'It's on Again' Stephen Curry's sensational return marks first step in Warriors'
For this year's Golden State Warriors, Curry scored 23 points for Golden State in his anticipated return from a broken left hand, but the Toronto Raptors beat the Warriors 121-113 Thursday night to clinch a playoff spot. most wins haven't come in the traditional form -- you know, the way that they've come for the previous four seasons since Steve Kerr took over as coach. This year, the franchise has measured success in the form of player development, incremental improvement and team chemistry. After being sidelined 58 games, Curry led Golden State out of the tunnel to a big ovation -- as loud as his neon sneakers, one pink and one yellow -- and the crowd stirred every time he pulled up to shoot. Kerr will be the first to tell you his team still needs real, actual wins sometimes to keep everyone motivated, but it's hard to imagine that any victory this season was as impactful as the symbolic win of Stephen Curry returning to the court on Thursday against the Toronto Raptors.
"Everybody is excited. It just feels like, in a lot of ways, and not just Steph's return. He missed his first two attempts, but had three quick assists, including a no-look, behind-the-back dish to Andrew Wiggins. He finished with seven assists and seven rebounds in 27 minutes. It just feels like we have emerged from the woods a little bit," Kerr said before the game. "The last week or two, knowing Steph will return, but winning a couple of games this week, getting some clarity on the roster with the trade with Andrew (Wiggins), signing a couple of 10-days who have really helped us and now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It's been a nice little stretch here. I think Steph has a lot to do with that."
“I was trying to be out there and not think about it," Curry said. "If I needed to make that pass, make it and no hesitation. It was a good feeling, throwing the first one.”
You can't blame the state-of-the-art facility or the Warriors fan base, which has been loud and energetic the few times it's been unleashed. There just hasn't been much to be excited about. Chase Center's inaugural season has been, in a word, underwhelming.
The two-time MVP hit a 17-footer for his first basket early in the second quarter, then got a huge reaction for a 3-pointer from well beyond the arc shortly before halftime. He was 3 of 12 from 3-point range and 6 of 16 overall for the game, the only blemish on an otherwise encouraging night for the three-time champion.
That all changed when the Warriors announced Curry's return following a four-month absence due to a broken left hand. Kerr joked about how many media members suddenly appeared for his pregame press conference. The crowd erupted in the middle of the national anthem when Curry's familiar face momentarily flashed on the Jumbotron. Once the game started, Curry drew massive cheers every time he touched the ball. On top of all the hoopla, the game was also close, as the Warriors battled until the end of a 121-113 loss to the defending champs, owners of the third-best record in the NBA. Fans, who for most of the season had been noticeably absent prior to tipoff, showed up in droves to watch Curry's legendary pregame warm-up routine, during which he splashed five straight jumpers from the center-court logo.
If it wasn't obvious before, it certainly was on this night: The Warriors aren't the Warriors if Stephen Curry isn't on the floor.
During layup lines it dawned on him that he couldn't complete a lot of his pregame rituals because none of his longtime comrades were warming up next to him. In reality, the Warriors haven't been the Warriors all season -- at least not the ones Curry has grown with over the past few years.
"I've never been out this long while the season's going on, so with the new building and being on the sidelines cheering for so long and just trying to get back out there, it was definitely fun," Curry said after the game. Regardless of how this season's going, you wouldn't have known walking into this building tonight. So that was fun." "A lot of energy in the building -- I appreciate that so much, in terms of getting to play in front of the best fans in the league.
Curry changes everything the Warriors do offensively, and a 20-game stretch will help create a runway for next season's version of the Warriors to potentially take off. With Curry, Thompson, Wiggins and Draymond Green, Golden State will at least be in the conversation to get back to the Finals in 2021. Part of the reason it was important for Curry wanted to rejoin a team headed toward the top of the lottery was to familiarize himself with his new teammates, particularly Wiggins.
"I think we're very motivated in terms of looking at the big picture ... I'm pretty optimistic about what that means going forward," Curry said. "It's a big-picture mentality of what we're trying to do for these next 14-15 months."
Raptors coach Nick Nurse said that he believes a strong finish to the season can carry over to the following October, and that's exactly what the Warriors are hoping by re-energizing the team with Curry's enthusiasm and excellence. In the meantime, the Warriors will do their best to win some games. Given the NBA's recent changes that gives the bottom three teams the same chance of getting the No. 1 pick, Curry's presence likely won't hurt the team's lottery standing.
"This is the beginning of something, not the end of something. "Everybody is excited. More excited than we should be for a team that's 14-48." That's a palpable feeling in our locker room," Kerr said before the game.
For this year's Golden State Warriors, Curry scored 23 points for Golden State in his anticipated return from a broken left hand, but the Toronto Raptors beat the Warriors 121-113 Thursday night to clinch a playoff spot. most wins haven't come in the traditional form -- you know, the way that they've come for the previous four seasons since Steve Kerr took over as coach. This year, the franchise has measured success in the form of player development, incremental improvement and team chemistry. After being sidelined 58 games, Curry led Golden State out of the tunnel to a big ovation -- as loud as his neon sneakers, one pink and one yellow -- and the crowd stirred every time he pulled up to shoot. Kerr will be the first to tell you his team still needs real, actual wins sometimes to keep everyone motivated, but it's hard to imagine that any victory this season was as impactful as the symbolic win of Stephen Curry returning to the court on Thursday against the Toronto Raptors.
"Everybody is excited. It just feels like, in a lot of ways, and not just Steph's return. He missed his first two attempts, but had three quick assists, including a no-look, behind-the-back dish to Andrew Wiggins. He finished with seven assists and seven rebounds in 27 minutes. It just feels like we have emerged from the woods a little bit," Kerr said before the game. "The last week or two, knowing Steph will return, but winning a couple of games this week, getting some clarity on the roster with the trade with Andrew (Wiggins), signing a couple of 10-days who have really helped us and now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It's been a nice little stretch here. I think Steph has a lot to do with that."
“I was trying to be out there and not think about it," Curry said. "If I needed to make that pass, make it and no hesitation. It was a good feeling, throwing the first one.”
You can't blame the state-of-the-art facility or the Warriors fan base, which has been loud and energetic the few times it's been unleashed. There just hasn't been much to be excited about. Chase Center's inaugural season has been, in a word, underwhelming.
The two-time MVP hit a 17-footer for his first basket early in the second quarter, then got a huge reaction for a 3-pointer from well beyond the arc shortly before halftime. He was 3 of 12 from 3-point range and 6 of 16 overall for the game, the only blemish on an otherwise encouraging night for the three-time champion.
That all changed when the Warriors announced Curry's return following a four-month absence due to a broken left hand. Kerr joked about how many media members suddenly appeared for his pregame press conference. The crowd erupted in the middle of the national anthem when Curry's familiar face momentarily flashed on the Jumbotron. Once the game started, Curry drew massive cheers every time he touched the ball. On top of all the hoopla, the game was also close, as the Warriors battled until the end of a 121-113 loss to the defending champs, owners of the third-best record in the NBA. Fans, who for most of the season had been noticeably absent prior to tipoff, showed up in droves to watch Curry's legendary pregame warm-up routine, during which he splashed five straight jumpers from the center-court logo.
If it wasn't obvious before, it certainly was on this night: The Warriors aren't the Warriors if Stephen Curry isn't on the floor.
During layup lines it dawned on him that he couldn't complete a lot of his pregame rituals because none of his longtime comrades were warming up next to him. In reality, the Warriors haven't been the Warriors all season -- at least not the ones Curry has grown with over the past few years.
"I've never been out this long while the season's going on, so with the new building and being on the sidelines cheering for so long and just trying to get back out there, it was definitely fun," Curry said after the game. Regardless of how this season's going, you wouldn't have known walking into this building tonight. So that was fun." "A lot of energy in the building -- I appreciate that so much, in terms of getting to play in front of the best fans in the league.
Curry changes everything the Warriors do offensively, and a 20-game stretch will help create a runway for next season's version of the Warriors to potentially take off. With Curry, Thompson, Wiggins and Draymond Green, Golden State will at least be in the conversation to get back to the Finals in 2021. Part of the reason it was important for Curry wanted to rejoin a team headed toward the top of the lottery was to familiarize himself with his new teammates, particularly Wiggins.
"I think we're very motivated in terms of looking at the big picture ... I'm pretty optimistic about what that means going forward," Curry said. "It's a big-picture mentality of what we're trying to do for these next 14-15 months."
Raptors coach Nick Nurse said that he believes a strong finish to the season can carry over to the following October, and that's exactly what the Warriors are hoping by re-energizing the team with Curry's enthusiasm and excellence. In the meantime, the Warriors will do their best to win some games. Given the NBA's recent changes that gives the bottom three teams the same chance of getting the No. 1 pick, Curry's presence likely won't hurt the team's lottery standing.
"This is the beginning of something, not the end of something. "Everybody is excited. More excited than we should be for a team that's 14-48." That's a palpable feeling in our locker room," Kerr said before the game.
