There was a play at the end of the third quarter of game 2 of the NBA Finals that players on the Golden State Warriors are reportedly angry about.
It involved Stephen Curry and Kendrick Perkins. It began when Curry hoisted a corner 3-pointer as time expired in the third quarter.
His momentum carried him back into the Cleveland Cavaliers bench area, and it appeared as though Perkins refused to move his legs as Curry went past him, almost tripping him in the process.
Curry immediately turned around to confront Perkins, and a swarm of players descended on the scene as words were exchanged.
Chris Haynes of ESPN has a fascinating story about how reportedly upset players on the Warriors are about the incident.
Obviously, the fear is that Curry could have been injured due to Perkins not moving his legs out of the way as he walked by. Curry has already missed significant time this regular season and postseason with ankle and knee injuries.
The altercation seemed to propel Curry on the court, though, as he exploded for 16 points in the 8 minutes he played in the fourth quarter.
Curry set the NBA Finals single-game record with 9 field goals made from 3-point range. He passed the previous record set by Ray Allen in 2010 of 8 field goals made from 3-point range.
Perkins was inactive for the game, and it’s very telling that he was not going to have to face any kind of repercussion out on the court for his actions.
He already had a reputation as the type of player who would resort to those types of tactics, and something like this coming from him admittedly isn’t surprising.
Curry and the Warriors ultimately got the last laugh, though. They prevailed in game 2 and are now up 2-0 in the series.
Luckily Curry didn’t get hurt, and the moment seems to have served as fuel for Curry, as he once again entered the record books with his incredible outside shooting performance.