In the 2016 NBA Finals, when LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers created history by becoming the first team ever to come back from a 3-1 deficit with a title on the line, the Golden State Warriors superstar first discovered that the hard way. Curry has repeatedly since used his mouthpiece to convey his visceral irritation, leading to another dismissal a year later.
Still, it’s hard to blame Curry for the third time he’s ever been tossed in his legendary career, late in the Warriors’ thrilling win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. What drew his specific type of ire this time around? Jordan Poole’s inexplicable missed 28-footer after Golden State secured an offensive rebound, wasting another golden opportunity to go up two possessions on Memphis with just over a minute left.
Steph was just ejected from the game after throwing his mouth piece … pic.twitter.com/b1rl7cEMXq
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 26, 2023
Yikes.
Golden State’s spirits were understandably high after the game despite that tandem gaffe from Poole and Curry. On the postgame podium, though, Steve Kerr hilariously revealed who he believes was really at fault for those back-to-back crunch-time blunders: The player who looked off the reigning Finals MVP and greatest shooter ever with the game on the line, obviously.
“Was Steph Curry open next to him?”
This interaction between Steve Kerr and @montepooleNBCS about JP’s shot that lead to Steph throwing his mouthpiece 😂 pic.twitter.com/jjKHcuNe40
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 26, 2023
Poole and Steph Curry hugged it out in the Chase Center tunnel, the former even mockingly throwing his mouth guard.
It’s a good thing Kerr and the Warriors can laugh about that stunning turn of events, their hard-earned win coming after Klay Thompson drained a go-ahead three with under 20 seconds left then Poole got loose for a layup off a baseline-out-of-bounds play just before the final buzzer. Otherwise, Golden State would’ve been due for some existential self-reflection after yet another crunch-time collapse.
Source: https://clutchpoints.com
