Stephen Curry Reveals Warrior's Heart in Quick Return After Breathtaking Fall
HOUSTON — The easy stories to write are when the ends justify the means.
Stephen Curry did not lead an inspiring Golden State Warriors comeback Monday night.
He took the scariest fall of his life courtesy of a pump fake from Trevor Ariza in the second quarter with Houston up 55-36, smashed the back of his head on the floor, decided to come back and play with 5:58 left in the third quarter despite not feeling great...and the Houston Rockets still won 128-115.
It might appear that he chose wrong.
If you merely scratch the surface in evaluating this, he most certainly did.
Curry and the Warriors already had a historically sure-thing 3-0 series lead in these Western Conference Finals. He could've played it extra safe and sat out for rest even after he passed concussion testing.
That, however, is not how you play the game—literally or figuratively.
Curry proved something Monday night.
To himself, to his teammates, to this league, to the fans.
There is predictability to a man, and everything counts toward it. Every setback is an opportunity to prove yourself, and when the damage is physical, the challenges over time make it evident whether you tend to wilt or strive.
For a baby-faced skinny dude with a history of ankle problems in a big-man's game, the tests are greater than most face. Curry has met the challenges to the point that he, above all, owned this NBA regular season.
Fair or not, winning the MVP isn't enough. If you win the MVP and then refuse to take risks after receiving that reward, you will be uncovered.
As real as all of those challenges are, they're not what Curry was concerned about or looking to accomplish by returning to this game in the third quarter.
He has been consistent in the way he tries to be great for his team's sake, and what he understood inherently was that there was something to be gained if he could play.
That was fully revealed after he tried but failed to lead the rally.
"I'm disappointed we lost but, all in all, thankful that I came out of that relatively OK and was able to go back in there and try and give my team something," Curry said. "I'm really proud of the way we fought all night. Looking forward to [Game 5] Wednesday."
Question after question came about the fall. Curry indulged them, admitting his "shock" at the violence of the fall and discussing his fear walking off the court that "You don't really know what's going to happen" in the aftermath of a head injury.
But once the game was over, Curry knew what mattered, and it wasn't a headache, which should diminish, or even the loss, which can be a steppingstone now.
He passed the concussion and balance tests, didn't feel worse from running around and was gratified that he gave the team a good try.
"We came up a little short," he said. "But we'll be all right next game."
Curry was clearly off his game upon his return yet not deterred. He took a hit from behind with no call and tumbled back down to the floor, but he stuck with it.
He was willing to probe the paint and take a body check from Rockets center Clint Capela to set up Andre Iguodala's three-pointer. The Warriors stayed within striking distance because the turnover-free Curry was repeatedly going toward Houston bodies and setting up teammates for open threes. Then he splashed a couple of his own, always the greatest confidence-builder for the Warriors.
A Curry three cut Houston's lead to 104-98 with 8:24 still to play.
Despite how dominant James Harden was with 45 points, there was a real chance.
And the unsuccessful push will help for Game 5. These little things do matter in series. You often see coaches playing starters to the finish of lost causes and risking injuries because something can be set up for the next game.
It's not so much momentum as it is confidence, which becomes crystallized once the team is in a more advantageous situation next time (back home in Oakland, where the Warriors are 45-3 this season) and no longer trying to erase a 25-point deficit.
That confidence is what Curry was building by playing when he could Monday night. If he lets go of the rope for a night just because he can, he risks accepting less...and compromising the competitive consistency he and this great team have built.
Teammates notice, believe me. Real resentment and real respect arise in locker rooms depending on whether guys feel they're being left or they're being led.
After Curry had gone head over heels, the entire Golden State team went the length of the court, leaving the bench out of concern for a face-down Curry beyond the far baseline at the Toyota Center.
"He wasn't moving," Harrison Barnes said. "Until he turned over, you were holding your breath."
So you can imagine how the exhale felt when Curry rejoined the bench, the huddle and the game.
"He's a warrior," Klay Thompson said. "It was great to see him come back. It was uplifting."
"Came back out there," Andrew Bogut said, "and provided a spark for us."
The Warriors had reason to be hopeful that might happen.
Curry was walking around the locker room, suggesting normalcy, during halftime.
"Emotions were good," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "We thought we had a good chance to win the game."
Curry's mother, Sonya, had gotten the word even before the first half ended that optimism was reigning and Steph might return to the game. That's why she was high-fiving other family members in the stands when the Curry-less Warriors managed to cut their halftime deficit to 10 points.
Perhaps if Curry had come back to the game at halftime we would have a happy Golden State ending to prove this point.
Well, Curry didn't want to be reckless or cost himself his best path to that championship. He did have an eye on the game on the locker room TV while receiving treatment, but he did not shut both eyes and cover both ears to the medical experts.
"I wanted to make sure I was OK and not put myself in danger for the rest of the series if it wasn't right for me to go out there," Curry said. "I listened to all the advice and did all the tests I needed to do and stayed patient with it. Once I got the sign-off from the athletic trainers and the team doctors, obviously I wanted to play."
That was the moment: understandable flight...or real fight.
Curry made his choice, and in so doing, he made proud all the people around him who believe so deeply in him.
Kevin Ding covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @KevinDing.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
