OAKLAND, Calif. _ Warriors' coach Steve Kerr said that Steph Curry, who is 29 years old, is at the top of his career.
"Steph is right in his prime, physically, mentally, emotionally," Kerr said Monday. "He's the smartest he's ever been in terms of his knowledge of his opponents and of the league. He's now seen every possible coverage over the last few years people are throwing at him."
That was never more evident than Saturday when the Warriors beat the Boston Celtics, 109-105, behind Curry's 49-point performance. It was his sixth-highest scoring game of his career.
The game came down to the wire, and Curry and Celtics' superstar Kyrie Irving were basically in a one-on-one battle in the final minutes. Curry responded by scoring 13 of the team's 14 points in the final 1 minute and 45 seconds to beat the Celtics, who have the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Kerr went on to say that Curry is even more exceptional because he's so unselfish. There's no ego there. He truly wants what's best for his team.
"What I think impresses me most about Steph is he knows that if we wanted to, we could play every game like we did last game _ put him in a high screen every play, and he could average 35 every game," Kerr said. "He really could. But it wouldn't be great for the rest of the team. It wouldn't be good for other guys, really. It wouldn't be good for the flow of the game. It would feel more stagnant, which disrupts the rhythm of the other players."
Curry is at that point in his career where his perspective has caught up to his skills, and Kerr said that makes him a force to be reckoned with.
"He's got the peace of mind that comes with being a multiple champion and an MVP," Kerr said. "In some ways, he's playing with house money. There's different stages in a player's career _ there's the climb, there's the apex and there's the descent. I feel that this is his apex _ nothing to prove, top of your game, feeling great, he should enjoy every bit of it."
Last Thursday, Curry became the fifth player in franchise history to reach 14,000 points over his career, alongside Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Paul Arizin and Chris Mullin. Over the week, he averaged 35.3 points (the second-highest in the NBA), shooting 59.6 percent from the field, and 56.8 percent from beyond the three-point line. He also averaged seven assists, five rebounds and 1.7 steals a game.
Kerr that Curry is pretty much able to do it all, and he's smart enough to know what to do when.
"That combination is just incredibly powerful," he said.
