1. Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has been scoring at an incredible rate. Curry joins Allen Iverson in 2005-06 as the only players in the past 30 seasons to average at least 32 points per game in the first 20 games of a season, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. 2. Curry makes an unprecedented amount of 3-pointers. In Wednesday's win, Curry became the fastest player in NBA history to reach 100 3-pointers in a season. The previous record was 31 games by Ray Allen (2005-06) and Ryan Anderson (2012-13), according to Elias research.
3. Curry dominates in bunches. He scored at least 20 points in a quarter for the fifth time this season. No other player has done that more than once.
4. Curry is efficient. His 65.0 effective field goal percentage this season would be the highest by any player who averaged at least 20 points per game since Wilt Chamberlain in 1966-67. It would be the highest by any player to average at least 30 points per game.
5. If that doesn't show how efficient Curry has been, how about this: His 34.4 player efficiency rating thus far (entering Wednesday) is on pace for the best player efficiency rating in NBA history. The current record is 31.8 by Wilt Chamberlain in 1962-63.
6. Curry doesn't need a lot of shots to score a lot of points. His 18 field goal attempts on Wednesday were the fewest in any of his career 40-point games.
7. Curry can play one-on-five. He scored the final 24 points for the Warriors in the third quarter, outscoring the Charlotte Hornets 24-17 over the final 7:30 of the quarter. According to Elias research, he's the first player to score 24 straight points for his team since LeBron James did it in 2010 against the Knicks.
8. Curry plays even better on the road than at home. Curry has five 40-point games in 10 road games this season. According to Elias research, Curry is the first player since Allen Iverson in 2005-06 to score 40 points in five of his first 10 road games in a season.
9. Curry needs to be guarded as soon as he crosses half court. Curry has made five shots this season from 30 feet and beyond. No other player has made more than one shot from that distance.
10. Curry also makes an impact on the defensive end. He ranks second in steals per game this season (2.4), trailing only Kyle Lowry.
11. The Warriors are consistent on offense. They're the first team to score at least 100 points in each of their first 20 games of a season since the 1990-91 Nuggets.
12. The Warriors' offense is ridiculously efficient. They average a league-best 113.7 points per 100 possessions, 6.4 higher than any other team. (The Thunder are second with 107.3).
13. The Warriors play defense, too. They rank sixth in defensive efficiency, allowing fewer points per 100 possessions than they did last season when they led the league in that category.
14. The Warriors are an elite rebounding team as well. They rank fourth in the NBA in rebound percentage this season.
15. The Warriors win playing at a super-fast pace. They rank fourth in pace with more than 101 possessions per 48 minutes, a faster pace than when they led the league in that category last season.
16. When the Warriors run, they score. They lead the league with 21.3 fast-break points per game, 3.1 more than any other team. (The Wizards are second with 18.2).
17. The Warriors defend the 3-pointer almost as well as they shoot the 3-pointer. They rank second in the league, slightly behind the Knicks, holding opponents to 30.1 percent shooting on 3-pointers. Despite playing at one of the fastest paces, they allow the second-fewest 3-pointers per game (6.3; only the Spurs allow fewer).
18. The Warriors have multiple elite spot-up shooters. Curry ranks fourth in catch-and-shoot points per game, but his teammate Klay Thompson ranks first with 9.1 catch-and-shoot points per game. As a team, the Warriors lead the league with 35.4 catch-and-shoot points per game, nearly four more than the next-closest team (Hawks, 31.6).
19. The Warriors pass the ball well. They've assisted on 69.4 percent of their made field goals this season, the best assist percentage in the league.
20. The Warriors continue to find new records to break. They already broke the record for most consecutive wins to start a season. Now, they're one win away from becoming the first team in major pro sports history to start a season with 21 straight wins, and -- after closing last season with four wins -- they're 10 wins from breaking the NBA record for longest win streak.
Poster Comment:
I am an ex-Californian. I was born in the Navy hospital at Alameda.