OAKLAND, Calif. — Kevin Durant kept shaking his head about what he saw and what he heard.
Near the team’s practice court on Friday, Durant observed Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry swishing countless 3-pointers, jump shots and free throws. At the same time, Durant fielded countless inquiries about the state of Curry’s shooting.
“Put that to rest; he’s so good,” Durant said, shaking his head. “What are we even worried about?”
Well, there are a few things as the Warriors enter Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against the Houston Rockets on Sunday tied at 1-1.
In a Game 2 loss to Houston on Wednesday, Curry scored just 16 points while shooting 7 of 19 from the field and 1 of 8 from 3-point range. In a Game 1 win, Curry went only 1 of 5 from 3-point range. Through both games, Curry has only three free-throw attempts.
And with Curry having played only six games since returning from a medial collateral ligament injury in his left knee that previously sidelined him for five-plus weeks, even his head coach openly wondered if that has affected his play.
“That’s an underrated dynamic to this,” Warriors Coach Steve Kerr said. “I think Steph’s healthy. He’s moving fine. But this is more rhythm than anything.”
After he moved comfortably around the court during a shooting session, Curry addressed the health of his left knee as quickly as he takes a shot.
“I feel great,” he said. “Hopefully that’s the last knee question.”
It was. Instead, Curry answered questions about his shooting. Curry stressed, “you never lose confidence in myself ever. That will never change.”
“I’m just waking up every day with optimism and confidence in myself with where I’m at. That’s all I can speak on,” Curry said. “There isn’t time to coast or ease your way into it, especially with the intensity and pressure and all that stuff. You have to be ready.”
BILL RUSSELL, the former Celtics star and NBA Hall of Famer, has been released from a Seattle hospital after an overnight stay for an unknown condition.
Russell confirmed Saturday on Twitter that he went to the hospital late Friday but does not say why.
Russell says in the light-hearted message, “As my wife likes to remind me, I don’t drink enough.”
He thanked fans for their concern and appeared to dismiss reports that the hospital visit was because of heart troubles.
Russell says in the message that his friends “know I don’t have a heart to give me trouble.”
Russell, 84, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975.
He was an 11-time NBA champion with the Celtics and won five NBA MVP awards.
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