways to take advantage of it and we did not do that tonight”.
On the Clippers side, Tyronn Lue obviously knows the animal very well. He had nightmares during the NBA Finals, as an assistant or coach in Cleveland, and he is really impressed by the level of play of the quadruple NBA champion, in particular by his ability to develop his game.
“If you work and you’re a really great player, you’re going to get better… I know Steph gets a lot of credit for changing basketball with his 3-point shot, but what’s underrated, it’s his way of finishing in the key, with his floaters, left hand, right hand, and he’s a complete player. »
On the other hand, Tyronn Lue is not that impressed to see Stephen Curry plant 50 points at 35 years old. “When you work like he has over the years, taking care of his body, you can only get better” believes the Clippers coach. “At 35, at the high level he’s playing at, a lot of guys are doing it these days. When I was playing, that wasn’t the case. I think it’s great, the medical aspect and the science and all the rest, making sure that we do what is necessary for the players and what we do for their bodies in order to try to preserve. You see players playing at a higher level at an older age.”
