Stephen Curry goes into superhero mode, and the Warriors are still alive after Play-In Tournament thriller

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Stephen Curry is a timeless treasure. Say whatever you want about what the Golden State Warriors should do this summer or whether they should even be trying to make the playoffs this season, but the sheer entertainment value of watching Curry play basketball supersedes it all.

Curry went for 35 points on Wednesday night and the Warriors rallied from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Los Angeles Clippers, 126-121, in the West's No. 9 vs. No. 10 Play-In game. The Clippers are eliminated, and with that, Oklahoma City will get their 2026 lottery pick.

The Warriors, meanwhile, advance to play the Phoenix Suns on Friday in a do-or-die game for the No. 8 seed and the right to play the Thunder in the first round.

[2026 NBA playoff bracket: Matchups, schedule as Warriors stay alive, 76ers advance to face Celtics

Brad Botkin

It's delusional, sure, but I'll be damned if Curry doesn't make you feel like the Warriors could put a scare into the Thunder. Steve Kerr said it when Curry came back from a 27-game absence less than two weeks ago to score 29 points in just 26 minutes as if he'd never missed a beat.

"We're back in the mix," Kerr said. "We're back in the fight with Steph."

That sounded ridiculous at the time. Even knowing Curry is capable of just about anything on a basketball court, these Warriors seemed way too far gone for even him to pull them back. They probably still are. The Suns could very well beat them on Friday. But let's hope not. We're not supposed to have favorites in this business, but you tell me who you'd rather see playing in the playoffs: The Suns or Steph Curry?

That's what I thought.

Curry never ceases to amaze even those of us who swear we've seen him do it all. Somehow, he keeps raising his own bar for heroics. At 38 years old, if he's not as good as he's ever been, the difference qualifies as nearly invisible to the naked eye. He still gets every defense in the book thrown at him. He continues to torch them all. He only had eight points at halftime, but nobody gets hot quicker. He put 16 on the Clippers in the third, and 11 more in the fourth as the Warriors (with some help from Al Horford and Draymond Green) flipped a 13-point deficit into a five-point win.

Even those numbers don't do the experience justice. It's the type of shots he hits. And the moments in which he hits them. Absolute basketball nirvana. It's always fun to watch the guys on the bench who haven't been with the Warriors for long. It hits different when you're on the same side as this madness. Kristaps Porzingis, who had a hell of a game himself on Wednesday, could only laugh in outright astonishment when he watched Curry lace this preposterously difficult step-back over John Collins.

STEPH CURRY HITS HIS 3rd THREE of Q3 🔥

24 PTS (16 in Q3)

Warriors trail by 8 in a must-win battle! pic.twitter.com/nLNc091x2R

— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2026

And then the game-winner with less than a minute to play:

STEPH CURRY GIVES THE WARRIORS THE LEAD!

GSW 120
LAC 117

50.4 TO PLAY IN A MUST-WIN GAME 🍿 pic.twitter.com/HgYTHtLlOp

— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2026

"This is why Steph came back," Kerr said after the game. "Everybody out there who thought Steph should've taken the rest of the year off, this is what he does, this is who he is. If he can compete, he's going to compete. It was just incredible to watch."

Steve Kerr: “This is why Steph came back. Everyone out there who thought Steph should take the rest of the year off…*bangs table*…this is what he does.” pic.twitter.com/bfMeeS3QZC

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 16, 2026

Look, the Warriors winning this game or even the sheer joy of watching Curry perform like this doesn't change the fact that there was, and still is, a strong case to be made that the Warriors would be better off not making the playoffs. If they do, they'll lose a lottery pick this summer that could be a very valuable trade chip should they look to make a big trade this offseason for one last realistic championship run.

I was all aboard that train. I thought it was ridiculous to bring Curry back at this juncture of the season, just to likely lose in the Play-In or, at best, get spanked in the first round. But you know what? Getting to watch Curry play high-stakes basketball for even one more game, or even a full series vs. a 64-win Thunder team, is worth it.

Forget that lottery pick. Forget, for the time being, whatever it is the Warriors plan to do this summer. If ever there was a player worth living purely in the moment for, it's Curry.

He's the greatest showman the NBA has ever seen -- and very possibly ever will.