The fuss around Stephen Curry's struggles seem to have dissipated after a bounce-back Game 3 performance against the Houston Rockets to put the Golden State Warriors back on the driving seat in the Western Conference Finals, holding a 2-1 lead with another home game left to play before returning to the Toyota Center.
Curry had gone 2-of-13 from deep in the first two games of the series, but to those close to him, the confidence never wavered. Assistant Bruce Fraser; who is often his go-to man for shooting drills, recalls him following the same routine of situational shooting, mixed in with some score games to make the practice that much more fun.
Among the games, Curry managed to hit 69-of-75 threes (92 percent) — including 38 in a row at one point — a clear sign his signature feathery stroke was back where it should be.
“He crushed it with his score, and I said ‘You’re back,’ and he said, ‘I was never gone,’” Fraser said with a laugh, according to Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports. “He always knows that it’s not going to last. His disposition, and the way he views not only basketball but the world, is that the glass is always half full. One of his (favorite) lines to me is that he thrives in chaos.”
Yet this knack for thriving in a chaotic environment is what has made him so distinct from many other shooters, that could at times sulk in their woes.
“(Chaos) can just be 20 people at the house for the weekend, or getting into a city super late at night and being tired. I think he likes to overcome things that are going against him. … He doesn’t look at those as ‘Oh, things are going against me. This is not good.’ He actually embraces chaos. I think that kind of stuff strengthens his mind.”
Curry's 5-of-12 performance from deep only brought up his series average to 28 percent — a rather poor mark — but it's opened up the rest of his game, still shooting a robust 49 percent from the field thanks to a finishing at the restricted area with an 81 percent efficiency, resulting on plenty of easy scores.
Follow Us
Subscribe