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His ankle isn't 100 percent. His left hand isn't 100 percent. Stephen Curry isn't 100 percent. Steve Kerr isn't pushing the panic button, however.
After the Golden State Warriors lost Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals to the Houston Rockets on Saturday night, Kerr didn't make any far-reaching statements about Curry, even though Steph endured one of his worst playoff performances ever.
After Game 3 loss to Rockets, Warriors' Steve Kerr on Stephen Curry: "Just a tough night for him."
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) May 5, 2019
How bad was this performance from Stephen Curry in Game 3? Longtime Warriors watchers who are not prone to hyperbole were cognizant of the depths to which Curry fell on Saturday:
No doubt. Maybe since the Denver series in 2013, game in Denver. https://t.co/DRYPhI3dDe
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) May 5, 2019
The sense of frustration felt by Warriors fans is magnified by the fact that Curry's 7-of-23 shooting effort, with stacks of missed layups and an embarrassing missed dunk in the final half-minute of overtime, was part of a game in which the Warriors led by two points with 40 seconds remaining in regulation. Just a small splash of added offense from this Splash Brother would have given the Warriors a 3-0 hammer-lock grip on this series, essentially ending Houston's season. Instead, the Warriors go into Game 4 knowing that if they don't win, they will have a fresh fight on their hands when the series goes back to Oakland for Game 5 on Wednesday.
The other worrisome detail about this game for Stephen Curry: It came after three full days of rest. Curry had every reason to be sluggish this past Sunday in Game 1, coming off an ankle injury in Game 6 against the Los Angeles Clippers. Steph and the Dubs had a very short turnaround time after the Clippers series. It was no shock that Steph scored under 20 points in Game 1. In Game 3, though, Curry had time to recuperate and adjust to his bumps and bruises… and he never found equilibrium despite staying out of foul trouble in the first half, unlike the previous two games of this series.
The good news for Curry, part one: The Warriors still lead this series and — with one great game from Curry in Game 4 — figure to do very well.
The good news for Curry, part two: Steph regularly answers the bell in the playoffs after particularly rough performances such as this one.
Steve Kerr truly shouldn't be worried — at least not yet.
