Stephen Curry’s return to the Golden State Warriors is about to get even more official.
Yes, he rejoined the team for the first time since March 8 during their Game 2 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. But he made his return coming off the bench, as a super-sub sixth man, presumably so head coach Steve Kerr could better monitor his minutes and ensure he wasn’t overusing him.
Well, Curry’s stint coming off the pine, as the best second-stringer is NBA history, is officially over, per Kerr himself:
Steve Kerr tells @DamonBruce Steph will start Game 3: "Oh yea."
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) May 3, 2018
The Warriors must really not be worried about Curry putting too much stress on the sprained left MCL he suffered nearly two months ago. One game off the bench isn’t all that much. If they were actually worried that he wasn’t moving properly, or that he was playing in a way that could re-aggravate his injury, he’d probably still be coming off the pine.
To his credit, Curry gave the Warriors no clear reason to be anxious in Game 2. He pumped in 28 points through just over 27 minutes of action on an 8-of-15 clip from the field. He basically looked like himself—perhaps a little more limited on defense, and slightly less inclined to attack at full force, off the bounce, in the half-court. Mostly, though, he looked the same.
And, frankly, that’s terrifying. Not just for the Pelicans, who appear done in this series after going down 2-0, but for the rest of the NBA. The Houston Rockets have long been considered the Warriors’ greatest threat in the Western Conference—in the entire league in general—and yet it’s hard to now imagine them beating this team four times in seven tries with a fully healthy Curry at the helm and back in the starting lineup.
