Stephen Curry had his worst shooting night of the season against the Knicks on Sunday -- 5-for-17, including 3-for-11 from 3-point range.
This came two games after Curry went only 4 for 11 against Dallas. Was the golden boy ... the MVP ... the best shooter on the planet ... in a slump?
If so, why was Warriors coach Steve Kerr smiling so much as he met with reporters on Tuesday during a practice at St. John's University? Did he know something we didn't?
It turns out, he did.
Curry bounced back in electrifying fashion on Wednesday night with the fourth 50-point game of his career -- 51 points, to be exact, on 19-for-28 shooting, including 11-for-16 from the 3-point line (one off the NBA record of 12 shared by Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall) in a 134-121 victory over the Washington Wizards. He was sensational, got anywhere he wanted on the floor and did whatever he wanted -- completely overshadowing a near equally impressive performance from his counterpart, John Wall (41 points, 10 assists, 17-for-25 from the field).
Thus, we recall a story that Kerr told at that practice in New York on Tuesday. After acknowledging that the public fascination with Curry is on a par with what he experienced around Michael Jordan when they were teammates with the Bulls, Kerr mentioned that there was another parallel between the two.
Poor shooting stretches never faze them; never shake their confidence. I'll let him tell the story.
"That’s one of the things that I really love about Steph," Kerr said. "And if you want to make the comparison with Michael, that was the case with Michael; a bad shooting night never bothered him. His demeanor didn’t change, his facial expressions. Even within one game.
"We had a playoff game in Miami one year, and (Jordan) started out and he missed everything," Kerr said. "He was 1 for 19 through three quarters. And I’m not exaggerating; he was 1 for 19. We were all in shock, but his face never changed, and he got 25 in the fourth quarter, went 7 for 8 and went to the line a bunch. That’s not human."
Kerr's memory was close enough to get the point, but not pristine; it was 19 years ago, after all. The game in question was Game 4 of the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals against the Heat. According to the Bulls' media relations department, Jordan had nine points through three quarters and was 2 for 22 heading into the fourth (including 0 for 5 from 3-point range). He was 0 for 11 in the first half, but with the limited box score and play-by-play data available, there's no way to verify Kerr's recollection that he missed 18 of his first 19 shots.
In any event, Jordan scored 20 in the fourth on 7-for-13 shooting, and 6-for-6 shooting from the free-throw line. He finished with a game-high 29 points, but the Bulls lost 87-80.
The point is, the great ones must have a short memory.
"Most guys go 0 for 5 and they go, 'Oh my God, I may never make a shot again,'" Kerr said. "If Steph misses five in a row or 10 in a row, it doesn’t faze him. It’s one of the things that makes him great."
Lesson learned: The next time Curry has an off shooting night, be very afraid if you play him the next night.
