'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Stephen Curry is considered as the greatest shooter of all-time by many basketball experts and fans. He has revolutionised the game of basketball and changed it forever. He is also the only player in the history of NBA to have won the MVP trophy unanimously.
The 5-time All-Star is known for his ridiculous handles and dances on the defenders effortlessly and is one of the most prolific scorers in the league. The Golden State Warriors have reached newer heights because of Curry and he will go down as the greatest player to have ever played for the franchise by the time he decides to retire.
Also Read: 5 Memorable Games of Stephen Curry against the Cleveland Cavaliers
Let us take a look at his five highest scoring games in the playoffs.
#5 40 at New Orleans Pelicans, 23rd April 2015
Stat line: 40 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists on 34.5 % shooting
The Warriors finished first in the Western Conference with a record of 67-15 and made it to the post-season for the third time in a row. In the First Round of the playoffs, they were pitted against New Orleans Pelicans.
Curry shone in the first two games with 34 points and 22 points respectively and the Warriors defeated the Pelicans in the third game, 123-119. The Warriors visited New Orleans looking to finish the business and move to the next round.
In Game 3, Curry exploded and scored 40 points to defeat the Pelicans and give the Warriors, a 3-0 lead in the series. Although he was not very efficient from the field, he drew fouls and went to the charity stripe on several occasions. He went 13-14 from the free-throw line and the defenders had no answer to Curry.
He finished the game with 40 points, to go along with 5 rebounds and 9 assists and an epic game-tying three-pointer in the last gasp of the game to stun the crowd. Two nights later, the Warriors won the Game 4 and swept the Pelicans.
#4 40 at Portland Trail Blazers, 9th May 2016
Stat line: 40 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists on 50.0 % shooting
After finishing with the best regular-season record of 73-9, the Warriors were up against the Houston Rockets in the first round of playoffs. The Warriors, just like everyone would expect them to, defeated the Rockets in just five games.
Their Conference Semifinals opponents were the Portland Trail Blazers who defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in six games. The Warriors defended their home floor without any difficulty but lost Game 3 on the road and were looking to walk out with a Game 4 win from the Moda Center.
The home team started the game well and were up 21-7 in the first quarter. Curry, who was coming off the bench because of a sprained right knee, shot an off-the-dribble mid-range jumper to cut the lead to 12. By the end of the first half, the Blazers were leading by 10 points. Curry came out strong in the third quarter and the Warriors took the lead after three quarters, in this back-and-forth affair.
The regulation period was not enough to decide the winner and the game went into overtime. In the overtime, Curry caught fire and scored 17 of Warriors' 21 points and the Warriors defeated the Blazers, 132-125.
#3 40 vs San Antonio Spurs, 14th May 2017
Stat line: 40 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals on 53.8 % shooting
Also Read: How Stephen Curry redefined Basketball
The Warriors added Kevin Durant in the off-season and ran through the Western Conference destroying the oppositions to no one's surprise. They finished first in the Conference for a third straight season and were up against the Portland Trail Blazers in the First Round. The Warriors swept the Trail Blazers, then swept the Utah Jazz in the Semifinals and were up against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
In Game 1, the Warriors were down by as many as 20 points at half-time but Steph Curry brought them back into the game with a sensational performance and the Warriors eked out a 113-111 win at home.
This game became highly controversial because of a reckless play by Zaza Pachulia that led to Kawhi Leonard's ankle injury. The Spurs were up big in the third quarter before 'the Klaw' got injured and the Spurs could not hold on to the lead.
Curry was, as always, at his best and sparked a third-quarter comeback dropping 19 points in the third. He finished the night on a 14-26 shooting and scored 40 points. The duo of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry combined for 74 points in the game and the Warriors survived Game 1 at home.
#2 40 at Houston Rockets, 23rd May 2015
Stat line: 40 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and a block on 63.2 % shooting
In the 2014-15 season, Stephen Curry breathed fire and won the regular season MVP award after averaging 23.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists.
In the playoffs, the Warriors swept the New Orleans Pelicans without breaking a sweat and took down the Memphis Grizzlies in six games in the Conference Semis. They were up against the second-seeded Houston Rockets in the WCF. The Warriors defended their home-court in two close games and were on the road looking to steal a win.
In Game 3, Curry scored a game-high 40 points and the Rockets got blown out at home by the Golden State Warriors. He was red-hot from the field and went 12-19 from the field with a field-goal percentage of 63.2. The story was similar from beyond the arc as he shot 7-9 from downtown and torched the Rockets.
On a night when he was unconscious, Draymond Green also came up big with 17 points and 13 rebounds and the Rockets got blown out of their own Toyota Center. Golden State went on to clinch the series in five games.
#1 44 at San Antonio Spurs, 6th May 2013
Stat line: 44 points, 4 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals on 51.4 % shooting
After finishing with a record of 47-35 in the regular season, the Warriors reached the playoffs for the first time since 2007. In the First Round of the playoffs, they were up against the Denver Nuggets and defeated them, on the back of strong performances from the two-time MVP, Stephen Curry.
In the Western Conference Semifinals, they were pitted against the San Antonio Spurs. In Game 1, Curry exploded and netted 44 points but the Spurs held on to a 129-127 win against Golden State.
Curry started the game with a mid-range jumper over Tim Duncan. In the second quarter, with 7:10 remaining, the two-time MVP came off a Bogut's screen and knocked down a three-pointer to extend the Warriors' lead to six. He then followed it up with another three-bomb off a similar screen from Bogut, yet again and it looked like Warriors were going to run away with the win.
In the third quarter, Curry exploded for 22 points and the Warriors were up big at the end of three quarters. However, the Spurs were not going to concede so easily at home and stormed back to send this one to overtime. The game did not get decided in the overtime and required a second overtime and the Spurs managed to save home court with a 129-127 win.
The unanimous MVP of the 2015/16 season finished the seventh playoff game of his career with 44 points on a 18-35 shooting, to go along with 4 rebounds and 11 assists. The Spurs went on to win the series in six games but the Warriors started to show signs of what was coming.
