Among the criteria for greatness in the NBA is the ability to step up when the lights are bright. And they’re certainly the brightest at Madison Square Garden. Performing at MSG is one of the hallmarks of an all-time great, and by that standard, Stephen Curry is certainly one of the greatest.
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With a 114-102 win over the Knicks last night, the Chef elevated his all-time record at Madison Square to 12-1. It was his 10th consecutive win in the Big Apple, and he secured it with a dominant performance.
Playing on the second night of back-to-backs, Curry poured in 28 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 5-0f-9 from three-point range. Shaquille O’Neal was so impressed with Steph’s showing that he made a grand declaration during TNT’s post-game coverage.
“As the supreme leader of the ‘Big Man Alliance’, I demand you fans to start putting Steph Curry in that greatest of all time conversation,” the Hall of Famer said. “Just start putting him in the conversation.”
The Big Aristotle wasn’t suggesting that Curry had become the greatest player of all time overnight. He simply believes that the Chef’s resume deserves consideration. With four NBA championships, two league MVP awards, and nearly 25,000 points in the bank, Steph’s legacy speaks for itself.
And even at 36 years of age, the Baby-Faced Assassin isn’t done adding to it. Since February 6th, the Warriors have played just two games on their home turf. During this road stretch, Steph has averaged 30.2 points while knocking down 40% of his 13 three-point attempts per game, leading the Dubs to a 9-4 record.
Golden State’s winning ways certainly lend credence to Shaq’s bold statement about Curry. He expanded on his argument too, by comparing the Chef to Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
“Listen, I played against Mike, played with Kobe. Played against and with LeBron. They’re all great. But at some point, we’re going to have to put Steph Curry in that category. I’m not saying he is but let’s just have the conversation,” O’Neal added.
It will certainly be a new height for Steph, as the only conversation he has entered thus far is that of the greatest point guard. And even that conversation remains divisive with Magic Johnson himself refusing Curry the throne.
However, for Shaq, the biggest argument in Curry’s favor is rather simple. “I ain’t never seen nothing like that before. And nobody has,” he explained.
So we will have to see if fans oblige.
