Last night, in the first game back after a whirlwind 2018 NBA All-Star weekend, Stephen Curry pushed the ball across half court as time wound down near the end of the first quarter.
He dribbled to his left, pulled one sneaky behind-the-back move — “Got by Rivers!” — and pulled up from, what ... 43 feet away? 44 feet? Buried the shot. Nothing but net. Not even the whisper of metal. The ball passed through the hoop like Doctor Strange sling-ringing his way through some time/space portal.
It was glorious to watch, and more than anything, it made me sit up and think, “Oh man, these dudes are locked and loaded, sprinting towards come-what-may for the rest of the season.