Stephen Curry has only one goal upon his impending and likely return for Game 2 of the Golden State Warriors Western Conference semifinals matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.
“Just not suck after missing five weeks,” Curry told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “That’s my goal.”
Curry has missed the team's last 10 regular season games and the first six of the postseason, fortunately in a prime position to make his return, up 1-0 in the series with a convincing 123-101 win over the Pelicans, in which most of his All-Star teammates got a well-deserved fourth-quarter rest.
Head coach Steve Kerr noted Curry would be out for Game 1, later pulling another mind-game against his former assistant Alvin Gentry and inserting Nick Young in the starting lineup. Kerr said Curry was “very likely” to play on Tuesday, rejoining his teammates in what has seemed like an eternal five weeks.
“If I do get the green light, just play my game,” Curry said. “Do what I do on both ends of the court to help the team. There is nothing special about it. Just try to use my energy as a spark.”
Despite the disappointment of not starting the series, the two-time MVP has remained confident in the decisions made by the medical and coaching staff concerning his long-term health.
“I know what the situation is,” Curry said. “It’s something that was kind of unforeseen and you have a conversation about as you get close because of how the games fall, whatever day it is based on my rehab process. I would say I was disappointed because I woke up [April 28] feeling like I might be able to play [in Game 1], but not much like I’m not where I need to be at this point.”
Curry played only 51 games this season, but lead the team with a scoring average of 26.4 points per game, along with 5.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. The nine-year veteran shot a league-best 92.1 percent from the foul line, including an efficient 49.5 percent from the field and a scorching 42.3 percent from deep.
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