The idea sounded absurd to Stephen Curry. So, the Warriors star dismissed the inquiry almost as fast as it takes for him to swish another 3-pointer.
Did Curry need to sit for 11 games for reasons beyond healing his sprained right ankle? Did he need to recharge after appearing in three NBA Finals in consecutive seasons?
“No,” Curry said, shaking his head. “No. I always want to play.”
Since Curry has returned to play the game he loves, however, Warriors coach Steve Kerr cannot help but wonder. The Warriors (32-8) enter Monday’s game against the Nuggets (21-18) on Monday at Oracle Arena with Curry posting numbers that even exceed his own usual standards.
In the four games since his return, Curry has averaged 36 points while shooting 65.6 percent from the field, 53.8 percent from 3-point range and 89.6 percent from the free-throw line. It might be too small of a sample size to compare Curry’s regular-season averages in points (27.8), field-goal percentage (49.1 percent) or 3-point shooting (41.1 percent). Nobody should fret about Curry’s relative dip in his foul shooting after making 92.7 percent of those shots this season, either.
Nonetheless, Curry’s numbers since his return have ended up in the record books.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Curry’s 144 points in the past four games represent the most points a player scored in their first four games after missing at least 10 consecutive contests. Curry topped Chris Webber’s 127 points that he recorded in March 2011 during a four-game stretch with the Sacramento Kings. As Kerr concluded about Curry, “Maybe the break was good for him. He’s been amazing.”
“He looks like it’s opening week and not January,” Kerr said of Curry. “A lot of the other guys are out there dragging. Steph is firing on all cylinders.”
Warriors forward Kevin Durant remembers that feeling after missing 19 games during the 2016-17 season because of a hyperextended left knee. Officially, Durant sat those games so he could heal an injury that happened on Feb. 28, 2017 in the opening minutes against Washington. Unofficially, Durant also admitted he felt the strain of Oklahoma City’s playoff run in 2016 that ended with squandering a 3-1 series lead to Golden State in the Western Conference Finals.
“You don’t have to worry about playing. You can worry about your body and getting better physically,” Durant said. “It takes a little stress off your brain a little bit and that allows you to focus more when you come back.”
Instead of remaining consumed with schemes and scouting reports, Durant channeled his focus on other things. Durant compensated for sleep deprivation stemmed from late-night flights. Durant improved his diet, knowing he could not sweat out greasy foods as he had done when he burned calories on the court. Durant stayed involved with the team by cheering on his teammates from the bench.
“When you got a little break, you just sit there waiting to play again,” Durant said. “You build up that suspense of playing and also feeling great with your body. The only thing that needs to catch up is the game speed and the shape you need to be in. That happens in the first four quarters.”
Or in Curry’s case, that happened in the first quarter. When Curry returned on Dec. 30, 2017 against Memphis, Curry made three of his first four shots. He eventually ended with 38 points, while shooting 13-of-17 from the field and setting a season-high 10-of-13 mark from 3-point range.
“You have to recalibrate your perspective and take advantage of the situation as best as you can,” Curry said. “I don’t ever want to get hurt or ever feel like I need a break. But that’s what God put on my schedule for those 3 1/2 – four weeks. We got to stay locked in and do what you need to do to get back 100 percent healthy and be hopefully the same player I was before I got hurt.”
Curry has played even better before he sprained his right ankle on Dec. 6, 2017 in New Orleans. One of the reasons? Kerr observed that Curry “absolutely took advantage of the time off and got himself ready.”
Two weeks before his return, Curry progressed from various shooting, ball handling and conditioning drills with Warriors assistant coach Bruce Fraser. He completed those after most Warriors’ morning shootarounds and during pre-game warmups. Most of the time, Curry remained patient with the process. That changed, though, during Curry’s pre-game on Christmas Day. Then, Curry conceded feeling frustrated with missing the Warriors’ nationally televised game against Cleveland. At other times, Curry remained positive when he sat on the bench to support his teammates.
“You miss 11 games, you’re going to be chomping at the bit to get out there,” Kerr said. “And that’s what it looks like to me.”
Did it look the same way for Durant?
Though it only took Durant one play for him to dunk the ball during his return on April 8, 2017 against New Orleans, Durant spent the last three regular-season games and the playoff opener shaking off rust. Though Durant averaged 23.25 points in his first four games, Durant shot 6-of-15 against New Orleans and went a combined 0-of-9 from 3-point range in his first two contests.
After then sitting two more playoff games to heal a strained left calf, Durant averaged 28.29 points while shooting 51 percent from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range for the remainder of the postseason. Durant won the Finals MVP after averaging even bigger numbers in points (35.6) and shooting percentage (55.6 percent) against Cleveland.
Before that stretch, Durant conceded feeling antsy “pretty often.”
“Especially when you feel like you can play and you have a couple more games left for a week or so,” Durant said. “You can play, but you don’t want to push it. It’s a matter of knowing you’ll be all right and it’ll take some time. But you still want to play. When things are going well, you want to go out there with them. It’s a little frustrating. But health is the most important thing.”
The Warriors stayed cautious with Curry’s injury for the same reason. During that time, Kerr suggested Curry also needed to recharge after appearing in three consecutive NBA Finals. Did Curry have similar feelings that he had experienced burnout?
“Nah, not really. I’m playing basketball,” Curry said. “At the end of the day, there are stresses and there are physical, mental and emotional demands. But I think for most of the guys, you find something to get you going. You find something to provide some gas and fuel for you, and you just deal with it.”
And now that Curry has returned on the court, he has used that fuel to post performances that usually only seemed possible using cheat codes in a video game.
