Steph Curry proves he’s the last of his era in escaping first round

No Bron, KD, Beard, or the Klaw remain in the playoffs. But you can count on Steph to make it to the second round!

We’re witnessing the Western Conference transform into a mausoleum of legends.

This postseason didn’t just separate contenders from pretenders folks, it pressed a cold steel blade against the throats of titans and whispered “expired.” The conference that once overflowed with immortals now echoes with the footsteps of the last true deity still prowling.

The battlefield has cleared, and what remains isn’t about box scores or playoff seeding. It’s about mythology crumbling.

The old gods are dying out.

And Steph Curry? Still alive—still firing lightning bolts.

First, let’s eulogize the fallen.

LeBron James, basketball’s last monarch. Twenty-one seasons of dominance, four rings, ten Finals appearances. None of it could stop Father Time from finally collecting his due. His Lakers got escorted into summer vacation by a Minnesota pack that hasn’t even grown fangs yet. LeBron exited with 22 points and eyes that screamed, “I might be writing my final chapter.” The King’s throne is wobbling, the crown heavier than ever.

Kawhi Leonard, the silent assassin. Once the most feared two-way force in basketball, now can’t get his team. For the first time in years, his body cooperated...and it didn’t matter one damn bit. The Clippers imploded anyway, lacking the resistance that once made them dangerous. Kawhi didn’t exit with a roar. He barely made a footprint. That’s not tragedy; that’s irrelevance.

James Harden, the vanishing artist. The man who once averaged 36 points, who bent defenses until they broke? Gone like smoke. His final Game 7 performance? Seven points. Eight shots. Invisible when visibility was required. He’s not even a threat anymore. He’s a footnote. He didn’t lose a duel. He forfeited his legend status.

Kevin Durant, the mercenary messiah. Perhaps the most unguardable scorer ever, now trapped in a Suns experiment that combusted on launch. A $400 million bonfire with no warmth. Durant wasn’t the problem, but he’s certainly not the solution. Phoenix is plotting an escape route. KD’s nomadic hoops journey has yet to find championship outside of the Golden Empire.

These were the names that forged a decade. These were the emperors of the Western Conference. Now? They’re artifacts. Disconnected. Outgunned. Out of time.

And yet while pillars collapsed, one remained unshaken.

Stephen Wardell Curry.

The last unicorn. The final surviving believer in ball movement, brotherhood, and battle scars. While other greats were being thrown out of the first round, Steph was doing what Steph does: winning games that matter. Not with a superteam. Not with MVP reinforcements. Just himself, Draymond’s chaos, Jimmy Butler’s ferociousness, and Buddy Hield’s flamethrower services.

The Warriors didn’t squeak past Houston. They extinguished them. A 103-89 Game 7 masterclass where Curry erupted in the fourth like a dormant volcano choosing violence. Fourteen fourth-quarter points. One reality-warping “Night Night” dagger. One more notch on a legacy belt that’s running out of leather.

Don’t mistake this, it ain’t “vintage” Steph. This is evolved Steph. A mid-thirties maestro with a damaged thumb and playoff mileage who remains the most terrifying fourth-quarter reaper in basketball. He’s not aging out. He’s ascending.

This postseason, he didn’t just advance—he outlasted.

When the carnage concluded, Steph stood alone, second round ahead of him and four fallen legends in his rearview. They were once his rivals. Now they’re footnotes in the story of the West this season.

Steph Curry isn’t playing for trophies anymore. He’s playing for immortality. Not chasing rings, but chasing relevance in an era desperate to bury its past before the highlights finish uploading.

And he’s doing it with grace, grit, and Game 7 daggers that silence entire cities.

So salute the fallen legends. They gifted us memories, murals, and moments that built this league. But while they limp towards exit interviews, Steph Curry is still sprinting toward something real. Something immortal.

Because while they were the era...

Steph still is.