All around Dub Nation last night people were hunkered down in their safest-feeling locations, praying to whatever higher power they believed in, sacrificing whatever animals they felt like they could do without. And lo and behold, Steph Curry DID return from the dead, scoring 33 points to go with 8 rebounds and 5 assists, playing great defense, and generally looking like the MVP for the first time since being handed the trophy.
After resembling a post-Crystal Chamber Superman for two games, Steph got his mojo back, with the help of a little sage advice from Steve Kerr. Maybe the most telling moment: Early in the game Steph had a breakaway, tried to dunk, and almost blew it; the ball smacked off the rim and just barely rolled in. In the second quarter he had another freebie, and instead of settling for the layup, this time he threw it down with authority.
The rest of the team helped a lot, of course. Draymond Green was Good Draymond, Harrison Barnes was Playoff Barnes, and Andre Iguodala was Andre Iguodala, Professional Basketball Player. Andrew Bogut scrapped and battled with the Grizz giants and Klay Thompson, despite another off night, worked his ass off and was +18. Even the little-seen David Lee pitched in, scoring 5 points and providing some key hustle plays.
It’s funny how things work sometimes. No game in this series has been close; instead, the Warriors and Grizzles have taken turns looking like the vastly superior team. Basketball is a game of runs and momentum, and this series has seen two huge swings from side to side, with Game 4’s score ending up almost identical to Game 1’s. Hopefully there won’t be any more. We’ll see on Wednesday when the series moves back to Oakland.