Stephen Curry had 22 points in the Golden State Warriors' Game 7 victory over the Houston Rockets. The future Hall of Famer did not have to carry all the burden thanks to Buddy Hield's 33-point explosion, which is arguably a much better path to winning than Curry needing to go fully off with one of his classic 50-point performances. So perhaps that's why Curry averaged 24.0 points in the series. Or it's because at his advanced age he's just not capable of getting the to the half-century mark any longer.

That's Charles Barkley's stance, which he shared on Inside the NBA before Game 7.

"You said he had those 50 points two years ago," Barkley said, responding to his colleague Kenny Smith. "That's like five years ago. The NBA's like dog years. Steph is starting to wear down. I don't think he's capable of getting 50."

Ernie Johnson mentioned that Curry had two different 50-point games this season. But Barkley, perhaps correctly, sees the playoffs as a different animal.

"I'm talking about now," Barkley continued. "This late in the season. This is not January and February. This is the playoffs and he's wearing down.

Johnson then informed Barkley that Curry's last 50-point game came in April and Barkley tried to argue that April was "a couple months ago." Which is a stroke of brilliance but not supported by any existing calendar.

Curry will have more opportunities to reach that figure against the Minnesota Timberwolves. And perhaps even more if the Warriors are able to prevail in that one. Barkley may not be wrong but Curry is approaching—or perhaps already at—that Tom Brady level where it's really hard to bet against him so stay tuned.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Charles Barkley Doubts 'Worn Down' Stephen Curry's Ability to Drop 50 Points .

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