Steph Curry was up to his old tricks Sunday night.
Though he unexpectedly had to get off the bench in the fourth quarter to fend of a comeback attempt from the Sacramento Kings, the Warriors star splashed seven 3-pointers en route to 33 points in the 130-125 victory.
For the first time since the 2018-19 campaign, Steph has started off his season with three straight contests of scoring at least 30 points. Curry is showing no signs of fading in Year 14 and Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett thinks he deserves recognition, as he said on his recent “KG Certified” podcast.
“I think we gotta say we outta the LeBron era,” Garnett said. “I think that we’re in the Steph era. I think we’re in the Golden State/Steph era. I think we gotta put a lot more respect on his name, because he ain’t done. They’re not done.”
While Curry, 34, and LeBron, 37, both have four rings, Steph holds a 3-1 mark in the Finals against his longtime nemesis. Curry has also stayed with the Warriors through his entire tenure while LeBron has won rings with three different franchises – the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.
Golden State is already a dynasty with the framework to retain 12 players over the next two seasons. A fifth ring in nine seasons isn’t out of the question for the Warriors, while LeBron isn’t surrounded by any shooting on the Lakers’ aging, poorly-constructed roster and a playoff spot seems unlikely.
There’s no doubting either players’ greatness, but Garnett harped on the fact that Curry has transformed how the game is played with his outside shooting, as the 3-point shot has exploded since he’s become a star in the league.
“I really think he’s changed the game,” Garnett said. “Not only at your point of pickup, on a guard who has crazy range like he has, but he’s pushed the level to another level. To where, if you’re gonna have a deep ball, or be a shooter, you gotta be able to shoot it from here. He set the precedent for that. Those are game-changers, game disruptors. You come in and he shifted the whole era of guards.”
To that end, Garnett threw out a wild suggestion for the NBA.
“The league’s gonna have to entertain the 4(-point) ball at some point,” Garnett said. “It’s just getting outta hand.”
