Steph Curry brings energy back to Chase Center, gives Warriors postseason hope | Dubs Talk
The Warriors fell 117-116 to the Houston Rockets, but Steph Curry's return gave Golden State a much needed shot in the arm. On "Dubs Talk," Dalton Johnson and Monte Poole break down Curry's dazzling 29-point night off the bench in his much-anticipated return from a 27-game absence. (00:30) - Steph Curry is back! Steph got a 45-second standing ovation when he first entered the game and he put on a show (02:00) - Threesus has risen and the fans at Chase Center got re-baptized to the church of Steph Curry on Easter Sunday (04:00) - After Steph dusted off the rust, Chef Curry cooked for 29 points in 26 minutes and looked like himself. (06:15) - Curry brought the Warriors hope and Draymond Green backed him up with energy of his own (09:30) - Steve Kerr says Warriors are back in the mix with Steph back (11:00) - Curry's performance tonight, and rest of the season is a recruitment to Kristaps Porziņģis to stay (14:15) - Curry is preparing for more meaningful games (20:00) - Steph and Seth finally got their moment to share the court together on the same team in the NBA
Steph Curry brings energy back to Chase Center, gives Warriors postseason hope | Dubs Talk originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Video Transcript
Welcome to Dubs Talk.
I'm Dolphin Johnson, joined as always by our Warriors insider, Monty Poole.
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Monty, what do we have to talk about today?
I think it's pretty obvious.
Well- What a game, Monty.
Come on.
Yeah.
this was one of those days that I think people have been looking forward to for weeks and weeks and weeks.
you know, even Steph himself said that, "Hey, you know, I thought I'd be out a week, 10 days max."
Well, it was eight It was nine weeks and two days.
And so when you look at, his return, I mean, he- when he got off the bench to check into the game, the crowd, you know, started to build that M- the murmur got louder, it got louder, and then when they finally said entering the game, 45-second standing ovation.
Yeah.
Wow.
I mean, that tells you a couple things.
One, how much he was missed.
Two, how much more hopeful- they feel about what this k- team can do for the rest of the regular season, and make it at least interesting in the playoff, in the p- in the play-in tournament.
Because let's face it, if Steph was done for the season, the Warriors are not gonna survive the play-in tournament.
Not, not with the current roster.
There is not It wasn't gonna happen.
So, and then he comes out and he plays like he did.
First quarter, you could tell he was kind of clearing the cobwebs.
Second quarter, it's like, uh-oh.
So, I mean, I saw it, you saw it, he put on a show.
He sure did.
As the game went on, Steph Curry only got better and better.
The final score, the Warriors lose 117 to 116 against the Houston Rockets.
This game count- came down to the final shot of Steph Curry, a 30-footer that, that bounced off of the rim.
But again, I'm gonna go back to the start before we even- Mm-hmm break down his stats.
Mm-hmm.
I'm in the hallway as he's about to run out to the court, in the intro, all sudden they're doing the instrumental of Father Stretch My Hands.
And it's just It felt It was Easter Sunday.
Yeah.
It felt like the church of Steph Curry.
It was amazing, the pop that the crowd had for this guy.
Yeah.
You think about a 10 seed on a Sunday night, a, a holiday night.
A late Sunday night.
A late- 7:00, yeah a 7:00 game.
Yeah.
And what he did even an hour before the game.
Yeah.
The complete vibe, the aura changes the minute he steps into a building.
Yeah.
It, it really is.
I mean, you know, we've talked about this before, you don't wanna put Steph and say, "Well, you know, now Steph's back, so watch the Warriors go."
That's, that's unfair to put on him.
I mean, he's missed more than two months.
and so but you watch him play, and you look at where this, what this team needs and what he can do for it, I think the fans felt it.
I think his teammates felt it.
they've been waiting for this too.
They've It makes them feel better.
Draymond, you know, brought the energy tonight.
I think that was predictable.
Yes.
Yes.
You know?
Yes.
So, but when you look at what, what Steph was able to do tonight, I mean, the, it, the room, the, felt different than it has in months.
the last time it felt like this was January.
So, but we all know why.
They were 9 and 18 while Steph was out.
Yeah.
And so, they didn't get the W tonight, but they got a belief that they can be a threat now.
Yeah.
And I think it's not just that Steph came back, it's that he came back and he cooked.
So that's a huge, huge lift for this team.
Yeah, look, the, the numbers 117 to 116, yeah, of course the Warriors wanted the win, but they feel secondary compared to the numbers of 29 points in 26 minutes off the bench, and efficiently too, Monty.
Yeah.
Yeah.
11 of 21 from the field, 5 of 10 from three-point range, a team high plus 12.
And you talked about it.
Slow start, you know, he, he, he had a little bit of a rust.
Mm-hmm.
He, he, he even joked about it.
He had his- two blocked shots early on.
Yeah.
He got called for a travel.
Yep.
But that second quarter, you start to kinda feel, "Oh, okay, Steph's got those jitters out of the way."
Yep.
Now he's starting to cook.
What stood out to you the most?
What did you even have your eyes on the most going into this game?
Well, I wanted to watch to see his movements.
And, you know, the first quarter I'm like, "Uh, you know, not looking too good."
But I mean, look, it's early, though.
You know, he hasn't played in three, in two months, so let's see what happens.
Second quarter, I saw a couple things that said, made me go, "Okay, I think he might be okay."
There was the step back three that he made, and it was not just that he made it, it was the way.
It was a hard stop that threw his defender off balance, and then he stepped back and drained it.
That was one.
And then there was a dribble drive where he really kind of He s- he accelerated, decelerated, and then accelerated, and got- I think that was when he took KD.
Yeah.
Whoo.
And he got It's like, oh.
Man.
Okay.
So it was, After those two moves, I thought, "Okay, he looks like Steph now."
Yeah.
And he looks, looks like the guy the Warriors have needed and have missed for all this time.
They have O- obviously, there's no one like number 30.
I mean, we haven't seen him before he arrived, and I don't know if we'll see him after he leaves.
No.
But, but, but to have him at age 38 come out here after missing two months and justThis, this building became like there was a sense of revival, a sense of hope, a sense of, you know, I don't know if I think belief is too strong.
I think there's still some skepticism about how far this team can go.
But they were just happy to see their favorite player back on the court doing his thing at a high level.
Revival and hope is, I think, words that also fit alongside Draymond Green.
Because a- we know how much Draymond loves playing next to Steph Curry.
That's We don't even need to go into that, of course, right?
But I think the, the previous game is when Steve Kerr used the word proud- Mm-hmm about Draymond Green- Mm-hmm how he's handled this time, the two plus months without Steph Curry.
Mm-hmm.
Before then, obviously, without Jimmy Butler.
Yep.
We know even when they were healthy, this has been a, a tougher season- Yep for Draymond.
But man, his, his energy, his effort, his focus from the jump tonight- Mm-hmm really stood out to me, Monty.
He, he winds up- as a plus six, seven points, 12 assists, six rebounds, a very Draymond-esque game.
And, and I think, again, we talked about it, the highs and lows of Draymond this season.
Yep.
But what he's done, I would really say, especially the last month without Steph Curry, the, the leadership standpoint, the way that he's continues to give his energy and effort- Mm-hmm game in and game out, I've been really impressed on that sense by Draymond.
Yeah.
I mean, I, I think it goes back to him.
You know, part of it is him, his pride.
He's, he wants to, chase that 10th selection of the all-defensive team.
Mm-hmm.
because only six other people have done that, and he wants to join that group.
And so that's why he's asking, "Let me guard Kawhi Leonard.
Let me guard KD.
Okay, let me guard Joker because I gotta guard Joker.
But let me guard Shai, too."
And so, I mean, I don't know how many people in the league will be able to go from guarding a point guard like SGA and then guard Joker, KD.
And so you're basically going through every d- every position on the roster.
You know, Shai is a t- combo guard, mostly a point guard.
Kawhi is a s- power forward and a small forward.
KD is a power forward and a small forward.
And then you've got Joker, who is a center, so- I mean, Draymond, his pride does that for him.
But he, also I think he was hoping that the team could be a little bit better while Steph was out.
Yeah.
And, and he 'Cause he always felt Steph was gonna come back, but just didn't know when.
And he just wanted to hope that this team could kinda hold on, hold on, hold on.
And again, they lost games that, that they will, they will haunt them.
Yeah.
You know, the Jazz game.
Yeah.
The, the, the Bulls game.
I mean, they lost to teams that they shouldn't lose to.
And so when you look at what they've done over the past six, well, eight, 10 weeks, there's gonna be some regrets there.
But you can't go back and play 'em now.
All you can do, they know they're gonna be 10th.
Well, l- all likelihood they will be 10th.
Which means they gotta go on the road to play two games.
If they w- if they win the first one, they play another game on the road again.
And if they win both games, they gotta go on the road to start a first round playoff series at Oklahoma City or, I mean, if things go crazy, San Antonio.
Yeah.
Though both teams are right there.
So it's a tough road, but right now I think the overriding, vibe I'm getting Well, let Steve Kerr explain it because, you know, he spoke after the game about just what this me- what this means to the Warriors and, and how they feel right about now.
I mean, obviously very different energy out there maybe than the last few games.
D- just what was it like to be on the sideline for the kind of the waiting for it, then to see him get out there, and then see him do some things that we've accepted- Yeah, I mean, you, you can just feel it.
We're, we're back in the mix, you know?
We're back in the fight with, with Steph, and, you know, that's a hell of a team.
They've been really hot lately and, fully healthy.
And, you know, we, we took them down to the last shot, obviously, so felt good about the effort, the, process.
I mean, 10 turnovers, 34 assists.
We played really well offensively.
just couldn't get that stop there at the end, but, the guys were, were fantastic.
d- he had 20 shots, I think, at, in 26 minutes.
I'm sorry?
Steph had 20 shots in 26 minutes.
You like it?
It, it seems he's really trying to get back in rhythm, you know.
Yeah, and, and there's I don't think there's a tougher defender in the league, for him to n- have his first game against than, Matt Thompson.
So that's quite a test.
Steph looked amazing.
he's worked really hard for this.
you can see, you know, he- it doesn't take much for him to find his rhythm.
And his rhythm is also our rhythm, all the off-ball stuff that, that, that we get, as a result of, you know, his movement.
it- we got a lot, a lot of easy layups.
Gary got layups, a big one near the end based on, you know, the, the attention to Steph, so, he changes everything.
So when your coach says, "We're in the mix."
Yeah.
I mean, he didn't say it yesterday.
No.
He didn't say it Saturday.
No.
He didn't say it Friday.
He didn't say it Thursday.
He said it Sunday night.
He couldn't say it before then.
Yeah.
He said it Sunday night after they lost.
Yeah.
He said that.
But he saw enough, like we saw enough, to say, "Okay, you know what?
The Warriors now, with Steph looking as good as he did, assuming he comes through this on Monday and looks fine, that swing at the plate they always talk about- Yeah you know, Al Horford, they think, can come back before the season's over, regular season's over, and be ready for the play-in tournament.
So there's enough energy right now for the Warriors to think that they can be a threat, not just in the play-in tournament, but in the first round.
And we all know if they get there- Yeah I believe it will take a miracle.
It will.
It will.
But at the same time-Um, you don't always know, and I think if they just get there, I think if they just get there to the playoffs, I think that's a hell of a triumph.
It, it is.
And, and I think about obviously as Steve Kerr just said, we feel like we're back in the mix.
But to me, a lot about tonight and the lead-up was already about next year.
Too.
You think about, I, I go back to when, when Steph Curry did his warmup in front of the home crowd here.
Yep.
Before even tonight, a few games ago.
That felt like a message to the fans, to the NBA, "Hey, I'm still here."
Mm-hmm.
"We're, we're, we are still these guys."
Yep.
"Let me show you."
And then he showed us tonight.
Obviously with, with his 29 points.
Right.
And 26 minutes.
And the combination that we wanted to see tonight was all about Steph Curry and Kristaps Porziis.
Yes.
'Cause again, eyes towards next year.
Of, of course, KP is a, is a free agent.
He has earned the right to, to see what's out there after a, a frustrating season for him, too, with his health issues.
But I just keep thinking about tonight, these next four games in the regular season, and the plan.
This is all about already eyeing towards next year.
To me, it's all about getting this chemistry, this togetherness between Steph and KP.
Right.
It's too bad that, that, that KP was in foul trouble tonight.
Yeah.
Yeah.
'Cause I wanna see more of them together.
Yeah.
I, I didn't think KP played particularly well tonight.
he looked kinda tentative at times on offense.
But And then he took a couple of quick shots.
I mean, he was trying to get going, but it didn't really look good.
And I think foul trouble got into his head a little bit.
Yeah.
You know, and it looked like he just couldn't play the kinda loose game that he would normally like to play.
and Sengun is a lot to deal with.
And, and, and Sengun was trying to bully him because Sengun is stronger than he is.
You could see it physically.
And so that was probably an issue, too.
And so he, KP is, is, if, when he's healthy, and right now he looks pretty good, is, gives the Warriors something they've never had.
And the thought of him coming back here, I do think the Warriors have a leg up in the sense that he loves the area.
He does.
He really And, and for him, a, with a guy who has his extensive injury history, it's important to have trust in the medical performance staff, the health staff.
The GOAT.
Yeah.
And he's calling Rick Celebrini the GOAT.
So it tells me that, okay, that part of his, his, his, recruitment, if you wanna call it that, by other teams, the Warriors pretty much have that nailed down.
Yeah.
And so it's about, it can be about money now.
He's making $30.7 million in his expiring contract.
Now, we all know that because of his history, his, his value's gonna go down.
The question is, how far will it go down?
And, you know, would he take a couple million less to play here than somewhere else?
Is somebody gonna come at him with $20 million?
I don't know.
I don't, I don't know how you c- how you can do that, you know?
I think the Warriors would be looking at him and saying, "We would, let's, let's go with an incentive-laden contract."
One that, you know, number of games, all these things- Yeah, yeah they, they gotta, they gotta put that all stuff, all that stuff in there.
But they do like him and they want him back.
Al Horford can also be, he can, he can player option.
He can opt out.
And so they have a lot to think about once they get there.
But right now, you're looking at a team that is just trying to hold things together, was trying to hold things together well enough till Steph comes back.
He's back now.
They feel better about themselves.
and, I think when you look at what Steph had to say, you know, 'cause he was asked about, you know, d- do you think you're playing meaningful games now?
Yeah.
And let's hear what he had to say about whether he's playing meaningful games.
Would you consider this meaningful basketball?
We're building towards it.
We're gonna, we have, we have two meaningful games hopefully down the stretch, but this is meaningful basketball in the sense of preparing ourselves for that moment.
It's not like we can just sleepwalk through these last four games and not focus on details that'll help us win a do or die game, and then do it again.
So yes, you can kinda feel it in the arena, too.
It was a different vibe tonight.
So he's right to put it that way by saying that, okay, yeah, this is, this is a meaningful game, but this is preparation for more meaningful games.
They know they're gonna be in the play-in tournament.
They just don't know who they're gonna play yet.
And they hope that when they get there, that's still gonna be nine days away or 10 days away, that when they get there, they are playing basketball that, that they can be comfortable with in thinking that that gives them a chance to win games against the Clippers or the Blazers.
now I've watched the Blazers pretty closely lately.
The Blazers look pretty good.
They do.
They're playing pretty well.
They bring a lot of energy.
Clippers, on the other hand, eh, they, they look beatable.
I think if you can stay in LA, you, you get another day or two and you can play against the Clippers, that's the best path forward for me, Monty.
Oh, no, that, that would be the way to go, if, if they get the Clippers.
Now, I thought, you know, we could go, I thought, okay, if you can get the Blazers, if the Clippers can sweep the Blazers twice- Mm-hmm or, and they play 'em twice.
If they sweep the Blazers, the Warriors have a chance to kind of, okay, they got Portland and maybe even can catch Portland.
Well, and one night later, the Blazers rolled the Clippers.
And so I thought, okay.
And now the Clippers lose another game, so it's like, okay, maybe the Clippers are, they're now ninth.
And you look at that and go, well, maybe it's LA.
And if you're i- already in LA, and you have a, well, let's call it an experienced team.
That's, that's a good That's a nice way to say it.
I see you easing off there.
A mature team.
Yeah.
the idea that you play and you, you get to LA late Friday night because they're flying from Sacramento to get to LA.
They'll have Saturday, and then they play on Sunday.
And then they can, if they play the Clippers on l- later, a couple days later, you, that gives you a little bit of rest in a weird way because you're in the same place.
You're not going anywhere.
and then-Your next flight would be to either Portland or Phoenix should you want, should you win against the, the, the Clippers.
So, I mean, if you're a Warriors fan right now, watching Steph gives you hope.
But you also know that there's some things that still have to happen for you to really start believing that, okay, we could make, make some real noise in the playoffs.
Yeah.
They, they have to be still smart, right?
I mean, yeah, the, the hope is there, but- Yeah reality is reality at the same time.
But I also just look at these next four games, what's in front of the Warriors.
Mm-hmm.
They have two games against the Kings.
They play the Lakers who are as hurt as anybody at the worst- Yeah timing for them when you- Yeah look at Luka's injury, Austin Reaves injuries.
And then of course, then they wind up in, they finish the season in LA also against the Clippers as we mentioned.
The table's being set pretty well for the Warriors right now be- with Steph coming back.
Yeah.
Al Horford hopefully coming back- Yeah be- before the end of the regular season.
So I wanna see how Steph recovers.
But again, the cards are kinda falling in the Warriors' favor for- Yeah for as well as they can be right now.
Yeah.
You know, I mean, I, I thought the, when you look at the Lakers, you know, last, well, couple of days now a- ago is when you saw Luka go out with a hamstring and I thought, uh-oh, hamstrings don't heal in a few days, and it's a grade II, so we don't know when he'll be back.
We know he won't be back for the W- Warriors game on next week.
And you also know that Austin Reaves gonna be do- done for the season.
So the Lakers are very vulnerable now.
Big time.
That way, put it that way, very vulnerable.
So you got the Kings, the Lakers, and the Kings.
Those should be three wins.
Yes.
And then y- if you got a three win, if you got three wins going into LA to face the Clippers, you should have a sense of, okay, we're starting to come along now.
And they haven't had that sense since January when they won those 12 games in a 16 game span.
And they thought, okay, we're, we're, we're on our way now.
We finally got ourself together.
After being mediocre for two months, here we go now.
The Warriors are gonna be the Warriors.
And then Jimmy goes down.
Yeah.
And that changed the entire equation.
And then 11 days l- later, Steph goes down.
And now you're thinking, this season, And then Moses goes down, and it's like, where is this season going?
That's why people were, some people were concerned about Steph playing at all this season.
And I get that to a degree, but if you know Steph, you know that is not how he is built.
N- no quit in that man.
No.
Not at all.
No.
No.
He, he's had opportunities to quit many times in his basketball journey.
And at every step he said, "Hell no."
I love that.
No.
I mean, think about it, because this is a guy who, when he was 15, 16 years old, he weighed 145, 150 pounds and Ke- So what?
Yeah.
And people looking at him like, "Look, next.
Who else you got?
This your best play?
No.
Next over."
And he has come so far.
He has defied the odds in so many ways to where I think when he sees, when somebody says, "Oh man, the odds are against you," I think that gives him Oh, his, his eyes get bigger.
He- The room gets brighter.
He likes that.
Yeah, it's a challenge.
He like, yeah.
It's a challenge.
That's what he wants.
He wants that.
And right now everybody's saying, "Yeah, the Warriors, you know, they may make it out of the play-in tournament maybe, and if they do, they'll get swept in the first round."
And again, this is all conceivable.
Yeah.
But no way Steph Curry's gonna say, "I'm gonna dodge that and just wait till next year."
No.
That's just not in his bones.
That's not in his bones, not in his body.
No, not, not at all.
I, I think be- before we wrap it up, I, I think we have to talk about what a cool family moment this was for the Currys also too.
Yeah.
That this was the moment that we feel like we've been waiting months and months, o- obviously even years- Yeah for other people as well, too.
You think about back to 2013 when Seth Curry was on the training camp roster, but tonight was the first time that Steph and Seth have played together in an NBA game.
But also back to senior and sophomore year of high school.
Mm-hmm.
That's the first time that they played together.
They played against each other before.
Mm-hmm.
I was in the locker room when Seth Curry's sitting there and putting the jerseys down.
He's got his jersey on the ground to the left, Steph to the right, and you think about what a cool moment between the Curry brothers.
Yeah.
I mean, I, I think that's something they both looked forward to all season long, and it took them until April to get here, you know?
To game 77.
Yeah, yeah.
And, and the thing is, is that, they, they kept, they missed each other.
When Steph was available, Seth was not.
When Seth was available, Steph was not.
And so now they're, you know, both were questionable on the injury report today, but, they both played and I think that's the plan now.
I don't know.
I mean, Seth is still gonna be monitored.
His minutes are still monitored.
But, but based on what I saw in this game, I think there's no reason to think that Seth Curry won't be in the rotation as long as he's healthy.
Now, back to backs, that's, they only have one of those left.
Yeah.
And it is now against the depleted Lakers and against the lottery bound Kings.
I mean, it's a tough back to back because it's a back to back in two different cities.
But it's not impossible.
No.
It's not impossible.
And especially if they can get Al Horford back for one of those games, and they seem to believe that that's possible.
I gotta mention this though, too.
De'Anthony Melton.
Yeah.
he has been struggling.
And I saw him a few days ago in the locker room, and he's wearing this big old bandage around his left hand.
It's cov- it's covering his sprained right, left thumb.
And you gotta think that it's bothering his shot because he's not just missing.
He made, you know, he made a couple of buckets tonight, but he's not just missing.
Some of his misses are just bad misses.
Bad misses.
Bad misses.
It's ugly misses.
Yeah.
And I remember going back to last year-Remember Moses Moody went through a spell like that late in the season?
Literally had the yips almost in the, in the playoffs.
Yeah We didn't know- He went from shooting pretty well, and then all of a sudden, eh, he couldn't make a shot.
Well, it turns out that he had a thumb issue.
Yes.
And he got that repaired.
And Moses this season is shooting 40% from three.
So, so, I mean, and I think Melton will be helped by Steph's return, but you wanna see I think he'll be asked t- to do less.
But the other part of that equation, man, is that he wants to opt out and test the market.
His future, yeah.
He got He's in He's got a $3.5 million contract, player option for next year with the Warriors.
And for the first half of this season, well, you're like deep into January, you're like, "Oh, Melton, he's gonna get three or four times that and paid."
Paid.
Yeah, yeah.
But the last few weeks it's not been there, and he's played through it because he's stubborn, but he also wants to show what he can do, and in some ways it's kinda backfiring on him.
Right.
'Cause it- he doesn't look He's not helping his case when he goes out there and he What did, what did he do tonight?
He shot what, from the field?
It's two of four.
Two of four.
All six of his points were- Yeah in the fourth quarter actually.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So he made a couple buckets and, but he has had, I mean, I think over the last 20 or so games, he's shooting like less than 40% overall, and in the mid, mid to low 20s from three.
It looks uncomfortable.
Yeah.
Just like uncomfortable.
Yeah.
And so, and y- you see him really use his left hand.
And so it's like you know he's hurting.
So y- as much as Steph will help this team, keep in mind that you have, you still have guys that are on minutes restrictions.
You still have guys that don't play back to backs, although there's only one left.
You still have guys that are playing through stuff, like Seth, like Melt, you know?
So, and even, and Gee.
Yeah.
Gee is playing through something, you know?
So I think the belief is that these Warriors can slowly get better health and make some noise.
Now, I gotta refer to one more thing that Steph talked about, about basically the meaning of what this game meant to him and his family.
Yes.
You know, and just, you know, Steph was asked about just what this day was like, and he gave a really extensive answer about what this day was like for him.
Check it out.
S- Steph, what was it like being able to play with Seth tonight out there?
Oh, man, that was special.
And we've both had a very difficult year.
You know, honestly, him more than me with injuries.
And I was joking calling us the rehab brothers, 'cause it's been like that all year.
but to have that moment coming out of a timeout and talking about our matchups, and I was having flashbacks to Charlotte Christian, my high school, my senior year, his sophomore year.
It was the last time in an actual game.
I know he was on our, training camp roster in 2013, but last time we actually played a game together.
My mom was in the stands.
she probably didn't have any more memory in her phone from taking all the pictures and videos.
So it was, That was a dream come true, to be honest.
it hadn't really sunk in yet, except when I came out the locker room just now.
Seth is very serious about taking this jersey I have on me, so I knew he'll, he'll take good care of it for sure.
Does it bring you back even further than high school, bring you back to the backyard?
And just when do you think that it will sink in, when you guys can bring back the memories years from now?
it, I mean, yeah, all of our basketball journey from growing up watching my, my pops play.
And I think there's this video of us in Toronto when we were up there shooting around on the court as kids.
Like, basketball's been a part of our whole lives, and it's what we love to do.
And the fact that, you know, at this stage of both of our careers that we've had this opportunity, even though this is what, game 77, and it's the first time actually playing together, you, you definitely take a s- a moment to, to reflect for sure.
and, you know, when it is all said and done down the road, I'm sure we'll, we'll, we'll put the pictures up from the night and, and, and talk about it.
Steph, I'm sure you don't take anything for granted, obviously, at this point in your career, but after 27 games, take me through the emotions of the day.
You came out, felt like you were kinda like a prize fighter in the pregame and getting ready, and then just the emotions of the jumbotron, and then hitting some buckets and pulling out a shimmy shake, too.
you know, it's Easter Sunday, Resurrection Sunday.
This has been a, a special day to reflect and appreciate again what I get to do every day on a daily basis.
The gifts God's given me to, to be healthy, you know, fight through this, this rehab stint and be able to get back to, you know, the court and enjoy myself.
There were a lot of nerves all day.
My family supported me at home, and I was a nervous wreck, you know, trying to pass the, the hours before I got to the arena.
But, you know, once you get back into your routine, you've been doing it for so long, muscle memory takes over, the adrenaline takes over.
And I appreciate the fans and the reception and just the buzz that was in the arena, 'cause, you know, that's what you You know at, at a certain point you won't be able to, to tap into that.
So very grateful.
It was a beautiful day.
And now I can kinda settle into how we're gonna finish, you know, the year.
Steph, you kinda just mentioned the vibe of the arena with everyone out there, the fans being excited, but then also when you think about having to watch the last 27 games with your team being out there, did it feel different, like a different type of performance put out there on the floor?
I mean, the team talked about the fact that when you come back, it's easier to play.
Did it feel like that?
Did it seem like that, the game kinda going that way?
I mean, yes and no.
Like-One thing I didn't want was just 'cause I'm out there, it to be like an AAU game where everybody just running around trying to get me the ball.
Like, we need to play, you know, sound, solid D, and disciplined basketball, and I felt like we got into that.
And again, we were down, I think it was double digits in the fourth quarter, and to, to battle back like that, that's you tapping into that will to win, even though we didn't get it done.
That has been the hardest part of this last two months, where there's games where, you know, it's, the game is hanging in the balance and w- you know, sometimes we struggle to score, struggle to f- to, to close games, and you feel kind of helpless in that realm.
So, and it's not just me, it's everybody.
Like I was talking about that, that group that finished.
We, we were in lo- in unison.
It was, it was kind of beautiful to watch and beautiful to be a part of.
Even for us to have a, you know, a one-point lead with less than 20 seconds left, so the crowd was kind of feeding off of that.
So yeah, I mean, when you look at someone who has missed the game for all this time- Yeah and wanted to be back much sooner, for him to, you know, detail what the day was like for him and what the vibe he felt in this arena here, you can feel it.
Yes.
And, and it was obvious that, that as, as one of the guys called him, "Uh-oh, the king is back."
You know.
And, and the Warriors, again, a, a W would've been nice, but this, this it's rare that a loss can result in such optimism about what's coming down the pike.
And this one, in this case, I think it's worth it, it's well deserved to, to be optimistic.
Yeah, a- a- he felt the nerves, he felt the joy, and he just felt the love, obviously, from Dub Nation.
And then you think about him going against Kevin Durant tonight, and, and KD having 31- Mm-hmm him having 29.
Yes.
Kevin Durant even said, like, "I, I can't hide be- from my history wi- with here."
And, and he sa- Yeah and he said too though, "We had the game in control, and then they brought 30 back in."
Like, that's amazing to me.
I, I, I loved every single storyline- Yeah in this game.
Yes, it was a Warriors loss, but it was a franchise win- Yes it felt like.
And that was by design.
I mean, there was some question before the game, is he gonna start, or is he gonna come off the bench?
And it was decided that he was gonna come off the bench and play the last part of each quarter.
I loved it.
Yeah, I mean, and, and Steve Kerr after the game said, "Oh no, he's gonna start pretty soon."
He may start as soon as Tuesday against, you know, when they play the Kings here.
But, but this was the right move against this team on this night, and I think it worked out for Steph.
They could monitor his minutes pretty closely, and he got to 26.
So all in all, for a team that lost the game, there's good reason to believe that the Warriors well, we know the Warriors are better now than they were a couple days ago.
Steph is back.
A lot of smiling faces here.
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I'm Dalton, he's Monte, this was Dubs Talk.
