Michael Jordan's 1995-96 campaign for the Bulls is considered by NBA 2K16 to be the greatest ever. HIs 99 Overall rating for that season is the only one found in the video game, which rates players on a historical scale with a 99 in any category being assigned only to the best of all-time.
Stephen Curry is now threatening that standing at the same time his Warriors are going after the regular-season wins record held by those Bulls, and it's no surprise considering his astonishing level of performance this season.
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Curry is playing in a manner so unbelievable that developers don't have a system in place in their games to replicate it, and it's proving difficult to figure out just how to fit him into a simulation video game going forward.
In an update Thursday, Curry has moved to 98 Overall, surpasing the players he had previously been tied with (peak years from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and LeBron James) and leaving him to trail only the 99 Overall Jordan. However, he is still tied with a few of Jordan's other seasons.
Stephen Curry's capabilities have basically hit a ceiling in NBA 2K16. Having already been considered the best three-point shooter every by NBA 2K16 — with 99 ratings in both Standing and Moving 3PT — any boosts now are primarily affecting skills such as passing and defense.
When breaking the ratings down by individual attributes Jordan has a big edge, winning 24 categories to Curry's nine, with a tie in the remaining nine. Jordan holds considerable leads in defense, physicality, and dunking, while Curry is the better shooter, passer, and dribbler.
With the current structure in place, Curry would have to close the gap in the categories he trails heavily in to possibly reach the 99 Overall and tie Jordan. That's unlikely to happen this season but that doesn't change the unprecedented nature of what Curry is doing right now.
NBA 2K16 is trying to give him as much credit as possible for his unique abilities, but he's still somehow exceeding the capabilities built within the video game to represent them.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, has co-founded the new site HitThePass.com, hosts the Press Row Podcast, and be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.