Draymond Green's first-quarter ejection in the Warriors' 101-93 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday enacted an emotional response from Steph Curry, but also triggered a touching moment between coach Steve Kerr and his superstar point guard.
While speaking to Mark Willard and Dan Dibley on 95.7 The Game's "Willard & Dibs," Kerr explained why Green's early dismissal impacted Curry so greatly.
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"Every game being so important and us fighting for everything, for Draymond to get kicked out three minutes in, it was really unforgivable," Kerr told Willard and Dibs. "I think Steph may have even been a little upset with himself for not pulling Draymond out of there, but I think mostly it was just, 'Come on, man. We need this.' Steph is such a fighter, such a competitor, he wants it so badly and I think all of that combined led to that reaction."
Following Green's ejection, Kerr was seen patting Curry on the back while sharing a heart-to-heart moment with the two-time MVP. Kerr explained what his thought process was behind consoling Curry, citing the importance of quickly getting back into rhythm in a very important game for the Warriors.
"I could see how emotional he was and how rattled he was by it, and I just wanted to make sure he was alright," Kerr explained. "But number two remind him, we got to go. We got to go play and that's about as simple as it gets."
Curry was able to bounce back with a strong second half, including cementing Golden State's victory with a pair of clutch shots late in the fourth quarter, including a pivotal 3-pointer that he quickly followed up with his iconic celebration.
Golden State Warriors
With the Houston Rockets (37-35) on a 10-game winning streak that has placed them just one game behind the Warriors (38-34) in the Western Conference playoff picture, every game remains crucial as Golden State fights to hold on to the final spot in the play-in tournament.
A big game from Andrew Wiggins and the clutch buckets from Curry allowed the Warriors to escape their matchup against the Magic with a win, but they can ill afford to have another incident that sees one of their most important players exit the court for any reason as they attempt to make a run down the stretch.
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