Rockets legend in awe over Stephen Curry’s level of play

The last time the Houston Rockets were NBA champions, Robert Horry was a key contributor on the team. Sure, the Rockets had star players, like Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, but Horry’s stellar 3-point shooting was invaluable.

Horry was a true stretch-four and was in many ways ahead of his time, as the league wasn’t predicated on taking a barrage of threes, up until Rudy Tomjanovich decided to make it a part of the Rockets’ playing style. Times have certainly changed, as we’ve seen several players over the years take over the scoring load by heaving an avalanche of treys.

James Harden became a three-time scoring champ in part by letting it fly from deep, and nearly carried the Rockets to the NBA Finals with this style. Harden’s Houston Rockets consistently ran into the best shooter in league history in Stephen Curry, whose Golden State Warriors became nearly impossible to knock off.

Times are much different now, as the Warriors are currently 9th in the Western Conference, as they don’t have Klay Thompson or James Wiseman, and Kevin Durant is long removed from donning a Dubs uniform. But Curry has put on a valiant effort to carry the Warriors into the playoffs, much like Harden did on numerous occasions with the Houston Rockets.

Houston Rockets legend in awe over Stephen Curry’s level of play

Curry is leading the league in scoring with 31.2 points, which is a career-best, and has the Warriors at 30-30, making it a sure lock for the Dubs to make the play-in tournament. Curry’s play has drawn the attention of the aforementioned Houston Rockets 3-point specialist Robert Horry, who joined FanSided for an exclusive interview and gave high praise to Curry,

“Look at that guy over in Golden State. The streak he was on, oh my goodness. He’s playing awesome right now.”

Curry scored 30 or more points in 11 consecutive games this season, joining the ranks of Harden, who pulled off the feat 32 times in 2018-19, on his unguardable tour. Curry’s streak ended on Wednesday night, when he had 18 points in a loss to former Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook‘s Washington Wizards.

Curry bounced back on Friday night against the Denver Nuggets, scoring 32 points in a victory, and explained how he’s been able to rip off such an impressive level of play, on ESPN’s SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt.

“Anybody that gets to this level, you have a base of work that you’ve spent countless hours, whether it’s seen or unseen, perfecting. Obviously shooting the basketball is what I love to do, I’ve been doing it since I was a kid.

It’s muscle memory, it’s fundamentals, it’s creativity, and when you balance that with confidence, which I have the utmost right now, good things happen. So I’m just trying to get better. I feel like I can get better and that’s something that I’m always about.”

As for what exactly Curry needs to improve on, he elaborated further.

“I’m just trying to get more efficient with how I get my shots, and that changes year-to-year with the supporting cast that we have. We have alot of young guys trying to figure out the system. Early in the season it was a little different, trying to get your feet underneath you.

Now it’s trying to get as efficiently as possible, knowing that you’re seeing different defenses, knowing that there’s alot of attention, but still trying to create space. Trying to create open looks and then knock them down.”

Curry’s play and the mixture of injuries around the league has started the discussion of whether the Warriors’ star should be in the MVP conversation, which he’s publicly made his case for also.

But regardless of whether he becomes an MVP finalist, Horry is right: he’s been awesome.