Stephen Curry's Return Reminds NBA Why Warriors Are Championship Favorites

It was fun pretending, wasn't it?

For two weeks while Stephen Curry rehabilitated his sprained right MCL, we talked ourselves into all this great stuff the Golden State Warriors could still accomplish without their best player. We marveled at the way they'd pulled together, defended and compensated for the absence of a superstar with collective play.

And maybe somewhere along the line, we even convinced ourselves Curry's loss wasn't as significant as it seemed.

The charade ended Monday, as Curry exploded for an NBA-record 17 of his 40 points in overtime of the Warriors' 132-125 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers. Thanks to him, the Dubs will return to Oakland with a 3-1 series lead.

If we'd only heeded the soon-to-be two-time MVP's coy pregame assessment to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, we'd have seen this coming:

Curry even repeated the message at higher volume in that incredible overtime.

The night didn't begin auspiciously, as Curry came off the bench to find his team in a 16-2 hole with 5:58 remaining during the first quarter. Sloppy play, stagnant offense and perplexingly disjointed defense contributed to the deficit, and Curry, at that juncture, didn't look equipped to erase it.

He air-balled his first three-point attempt and missed his next eight from long range, looking uncomfortable shooting off the bounce and searching for a rhythm. And when Shaun Livingston earned his first career ejection after picking up two rapid-fire technical fouls from official Scott Foster in the second quarter, the supposed 25-minute target for Curry's night hung overhead as another potential concern.

While Curry sought out his jumper and the rest of the Warriors struggled through a brutally officiated, halting slog, Draymond Green did what he could to galvanize the team. His third-quarter intensity, which sprinted right up to the line separating competitiveness and insanity, kept Golden State close enough to eventually ride Curry's late-stage eruption home.

Green finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and a career-best seven blocks. In one up-and-down sequence, he buried a three off a screen, stuffed a Damian Lillard dunk attempt and turned away Mason Plumlee at the rim. For a good chunk of the contest, the only angle to take in the event of an improbable Warriors win would have been "Draymond wouldn't let them lose."

And this was a game the Warriors should have lost.

But hold up. We're doing it again. We're paying lip service to factors on the periphery.

Yes, it's true Green kept Golden State in the game. And sure, Klay Thompson's defense on Lillard was terrific down the stretch; he had plenty to do with the point guard's 9-of-30 shooting night. We could even point to Harrison Barnes' clutch game-tying three, which he was only on the floor to hit because Andrew Bogut fouled out in the fourth quarter.

We spent two weeks doing this: distracting ourselves with angles and digressions. We celebrated (often rightfully) the other things the Warriors could do to compete.

But Monday showed why everything else that is good and unique and laudable about the Warriors must fade into the background behind Curry. For all the resiliency and heart, all the defensive progress and growth in his absence, all that matters is his return.

Because Curry elevates the Warriors. He transforms them into something else.

Call him an artist, as David Deckard of Blazer's Edge did:

Animate him, like SB Nation:

Get comfortable with hyperbole that isn't hyperbolic, like Utah Jazz broadcaster David Locke:

But don't ever forget how singularly brilliant and vital he is again.

As we watch the Cleveland Cavaliers torch their way to the NBA Finals, and as we wonder whether the Oklahoma City Thunder's athleticism or the San Antonio Spurs' defense might somehow present Golden State with a challenge, keep in mind what we learned Monday.

Focusing on the peripheral stuff is a mistake. Don't get caught analyzing the tangential. Don't pretend anything matters more than Curry.

This is his team, league and sport. That'll become official when he accepts his second MVP award Tuesday, but Monday's coronation was the one that mattered.

If he's healthy and dominant (and rest assured, if he's the first thing, he's absolutely the second), he and the Warriors are the presumptive title favorites. This is how it was before that fateful MCL sprain two weeks ago, and that's how it is now.

We shouldn't have needed an all-time performance to remind us just how simple the forecast for the rest of these playoffs should be, but Curry gave us one anyway.

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