Despite Stephen Curry downplaying a face-to-face with Cleveland Cavaliers honorary bodyguard Kendrick Perkins, his Golden State Warriors teammates were reportedly “disturbed” by the big man's reluctance to move his knees and feet as Curry backpedaled following a last-second corner shot, which resulted in the conflict, according to ESPN's Chris Haynes.
Players cited that as the reason Curry turned around to confront the much bigger Perkins at the end of the quarter, exchanging words before Curry's teammates reeled him back into their huddle.
Curry has had a history of injuries this season and he's found himself on the shelf for lesser reasons, which concerned him and his teammates, as he could have sustained an ankle or knee injury due to Perkins' unwillingness to give him room to land, as his momentum carried him backward.
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Article Continues BelowYet that altercation might have done wonders for Curry, who walked away unscathed and went on to shoot 5-of-8 from the field in his eight fourth-quarter minutes, including a perfect 5-of-5 from deep — which proved enough to break Ray Allen's NBA Finals record with nine 3-pointers on the night.
“He went off after that [altercation],” said his teammate Draymond Green after taking a 2-0 series lead.
Curry isn't short of motivation, but his stellar fourth-quarter performance could be attributed to a little kerosene to light his fire after he looked to be that much more aggressive in the final period, ultimately helping bury the Cavs 122-103, as the starters took a rest for the final four minutes of the game.