1) On a night to honor his father, Dell Curry, Stephen Curry put on a show of his own. Curry scored 40 points on a bevy of increasingly ridiculous shots missing only 4 times in 18 attempts. Steph ended the third with a 32-foot make that gave him 28 points for the quarter and had me feeling bad for Kemba Walker (2-16 FG while chasing the MVP). Maybe the Hornets should’ve had Dell Curry Night when the other Curry, Seth, was in town with the Kings.
2) The backcourt got off to a hot start. Klay Thompson hit 5 of his first 6 shots for 13 points, and Steph hit back-to-back threes in the first five minutes of action. When the planets align and the Splash Brothers both have it going at the same time, I’m not sure there’s anything more entertaining in sports.
3) To duplicate the Bulls’ 72 wins, the 20-0 Warriors will have to go 52-10 the rest of the season. Prior to last season, the Dubs had won more than 52 games in an entire season twice, the last time in 1991-92 when Billy Owens was running the break for Nellie. 52 wins is a lot; it might take the 76ers until 2018 to amass 52 wins.
4) Al Jefferson missed the game due to a strained calf. Too bad. I wanted to see the Warriors Death Squad against Big Al and a Hornets team that lacks consistent three-point shooting (9-31 last night). How would Charlotte get him the rock if the small-ball Warriors hedge off Hornet shooters to semi-double the big man in the post?
5) Jeremy Lin’s Dragon Ball hairstyle is out of control — but also fun!
6) Quintessential Draymond Green play: 8:50 left in the first, Dray blocks Walker from behind. He gets the pass from Bogut, brings the ball up court himself, drives into the lane to attract the defender, sees Rush open in the corner, pass aaaaaand … SPLASH! Three points only a handful of players in the league could have created.
7) Tyler Hansbrough reminds me of that player at pick-up that scares everyone with his unpredictable body movements. I’m always worried that guy is going to run under me and break my knee.
8) Curry as a back screener is a fun play the Warriors like to use on out-of-bounds under the basket. Because Steph’s man can’t leave his body ever, a Warriors player is often free to roam towards the basket off the screen. The play got Brandon Rush an easy dunk in the third.
9) Frank Kamisky (16 points) may turn out to be a good pro, but I would’ve taken Justise Winslow in the draft. His pedigree, the championship at Duke, even the clips on Youtube, Winslow just has the look of a good NBA player. At the very least he’s going to be a versatile defender in a league that increasingly relies on 3-and-D wings. The shooting isn’t there yet (27% on threes), but he’s already a plus-minus hero. If not Winslow, then Boston’s reported treasure trove of picks would’ve been nice for the ninth pick. Maybe Charlotte knows something we don’t; it’ll be interesting to revisit this in three years.
10) Luke Walton won Coach of the Month honors in the West with the same coaching record we all have, 0-0. Walton has done a fantastic job. It’ll be bittersweet when he’s eventually hired away by another team. But that’s a good thing too; getting talent poached means your team is winning.