CHEF CURRY COOKING WINS
It was only hours before the game that it was announced that Steph Curry would be available to play when the Golden State Warriors visited the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 4 of the Western Conference semi finals. Game 3 at the Moda Center ended in a Warriors loss, so Steve Kerr and company didn’t want to drop another game in the series, so help from a limited Curry is better than most players in the league.
Coach Kerr was set to limit the reported MVP to 25 minutes, but nobody predicted this would turn into an overtime thriller that would end with Steph breaking NBA records.
Through much of the first half, Curry was shaking off the rust, missing multiple three pointers and only scoring points from inside the arc and through layups.
Then the game changed when Shaun Livingston was ejected for arguing a call with the referee and Curry had to put the team on his back and carry them to the win.
Even with Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum keeping the game competitive, it was no much for the reigning MVP finally out of the shooting slump. After going 0-9 from three-point range, he found the stroke to end the game, shooting through the rust and finding the stroke when it counted the most.
Although he had a chance to win the game, his runner didn’t fall and the game went to overtime.
But trust, he made up for it and more in the extra period.
Curry absolutely spazzed out and scored 17 points by himself in OT, hitting multiple long-range triples and even running in transition. It was safe to say the man was back.
Stephen Curry's 17 points in overtime are the most by a player in overtime in an NBA playoff game
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 10, 2016
Curry ended with 40 points off the bench in an incredible game that will go down as one of the best performance in this year’s postseason.
The heartbreaking loss for the Blazers puts them in a 3-1 hole in the series, with the Warriors hosting Game 5 on Wednesday at Oracle Arena in hopes to close things out and make it back to the Western Conference finals. Oh, and did we mention, it’ll be Steph’s first game as MVP of the league?
FINAL OT: GS 132 | POR 125