Stephen Curry, Batman's Antithesis in Houston

Legendary boxer Mike Tyson once said, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. This statement seems to aptly reflect the situation of the Houston Rockets. The talented team had a plethora of plans to silence Stephen Curry, but those plans fell apart the moment the three-point shots began to fly.

The Rockets, the second seed, were full of confidence before facing the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. That optimism was well-founded. They are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA and just beat the Warriors 106-96 in the final stretch of the regular season, just two weeks ago.

At that time, the team coached by Ime Udoka successfully made Curry speechless. The Warriors' mainstay guard only scored three points, making one of ten attempts. The 22-year-old Rockets forward, Amen Thompson, was immediately dubbed Curry's "handler" because he was so solid in defense.

However, once again, Curry created his own storyline. He led the Warriors to a 95-85 victory in the opening game of the series at the Rockets' home, Toyota Center, on Monday (21/4/2025) morning WIB. Curry was unstoppable, contributing 31 points, including making five out of nine attempts from three-point range.

“Batman came out of nowhere,” Warriors forward Jimmy Butler said when asked about Curry’s heroics. “You never see him coming, and then he drops out of the sky, off a building, behind a door, and does incredible things. He’s going to be the reason we win this whole thing.”

As a context, Butler recently likened Curry to a Batman figure for the Warriors. Curry is considered to always arrive on time when his team needs a savior. In the first game earlier, this indeed happened. The player with a collection of four championship rings immediately showcased his skills after the Warriors struggled at the beginning of the match.

The Warriors were trailing 18-23. Then, Curry suddenly got hot in the middle of the game. He made 11 of 12 shots that made the Warriors turn the game around to lead 66-43. One of them was a three-pointer with a very high angle amid intense pressure from Rockets guard Jalen Green.

The throw "shook" the Toyota Center. Everyone inside the stadium was astonished. The game commentator, Kevin Harlan, even remarked that this should not have happened according to geometric calculations. However, logic often does not apply in the world of the greatest shooter in NBA history.

Curry's performance has become increasingly special due to the treatment he faced throughout the match. He was not only closely guarded in turns by the very athletic young players of the Rockets, but he was also made the primary target in the opponent's attack strategy. The stamina of the 37-year-old player was drained in both defensive and offensive situations.

Physical superiority is the strongest aspect of the Rockets. So challenging was the physical duel that Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr felt as if time had reverted to 1997. The NBA was very "tough" during that era. "Steph is incredible. He can still produce many great plays under the pressure from Thompson and others," he stated.

The calmness and experience of playing in the “playoffs” make you less likely to panic.

Thompson, who was initially relied upon by the Rockets, instead became a witness to the greatness of the superstar. Curry made three three-point shots right in front of his face. Thompson is indeed blessed with an athletic body standing at 2.01 meters tall with long arms, but Curry possesses shooting range and imagination without limits.

Curry said the Warriors’ advantage over the Rockets is experience. The opposing team is returning to the playoffs after being absent since 2021. “The composure and experience of playing in the playoffs makes you less likely to panic. So we’re relying on that more than any history here,” he said.

The history Curry refers to is the Warriors' dominance over the Rockets in the last decade. The Warriors have always eliminated the Rockets in four meetings in the playoffs between 2015 and 2019. Former Rockets guard James Harden also admitted that the Warriors are the main reason he has not won the title until now.

If Curry is Batman for the Warriors, then the opposite is true for the Rockets. He is the enemy, the antagonist, the greatest villain for the city of Houston. How could it be otherwise, after burying the Rockets' golden generation, Curry continues to haunt the rival team that is beginning to rise with a new generation this season.

Interestingly, the Rockets are coached by Udoka. The coach is one of the victims of Curry's greatness. Udoka failed to lead the Boston Celtics to victory as they lost to the Warriors in the finals in 2022. In fact, just like in this series, the Celtics were also favored due to having a much more athletic young squad.

The Rockets should be worried. Curry did not come alone. He was accompanied by Butler, who is also an experienced figure. Butler contributed 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals in his Warriors debut in the playoffs on Monday morning. The 35-year-old player calls himself a Robin figure, Batman's tandem.

The world has turned upside down for the Rockets in this series. Batman, accompanied by Robin, arrives not as a hero like in the comic stories, but to steal once again in the city of Houston. (AP)