Curry's emotional impact is just as important as his contributions on the court
OAKLAND, Calif. -- You know when you taste a dish and think, "That's good, but it's just missing a little something." That was the Warriors for the past few weeks.
Just like the guacamole needs a pinch of salt or a squirt of lime to take it from good to sublime, the Warriors needed the final ingredient to their dynastic air of invincibility. In a 121-116 victory in Game 2 against the Pelicans on Tuesday, Stephen Curry provided that missing ingredient -- and it came in the form of swagger.
Steve Kerr kept it simple with his first postgame comment about Curry, who scored 28 points in 27 minutes in his first game since March 23.
"He was Steph," the Warriors coach said.
It speaks to Curry's impact on the game of basketball that everyone in the room, and everyone watching at home, knew exactly what Kerr meant. Whether it was flexing after muscling up a basket in the paint or staring down the rim after one of his five 3-pointers, Curry brought the signature confidence -- dare we say cockiness -- that makes the Warriors the Warriors.
As good as Golden State has been without Curry, it seemed at least somewhat human. Kevin Durant is incredible -- possibly the second-best basketball player in the entire world -- but he doesn't get the crowd charged up like Curry does.
LeBron James on Game 1 win: 'Probably one of my worst games' of season
TORONTO -- After recording the 21st triple-double of his postseason career and orchestrating a 14-point comeback to steal Game 1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers' Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Raptors 113-112 in overtime Tuesday, LeBron James credited the rest of the Cavs for carrying him in the win.
"My teammates were unbelievable tonight," James said after putting up 26 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks in 47 minutes. "They stepped up when I wasn't at my best."
Where James faltered was with his shooting accuracy. He shot 12-for-30 from the field (including 1-for-8 from 3) and 1-for-6 from the foul line and packed most of his misses into crunch time, shooting just 3-for-15 in the fourth quarter and overtime combined.
The 12 missed shots are the most James has ever had in the fourth quarter or overtime of a playoff game, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
"I definitely wasn't as efficient as I would like to be," James said. "I missed a lot of open looks, a lot of open 3s that they were going under. A lot of floaters in the lane. Because of the injury I had in Game 7, I didn't have the opportunity to get on the court this morning and [Monday] as well, so, but at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is to try to get a win."
Drake, Cavs' Perkins exchange barbs
Cavaliers reserve center Kendrick Perkins and entertainer Drake, an ambassador for the Raptors, got into heated exchanges during and after Cleveland's Game 1 victory in Toronto.
James later characterized Game 1 against Toronto as, "probably one of my worst games of the season."
That Cleveland got the win in light of James' off night shooting was in stark contrast to the Cavs' seven-game series in the first round against the Indiana Pacers, when it took James averaging 41.8 points in the four wins to advance to the next round.
The matchup against the Pacers was the 42nd playoff series of James' career and the first he had ever won without having a single teammate score 20 points or more in any of the games. That changed in Game 1 of his 43rd playoff series, as JR Smith scored 20 points Tuesday and three more Cavs players other than James reached double digits in Kyle Korver (19), Jeff Green (16) and Tristan Thompson (14).
The Cavs' supporting cast also made up for Kevin Love, whose playoff woes continued with a seven-point night on 3-for-13 shooting. Read More Here
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