In the first round of the 2023 Western Conference Playoffs earlier this year, the Golden State Warriors had a 3-2 lead over the Sacramento Kings after five games. The Kings initially leapt out to a 2-0 to begin the series before the Warriors won three straight games to take the lead.
However, the Warriors lost Game 6 instead of closing out the series. They then rallied in Game 7 to defeat the Kings 120-100 and advance to the next round.
Months later, Warriors' Kevon Looney is sharing how Steph Curry motivated the team to bounce back from the loss and win the seventh game.
During an exclusive interview with Clutch Points' Brett Siegel, Kevon Looney Shared, “We kind of had a letdown at home the game before and felt like we should’ve closed that series out in six games. Steph brought us all in after this game and basically told us if we get on that bus to Sacramento, we are going to win. I mean, just look at what he did in that game by scoring 50 points. His speech, his leadership kind of motivated all of us to have the mindset of not leaving him out there by himself.”
Looney took Curry's words to heart and put up 11 points in Game 7, his highest total in the series versus the Kings. He also added 21 rebounds, his second-highest mark of the series.
However, Steph Curry absolutely carried the Warriors through the first round of the playoffs. He led the Warriors in both points and minutes in all seven games while scoring at least 28 points in each game as well. He of course topped off the series with a 50-point game which allowed the Warriors to advance to next round of the playoffs, where they ultimately lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.