Stephen Curry On His 62-Point Night After Facing Criticism: ‘Cue The Jordan Meme, I Take That Personally’

After an 2-3 start in which they got blasted by the three presumptive playoff teams they’d faced, things looked bleak for the Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry wasn’t able to get the looks he wants and his efficiency had dipped through the first five games of the season from where we’re accustomed to seeing it.

As such, despite the small sample size and the clear need for the Warriors to work through a lot as a team, the takes grew hotter and hotter about the viability of Curry as a player capable of producing at the rate and efficiency he once did without an elite cast of characters around him. While it was fair to wonder exactly how high Curry could lift this particular Warriors team, the conversation shifted beyond this season to his legacy and calling into question how good he actually was when he was winning MVPs and titles.

Curry has become an incredibly polarizing figure, with extremely loyal fans who defend him to no end and plenty of detractors who happily jump at the opportunity to pick at his legacy. On Sunday night, Curry let his play respond for him, dropping 62 points on the Blazers in a career-high performance that saw him light up the Chase Center and remind people just how high his highs can be. After the game, Curry was asked about if he’d heard the chatter and responded with a self-aware answer, noting that, yes, much like the now infamous meme of Michael Jordan from The Last Dance, he heard it and took it personally.

He quickly shifts the conversation to how good it felt to just get loose on the court again and help his team start to build some winning habits. Curry even seems to recognize that after such a performance expectations can swing wildly to the other side and looks to temper them by noting that this is a team still learning how to win, and they start with a focus on winning the first quarter and building from there. They did that and more on Sunday, and he’s glad to see it come together against a quality team in Portland for once after three dismal efforts against Brooklyn, Milwaukee, and Portland this past Friday.