Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in lower third position. Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray, and line bottom of pan using parchment paper. Wrap edges and bottom of pan using heavy-duty aluminum foil, or wrap tightly in a plastic slow cooker liner; set aside.
Stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until combined and evenly moistened. Press mixture evenly into bottom of prepared springform pan.
Bake in preheated oven until light golden and fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
Beat cream cheese, sour cream, and butter with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until fluffy and fully combined, 4 to 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
Add sugar and salt to cream cheese mixture, beating on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed just until combined after each addition, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl using a rubber spatula as needed. Add vanilla; beat on low speed just until combined, about 30 seconds.
Lightly coat sides of springform pan with cooking spray. Pour Cheesecake Filling into cooled crust.
Place springform pan in a large roasting pan, and place in preheated oven on lower third rack. Pour hot water into roasting pan, filling to about 1 inch up sides of springform pan (about 12 cups). Bake at 300°F until outer 4 inches of cheesecake is set and center 5 inches of cheesecake has a subtle jiggle, 55 minutes to 1 hour, 5 minutes.
Turn off oven, and leave oven door open 7 to 8 inches; let cheesecake cool in oven for 30 minutes. Remove pans from oven, and carefully remove cheesecake from water bath; remove and discard foil. Let cheesecake cool in springform pan until room temperature, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate, uncovered, until completely chilled and set, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
Chop about 1 cup of the strawberries to yield 1/2 cup; cut remaining strawberries in half lengthwise or in quarters, if larger, to yield 3 cups; set both aside separately.
Place chopped strawberries in a medium saucepan; add sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high, stirring occasionally; boil, stirring occasionally, until juices are bubbling, thickened, and strawberries are mostly broken down, about 5 minutes.
Whisk together water and cornstarch in a small bowl to create a slurry. Reduce heat in saucepan to low, and stir in cornstarch mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until evenly combined and sauce is thickened, about 1 minute.
Remove pan from heat; add remaining halved strawberries, stirring until evenly coated in strawberry mixture. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl. Loosely cover, and chill Strawberry Topping until completely cooled, at least 30 minutes or up to 4 days.
Remove cooled springform pan from cheesecake, carefully sliding a small offset spatula or butter knife around edges to loosen. Top cheesecake with Strawberry Topping. Slice and serve.
