Stephen Curry’s right knee was predictably sore a day after making his triumphant return to the Warriors’ lineup.
“It’s sore. My body’s a little fatigued. But that’s to be expected,” Curry said Tuesday after accepting his second consecutive NBA MVP award. “I think I’m in pretty good shape right now for what I need to do tomorrow night.”
Curry will start Wednesday night’s Game 5 as the Warriors try to close out their Western Conference semifinal series against the Portland Trail Blazers. He came off the bench and scored 40 points in Monday’s 132-125 overtime victory that gave Golden State a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Expected to play about 25 minutes in his first action in 15 days after a Grade 1 sprain of his medial collateral ligament, Curry played 37 and got better with each one of them leading up to his NBA-record 17-point overtime.
“It wasn’t a surprise,” Curry said. “I know all the work I put into just getting back on the court with the athletic training staff here with the Warriors, having the plan that we had to get back on the court strong, ready to play.”
But Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he was still amazed by Curry’s performance a day later.
“One of the best games I’ve ever been a part of, witnessed, watched, however you want to put it,” said Kerr, a former teammate of Michael Jordan and a five-time NBA champion from his own playing days.
“Just a magical night,” Kerr continued. “Phenomenal competition from both teams. Incredible atmosphere. It’s one of those nights where you feel lucky to be in the building.”
Kerr raved about Curry’s confidence, pointing out how Curry missed his first nine 3-point attempts and yet his faith in his shot never waned. After Curry finally connected on his 10th try, Kerr shared a stunned moment with assistant coach Luke Walton.
“I turned to Luke and said, ‘Luke is he shimmying? He’s 1 for (10) from 3,’ “ Kerr recalled. “You better believe in yourself when you’re shimmying at 1 for (10).”
Warriors general manager Bob Myers said Monday’s effort was a sign of how badly Curry wanted to be back on the court helping his teammates.
“A lot of guys can’t get back in two weeks,” Myers said, “but it was that appreciation of watching his teammates and not being out there that I think gave him so much satisfaction last night to say, ‘I’m just out here playing doing something I love’ and we all got to see what he did.”