SI:AM | The Steph Curry Show Is Still One of the Best in Town

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In today’s SI:AM:

🏉 Mendoza’s rise

🏀 Curry & Green show

🗳️ Mannix’s MVP ballot

The Warriors Show Us the Best of What the Play-In Can Be

Wednesday night’s action in the NBA play-in tournament picked up right where Tuesday left off, with two more gritty games that made the stakes of the playoffs immediately apparent.

The obvious story of the evening was the Warriors’ stellar comeback effort against the Clippers in the late window. Those who watched what was not the prettiest game between the 76ers and Magic and stayed up to see what happened in the West were rewarded with delightful vintage performances by Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Al Horford as the Warriors pulled a rabbit out of the hat against Los Angeles.

Through the lens of a basketball cynic, the Warriors only won a game that allowed them to stay alive for one more game, where they could win the right to likely lose in a first-round playoff series to the Thunder in four or five games. Sure, fine.

But through the lens of a basketball fan capable of embracing whimsy, the Warriors transported us back in time last night.

This was a win that felt straight out of the Warriors dynasty—a team that shoots so hot it simply refuses to die. The Clippers opened the game on a 12–2 run, only to be matched by a 12–2 run by the Warriors. By my rough count, Los Angeles extended its lead to at least nine points on seven different occasions, and Golden State rallied to cut the deficit back to four or three points every time.

How did Golden State do it? By playing Warriors basketball. Curry, 38, finished with 35 points, 27 of which came in the second half. He capped off his performance with a go-ahead three that was more than worthy of his signature Night Night celebration, even though he chose to scream in triumph instead.

“Everybody out there who thought Steph should have taken the rest of the year off,” said Steve Kerr, lightly pounding the postgame podium. “This is what he does. This is who he is.”

“If he can compete, he’s going to compete. And it was just incredible to watch.”

It wasn’t just Curry. Green, 36, locked down Kawhi Leonard in the fourth quarter and came up with two critical stops in the closing minute of action. Horford, 39, was quiet for three quarters before drilling four threes in the fourth when the Warriors needed him most.

This type of drama is the best of what the play-in tournament could have ever hoped to be. The Warriors’ run as a dynasty has been over for some time, but the memories remain. This year’s 37-win campaign was marred by injuries up and down the roster, and just a few short years ago would have been immediately dumped in the memory bin by basketball fans as another anonymous year of decline.

Instead, the Warriors, as the No. 10 seed in the West, reminded us all just how hard they are willing to battle. Instead of one of Curry’s final seasons in the league—a league he has helped define for two decades—ending with a three-game losing streak of zero consequence, the play-in tournament gave us the necessary conditions to speedrun the thrills of one more peak-Warriors playoff run in a single evening. Coach Steve Kerr thanked the NBA after the game for the creation of the play-in tournament, and while I was a hater of the concept in its first iterations, I now join him in giving thanks.

I am 34 years old, and have spent much of this NBA season thinking about the coming changing of the guard. I barely remember the NBA as it existed before LeBron James, and will undoubtedly file basketball memories for the rest of my life under the titles of “LeBron era” and “post-LeBron era.” The same goes for Curry, Kevin Durant and yes, even you, Horford and Green, although obviously to a lesser extent.

In the world of sports, it is only the best of the best and the luckiest of the lucky that get to go out on top. While the Warriors' show is no longer the force that dominates the league, they proved on Wednesday that, as long as they are on the floor, they can still be the best show in town on any given night. It’s a perspective that I am going to try and hold close to my heart in the coming weeks, as we watch a first-round series pit LeBron against Durant for what could be their final postseason showdown.

Just a few days ago The Strokes, one of my favorite bands of all time, announced a 2026 world tour. They’re a band I have seen plenty of times before, and my immediate instinct upon seeing tickets become available was that I don’t need to see them again; their best days are done and sometimes memories can just be memories. But after what Curry and the Warriors showed us last night, I’m going to buy tickets.

As long as they’re on stage, they could still be the best show in town.

The best of Sports Illustrated

Fernando Mendoza has had a storybook rise from no-name prospect to certain No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, and he tells Greg Bishop that he followed Tom Brady’s methods long before it became clear they would join forces with the Raiders.
Tyler Shough’s experience as a seven-year college quarterback paid dividends in his rookie season for the Saints, making him Gilberto Manzano’s biggest draft hit of 2025.
Daniel Flick ranks the top 10 quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL draft.
Get ready for next week with SI’s comprehensive NFL draft tracker, featuring team needs, prospect scouting reports, news and more.
Chris Mannix was in Inglewood, Calif. as Steph Curry and Draymond Green showed they still have what it takes as they lead the Warriors past the Clippers in the play-in game.
Mannix also reveals his ballot for the NBA MVP award.

The top five…

… things I saw last night:

5. Darius Garland summing up the experience of playing against Steph Curry in just six words.

4. Udonis Haslem attempting to recreate Curry’s dance moves.

3. Darby Allin, AEW World Champion.

2. Chris Paul’s postgame Instagram story.

1. Kevin Harlan’s call on Curry’s final three of the game. GoOoOoOoOoD indeed.

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