How Steph Curry mastered the flow state

Steph Curry closed his eyes and imagined he was elsewhere.

He was in the middle of a shooting slump during the Olympic Games in Paris, averaging just 7.2 points through four contests. Instead of allowing frustration to overwhelm him, he transported himself away before the semifinals against Serbia. 

"I was visualizing myself on the podium," Curry told FOX Sports. 

Curry tapped into a deep sense of calm. He felt joy. And then he did what he does best: Curry went unconscious on the court, erupting into one of his signature scoring flurries that have led to him being considered the greatest shooter in NBA history. 

With Team USA on the verge of worldwide embarrassment, trailing Serbia by 17 points, Curry exploded for 36 points, making 12 of his 19 shots, including nine 3-pointers, to lead his country to a 95-91 win. 

After the game, Kevin Durant called Curry's performance "God-like."

The 37-year-old Curry has been defined by moments like that over his 16 seasons in the NBA. Most recently, with the score tied at 94-94 at the top of the fourth quarter of Tuesday's play-in tournament, Curry scored 15 of his 37 points to lead Golden State to a 121-116 win over Memphis, clinching the seventh seed in the playoffs. 

Curry is able to enter into a flow state – perhaps more than any athlete ever – where he seemingly can't miss his mark. When he's in that mode, it's like having a window into watching Van Gogh paint a masterpiece or Beethoven conduct a symphony.  

During those avalanches, Curry appears to be throwing a basketball into an ocean instead of an 18-inch diameter hoop. He makes shots, even when wildly off-balance, while hands and limbs obscure his vision, while crashing to the ground with no view of the rim. 

Steve Kerr —