The Chef is Still Cookin'

As much as I'm irked by the continued dominance of the Golden State Warriors, I can't help but watch with a sense of amazement as they waltz through the regular season. Their current roster may be the best ever assembled, as their entire starting lineup was voted to last season's All Star teams. With the arrivals of Kevin Durant in 2016 and DeMarcus Cousins in 2018, it's taken some light off of Stephen Curry, a three-time champion, two-time MVP, and the best point guard in the league. The Warriors are off to a 6-1 start and Curry is absolutely lighting it up, making a strong case for another MVP selection.

It's no secret that Stephen Curry is the best shooter of all-time. The way he's able to come into a game and hit a shot from anywhere on the floor is truly captivating, and when he gets hot, it's more often than not a can't-miss performance. He's always been able to shoot unlike anyone else, as he's never shot under 40% from three for a season in his career. He's made 2,175 threes over his NBA tenure at a 43.6% clip, and that number is going to keep rising as his percentages are unlikely to ever drop. By the time he retires, barring any injuries, Steph will be the all-time leader in threes made, which is the last accolade he needs to fully, undeniably cement himself as the best from beyond the arc.

The narrative has been no different this year, as Steph has gotten off to a historically hot start. Through seven games, he's averaging 33.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists on 52.9/51.7/90.6 shooting splits. It's simply unfair. On October 24 against the Washington Wizards, he exploded like a lit firework at a gas station en route to 51 points while shooting 15-24 from the field (11-16 from three). After the game, Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal said the only way to stop Steph is to "foul the shit out of him", but acknowledged that that doesn't even work. Steph has perfected his shooting mechanics to the point where you could probably field goal kick him straight in the dick and he'll drain a three from the logo at the buzzer, all while dancing his way to the free throw line to convert the and-one.

Not only is Steph continuing to shoot his way into opponent's nightmares but also the record books. He already has records for most threes made in a season (402), most threes in a playoffs (98, tied with teammate Klay Thompson), threes made in a regular season game (13), threes made in a Finals game (9), to name a few. Even though the season has only been going on for a few weeks, he's added a new record to his resume by becoming the first player in league history to have at least five threes in seven straight games. Steph has been putting on a show this year, and for what seems like the first time in two years, the attention is on him again.

When Kevin Durant signed with the Warriors, it caused a media firestorm and it seems most of the attention has been on him. It makes sense considering that Durant is an MVP and the second-best player in the world, but it feels like people can forget how incredible Steph is. Sure, Durant has brought the Warriors two more championships while collecting two Finals MVPs, but Steph is the player that got the team to where they're at. For a while Steph was a really good point guard with really bad ankle stability on a bad team. Once he was able to shake his injury proneness alongside the growth of Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and impact veteran signings like Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston, Steph became a transcendent player that not only changed the Warriors, but the league. Nowadays threes are so vital to success and teams are starting to build around shooters. Even centers can shoot now, which has been the weirdest development, and non-shooters seem to carry less importance. Kids don't yell "Kobe!" anymore; they yell "Curry". (Which is absolutely fucking blasphemous.)

Steph is starting the season off with a bang and has inserted himself into early-MVP talk. It's been seven games, which isn't a lot, but I see no reason why he can't keep up this production. His three-point percentage will (probably?) drop, as a 50/50/90 season would be too god-like. It seems as if there's been less attention paid towards Kevin Durant ahead of his impending free agency, and Steph is taking the opportunity to remind everyone that he's still here, and he's still one of the best. I can't stand the Warriors as a team, but Steph has been in and still is something special. He's a generational talent, and kind of like LeBron, we should appreciate him while he's still cooking everybody.

It's almost a foregone conclusion that the Warriors will be atop of the Western Conference by the time playoffs roll around, and if Steph has the best season for the best team, he may be able to take home a third MVP trophy.