Curry...my favorite player of all time...is not very clutch

[ILOVEIT]

EDIT: I'm not talking about showing up every game and having a great overall game. I'm talking about "having ice in the veins" clutch. Not being impacted by the pressure. Coming up big time in the final 1 or 2 possessions of the game.

Disclaimer - Curry is both the greatest shooter of all time....the most entertaining player in the last 20 years. I would not trade him for any player in the league. He's a joy to watch and will be a top 10 HOF when it's all said and done, IMO.

But...he's a below average closer and clutch player. And I'm not talking about going on a 10 point amazing run up to the last minute of the game....I'm talking GAME ON THE LINE ...make it or go home.

I can think of one very clear circumstances where he took over and make all the clutch player when it mattered most - against Houston without Durant. I remember him hitting a big game tying shot to beat New Orleans against AD (after missing the first then getting it back and nailing the second 3 pointer).

But even this year we've seen a bunch of situations where he and the team just sort of disintegrates. He's guy. Closing out games is up to him. CP3 does it. Irving does it.

And we all saw him come up short in the 2016 finals .... clearly tight...

Recently....Wizards final possessions were a joke. Kings game was a complete meltdown ...two turnovers, missed FT's.

I would bet the house on him having dominate regular season statistics....
I would not bet much on Curry in a playoff situation, down 1, 10 seconds to go, to win the game.

I love him...but history shows he's super vulnerable to ill advised one handed passes, bad decisions out of a trap, or simply missing open shots that, for the rest of the game seem automatic.

[Impuniti]

The only player that's more clutch than Curry during the last 5 minute span is probably Lebron. But he is not a 1 shot clutch player at the level of Dame for example. If a game is even around the 5 minute mark I"m comfortable. If it's down 1 point with 4 seconds less, it's not the same.

[a8bil]

The only player that's more clutch than Curry during the last 5 minute span is probably Lebron. But he is not a 1 shot clutch player at the level of Dame for example. If a game is even around the 5 minute mark I"m comfortable. If it's down 1 point with 4 seconds less, it's not the same.

With the game tied, I'ld probably take Lebron, but I wouldn't pick him with a 2 point deficit. Lebron's great at getting to the hoop and drawing a foul, but he's a bit shaky at the FT line over the past several years, dropping under .7 on the season. Harden is a better choice for getting to the line, drawing a foul and making his shots, but I would worry about Harden making bad decisions, and shooting a 36' step back 3, when all he needed to do was drive the hoop. Curry would be the best, but refs won't call fouls when he drives the hoop, so he's at a disadvantage. Durant is probably the best choice, all things considered. But is Curry clutch? Heck ya.

[shazam_guy]

Yeah, I think the point isn't Curry's clutchness per se, but whether he would be a) swamped with defenders and b) fouled on a long jumper without anything getting called. We've seen for years that you don't want to bet against Curry getting grabbed or smacked and the defender getting away with it.

[ahmetmekin]

Well, the last time Curry faced CP3&Harden combined in the playoffs he finished the last quarter with something like 99% ts with 20+ points.

His clutch ts% has been pretty good and it is also good this year. If it is a close game he is one of the best, if you are down by 5+ points he is probably the best option. If you are up by 10 points in the last 6-7 minutes (well then it is not clutch by definition anyways) then he is not best option since it is more preferable to have a high floor low ceiling scoring option than having a high ceiling+more variance to win the game. For the last case, the best option is a mixture of midrange game+attacking to the rim (so higher fg% is better) and slowing down the game. So if we had Derozan instead of Wiggins for example then a loss like Washington game probably would not have happened. It is also why KD played a significant role closing the games for us.

[WarriorGM]

If the game is close at the end it tends to mean Curry has been having a bad game because if he had been having a good game the game wouldn't be close.

That's why you'll notice the absolute number of occasions in which he has been in last few seconds clutch situations is fairly low in comparison to other guys. Curry usually wins before it gets to that.

[Jester_]

Lol what in the world. Steph normally has the highest net +/- across the board, those numbers historically fly up in the clutch. He's lethal with the game on the line.

Why do people still think "good clutch performer" = hitting buzzer beaters? Statistically Kobe IIRC was below average in the clutch, but he chucked up so many last minute shots everyone thought he was an under 2 minute savant

[Onus]

Booooooooooooo

[Frozzy]

Nah

[ILOVEIT]

Okay....so you all think he's clutch? Rather have him taking the last shot over Damion or Irving?

Excellent...I look forward to seeing him nail some game winners starting tonight

[floppymoose]

Curry is so clutch that he gets doubled and trippled at game end, giving GS a huge advantage. I can see saying he’s less clutch this season due to the turnovers, though.

[Onus]

Okay....so you all think he's clutch? Rather have him taking the last shot over Damion or Irving?

Excellent...I look forward to seeing him nail some game winners starting tonight

So your definition of clutch is only last second shot ...

[SamuraiAttack]

Is him missing that shot in G6 2019 a product of not being clutch or did he not miss.. and I just throw out 2016 finals altogether.. It was messed up. Curry knee, Dray suspension, Bogut out, Andre back spasms.. 2016 is only time he underperformed and he had an excuse. So 2 bad series his whole career... I'm taking him over anybody not named Lebron in the clutch

[Badly Browned]

Curry is as clutch as any star in the league, which is to say people probably overrate clutchiness. People act like "clutch" players shoot like 60+% True Shooting in the clutch, or overrate players like Kobe who statistically weren't very efficient but took a lot of "clutch" shots.

Anyways, twitter thread on Curry's clutch stats:

Read on Twitter

Curry has his share of clutch shots, and despite that Kings game we know Curry makes his FTs when it matters. And in general, Curry is one of the greatest playoffs scorers in NBA playoff history with 26.5ppg and 61% True Shooting.

The thing Curry doesn't have is the narrative of a go-ahead last second shot to win a playoff series.

Read on Twitter

[WarriorGM]

Okay....so you all think he's clutch? Rather have him taking the last shot over Damion or Irving?

Excellent...I look forward to seeing him nail some game winners starting tonight

So your definition of clutch is only last second shot ...

Curry has led his team back from double digits down numerous times including multiple playoffs elimination games. I'm pretty sure he's done that more times than the last few seconds clutch shots from many other players that get most of the attention. I find such comebacks more impressive. Higher degree of difficulty and longer sustained pressure.

[HiRez]

Yeah, not clutch. And no foul on the last shot even though he got trucked.

Watch on YouTube

[TB]

Curry has pretty low sample size of last second shots because 1) he's so good during the game we haven't had as many close games as other teams and 2) theres a reason other superstars have those high profile 1v1 iso scenarios and Steph doesnt. Coaches don't want him anywhere near a last second shot so they send everyone at him.

Yes, on the instances he's gotten a shot off (some good looks) he has a pretty terrible number... i want to say it was like 2-15 or something. But that sample size is sooooo much lower than other players do the the reasons mentioned above.

Long story short, he's incredibly clutch. If you have Steph, you are going to win pretty much every section of the game he is in... start, middle or finish.

[ILOVEIT]

Okay....so you all think he's clutch? Rather have him taking the last shot over Damion or Irving?

Excellent...I look forward to seeing him nail some game winners starting tonight

So your definition of clutch is only last second shot ...

It's really the last couple of possessions. If you've played sports you know that there are some guys that want the shot and are able to make the big shots with the game on the line. There are others that can have a hot game right up until the shots that close out or win or lose the game.

My definition of clutch in the context of this question: A player who THRIVES and has a better chance at executing under pressure than most. They have a single focus and rise to the occasion ... their performance is almost enhanced under pressure. It doesn't have to be the SHOT....it can be the really smart clear headed play that leads to the win EVEN if the wide open player misses the shot...UNLESS the super star was open and should have taken the shot.

Damion is clearly that. CP3 is clearly that. LeBron is not that clutch, IMO. He often turns down shots or misses big shots. Jordan was clutch (and yes he passed it to Kerr...but he also made a crap load of clutch shots and plays in his 6 chip run). Kobe was clutch. He didn't always MAKE the shot. But he rarely....rarely fumbled the ball out of bounds or choked it up because of a double team etc.

[Onus]

Okay....so you all think he's clutch? Rather have him taking the last shot over Damion or Irving?

Excellent...I look forward to seeing him nail some game winners starting tonight

So your definition of clutch is only last second shot ...

It's really the last couple of possessions. If you've played sports you know that there are some guys that want the shot and are able to make the big shots with the game on the line. There are others that can have a hot game right up until the shots that close out or win or lose the game.

My definition of clutch in the context of this question: A player who THRIVES and has a better chance at executing under pressure than most. They have a single focus and rise to the occasion ... their performance is almost enhanced under pressure. It doesn't have to be the SHOT....it can be the really smart clear headed play that leads to the win EVEN if the wide open player misses the shot...UNLESS the super star was open and should have taken the shot.

Damion is clearly that. CP3 is clearly that. LeBron is not that clutch, IMO. He often turns down shots or misses big shots. Jordan was clutch (and yes he passed it to Kerr...but he also made a crap load of clutch shots and plays in his 6 chip run). Kobe was clutch. He didn't always MAKE the shot. But he rarely....rarely fumbled the ball out of bounds or choked it up because of a double team etc.

As been stated here before Curry is constantly making shots which is why his sample size for last second game winners is low. If he makes the last 6 shots it doesn't come down to the last shot most of the time because no one can match him shot for shot especially if he's making 3s.

[ILOVEIT]

BTW....and really I wish I didn't see it last night.
Under a minute, Curry with an open 3 to win the game...

Again, I'm not saying he's not a miracle for all the stuff he does. I'm just saying that's the remaining chink in his armor. The rest of the game he plays with freedom and abandon....but with the game on the line he tends to aim that ball and the outcome is often different.