Teammates enjoy Thompson’s effort
Curry cheered as his NBA record for 3-pointers in a game was eclipsed
Stephen Curry cannot wait for the Warriors’ next film session. So it would not be surprising if he breaks down the footage privately.
The reason? Sure, Curry might both marvel and critique his own performance in Monday’s win over the Chicago Bulls. He will likely bask in Klay Thompson’s 52-point performance with an NBA record 14 3-pointers. Curry wants to pay attention to something else, though.
“It’ll be just watching everybody’s reaction on every single shot that Klay made,” Curry said. “That’ll probably be pretty entertaining.”
For the past week, the Warriors bench has watched, cheered and stood in awe as Curry, Thompson and Kevin Durant have filled the highlight reels. The same thing might happen when the Warriors (7-1) host the New Orleans Pelicans (4-2) tonight with Oracle Arena.
Unlike Warriors fans, those on the Warriors’ bench do not have to pay for their courtside seats. Like Warriors fans, they have stood up, cheered and high-fived each other after every breathless shot that Curry, Thompson or Durant make.
“It’s like that with anybody,” Warriors forward Andre Iguodala said. “If somebody goes crazy, we’re going crazy with them. It’s fun.”
Hence, Curry loves rewatching the game with his eyes glued to the Warriors bench. Curry has plenty of material to study and laugh about from this past week.
Curry posted 51 points against Washington through three quarters, while shooting 15 of 24 from the field, 11 of 16 from 3-point range and 10 of 10 from the freethrow line. Durant dropped 41 points against New York at Madison Square Garden, including 25 in the fourth quarter. And after opening the first seven games with a shooting slump, Thompson almost single handedly beat Chicago by breaking Curry’s NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a game (14).
“I was just like a fan,” Warriors rookie guard Jacob Evans said of the experience. “When you’re on this team, stuff happens. It gets crazy; real crazy.”
When Curry made a turnaround jumper along the baseline against Washington, Evans, Jordan Bell, Shaun Livingston, Kevon Looney, Quinn Cook, Jonas Jerebko and Alfonzo McKinnie all stood up and yelled at Curry after he made the shot, Curry turned around toward the bench and talked trash. When Curry sank a 30-footer late in the
third quarter, he stared down Cook and shrugged his shoulders in disbelief. Throughout the game, Curry’s teammates shouted specific instructions from the bench.
“That’s the funniest experience I’ve experienced on the court,” Curry said. “Teammates are yelling at me, ‘Don’t pass it. You better shoot it!’ When I’m hearing that while I’m dribbling down, that’s all the motivation you need to launch it.”
And when Curry, Durant and Thompson launch it, their teammates stand up from the bench immediately. They even do so before the shots go in the basket for an obvious reason. “We’re certified snipers here,” Durant said, grinning.
“When our snipers get a 3, we like our chances.” Durant added. “When we knock down 3s., it’s like a dunk for us. It ignites our team.”
After Durant threw down a two-handed dunk against New York, Looney pretended to box out McKinnie along the sideline. After Durant made a layup that gave the Warriors a 93-91 lead over New York that prompted a timeout with 8:15 left, Bell sprinted on the court and showed off his spirit fingers. When Durant sank a 29foot 3-pointer for a 118-98 lead with 2:42 left, Curry threw his hands up as if Durant had kicked a field goal through the uprights.
“Everybody on our team is rooting for the guy whoever is out there playing well,” Durant said. “It’s a fun vibe coming back to the locker room and coming back to the bench. It’s an exciting brand
of basketball.”
The Warriors appeared most excited to see Thompson end his slump with a record-breaking night.
Beforehand, Iguodala shared his prediction with Thompson that he would have a breakout game against Chicago. Thompson then proved him right.
Thompson made his first four shots, including three consecutive 3-pointers. As soon as Thompson had the ball before taking his fourth shot, Iguodala stood up from his seat and high-fived fans
sitting behind the basket. Then, Iguodala turned around in time to see Thompson make a 27-foot 3-pointer for a 15-5 lead with 8:40 left in the first quarter.
“I’ve been around them enough,” Iguodala said. “I know the play and know how it’s supposed to develop. When it’s developing the right way, you know we got a 3 already.”
After the Bulls called timeout, Curry, Bell and Jerebko bumped chests with Thompson near halfcourt. Durant then lightly smacked Thompson’s head before
pushing him into Iguodala for a chest bump. Then, Iguodala told Thompson to “keep going.”
“That’s what I do this for, for those moments you share with your teammates,” Thompson said. “That’s why we play basketball.”
So after he tied an NBA record for most 3-pointers in a half (10), Thompson recalled that Curry looked at the box score at halftime and told him to “go get it.” More of Thompson’s teammates then embraced him in the locker room.
“I’m telling you,” Evans said in a serious tone. “I touched him and my hand caught on fire. It hurt.”
More celebrations ensued once Thompson set the NBA record. When he made his 14th 3-pointer with 4:53 left in the third quarter, Thompson threw both of his hands up in the air. So did Curry, even though he previously held the record when he made 13 3-pointers against New Orleans on Nov. 7, 2016.
“I can’t even tell you how lucky I am and how I feel every night just watching these guys and how unselfish they are,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said “They basically take turns, encourage each other and want each other to do well. We have all this talent. But the key is these guys are committed to each other. And they play hard for each other. They want each other to have success. That’s why it works. It’s been amazing to be along the ride.”
It has also been amazing for those sitting on the Warriors bench. They cannot wait to see which shot they will cheer for next.