Why Steph Curry had to adjust his pregame routine to come off the bench
With two playoff games under his belt, Curry is still experiencing some
mild but manageable discomfort in his injured foot, but feeling well
overall. As a result, he will have his minutes increased in Game 3
Thursday in Denver.
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 18: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen
Curry (30) dribbles during warmups before Game 2 of the team’s NBA
basketball first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets at the
Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, April 18, 2022. (Nhat
V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 18: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen
Curry (30) dribbles during warmups before Game 2 of the team’s NBA
basketball first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets at the
Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, April 18, 2022. (Nhat
V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: April 21, 2022 at 1:53 p.m. | UPDATED: April 22, 2022 at 3:44
a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/04/21/why-steph-curry-had-to-adjust-his-pregame-routine-to-come-off-the-bench/

DENVER – Stephen Curry’s only goal when he went down with a foot injury
last month was to be ready in time for Game 1 of the playoffs.

He didn’t put much thought into his usage or how he’d play as he worked
his way back. After returning from knee injuries twice before during the
playoffs, Curry understood it might take some time to find his rhythm.

With two playoff games under his belt, Curry is still experiencing some
mild but manageable discomfort in his injured foot, but feeling well
overall. As a result, he will have his minutes increased in Game 3
Thursday in Denver.

“Every game [I’m] feeling more and more like myself and trying to
maintain a level of intensity it takes to do what I need to do out there
on the floor [in a] playoff type atmosphere so I’m ready to hopefully
take a stride,” Curry said after shootaround.

Coach Steve Kerr wouldn’t reveal a ballpark figure for what Curry’s
playing time could be, though he said he expected it to be “elevated”
from the 23 minutes he played in the last game.

In Game 1 Saturday, Curry showed some normal signs of rust after a
month-long absence as he entered the game midway through the first
quarter and played under a minutes restriction. He didn’t take a shot
until the second quarter and finished with 16 points on a shoddy 5-of-13
shooting (or 38.5%) in about 22 minutes.

Curry looked much more like himself in Game 2 Monday. He led the
Warriors to their seventh straight victory, scoring 34 points off the
bench on 12-of-17 shooting in 23 minutes, making him the first player in
the shot clock era to score as many as 30 points in 23 or fewer minutes
in a playoff game, according to Elias. Curry also made five 3-pointers
and recorded four assists in three rebounds.

Curry said it was his decision to come off the bench, which he came to
after watching Klay Thompson return from career-altering injuries. But
not starting has made Curry have to adjust his pregame routine.

Entering the game as the sixth man required a different approach
mentally, Curry said. In his first game back, he could barely contain
himself and his legs were shaking like crazy as he waited for his number
to be called.

“[I] switched up a couple of things in my pregame routine so I’m not all
juiced up on adrenaline and then go sit down for five minutes and then
have to rev the engines back up,” Curry said. “But after the first game
and just missing four weeks and getting back there on the floor, it did
come back pretty naturally.”

Curry changed some of his pregame activations to try to delay the
adrenaline rush. He looked much more like himself in Game 2, which he
considered a big step forward in his recovery skill wise “in terms of
just feeling comfortable with the ball in my hands and rhythm and all
that stuff.

“I knew I would come back pretty quick and hopefully it lasts but
definitely felt a little more locked in on that front,” he said.

It’s unclear whether Curry will start Game 3. The two-time league MVP
has made it clear he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win even if it
means coming off the bench as he works his way back from a sprained
ligament and bone bruise in his left foot.

“If you’re worried about anything other than trying to win the game,
then you’re approaching it wrong to begin with,” Curry said.

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- Jay Wright retirement

Kerr was just as surprised as everyone else to see the news that
Villanova coach Jay Wright retired Wednesday.

“I didn’t see it coming and Jay and I stay in touch regularly so he kept
it pretty quiet,” Kerr said.

Kerr and Wright were both assistant coaches on Gregg Popovich’s Team USA
staff and helped the Americans win gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

“I’m just thrilled for him,” Kerr said. “He’s had such an incredible
career, amazing coach, amazing humility for a guy with that kind of
success to keep everything quiet and then just to say, ‘Alright, this is
it. I want to move on.’ It’s pretty cool the way he did it.”

Wright, 60, decided to hand in his clipboard after leading Villanova to
its fourth Final Four appearance with him at the helm. He’ll retire as
the winningest coach in the program’s history, compiling a 520-197
overall record that includes two NCAA titles.

The Hall of Fame coach is reportedly retiring to spend more time with
his family, including his wife Patty and three children.

Fordham coach Kyle Neptune, a long-time assistant under Wright, will
serve as his successor.

--
Madeline Kenney | Warriors reporter