Of All The Ridiculous Steph Curry Stats Out There, This One About His Clutch Playoff Shooting Seems Legitimately Impossible

Robert Gauthier. Getty Images.

I cannot imagine there is a person alive that would suggest Steph Curry is not the greatest shooter we have ever seen play the game of basketball at any level. We've been watching him change the game for long enough to where he's one of the few guys in the league that when you watch him play, every time he misses it's surprising. I know that doesn't make sense because everyone misses, but with Steph, especially in the playoffs, it just feels like whatever he throws up goes in. Maybe that's just my own personal PTSD doing it's thing, but it's not too different from how I felt watching guys like Ray Allen. I just expect their shots to drop at all times.

Part of what makes Steph so incredible is every game he plays it always seems like we get some sort of insane shooting stat as a result. He'll make 10 3PM in a game or something and we'll learn that 10 people have done it in NBA history and Steph is on the list 7 times or some shit. Or how he has more 35 foot bombs than 6 or 7 different franchises combined. You know the type of mind bending stats I'm talking about.

Well, after how Game 4 ended last night, we now have a stat that I almost couldn't believe when I read it. I had to double and triple check that this was a real account tweeting this out and not just a Lakers fan trying to start shit on Twitter. See for yourself

I struggle to understand how this is even possible for a player like Steph Curry. The greatest shooter we've ever seen, a guy who the talking heads are ready to put on the Mount Rushmore of the NBA if he were to win another ring. That guy is 0-12 in his playoff career on potential go ahead shots in the end of games/OT?

A few things here. For starters, was Max Kellerman actually right?

I mean, he got killed for that take. At the time, it was one of the most insane things I had ever heard. So I guess we all sort of have to apologize to Kellerman for this? That feels weird.

Next, I think what helps Curry here is the fact that ya know….he has 4 titles. Not only that, but he had historic performances along the way to secure those 4 titles. Sure none of them included a game winning shot at the end of a game, but that's maybe because of everything else Curry may have done in those games to win without it. If Curry doesn't have those rings, I think this becomes a MUCH bigger narrative in terms of his career and how he's viewed, but he does have the hardware so in my eyes this kind of gets swept under the rug.

What I do know is if someone like LeBron was 0-12 in this situation, we all would ABSOLUTELY hear about it. Skip Bayless would probably talk about it every single day. Shit, LeBron fought through the "not clutch" allegations for years despite actually being one of the most productive clutch time players in NBA history.

Think of the other end of the spectrum and how other stars have performed in these situations

How do people view/talk about guys like Harden or Westbrook? That they aren't clutch playoff performers etc right? Well…it seems like Steph has been able to skate to some degree.

What this does is just go to show how freaking tough these late game shots are. You can be considered one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA and barely shoot 28%. Now not every player is built for these moments, which I think matters. It takes guts to step up and be willing to take the last shot and not worry about the outcome. Many want to be the hero if it goes in, but they also are afraid of the failure. 

Normally when certain players miss these types of shots, you then hear about how they don't have that "killer instinct" or they're soft, things along those lines. In reality, it's actually just really fucking hard! Would anyone suggest Steph doesn't have that "killer instinct"? Of course not! Kobe shot 27/17% in those spots, did he not have it? Or Paul Pierce? Shit, Chauncey Billups' nickname is literally Mr. Big Shot and he finished just 25/33%!

In all honesty, I would have expected Curry to be somewhere in the range of those screenshots. Not a LeBron level because nobody is at a LeBron level in these situations, but somewhere in the KD-Kobe range? That would be believable I think. For Steph to actually be 0-12 doesn't seem real. He had a couple of chances last night, and AD strapped him on both. I thought the first step back was cash, but you could tell once that didn't fall, his 3PA was more of a prayer. Having been conditioned to see Steph make so many playoff daggers throughout the years, my brain simply expected at least one of those shots to drop.

If the Warriors get bounced in this round, is this going to change Curry's legacy or how we talk about him? I say no chance. Again…he has 4 rings, a Finals MVP, 2x MVP, he's a Top 75 team member, the list goes on and on. Steph has solidified himself as an all time great despite that 0-12 mark.

But you have to admit, it is surprising.