The Golden State Warriors and their fans had been anxiously awaiting the return of Stephen Curry off the injured list as the team seemed to have lost some of their championship lusters despite beating the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
In game 2 of the series against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night, Curry came off the bench midway through the first quarter and the Warriors never looked back.
There was hardly any sign of rust to Curry’s game, but his jump shot was as sharp as always as he rained several clean shots from 40 feet.
His movement without the ball was also on point and his shot is so good that defenders have to pick him up right over at half-court because every shot fake is a guarantee to get his opponent in the air and draw the foul and the resulting free throws.
He also took advantage of his unlimited range shooting from the 30-foot mark where he’s usually highly effective regardless of whether or not he has a defender on him.
Curry played 27 minutes and finished with 28 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals as he shot 50 percent from three-point range and 53 percent from the floor.
It’s beyond any doubt that Curry generates scoring opportunities for the Warriors as they were +26 with him on the floor and that’s 19 points higher than anyone else on Golden State’s lineup.
Curry may not rack up a lot of assists, but he doesn’t lack vision as he always seems to know where his teammates are and is capable of throwing 40-foot bounce passes from anywhere when on the offensive.
His three steals also show he’s capable of contributing on the defensive side of the ball as he holds his ground against more physical opponents and anticipates where the pass will go to deflect or snatch the ball before it reaches the opposing players.
Unfortunately for the Pelicans, Steph’s return signals a rebirth for the Warriors and serves as a reminder to everyone that the two-time MVP makes the Warriors almost unbeatable proving he’s as valuable to his team as anybody in the league.
Although a match with the Houston Rockets looms in the horizon, now that Curry’s healthy is safe to say that the road to the NBA Finals goes through Oakland.
