Last year’s spectacle was mostly about Stephen Curry. There was Draymond Green’s breakout as a playmaker and defender. Klay Thompson took his game up a few notches by tweaking his handle and passing. The bench was phenomenal in spurts. The Death Lineup became a living breathing dragon. But right in the middle of it all, Stephen Curry carried that team, the spotlight, and the entire storyline of the NBA season. His pregame routines became stuff of legends. The celebration copied across the league and incited riots amongst washed, retired athletes. Through 73 games and the NBA Finals, Stephen Curry was the NBA.

That guy is back.

Near the end of the first half, Curry pranced from the paint out to halfcourt, yo-yo-ing the ball between his legs, saw 7 seconds on the game clock, and nonchalantly flipped a rainbow over Nicolas Batum’s outstretched hands from about 4 feet behind the arc. Two months ago, that shots bounces off the backboard, or even worse, he defers to someone else. On February 1st against the Charlotte Hornets, the confidence and charisma ooze permeate through the entire arena. Later, he would drop Marvin Williams on a lazy crossover, nail a stepback 3 going to his right, and shimmy in front of the home bench. The final 126-111 score merely provided a footnote.

That guy has returned.

Kevin Durant’s might be the Golden State Warriors best player. His blend of offensive efficiency and defensive versatility certainly make him a top-3 player in the world, at the very least. But there is nothing more demoralizing and devastating as a Curry dribble-drive or shimmy 3. His ability to shake the living hell out of defenses is unparalleled perhaps across NBA history. With Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson on the same court, the Hornets still doubled not from an angle, but simply straight on, at the end of the first half. It left nearly everything wide open but they didn’t care. The number one and fifteenth goal of that defense became Stephen Curry, regardless of Kevin Durant or Harrison Barnes.

14-20, 11 3s, 39 points, all in just 30 minutes. The MVP still runs the greatest offensive show of all time.

Through the beginning of the season, the Warriors were the best team in the NBA. Despite losses to the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, there still wasn’t a great argument they’d be unseated or an underdog in a seven-game series. With Durant in the fold, it provided them a different level defensively and a more varied attack offensively. That was fine. It was a Spurs-ian approach and almost a bored path towards victory.

Then like clockwork, Curry found his rhythm. Unlike Thompson and Durant, who can shoot and score without seeing the ball for minutes at a time, Curry needs the dancing, the showboating, and the feel that comes with a consistent level of touches. Now that it’s happening, the Warriors have reached a state of basketball nirvana that is rendering games that feel more like a coronation than a competition. Sure, at times, it felt like that last year too but it required consistent excellence of Curry and Green on both sides.

Durant and Draymond faded into the background last night and it didn’t matter one bit. The Warriors are ascending to a level that requires consistency from but a few that escalates these games into blowouts. Steph starts hot, Klay carries the bench, and Durant closes them out with a couple hammer dunks while Draymond closes off the paint.

The Golden State Warriors are better than last year’s iteration. We knew this. Just how much better? Stephen Curry is about to let us find out.