Steph Curry was gone for two weeks, one day, and three quarters. Then, last night in the fourth, he rose again from the dead. Thank Threesus.
Steph hadn’t played a full game since he dropped 46 points on the Memphis Grizzlies in the last game of the regular season nearly a month ago. Prior to last night, due to injuries to his ankle and knee, he had played less than 40 minutes in eight playoff games. He hadn’t played a single minute in 15 days. We knew there would be rust, and boy, was there ever. On the one hand, Steph moved well. His step had his normal spring. On the other hand, his shot was off. Way off. As in he-air-balled-a-3-point-shot-while-going-0-for-9-from-behind-the-arc off. It was ugly. On the other, other hand, Steph created in other ways. He weaved his way to the basket for his patented high floater layups. His mere presence on the court forced Portland’s defense to spread out to the perimeter, creating open lanes for Dray & Co.
But still, 0-9 on 3-point shots was disconcerting. Many of us were ready to write this game off. The most important thing was getting Steph back on the court for his medically-limited 20-25 minutes, we nervously told ourselves. And then Shaun Livingston said, “Nah, screw that. Steph is getting his.” After being mauled on his way to a layup without a foul being called, Shaun had some choice words for the ref and was immediately ejected from the game. With the backup point-guard gone, all eyes turned to Steph. Then he went super saiyan.
Steph’s 13 points through the first three quarters swelled to 23 by the end of the 4th. His decoy and assist to Harrison Barnes for the clutch three to tie the game sent the game into overtime. The Overtime.
Michael Jordan had his Flu Game. Steph has this game an instant classic. In the five minutes of OT, Steph went 6/7, hit three 3’s, and two free-throws. That’s 17 points in an overtime. To put that into context, Steph scored more, by himself, than Miami and Toronto, combined, in their overtime last night. Who does that? Before Steph, no one another record rewritten. After sitting for over 2-weeks with an MCL sprain, Steph hung 40 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists on Portland. R.I.P. City.
Last night’s game wasn’t only the Steph Show. Draymond finished with a monster 21 points, 9 rebounds, 7 blocks, 5 assists, and 4 steals he feasts on Mason Plumlee’s soul. Harrison came through huge in the last minute of regulation, and Mo Speights will always put the biggest smiles on Warriors fans’ faces. And the Trailblazers remind everyone of the Warriors two, three years ago. The Bay, of course, loves Dame and he and his Blazers will make their mark on the league. But they’re not there yet. This is Steph’s time and his overtime.
Western Conference Semi-Finals
Golden State Warriors (1) v. Portland Trailblazers (5)
Warriors lead series 3-1
Sunday, May 1: Warriors WON (118-106)
Tuesday, May 3: Warriors WON (110-99)
Saturday, May 7: Warriors LOST (120-108)
Monday, May 9: Warriors WON (132-125)
Wednesday, May 11: Warriors at home, 7:30, TNT
Friday, May 13: Warriors at Portland, TBD
Monday, May 16: Warriors at home, TBD