The Redemption Algorithm

When the Warriors lifted the 2022 Larry O’Brien trophy, my spreadsheets cheered louder than Dub Nation. Because unlike emotional sports debates, cold hard data had predicted this moment since Curry’s statistically absurd 2020-21 season: 32 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists per game on 48/42/90 shooting splits—numbers that would make Pythagoras weep. Yet analysts still questioned if he could “carry” a team.

Gravity Wins Championships

Here’s what box scores miss: Curry’s +30% team win differential when on-court during the “Hamptons Five” era wasn’t coincidence—it was geometry. Our defensive gravity models showed opponents committing 2.3 extra defenders to him within 25 feet, creating more open looks than any player since Jordan. The 2022 playoffs proved it again: his +12.3 net rating dwarfed KD’s playoff stats that same year.

The Narrative Regression

Remember the “3 rings, 0 FMVPs” trolls? My data viz team tracked mentions—those hot takes evaporated faster than Memphis’ defense in Game 6. When you adjust for:

• On/off court impact (+17.4 pts per 100 poss without KD)
• Playmaking creation (28.7% assisted teammates’ FGs)
• Historical spacing metrics

…those first three championships suddenly look very much like Curry-led dynasties. Sometimes math does what Twitter never will: shut down bad arguments with better ones.