Steph silenced doubters as Kerr urged Warriors to feel star power first appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Whether Stephen Curry hear the whispers. Maybe you check the internet and find comments related to your work.
Check that out. There is no “maybe” about it. Curry hears and sees all that because of his nature, dating to his teenage years, has to scan and glance. Especially in the face of criticism.
After going 24 minutes without a field goal and scoring just two points Wednesday in a 51-point blowout loss to the Grizzlies in Memphis, Curry bounced back with a bang Saturday night against the Timberwolves in Minnesota.
With the Warriors trailing by 21 points in the first half and trailing in the fourth quarter, Curry carried them to the playoffs. The reigning NBA Clutch Player of the Year scored 13 of his game-high 31 points over the final 3:38 to seal a 113-103 win.
“It’s great to see,” Trayce Jackson-Davis told reporters at Target. “A lot of people have doubted that man, but he’s been doing this for a long time. Any given night, it can explode like that. We just need it every game. We can’t rely on him alone – everyone has to do their part – but when you have a good appearance like this, it helps our team a lot. “
Curry’s funeral of the resurgent Timberwolves was a surprising response to his abysmal performance in Memphis, which prompted the few card-carrying citizens of Dub Nation to go to their keyboards and take to social media wondering whether The inevitable has begun to happen for the 16-year NBA veteran.
Is Steph Curry, 36, entering the phase when his star status begins to wane?
Not if you see Curry’s brilliance down there.
When the Timberwolves pulled within two (96-94) with 3:55 left, Curry drained a three-pointer to push the lead to five. He followed that 22 seconds later with a pair of free throws, tripping the lead to seven, 101-94, with 3:16 remaining. His three with 2:41 left put the Warriors up 104-94 with 2:41 left.
After a Donte DiVincenzo drive cut the lead to eight, Curry hit another triple to give the Warriors an 11-point lead (107-96) with 2:09 left.
“He thought it was good,” Curry said. “We need a win. We need such a good experience after the Memphis game. “
Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II made key plays down the stretch, but most everything the Warriors did well down the stretch was either courtesy of Curry or a benefit of his presence.
Coach Steve Kerr has already seen it and made it clear that he wants everyone on the team, especially the young players, to Understand the power of Curry – and still has what it takes to be a strong offense.
“I love the possession where Steph goes off the ball and we go swing-swing,” Kerr said. “You throw it to either Trayce (Jackson-Davis) or Gary in the pocket, it turns to Wiggs, Wiggs turns it to Dennis (Schröder), and it goes back to Steph. That’s the game right there.
“And that’s what we try to give our young players. We have Steph Curry on our team. So, get the ball. Pick up the ball. And if Steph gets fired early because he’s got an opportunity, now the defense is screaming.”
Kerr was referring to Curry’s 3-pointer that gave Golden State a 107-96 lead with a little more than two minutes remaining. Curry stopped the “night” celebration, but that shot showed his flurry that burned the Timberwolves.
“This is how we played for 10 years,” Kerr said of the system built around Curry. “And it’s important for our young players to understand we don’t need 17-footers competing with 12 (seconds) on the shot clock. That’s a bad shot. And I told our people about that over the course of several seasons. It’s something we have to recognize and be better with.
“When you have Steph Curry on the team, you pass the ball. Because (when) you pass two or three times, the defense is leaking. All hell breaks loose.
“It’s a choice. We can either make it win games, or we can shoot a bunch of 15-foot free throws in the middle of the shot clock to be a lousy NBA team. It’s ours. And we hit that point at home with our team. “
Draymond Green doesn’t need a hammer; you know Kevon Looney, Wiggins, Payton, Schröder surely all know.
Maybe Kerr’s message will resonate from one end of the list to the other, as appropriate. When something works, as Curry’s offense tends to do, it gives him a chance to punish the opponent.
