Last night, Steph Curry put on one of the greatest shooting displays I’ve ever seen. Curry had an NBA season-high 54 points and set a new franchise record with 11 made 3-pointers in the game against the Knicks. He shot 18-28 on field goals, 11-13 on threes, and was 100% from the free throw line as well. Curry’s previous career-high in points was 42, and his 54-point night was the most points by a Warriors since Purvis Short scored 59 vs. New Jersey on November 17, 1984. Also, he scored the most points in NBA history for a player with 10 or more 3-pointers made.

One of the most impressive aspects of Curry’s amazing night was how he scored the basketball. Known as one of the best, if not, the best, 3-point shooter in the league, Curry showed how many ways he can score besides from behind the 3-point line. He made all kinds of shots including catch-and-shoot, mid-range jumpers, off the dribble, in transition, well-contested, from deep 3-point range, and a variety of layups including floaters, runners, finger rolls, and bank shots. It was the ultimate shooting display, and to happen at Madison Square Garden made it even more magical. Curry became the first visiting player to have 50 points at Madison Square Garden since LeBron James in 2009.

Over the past two games for the Warriors, Curry’s combined stat line is 92 points, 32-48 on field goals, 18-23 from the 3-point line, 10-11 from free throws, and 11 assists. This numbers are absolutely unreal in terms of efficiency. Take a look at this shot chart representing the past two games for Curry:

It was also worth noting that in addition to his 54 points including 11 3-pointers, Curry also had 7 assists, 3 steals, and tied with Festus Ezeli for a team-high 6 rebounds. He showed his wide range of skills and why he should’ve been an All-Star this year. He had the ability to score in many different ways, he contributes to the team with his scoring, his passing, and his ability to get steals and rebounds, he’s improved his defense, and he’s one of the main leaders of the Warriors. Even though the Warriors ended up losing this game against the Knicks, Curry’s performance made this one of the best game in the Warriors’ recent history.

To watch videos, see other statistics, and to see how other players and analysts around the NBA responded to Curry’s unbelievable performance, click here.

Some notable quotes:

“My teammates were treating me like a pitcher throwing a no-hitter.” -Stephen Curry

“Once I started to see that three ball going down in transition and all sorts of spots over the floor I knew it was going to be a good night.” -Stephen Curry

“You can’t really put it into words. It’s kind of a numb feeling. Every shot you take, you know it’s got a good chance of going in. You’re kind of surprised when it doesn’t. It’s just kind of one of those experiences where it seems like time stands still a little bit.” -Stephen Curry

“He put on a clinic. He knocked down shots in all areas. I’ve seen a lot of great performances in this building and his goes up there… That shooting performance was a thing of beauty… The sad thing is to the audience, that was Stephen getting hot, but to us that’s just who he is. He’s a knock-down shooter in the highest regard.” -Mark Jackson

“Incredible by Steph. I have never been a part of anything like that in my life. He was uncanny. Unbelievable.” -Jarrett Jack

“That was greatness what we saw. You look at the people that have scored 50 in this building, it’s unbelievable. I’m glad I just had the pleasure of being this man’s teammate.” -Harrison Barnes

“It’s crazy because he doesn’t get the credit he deserves. He’s been a guy that has led us the whole season, him and David Lee. … That’s why it’s called a team because he can’t do it alone. He did his part tonight.” -Carl Landry

“We had to hope he missed. There is nothing anybody can do.” -Carmelo Anthony

“Any time you can score 54 points, it’s pretty impressive… He shot the hell out of the ball.” -Rick Barry

“That’s the way he needs to play all the time. You’ve got to play with that aggressive mentality. As unselfish as he is, and with the vision he has, it opens up so much more when he plays that way. The entire team benefits when he plays that aggressively. I don’t know how Mark (Jackson) feels, but I’d be mad if he doesn’t take 20 shots per game.” -Rick Barry

In case you missed it, the Warriors debuted their new alternate uniforms in their home game against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, February 22nd. These new uniforms are the first modern short-sleeved jerseys in the NBA. On February 11th, the Warriors held an introductory press conference with Lawrence Norman, the vice president of adidas global basketball, Rick Welts, the Warriors’ COO, rookie Harrison Barnes, and Head Coach Mark Jackson. If you’d like to watch the press conference, click here. Some of the main points that were highlighted in this press conference were:

1) The new uniforms show the Warriors’ commitment to being innovative and stylish.
According to the Warriors and adidas, the new uniform is made from 60% recycled materials, dries twice as fast as other jerseys, uses lightweight stretch woven fabric in the shorts, and uses 360-degree stretch fabric in the armhole and shoulder of the sleeves to allow for maximum movement and range of motion. The new uniform is also 26% lighter than the Warriors’ current uniforms. Are they really stylish though? Let’s be honest here. They’re not the prettiest pieces of clothing to look at. First of all, the yellow on the shirt is different than the yellow on the shorts, seen in the pictures below. The shorts are technically “gold,” but, regardless, it looks like the players are wearing shirts and shorts of different brands that use different versions of yellow. Or that the player got dressed in the dark. It looks wildly unprofessional and unfinished. So, how does that equate to style? I’m not sold. Also, you know what would make the jerseys even lighter? No sleeves! The new uniforms could stay sleeveless, but still use the new lightweight fabric that adidas wants to show off. They could’ve made super lightweight tanktops like a track jersey or something. That would’ve been “revolutionary,” but still “stylish” and not the latest laughing stock of the NBA.

2) The Warriors organization is confident that fans will love the new uniforms, and the uniform was designed with the fans in mind.
First of all, through some simple observations on various social media websites and of comments made by fans on the official photos and blogs the Warriors have posted about the new uniforms, I’ve noticed the majority of fans don’t like the new uniforms and think they’re ugly. A lot of fans don’t like the sleeves and find it somewhat embarrassing actually. So, strike one for the Warriors organization. Although it’s great to see adidas strive to be as progressive as possible in terms of uniforms, the adidas Revolution 30 uniforms are very expensive also. A swingman Revolution 30 uniform is $105 compared to a normal swingman jersey, which is $90 at the NBA Store for the road jersey, and $60-$70 for the home jersey. The new uniforms, because of the new, progressive technology, is $110. Strike two for the Warriors organization. Maybe my point of view is slightly biased because I’m a college student, but that is way too expensive. Spending $90 or $100 on a jersey is already a lot, so why would a fan spend $110 on a sleeved jersey that isn’t even that popular? An overly expensive jersey doesn’t exactly seem like a product designed with fans in mind.

3) The Warriors are the Bay Area’s team, and it is reflected in the uniform.
After the announcement that the Warriors would move to San Francisco in 2017, their entire ad campaign for the upcoming 2012-2013 season centered around how the Warriors are the Bay Area’s team, possibly trying to show the fans and the city of Oakland that the Warriors organization still cares about them, despite the planned move to San Francisco. The new uniforms are walking ads that the Warriors are the Bay Area’s team as well. COO Rick Welts explained in the introductory press conference that the pinstripes on the shorts, aren’t in fact pinstripes. They’re representative of the cables on the Bay Bridge, which symbolizes how the Warriors are truly the Bay Area’s team. If that sounds a little crazy to you, just wait. In addition to the pinstripes, oh I’m sorry, the cables, the shorts also feature a stripe down the side, which comes to a distinctive point at the bottom of the shorts. According to Welts, this is representative of a spear that a typical Warrior would carry. *Insert cricket noises.* Really? Spears? This sounds more like an explanation of a 12 year-old’s book report or diorama than a professional sports team’s jersey. I couldn’t help bursting out into laughter when I heard Welts describe the shorts this way. I seriously doubt that’s a reaction that the Warriors wanted and expected, which is a little scary, in my opinion.

4) The NBA is the only major sport that doesn’t have sleeved uniforms, so this new uniform is a way to be revolutionary and progressive.
Excuse me if my upcoming explanation is painfully simple or obvious, but the NBA has been using sleeveless jerseys because it makes it easier for players to shoot, rebound, defend, dunk, etc. Am I being too logical right now? There’s a very obvious reason why the the NBA doesn’t have sleeved uniforms. It’s not some kind of silent protest to sleeves. Harrison Barnes and other members of the Warriors claim that the sleeves don’t impede their shooting motion because it’s so light, but I’m convinced that sleeveless jerseys still give a player a little more motion and flexibility. However, this isn’t the main issue about this statement by the Warriors. How is it being “revolutionary” or “progressive” to conform to what every other sport does and has been doing for a long time? Why would an NBA team want to conform to using a sleeve? Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t see how it’s innovative to use a sleeved jersey, in order to be like every other sport. The NBA used sleeved jerseys a long time ago, so it’s not like this has never been done before. Revolutionary and innovative? Not so much.

The whole marketing of this new jersey has been extremely flawed. The portrayal of the benefits of the jersey has been somewhat effective, but the style and the initial notion behind the jersey is completely wrong. Since these jerseys are the Warriors’ alternate jerseys, fans won’t have to see them too much during the season, thankfully. However, I wish the Warriors organization was more tactful when they designed these jerseys. There are obvious flaws and in an attempt to keep these jerseys hidden and surprise fans, they completely forgot to ask fans in the preliminary stages if they even liked them in the first place. I think with some tweaks (most importantly, matching the yellows), these jerseys wouldn’t be too bad. Great endorsement, right? However, if the Warriors truly are the Bay Area’s team and if the Warriors organization does really want to please the fans with this jersey, they would’ve come up with a much better design with input from the fans. That would’ve been a fun, interesting social media campaign that the Warriors could’ve run. Unfortunately, this is strike three for the Warriors organization. The new uniforms are out, and they’re not looking good.

NBA analysts usually just pencil in the Lakers as the winner of the Pacific Division each year, but this year, the Lakers are struggling mightily to find an identity and two other teams in the Pacific Division are playing at a much higher level. The Clippers are ranked #1 in the Pacific Division as of today, and the Warriors are ranked #2. These two times have never occupied the top two spots in the Pacific Division at the same time. Both franchises are known as ones that haven’t had much success in their history, so no one saw it coming that both these teams would be this successful at this point of the season. However, both teams are clearly on the rise. The Clippers and Warriors have already played twice this season, and both games have resulted in a Warriors win. Both games had very different tones though.

The first game was on November 3rd, 2012 in Los Angeles. It was the only the third game of the season, and the Warriors were 1-1 going into the game. The Warriors were a very different team back then. Andrew Bogut was resting his ankle this game, and the Warriors had just lost their sixth man, Brandon Rush, for the season with a torn ACL. The Warriors rotation was a little different back then. First of all, Festus Ezeli started his first game of the season, three games into his rookie year. Also, Andris Biedrins didn’t play at all this game, meaning the Warriors went small for the majority of the game, Charles Jenkins didn’t play any minutes either, Draymond Green played only five minutes, and Richard Jefferson played 22 minutes.

The Warriors led by as many as 14 points at a couple points in the game, but it was mostly a close game throughout. Fans were able to see intial signs that the Warriors were improving. First of all, the Warriors won the rebounding battle 48-33 and held the Clippers to 42.9% shooting, which was a good sign since rebounding and defense were always the Warriors’ problems. In addition, Stephen Curry took a charge on a Chris Paul drive to the basket that would have tied the game with 7.5 seconds left. Curry hasn’t been known as an elite defender, but starting in this game, he has shown signs of much improvement on defense. Curry then made two free throws with 6.9 seconds left that sealed the 114-110 win for the Warriors. Curry finished the game with 23 points and 4 assists. The Warriors also got a huge performance off the bench from Carl Landry, who had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Klay Thompson also chipped in 17 points and 8 rebounds. After the game, Mark Jackson said, “We don’t quit. We had every reason to quit, but we gutted it out and we defended. It was just a great win for us. I am extremely proud of my guys.” The Warriors determination and constant effort are traits that were developed early on in the season and have continued to grow since. To read more about how the Warriors have improved this season and how they never give up, click here.

To watch highlights from this game, click here.

The Warriors and Clippers met again on January 2nd, 2013 in Oakland. Oracle Arena was hosting a “Whiteout” that included all fans wearing white shirts, a snow machine outside of the arena, and several other displays of the holidays. It surely was a festive night at Oracle Arena, but in addition to the holiday spirit, the fans spread around their excitement for the game, which caused a playoff-like atmosphere at Oracle Arena for the first time since the “We Believe” playoffs in 2006-2007. The rotation now included Biedrins, Jenkins, Green, and no minutes for Jefferson. Bogut is out until his ankle is fully healed, so Ezeli is still the starting center as well.

The Warriors started off the game on fire, which led to a 26-8 lead. The Warriors had three days off prior to the game and appeared fresh and aggressive from the beginning of the game. The Clippers were playing their second game of a back-to-back and appeared a little worn out early on in the game. The Warriors’ biggest lead of the game was 24 points, and they built this lead because of their excellent 3-point shooting, great defense, and rebounding. The Warriors shot 52.2% from the 3-point line compared to the Clippers shooting only 27.6% from the 3-point line. The Warriors also played great defense, holding the Clippers to 36.2% shooting, and they won the rebounding battle yet again 53-38. Curry made 9 of his first 10 shots, and scored 25 points in the first half, the most points by a Warrior in a half this season. He finished the game with 31 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds. David Lee had another spectacular game and finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists. Klay Thompson also had 19 points and was 5-9 from the 3-point line. The Warriors won 115-94.

To watch highlights from this game, click here.

The Clippers have two All-Stars in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, but the Warriors have a point guard and power forward who both also have strong cases for making the All-Star team this year. Stephen Curry is finally healthy, and he’s had a phenomenal season averaging 20.4 points, 6.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 43.6% shooting, 45.6% shooting from the 3-point line, and 89.5% from the free throw line. Only two other players in the NBA average at least 20 pints, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. Those two players are LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, who are both All-Stars. Curry also has several 20 points-10 assists games. David Lee is basically a double-double machine, and he averages 20.2 points, 3.7 assists, 11.1 rebounds, 53.8% shooting, and 82.4% from the free throw line. He was named the Western Conference Player of the Week from Monday, December 10 to Sunday, December 16th. He also posted seven straight games, the whole seven-game road trip, with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. Mark Jackson discussed why Curry and Lee should be All-Stars this year after Wednesday’s game and he said, “[Curry] has been great. The guy’s an All-Star. Maybe I’ll hold my own game if these two guys [Curry and Lee] aren’t in there. Maybe that’s the answer, but these two guys are All-Stars. Steph Curry played Chris Paul and it looked like two of the best in the business going at it. It was great, because what happens is, the rest of the guys realize, we’ve got a guy at the head of the snake that’s not backing down, and it breeds confidence and breeds life.”

In addition to the All-Star matchups that we’ve seen in these games, we’ve started to see why the new must-see rivalry in the Pacific Division is between the Warriors and the Clippers. Although the Clippers made the playoffs last year, both teams entered the season very much underrated by the rest of the league, especially the Warriors. No one expected the Warriors to be 22-10 at this point in the season. The Clippers went on an unbelievable 17-game winning streak, but they have now dropped two straight games, and their record now stands at 25-8. These two teams are actually fairly similar though. The Clippers rank 3rd in the NBA in opponent field-goal percentage, and the Warriors rank 4th. Both teams have great bench support, although the Clippers have more experience on their bench. Both teams have incredible talent in the point guard and power forward positions. The Clippers have more experience in the playoffs though. The Warriors and Clippers meet again this Saturday night in Los Angeles, and the Clippers will want revenge. The Warriors will be prepared though. David Lee said after Wednesday’s game, “They’re going to be ready. They’re a team that has a lot of character and a lot of guys that don’t like to lose. They’ve won a lot of games in a row and they’re going to be ready and we’re going to be ready as well, we’re excited to go back down there for this challenge.” This will for sure be an interesting and exciting rivalry throughout the season.