Warriors guard Klay Thompson finished just shy of a double-double on Christmas, with 24 points on 11-of-25 shooting from the field and nine rebounds, and was called for taunting late in the fourth quarter against the Grizzlies.
Former Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson was on the better side of the Steph Curry experience during his time with Golden State.
As many have come to learn, playoff Curry is a whole different beast. Toscano-Anderson got to witness that up close during the Warriors’ latest championship run.
And in the high-intensity NBA Finals series against the Boston Celtics, a new level of Curry was unlocked and the self-proclaimed “Petty King” was unleashed.
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After back-and-forth exchanges with fans and “Ayesha Curry can’t cook” T-shirts, Curry said checkmate in Game 6. With six minutes remaining in the third quarter -- the third quarter -- Curry pulled up from deep and swished a triple to give the Warriors a 22-point lead over the Celtics. He then iconically pointed at his ring finger, signaling his fourth championship was on the way.
“When he’s in his zone -- you know when he’s in his zone -- and he doesn’t do s--t like that,” Toscano-Anderson said on a recent episode of “Buckets." “He’s not an arrogant person. When you push him to that point, when you make him mad and he’s trying to prove a point or he’s in his zone, then that type of sauce comes out.
“So when he was doing that, I knew it was over. Cause when Steph’s in his zone, nobody can stop him. Can’t nobody guard him, bro. Nobody. Not a soul in the NBA can guard him.”
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The Celtics, the best defensive team last season, thought otherwise. But Curry gave them a rude awakening.
"We had Grant Williams on the show the other-," LaJethro Jenkins said before being interrupted by Toscano-Anderson.
“Can’t guard him," Toscano-Anderson said, firmly.
"That’s my guy. With all due respect though, Steph’s that dude.”
Curry was incredible that series, averaging 31.2 points on 48.2-percent shooting from the field and 43.7-percent shooting from deep, along with six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
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The efforts earned him his very first NBA Finals MVP award.
“I’ve only been in the league for three whole years and I have yet to see somebody that just puts it up like him,” Toscano-Anderson said. "He can run 17 points off and you don’t even realize it’s 17 points because it’s happened in a minute and 30 seconds.”
There's no doubt that Curry is one of the most unique athletes of all time, and like Toscano-Anderson said, when he's in his zone, he just can't be stopped.