Chris Humphreys – USA Today Sports Images
The Golden State Warriors weren’t expecting a great deal of success out of their 2012-2013 season. Most people predicted their season somewhere along sneaking into the NBA Playoffs as the eight seed and not much more. The young Warriors had other plans, though, playing their way into the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
Golden State will now meet up with the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the postseason in a matchup that features two below-average defenses and two high-powered offenses. Points are going to be coming from all over the place in this series. The Warriors are hoping that a lot of their points are coming from their star point guard, Stephen Curry.
This series will be Curry’s first experience in the postseason in his short career in the NBA. He’s coming off a career year where he averaged 22.9 points, 6.9 assists, four rebounds and 1.6 steals per game on 45.1 percent shooting and ridiculous 45.3 percent three-point shooting. He’s proven himself to be one of the most dangerous scorers in the league.
However, the playoffs are a whole different atmosphere and bring a much higher level of pressure for star players like Curry. The question is how he will react in these circumstances. It may be his first time experiencing the NBA Playoffs, but Curry seems to have already somewhat proven that he’s ready for the big moments in the postseason.
Curry has stepped up on big stages all season for the Warriors, highlighted by his 54-point outburst while playing under the brightest of lights in Madison Square Garden. It also can’t be forgotten that Curry, who played his college basketball at a mid-major program, came to fame as a college player for almost single-handedly carrying his team to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. This is a guy who has proven time and again that he lives for the moment.
His past performances in big moments are obviously not a guarantee that he will be successful in the playoffs this year. However, it does seem like many of the signs point to Curry having a big series. Against the Nuggets, when it’s basically going to be about which team can outscore the other, Curry has to have a big performance on yet another big stage.
Cody Williams is a Senior NBA Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20 and like his Facebook page.
