After a long stare, Stephen Curry eventually tried to walk off his frothing mood, stirred by Draymond Green’s ejection, and shaking his head as disbelief morphed into disapproval.
Words weren’t necessary to comprehend Curry’s thoughts. Some 90 percent of effective communication is nonverbal anyway. With sealed lips and a clenched jaw, Curry was yelling.
Not again.
Not on a back-to-back against a tough, physical team.
Not one day after the big win in Miami.
Not when the Golden State Warriors are down to their last gasps of the season, as Houston threatens their playoff extinction.
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Curry typically keeps his emotions — other than his competitive fury and contagious joy — well hidden. Tucked safely inside the Curry brand. Behind the polish and professionalism. Beneath perspective. The Warriors’ point guard has the patience of a turtle raised by elephants in a monastery, so it takes quite a bit to wrestle those emotions to the surface. Especially live. Especially publicly.
Yet, Wednesday in Orlando, his suppression mechanism cracked. At the 8:24 mark of the first quarter, before sweat beads fully formed on foreheads, Green, the anchor of the Warriors’ defense, was banished to the locker room. Ejected after earning two technical fouls. A tough call by referee Ray Acosta sparked Green’s ire. And Green, once again, let his fire burn too hot, until it nearly incinerated what remained of his team’s hopes.
Draymond Green was just ejected less than four minutes into the Golden State Warriors game in Orlando.
Green was given two technicals for an argument with official Ray Acosta.
@NBCSWarriorspic.twitter.com/SVaZ9w2Fpb
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 27, 2024
The volcanic star hadn’t erupted in a while, and this one wasn’t particularly major. But this is the second season with the singe of Green’s pyroclast. So every episode is a reminder of past grievances, and this latest one hit with a cumulative effect. It doubled Curry over.
“He was emotional,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, “because our team needed the win.”
Frustration grew to disappointment. And disappointment to anger. And anger to passion.
Then Kerr did the thing most antithetical to composure. As Curry hunched over, rocking to contain his swelling sentiments, Kerr encouragingly patted Curry’s back. Anyone who’s ever been on the verge of tears knows the it’s-gonna-be-alright rub on the back will break the strongest of emotional dams.
Steph’s reaction to Draymond’s ejection pic.twitter.com/5TH5DYC9w1
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 27, 2024
Next thing you know, Curry was walking it off again, still shaking his head. He clapped his hands once, as if to snap himself back into the moment. Then used the interior of his white jersey to wipe away the evidence of angst.
The last time we saw Curry in tears on the court was in the NBA Finals, 21 months ago, on Boston’s legendary parquet floor beneath the collection of Celtics banners. He was overwhelmed by the sealing of his legend, by a team that had coalesced superbly enough to make history.
This time, it was on the unhallowed hardwood of Orlando, in the obscurity of March. He was teeming with anger and disappointment, feeling inevitably closer to an embarrassing whiff on the postseason, momentarily disheartened by a team and a teammate that sometimes seems wired for self-destruction. And his desperation is to figure out a way to stop it.
The display, jarring and viral, was illustrative of Curry’s burden. Even though in his heart of hearts he must know a fifth ring is not in the cards this season, he’s got everything left in him pushed to the center of the table. This exhausting, random, mediocre season has one redeeming aim remaining. Not just a Play-In Tournament spot, but the fulfillment of a sustained stretch of their best ball that would not only be worthy of the postseason but breathe life into the possibility of a fifth ring down the road.
Such a closing stretch is still possible. Fortunately for the Warriors, they didn’t need Green to beat Orlando. They had enough defense and toughness without him. They had enough hustle and inside scoring, courtesy of Gary Payton II, Moses Moody and Trayce Jackson-Davis. They got enough from Andrew Wiggins, the best version of him. And enough Curry, who scuffled all game against fatigue and the Magic’s harassment before delivering at the end.
A driving layup by Curry followed by his dagger stepback 3, and Green’s relapse was conquered along with Orlando, 101-93. The Warriors have two road games remaining against inferior opponents (Charlotte and San Antonio) on this road trip. Handling business means they’re still alive for the Play-In. Which means validation is still possible.
GO DEEPER
Warriors’ Steph Curry gets emotional in win after early Draymond Green ejection
That future championship carrot is the remnant of their dynasty, the reason they still cling to their decreasingly effective formula. To Curry, it’s clearly worth every ounce he’s got. And every ounce from his teammates.
Green, a co-architect of all this, is supposed to be all in with him.
“All I’ll say is we need him,” Curry told reporters after the game. “He knows that. We all know that. So whatever it takes for him to be on the floor and available, that’s what’s gotta happen. Especially at this point of the year.”
Green’s double-tech ejection wasn’t anything close to stomping on an opponent’s chest or choking out a rival in the name of peacemaking. In the grand scheme of Green’s violations, this was tame. And he had been exemplary since returning from his suspension. If it were anybody else, Acosta would be more of the villain for ejecting a key player 3:36 into the game.
But this is Draymond, the NBA’s villain. Wednesday was a reminder he has no rope. He’s confessed to being weary of hurting his team, of burdening Curry. This time, neither was enough to temper Green.
The situation was almost resolved with one technical foul, as he and Acosta parted ways. But Green’s righteous indignation got the better of him and he just had to get off one last barb, a final insult laced with “egregious profane language.”
In that moment, you can see the toll on Curry as he struggled to find his center, usually always within reach. It took him a minute.
Because this season, stubbornly, won’t grant the Warriors a break.
Because this pivotal game was now set up to be another gut-wrenching loss in what’s been an ulcerative campaign. Already minus Jonathan Kuminga, Curry would have to navigate the Magic’s aggressive defense without his telepathy with Green.
Because after all they’ve been through, after the deep talks and apologies, after suspensions and fines and national ridicule, Green still hasn’t fully exorcized his demons. And Curry no doubt felt the sobering reality that his friend may never.
But that’s the burden of superstardom. Certainly, it’s Curry’s accepted role as the face of this franchise.
So, he pulled himself together. And with the cohorts available, he Night-Night’d Orlando and pushed the Warriors forward. Not before, however, we witnessed just how much an era weighs, and perhaps why Kerr is so concerned about Curry’s exhaustion, and even the price of riding for and with the double-edged sword that is Draymond Green.
But challenges must be met. Loads must be carried. Games must be won. Last chances must be seized. And fellow legends must, always, be held down.
Steph seals the Warriors win with the CLUTCH triple! pic.twitter.com/y8rzgA9f7s
— NBA (@NBA) March 28, 2024
(Photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)
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