Warriors’ Steph Curry On Play-In Win: ‘That’s What You Live For’

“When you have any time of chance or hope to extend our season, I wanted to be out there and experience it,” Curry said. “You don’t imagine it going like it did tonight. But I’m proud of how we all fought.”

After laboring through a 37-45 regular-season record amid season-ending injuries to Jimmy Butler (right ACL) and Moses Moody (ruptured tendon), the Warriors showed team-wide championship DNA.

Though Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard scored 21 points on a 8-for-17 clip, Warriors forward Draymond Green helped limit Leonard from deep (1-for-6) while forcing five turnovers. Warriors forward Kristaps Porzingis added 20 points and five assists with a strong perimeter and post presence both as a scorer and facilitator. Warriors center Al Horford added 14 points while shooting 5-for-8 overall and 4-for-7 from 3. Not a coincidence that Curry (four), Green (four), Porzingis (one) and Horford (one) have all won NBA titles. The Warriors also saw their young players thrive in a high-stakes game, including Gui Santos (20 points) and Brandin Podziemski (17 points).

Just like during the Warriors’ dynasty run, however, everything circles back to Curry. It starts with his play with his gravitational pull, his shooting and strong decision making. It also extends to Curry’s resiliency with overcoming a sluggish start.

“It does everything to set the tone,” Green said. “Because when the head of the snake is locked in like that and everything is going wrong for him and he stayed dialed in and continuing to push forward, no one else is allowed to drop their head. You’re going to watch this guy who has nothing to play for. If he goes home today, he’s Steph Curry. Nothing’s changing that. But when you watch him go through what he’s going through, you watch him deal with the tough start. And his head is held high. The next shot, in his mind, is the best shot. Well, everybody else feeds off of that. So man, I’m blessed to play with him for 14 years. He’s a special, special guy. He’s a special player, and that’s why he’s been the face of this organization and this organization has done this.”

That’s why Kerr told his players afterwards that he felt just as proud of his team’s latest accomplishment as when they competed for NBA titles. The Warriors have enough experience and self-awareness to realize a Play-In tournament win doesn’t warrant a champagne bath. It still warrants emotions, though.

Beforehand, Kerr conceded the possibility that the Warriors were facing finality with the remaining pieces of their championship fabric. When the buzzer sounded, Kerr and Green hugged each other for keeping that fabric intact. No wonder Curry remained hellbent on returning so long as it didn’t compromise his long-term health.

“Watching what he was going through was tough because you knew that all he wanted was to be out there,” Green said. “He’s coming in every single day putting the work in and, for a large amount of time, not getting any results. Most people would quit, especially when you’re in a position like that. Most people would be like. ‘I’ll get myself right and I’ll do it again next year.’ But that’s never who he’s been. That’s why this organization has been able to go from worst to first. When you have a guy like that, that the only thing that matters is the next day and not the next year, just the next day. Everyone else falls in line. Everyone else has a responsibility because of the responsibility that he takes on. This is why he wanted to get back. Because when he’s on the floor, you always have a chance.”

Curry carried that same attitude even during his in-game hiccups He labored through finding enough open looks from deep. He struggled to finish at the rim while absorbing contact. He became annoyed with not receiving whistles amid physicality both at the rim and from beyond the perimeter.

Throughout his 17-year NBA career, Curry always believes the next shot will fix a slump or missed calls. That concept played out against the Clippers. In the third quarter, Curry scored 16 points on a 6-for-8 clip. In the fourth quarter, Curry added 11 points on a 4-for-6 mark.

“I love everything about Steph. But what I’ve seen happen tonight and over and over again is that he can be in the middle of a very average game. And then all of a sudden, it clicks,” Kerr said. “He’s so poised out there. Having a rough go, he just keeps going and keeps going. All it takes is one. You can feel it.”

So can Curry, obviously.

“I’m just having fun. I think the muscle memory and the reps and the work you put in your entire life comes out at the right times,” Curry said. “I always talk about earning and deserving the confidence you play with because of the work that you put in. and not being afraid of failure, missed shots and turnovers. You just keep going. Then the shot goes in, there’s a rhythm to it. You keep finding yourself open. Then you enjoy the environment.”

That explains Curry’s execution to his clutch 3 and his subsequent reaction.

With the game tied at 117 with 58.5 seconds left, Curry and Green ran what appeared to be a pick-and-roll. Instead, Curry threw a behind-the-back pass to Green only for him to dish the ball back with a dribble handoff. Though the Clippers’ Kris Dunn and Brook Lopez still chased Curry, he had enough space to pull up for 3 and make the shot.

“Steph is one of the smartest players,” Green said. “He doesn’t get credit for it because he’s so good. He shoots the ball better than anyone. He dribbles the ball as good as anyone. So oftentimes people don’t value his IQ.”

Plenty value Curry’s joy, though. After releasing the shot, Curry fell into a handful of Clippers courtside fans. Once the ball dropped into the basket, Curry bantered with the fans before flexing his arms and yelling.

“I was just playing around with one of the guys. I actually landed on his lap,” Curry said, smiling. “He was making sure I was good. Then we had a little back and forth. Very pleasant, but it was fun.”

Hence, Curry’s postgame emotions. He stressed that “we’re not satisfied” with just one Play-in Tournament victory. The Warriors are aware they need to ensure enough energy and execution against Phoenix just to secure a first-round series against the Thunder. The Warriors just want a chance, though. Because they still have Curry capable of playing at his best, they will gladly keep playing that hand.

“This is what you work all year for, all summer, all offseason,” Curry said. “We’re not guaranteed a series yet. But these nights make everything worth it.”

This article was originally published on Forbes.com