Headed into a win-or-go-home scenario in Game 7, Stephen Curry gave what Draymond Green coined "such a powerful message" to motivate his team to rally behind him for one common goal, keeping their season alive.
Green knew after that speech that "there was no way Curry was going to allow us to lose that game," and Curry delivered with a historic 50-point effort in Game 7 on Sunday to lead the Warriors to a 120-100 win in Sacramento. The way he got those 50 points and the stage he got them on put that performance in rare company both for himself and NBA History.
Read below for more historical context on Curry's Game 7 performance.
Highest Scoring Game 7 Ever
Before Stephen Curry, no player in NBA History had scored 50 points in Game 7 of a playoff series. Curry surpassed Kevin Durant's 48-point game against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. There have only been eight individual Game 7 scoring performances in NBA history that eclipsed 45 points.
Highlights: Stephen Curry Becomes First Player Ever to Score 50 Points in Game 7
Most Field Goals Made in a Game 7
Stephen Curry became the first player to make 20 shots in a Game 7, surpassing Dominique Wilkins, Calvin Murphy and Wilt Chamberlain (19) for the most made field goals.
20 Points From the Paint and Behind the Arc
On Sunday, Stephen Curry scored a career-high 22 points in the paint and became the first player in NBA Playoff history to score 20 points from 3-pointers (21) and from the paint (22) in the same game.
Stephen Curry Postgame Interview After 50-Point Game 7 Performance
Most Points of Curry's Playoff Career
Sunday’s game was also the highest scoring postseason effort of Stephen Curry’s career. His previous career playoff high was 47 points against the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. Curry has seven 40-point playoff games and 22 games with 35 or more points.
Curry's Most Shot Attempts in a Game
Stephen Curry took 38 shots in Game 7 in Sacramento, the most he's ever taken in a regular season or playoff game. Curry's previous high in a playoff game was 35 shots against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2013 Western Conference Semifinals (he scored 44 points). In a regular season game, Curry’s career-high is 33 field goal attempts against the Orlando Magic in 2019 (he scored 33 points).
Inside the Locker Room: Steve Kerr on Stephen Curry's Brilliant Game 7
Curry's Second 30-Point Playoff Half
Stephen Curry scored 30 points in the second half of Game 7, the second most he's had in a playoff half, only trailing his 33 second-half points against the Houston Rockets on May 10, 2019 (Game 6, Western Conference Semifinals).
Curry Joins Warriors 50-Point Playoff Club
Stephen Curry is one of five Warriors to score at least 50 in a playoff game, joining Wilt Chamberlain (four times), Rick Barry, Sleepy Floyd and Kevin Durant. Before Curry's Game 7, Durant was the most recent Warrior to score 50 points, doing so against the Los Angeles Clippers in a closeout Game 6 of the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs.
Postgame Warriors Talk: Stephen Curry After Historic 50-Point Performance in Game 7 Victory – 4/30/23
Fewest Minutes Played in 50-Point Playoff Game
Stephen Curry is tied with Donovan Mitchell (vs. Denver in Round 1 of 2020 playoffs) for the fewest minutes played (38) in a 50-point playoff game. Curry and Mitchell are two of three players to score 50 points in fewer than 40 minutes, joining Michael Jordan, who scored 54 points in 39 minutes in Game 4 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals vs. the New York Knicks.
Second-Fewest Free Throws in 50-Point Playoff Game
Needing only three made free throws to score 50 points, Stephen Curry is tied for the second-fewest free throws made in a 50-plus point playoff game with Vince Carter (2001 vs. Philadelphia). They only trail Allen Iverson's 52-point game with two made free throws against the Toronto Raptors in 2001.
Curry Scores His 50th Point of Game 7
Second-Fewest Turnovers in 50-Point Playoff Game
Stephen Curry committed just one turnover in Game 7 and had six assists. In NBA history, only Denver’s Jamal Murray (vs. Jazz in Round 1 of 2020 playoffs) has had a 50-point playoff game with fewer than one turnover.
All things considered, Stephen Curry's clutch Game 7 performance was one of the most productive playoff performances of his illustrious playoff career.