5 Greatest Stephen Curry Playoff Moments

A four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP and 2022 NBA Finals MVP, Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry is no stranger to the environment of the NBA playoffs.

As one of, if not the greatest point guards to ever touch a basketball, he has plenty of experience fighting for championships and building his legacy through exemplary play in the postseason.

The game's best shooter ever has given the basketball world countless memorable moments thanks to his unique play style and ability to enter a zone that few others can get into on the offensive end.

Curry's experience in playoff games has only given him more opportunities to display his ability to perform when it matters most and in any pressure-filled situation thrown his way. Through countless dazzling plays, long-range threes and clutch moments when his team's season was on the line, he's been able to build a reputation as one of the best playoff performers in NBA history.

Without further ado, here are the five most memorable plays of Curry's postseason career.

5Curry Cashes in on a Game-Tying Three in 2015

Warriors' superstar knocked down a crucial shot in the first round

After a 67-win regular season and being awarded his first NBA MVP award, Curry and the Warriors met the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs.

The Pelicans sported one of the best young players in the game, Anthony Davis , who was named an All-NBA First Team selection that year. New Orleans also possessed a then-24-year-old Jrue Holiday , an All-Star two seasons prior with the Philadelphia 76ers and 2010 Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans.

After the Warriors took both games in Oracle Arena to capture a 2-0 series lead, the Pelicans fought hard in Game 3 and gave themselves a chance to get back into the series. After three quarters of play, New Orleans led Golden State 89-69, with full momentum in a packed home arena.

But Curry and the Warriors would chip away and trail by only three points with 9.6 seconds remaining in regulation.

Coming out of a timeout with possession of the ball, the Warriors got Curry a look for a three-pointer that badly missed off the front of the rim.

After his initial miss, Warriors' center Marreese Speights flew in for a huge offensive rebound and handed the ball back to Curry in one swift motion. Curry relocated to the corner to receive the pass from Speights and proceeded to throw up a prayer from behind the three-point line over the outstretched arms of both Davis and Evans.

His second attempt would fall, tying the game with just 2.8 seconds remaining.

Golden State then completed its comeback by running away with the game in overtime, with Curry's 40 points and clutch shooting powering his team to a 3-0 series lead.

4Curry Explodes in Iconic Return From Injury

Steph announces his presence with a masterful performance off the bench

Fresh off being named the NBA's first-ever unanimous MVP recipient after his unbelievable 2015-16 regular season, Curry suffered an MCL sprain during the Warriors' series against the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs.

This injury sidelined Curry from the end of that series to midway through the team's second-round matchup against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers , a series Golden State led 2-1.

It was then announced before Game 4 that Curry would make his return coming off the bench and likely play only limited minutes.

Curry entered the contest for the first time with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter and put himself into the scoring column with a mid-range jump shot over Portland's CJ McCollum two minutes later. Curry would end the first half with 11 points, with the Warriors trailing 67-57.

Curry would be stifled in the third quarter as he would score only two points, but he'd help to bring his team back and force overtime on the back of his 10 fourth-quarter points.

In overtime, Curry put the game away with a gargantuan individual scoring run.

He'd score nine consecutive points to begin the period with tough finishes under the rim and long-range daggers. With the Warriors leading 120-118 with less than two minutes remaining, Curry casually stepped into another three-pointer, which he'd connect on, giving his team a five-point advantage.

As he walked down the other end of the court after the shot fell through the net, the back-to-back league MVP would look straight into the crowd to let everyone know he'd made his presence felt.

After another impossible three-pointer over Portland's Al-Farouq Aminu, Curry would finish the game with 40 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to help his team claim a 3-1 series lead.

Curry's late-game flurry also made history. With 17 of his team's 21 overtime points, he broke the NBA record for the best scoring performance in a single overtime period (regular season and playoffs).

3A Game 7 for the Ages

Curry lit up the Golden 1 Center in a record-setting elimination game performance

The Warriors' 2022-23 season didn't go exactly as planned after winning an NBA title the previous season, as they placed sixth in the Western Conference heading into the postseason.

Though they secured a guaranteed playoff spot and bypassed the Play-In Tournament, they drew the Sacramento Kings as their opponent.

The Kings shocked the world that season, reaching heights the franchise hadn't seen in decades. The team reached the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the West, ending their record-long 16-season playoff drought.

Led by All-Star point guard and eventual Clutch Player of the Year winner, De'Aaron Fox , the Kings would quickly prove a worthy match for the defending champions as they jumped out to a convincing 2-0 series lead.

Sacramento captured the first two games of the series through solid play in clutch time and by possessing one of the most raucous and loud fan bases, which gave them an incredible home-court advantage. With the series' momentum swinging back and forth after the Warriors won three straight games and Sacramento took another win in Golden State, the series culminated in a Game 7, which would take place in arguably the loudest building in the Association.

Trying his best to keep his team's back-to-back title hopes alive, Curry attempted to win this pivotal contest single-handedly, displaying his incredible knack for one-on-one scoring and shooting off the dribble. Curry poured in 20 first-half points, but the best was yet to come.

Beginning the second half trailing 58-56, Curry somehow turned his scoring up another level to help his team effectively end the series. He'd pour in 30 second-half points in an eventual victory, knocking the Kings out of the postseason thanks to his mind-blowing 50-point performance.

Curry would break the record for the most points ever scored in a Game 7 in NBA playoff history until Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics scored 51 points of his own in a Game 7 victory against the 76ers just over two weeks later.

2Clutch Second Half Propels Warriors to Conference Finals

Curry dominates down the stretch after a scoreless first two frames

Curry and the Warriors were on the hunt for their third consecutive NBA title in the Kevin Durant era, but their plan hit a slight snag during the 2019 NBA Playoffs as Durant went down with a calf strain during Game 5 of their second-round series against Chris Paul, James Harden and the Rockets.

After a deflating seven-game series defeat against Golden State in the 2018 Western Conference Finals, Houston had been preparing all season long for their rematch with the back-to-back champions. Durant's injury could not have come at a more fortunate time.

In the NBA world, many figured that the Rockets would take advantage of his absence and finally defeat the mighty Warriors, especially since Curry no longer had his former MVP running mate.

With a 3-2 series advantage, Golden State traveled to Houston to take on the Rockets in a hostile environment, and it was presumed that Curry would finish the night with a signature performance, but that was far from the case in the first half.

Curry blew several layups and couldn't get his three-point shot to fall. After two quarters, Curry picked up three fouls and failed to hit on any of his five field goal attempts.

Thankfully, his fellow backcourt sharpshooter, Klay Thompson , was keeping Golden State within reach with another one of his well-documented signature performances in a crucial Game 6 situation. Thompson had done his job by scoring 21 points in the first half on five made three-pointers, but Curry would need to step up for his team to have any chance of pulling away.

As the second half began, Curry would finally have a shot go down in the form of a left-handed layup. After getting on the board, he'd begin a scoring rampage that few had seen coming based on his lackluster output through the first two quarters.

Whether he relocated for a catch-and-shoot three-pointer or drove and finished in the paint with a smooth teardrop floater, Curry had officially come alive on the offensive end. He finished his miraculous individual comeback with a ridiculous three-pointer over the hand of Rockets' forward P.J. Tucker to give his team a 107-102 lead with 1:28 left on the clock.

After knocking down eight clutch free throws to ice the game, Curry finished with 33 points, all of which came in the second half.

Without Durant, Curry stepped up and ended the series while saving his best for last, scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter alone to send the Warriors to their fifth straight Western Conference Finals.

1Curry Cements Legacy With Gutsy Finals Performance

Facing a potential 3-1 deficit, he carried his team to a stunning victory

Simply put, the Warriors were not supposed to compete for an NBA title in the 2021-22 season.

Just two years prior, the team won 15 games as both Curry and Thompson were sidelined with year-long injuries, and in 2020-21, the team was eliminated in the Play-In Tournament.

Yet somehow, Curry found himself competing for his fourth title against the absolute best the Eastern Conference had to offer: the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics stole Game 1 with an incredible fourth-quarter rally and led 2-1 after a momentum-shifting win at home in the TD Garden in Game 3.

With his back against the wall and staring at a possible 3-1 deficit with another loss in enemy territory, Curry arguably gave the world his magnum opus.

Curry began his scoring barrage with creative finishes at the basket and several deep threes, prompting him to talk a little trash to the Boston faithful in the first quarter. As the game continued, Curry's impressive shooting and efficiency only picked up, though the game's outcome was still unclear.

With 3:49 remaining in the fourth quarter, Golden State held a 95-94 lead with possession. Curry handled the ball and discarded 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart with a body bump that led to a switch with Celtics big man Robert Williams III .

Curry drove and shot a one-legged floater in the lane, which dropped, extending the lead to three.

Over two minutes later and the score unchanged at 97-94, Curry received a pass from Draymond Green , stepped back and nailed a right-wing three-pointer over Derrick White , giving the Warriors a 100-94 lead with 1:42 left to go.

Curry's dagger eventually led to Golden State tying the series at 2-2 and ultimately culminating in the franchise's seventh NBA championship.

Curry finished what may have been the greatest game of his career with 43 points and 10 rebounds, an iconic performance that earned him his fourth title and first NBA Finals MVP award.

With his latest championship victory as the clear-cut leading man, Curry put to rest any argument that he is not capable of leading a team to the promised land.