Steph Curry's 54 points vs. Knicks, Carmelo Anthony put NBA on notice

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Editor's note: This week, we'll be rehashing some of the most iconic moments in Steph Curry's career. Tune in to "Curry Countdown" on Saturday, May 30 at 10:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Bay Area to relive all things Steph.

Steph Curry fancies himself as a showman. 

For every 3-pointer made, a celebrative gesture is sure to follow. For every run, a subtle shrug is expected. 

On Feb. 27, 2013, Madison Square Garden was his stage, as the Warriors star scored a career-high 54 points, including 11 3-pointers, outdueling Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony and nearly beating New York by himself in a signature performance. 

The scoring feat was among Curry's earliest in his young career, but the duel with Anthony signaled how basketball was drifting from the midrange to far beyond the arc, helping Curry to achieve worldwide fame by the end of the night. 

While Curry's performance was a statement, his viability was questioned in the years leading up to the performance. In 2009, despite averaging 28 points per game in his senior year at Davidson, he dropped to the seventh pick in the NBA draft amid concerns of his size and positional uncertainty.

But while he proved his talent -- he finished second in the 2010 Rookie of the Year voting -- ankle injuries threatened to undo Curry's career before it got traction. Through his first three seasons, he suffered multiple ankle sprains, playing just 26 games in the 2011-12 season. Nearly two years before the outburst in Gotham, he underwent surgery to strengthen and attach ligaments in his right ankle. 

However, the Curry Conundrum began to take shape. In the 2012-13 season, he'd play 78 of a possible 82 games, leading the Warriors to a 47-35 record. Along the way, Curry, with the help of Klay Thompson, was poised to change the way the league played.

There was no better example of Curry's transition than his 2013 matchup with Anthony and the Knicks. 

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Anthony, who entered the league in 2003, represented a league groomed by isolation-dominant stars like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson. His ball-dominant game yielded success, as he averaged 24.9 points over his first six seasons, leading the Denver Nuggets to the Western Conference finals in 2009. By 2013, he was in the midst of leading the Knicks to a  54-28 record -- New York's best record since 2000. 

While Anthony's game was effective, Curry was rewriting how it was played. In the seasons following the outburst at the Garden, Curry led the league in 3-pointers five times. In 2016, he became the league's first unanimous MVP, finishing with an NBA record 402 3-pointers. 

In the showdown, Curry and Anthony showed why each style is effective. Three minutes into the game, Anthony received in the ball in the post, took a dribble and muscled in a layup on rookie forward Draymond Green.

One quarter later, he got the ball near the free-throw line on Carl Landry, faced up and drained a mid-range jumper. In the final minute, guarded by Green in the post, he scored on a fadeaway jumper to put the Knicks up four, icing the game.

Not to be outshined, Curry went on a scoring binge for the ages. After a quiet four-point first quarter, Curry exploded for scored 23 points in the second quarter, helping Golden State get within five points of New York by halftime, dazzling along the way.

His first 3-pointer of the quarter came in the corner, aided by a Richard Jefferson screen. A minute later, he stepped into another trey over Pablo Prigioni. Thirty seconds later, he stole the ball from Anthony, ran to the arc and drained another 3-pointer. By halftime, he'd accumulated 27 points, including four makes from beyond the arc.

[RELATED: How Steph's 'Bang! Bang!' game changed perceptions]

He didn't slow down in the second half, raining in another seven 3-pointers. Curry was so hot that he missed a high-five attempt from Green in the fourth quarter after draining another three for his 47th, 48th and 49th points. 

Despite Curry's exploits, Anthony's style and his Knicks won out, as the 10-time All-Star finished with 35 points in a 109-105 victory. 

But not before Curry put the rest of the league on notice for what was to come. 

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