SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry would not be stopped. Not on this night. Not in Chase Center. Not by the Boston Celtics and their third-ranked defense. Not by his recent cold-shooting spell. Not by fatigue. Not by foul trouble. Not by the doubt and dysfunction swirling about the Golden State Warriors.
“Curry’s back has to be hurting,” rookie guard Brandin Podziemski, who left the game with a lower back strain, blurted aloud randomly from his locker after the Warriors’ 132-126 overtime victory over Boston.
Too much was at stake. The Warriors are trying to re-rail their season. They’re scraping to find their equilibrium after a pile of squandered victories followed by Draymond Green’s indefinite suspension. They needed galvanizing greatness to recover from a disappointing first third of the season, struggling stars, fluctuating rotations, and the realities of a monstrous Western Conference.
So, understanding the assignment, Curry took over. He scored 20 points and assisted on another nine points in the final 17 minutes Tuesday, including overtime, finishing with 33 points and 6 assists.
But momentum is built by moments. Curry, a maestro of the memorable, was in a groove and determined to deliver the signature victory Golden State desperately needed. With the Warriors up two in overtime, he curled off a screen and drove inside with Jaylen Brown on his hip. Curry got to the front of the rim and, after a pump fake, dropped in the layup to put the Warriors ahead 127-123 with 38 seconds remaining.
Celtics big man Al Horford followed with a 3-pointer, layering the drama. But Curry had one more lofty delivery. He caught the cross-court pass of Chris Paul as Celtics guard Derrick White charged right at him. With the shot clock under three seconds, and the defense closing, and the tension pulsating, Curry turned to his quick release. The catch-and-shoot was completed in a blink.
And he hoisted the right-wing 3-pointer high enough for White’s desperate closeout to come up short. High enough to raise brows and chins. High enough to slow time. Curry practices these moon shots. Not just for scenarios like this. But because the splash hits differently. And with the Celtics reeling and the Warriors on the cusp of a signature win, Curry wanted the emphatic splash.
Let it rain.
“He caught it so quickly and released it in the air,” Warriors guard Cory Joseph said. “It was like one of those shots in a movie where you’re following the ball. He shot that thing so high.”
It’s been a trying week for Curry. The emotional toll of his basketball brother, his cohort in championship glory, devolving into a sideshow. The unmistakable reality of their dynasty’s finite excellence in an emerging new era. The blown leads and buried position in the standings. The doubt barging its way into their midst. He even changed his pregame routine to get a break from the noise.
The Warriors beat Brooklyn and Portland last weekend to generate some positive vibes. Their 2022 NBA Finals victims coming to town, sporting the best record in the NBA, was an occasion to build on those. Curry was keenly aware of how much his team could use the spirited boost of an upset win. How they could stand a reminder of their potential and how potent they can be at their best. As long as they have Curry.
If he is great, the Warriors don’t have to be done. They just have to be different. The young players are no longer mere accessories. Golden State’s best is no longer harnessed exclusively in their championship core. But also in the explosive athleticism of Jonathan Kuminga. In the hustle and savvy of Podziemski. In the size and presence of Trayce Jackson-Davis. In the perennial readiness of Moses Moody.
Chase Center was filled with a novel energy on Tuesday because of these youngsters. Especially Jackson-Davis, the rookie center who was effective enough for coach Steve Kerr to lean on exclusively at center for the better part of the second half. Twice he came from the weak side to protect the rim, including a massive block on a Brown dunk in overtime.
“Trayce’s two blocks he had,” Curry said, “you feel the crowd get into it. That just gets everybody hyped up. And that JK steal in the first minute of overtime. I’m feeding off the crowd’s energy and those two guys created that with some spectacular individual plays.”
It all begins with Curry and his eliteness. One game after missing all eight of his 3-pointers against Portland, he made 6 of 11 against the Celtics. Tuesday, he clearly wanted to make a statement.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, a barrage of 3s from the Splash Brothers had Chase Center in a frenzy. And Curry morphed into the player who left Boston in shambles two summers ago.
The Celtics’ once-17-point lead was down to 4 after a Klay Thompson 3-pointer at the 3:53 mark. And 50 seconds later, the Warriors’ deficit was 116-115 after Curry drilled a 30-footer with Horford in drop coverage. The next time down, Thompson tied the game with another 3-pointer. Then, after White answered with a 3-pointer, Curry waved off the screen to go iso against Horford and drilled a stepback 3-pointer to tie the game again at 121.
Let it rain.
“The guy’s magical. You can’t explain it,” Kerr said of Curry, later adding, “Steph brings joy to the world. He’s incredible.”
Before there was joy, though, there was the slow-motion eternity of the ball sailing through the air. There’s something hypnotizing about the highest-arching shots. They impress with their degree of difficulty, with their cinematic thrill. Curry’s dagger launched some 13 feet above the court — higher than the backboard, higher than the shot clock — and with it floated the possibility of a Warriors revival.
Curry knew it was going in when it released from his hands. And he knew this splash would pack emphasis, adding to the suspense of this liminal space between another disappointing ending and the blossoming of better days.
When it splashed, the beauty of the shot, the purity of the moment, left an entire arena and national viewing audience gasping. And his teammates.
“Being on the court, watching it, against the No. 1 team in the league,” Jackson-Davis said. “And the way that he shot it to the sky. I was right under the rim. I was looking at it like, ‘Oh, wait a minute. That might go in.’ Ridiculous.”
When it splashed, the Celtics were defeated, cooked by an all-too-familiar chef.
“Obviously, being on the end of this type of situation sucks,” said Celtics guard Jrue Holidaywho was drafted 10 spots after Curry in the 2009 draft and is one of Curry’s toughest defenders. “But sometimes to see how he does it is kind of amazing.”
When it splashed, the league had a memorandum of Curry’s MVP-worthiness.
“From guarding him all those years to seeing it up close now,” Joseph said. “It’s really amazing. Can’t take what he does for granted. When he gets into those zones, you just find yourself staring sometimes, just in awe.”
When it splashed, the Warriors had the biggest win of the season, the quality triumph affirming their belief in a ceiling higher than their record.
Let it rain.
GO DEEPER
Warriors rip win from the Celtics in overtime as their youth emerges again
(Photo of Curry leaving the court after Tuesday’s win: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)