No One In The Corner Has Swagger Like Steph

     Averaging 30 points per game this season is remarkable, especially with the convenience of sitting out numerous 4th quarters this season.  After a steady 23.5 points per game his last three years, Stephen Curry has recently proved that he has room for improvement with a respective 42, 51, and 46 points.  All while tying the single game 3 point record with 12 last night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

     How has Curry improved so much over the past year??  No question that three-point field goals made/attempted is one of reason, but the other is clearly his confidence.

     The only scrutiny surrounding the 6'3" guard has been his taunting and cockiness, which was recently highlighted when Stephen did a little shimmy right in front of the Atlanta Hawks bench.  With that taunting, comparisons have been drawn to Cam Newton, who happens to be great friends with Curry, as well as his favorite team's quarterback.  Personally, if someone hasn't earned your respect, it's easy for you to mistake that confidence with cockiness, but just remember that there's undoubtedly a correlation between the two and momentum.

     Riding that momentum to a 53-5 record a year after winning the NBA Championship, the Golden State Warriors are even clearly better than they were last year.  As NBA's best team, not only do they have a target on them come playoff time, there's also added pressure as they attempt to break the regular season wins record the '95-'96 Bulls maintained, winning 72 games.

     One of Steph's most noticeable attributes is his quickness.  As a defender, if his ability to create space off the dribble doesn't phase you, his flick of the wrist will.  Before attempting to block his shot, you already see him running back to play defense, knowing in your gut that the shot went in.

     The Warriors small lineup has helped alleviate the defensive pressure opposing teams wish to place on Curry.  Though last night showed an obvious vulnerability to that small lineup, rebounding.  The Oklahoma City Thunder nearly doubled the Warriors rebounding production, 62 to 32.  Defensively having big man Andrew Bogut in the game would reduce that rebounding total and difference.  Offensively, not having Andrew on the block has made the court bigger for Golden State, allowing more space on the court for Curry and cast to spread the floor and let the threes pour.

     Parents, if your child is having problems counting by three's in math class, please tune into Stephen Curry and the Warriors, I'm sure they can help.