Stephen Curry has proven once again that he’s one of the best (if not the best) basketball players in the world at this moment, as the former Davidson College player has repeatedly demonstrated all his quality on the hardwood and how impactful he can be for the Golden State Warriors.
Even though comparisons are hateful, they will never stop happening and in recent hours we found out one that will be both surprising and controversial for most fans. Steph Curry surely has been one of the most dominant players in the NBA playoffs ever since the Golden State Warriors started their journey to become the powerhouse they are today; therefore, fans will always try to compare him to other players, including some of the best this game has ever seen.
Paul Headley, an NBA enthusiast, took on Twitter to discuss how good Curry’s numbers in the postseason has been in front of none other than Kobe Bryant, shocking the big majority of fans with the data he collected.
Points – Steph (26.3 -> 25.6)
Boards – Steph (5.4 -> 5.1)
Dimes – Steph (6.3 -> 4.7)
Steals – Steph (1.6 -> 1.3)
Blocks – Kobe (0.7 -> 0.3)
FG% – Steph (45.2% -> 44.8%)
3P% – Steph (40.5% -> 33.1%)
BPM – Steph (+7.0 -> +4.4)
WS/48 – Steph (.194 -> .157)
Another user who goes by the name “Tim” added more info to what Headley previously said, with Chef surpassing Mamba with his numbers per 100 possessions.
Steph vs. Kobe
PER 23.1 > 22.4
TS% .610 > .541
Ft% .902 > .816
2pt% .508 > .476
Pt/100 35.8 > 34.6
However, it’s fair to say that Kobe won 5 titles, earned 2 Finals MVP awards, while Steph is a three-time NBA champion who hasn’t won the Finals MVP. Also, Curry has been playing with 3 All-Stars in the playoffs, but that doesn’t seem to make things easier for Curry, as he’s proving now without KD that he is still the best player in the team.
Ever since KD got injured, Curry started cooking, averaging 34.0 points per game, considerably improving the 23.3 PPG he had in the prior 10 games; his rebounds and assists numbers also improved with Curry recording 8.3 rebounds against Portland in the West finals, much better than the 4.7 he posted against Houston in the prior round and the 6.7 he recorded in front of the Clippers in their first playoffs series. Steph also averaged 7.3 dimes against the Trail Blazers, just 5.0 against the Rockets and 5.2 against Doc Rivers’ team.
He racked up 195 points, 40 rebounds and 35 assists in the last 6 games the Warriors have played without Durant on 45,4 FG% to lead his team to the NBA finals for the fifth year in a row.
You can say he and the team play better when KD isn’t around, or at least different, but there is something that this guy does in these stances that will make him one of the greatest ever when he finishes his career.
For now, you can see he’s done better than Kobe in the postseason, even though the Black Mamba played twice the number of games as Curry has so far. We still have to wait to see Curry how this guy is going to end his career, as he’s currently in his prime and doesn’t seem to stop playing at the maximum level in the near future. Many would say there is no comparison between these two, but there are the numbers, you just have to read them.
