Golden State Warriors superstar point guard Stephen Curry says guys on the team looked at each other and smiled after Kevin Durant’s injury because they knew they were going to have to step up in his absence. Durant has been diagnosed with a mild strain on his right calf and will miss the rest of the series against the Houston Rockets. Obviously, Curry and the Warriors didn’t want to see KD go down, but it now presents them with an opportunity to take their games to another level: This quote Steph gave to @WindhorstESPN about the Warriors reaction to KD's injury is really telling: "We all looked at each other. There were a couple smiles in terms of what that meant for us as a team — the guys that were going to need to step up in those moments." — Parakeet Cortes (@Ryan_Cortes) May 9, 2019 Curry didn’t shoot the ball well in Game 5, but he was much more aggressive and productive after Durant left the game. The sharpshooter finished with 25 points to lead the Dubs to a five-point win. Curry shot just 9-of-23 from the field and 3-of-11 from beyond the arc, but the main thing is he was looking for his shot and not being passive. The Warriors have a 3-2 lead in the series. Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala will all have to play at a high-level for Golden State to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Many pundits are predicting the Dubs to lose to the Rockets now that Durant is out, but the Warriors are just fine with everyone doubting them. The Warriors, if they have had a flaw at any point during this season, have been guilty of coasting through games they didn’t absolutely have to win or which carried comparatively little urgency. The flip side of this reality is that they have been at their best when supremely threatened. By this measurement, their chances of winning this series aren’t nearly as bad as some might think.<doc-sep>OAKLAND, Calif. -- Everyone wondered what was going to break Steph Curry out of his slump. Maybe his finger would heal. Maybe he'd get a pep talk from a loved one. Maybe the Rockets' defense would ease up just enough to let him get on a roll. Turns out, all Curry needed was a time machine. The palpable buzz that permeated Oracle Arena had completely evaporated. As Kevin Durant limped toward the locker room after a non-contact injury led to a right calf strain late in the third quarter, fans were left in a state of confusion, anxiety and despair. The Warriors were left without perhaps the best player in the league -- certainly the best player this postseason -- and the guy they'd relied upon over and over when the offense was stagnant, as it was in the third quarter when the Rockets mounted their comeback. After a piping-hot first half, Klay Thompson had gone cold. Curry was suffering through another substandard game, which had become all too familiar during the Warriors' second-round matchup with the Rockets. Durant injury concerns aside, the team had to focus on where, and how they were going to get buckets. DeMarcus Cousins, who knows a thing or two about devastating injuries, kept the team focused on the game. Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston -- elder statesmen who have been through it all during this Warriors dynasty -- went into player/coach mode. But on the court was a different story. The Rockets had trimmed the Warriors' 20-point lead to three and gained the momentum when Durant headed to the locker room. Less than a minute later, the shell-shocked Warriors had given up the lead. That's when Steve Kerr noticed a change in Curry. Just before Durant went out, Curry had missed a layup and a wide-open 3-pointer, which Curry called "the lowest point of the game for me." After the Rockets took the lead, Curry responded with a floater and a layup to put the Warriors back on top and lay the groundwork for a phenomenal individual fourth quarter. "I think you saw Steph go into a different mode when Kevin went out," Kerr said after the Warriors' 104-99 Game 5 win. "He knew he had to be the offensive fulcrum. He knew things were going to run through him. He took over that fourth quarter. It wasn't a great night for him until that point. He was brilliant in the fourth when we absolutely needed it." If Curry's resurgence looked familiar, it's because you've seen it before. It dates back to the PKD years -- pre-Kevin Durant -- when, if you'll recall, Curry was a back-to-back MVP as the unquestioned focal point of the Golden State offense. The fourth quarter of Wednesday's Game 5 win saw Curry take back the reins and channel his old self. It was apparently just what he needed to get out of his funk. "Steph just went into a different mindset," Kerr said. "Kind of reminded me of four, five years ago before we had Kevin, we were heavily dependent on Steph generating a lot of our offense back then. He doesn't have as big of a burden on his shoulders now. He's fully capable of taking that burden when necessary. Tonight it was necessary in the fourth quarter." Curry scored 12 of his 25 points in that fourth quarter, going 2-for-3 from 3-point range and knocking down all four of his free throws. It was a stark reminder of the player that Curry can be, the one that we've seen only bits and pieces of during this Houston series. It also shows us just how much he has sacrificed since Durant joined the team. "We have certain play calls that we call just for KD, to get him into the right spots to take advantage of different mismatches and get him into his sweet spots," Curry said after the game. "Those play calls may go away, but the main identity of who we are offensively is moving the ball, moving bodies, try to create good looks with regular motion offense, things like that." After an MRI on Thursday, Durant was reportedly ruled out for both Games 6 and 7 against the Rockets, and if the Warriors advance, he could miss time in the Western Conference Finals as well. Obviously the Warriors would't have wanted it to happen this way, but if Durant's injury woke up the old, hibernating Steph Curry, we all might be in for a treat. It's just a matter of whether it will be enough to beat Houston. "We trust the man. I think everybody in the world trusts him with the ball in his hands," Thompson said of Curry after the game. "His track record has proven it, he's going to come up in the clutch. ... That's just the kind of competitor he is. He'll do anything to win."<doc-sep>Harry How/Getty Images Kevin Durant is set to miss at least the rest of the Western Conference semifinals, but Stephen Curry doesn't feel any added pressure to carry the Golden State Warriors. Per Mark Medina of the Bay Area News Group, Curry explained his mindset entering Friday's Game 6 against the Houston Rockets: "No matter what the situations is, it's coming in with the right mindset. I have to play well and be aggressive. I'd like to shoot the ball better. But my confidence stays the same. I'll just play my game. ... I didn't wake up today with extra weight on my shoulders or anything. I feel like that every single day. I just play basketball and have fun doing it." The Warriors announced Durant suffered a strained right calf during the third quarter of Golden State's 104-99 win over the Rockets in Game 5. He will be re-evaluated in one week before his status is determined. 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The two-time NBA MVP shot 39.5 percent from the field in the first four games against Houston and started 1-of-8 from three-point range in Game 5. Bu after Durant's injury, Curry scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and made two of his final three attempts from behind the arc. The Warriors' 32-point outburst over the final 12 minutes was their best scoring quarter of the game. Durant has been an unstoppable force in the postseason. The reigning two-time NBA Finals MVP is averaging 34.2 points on 51.3 percent shooting in 11 games against the Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors will have to rely on Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green if they want to close out the Rockets in Game 6 at Toyota Center.<doc-sep>
OAKLAND, Calif. — For those of you who think empathy was the only appropriate response after Kevin Durant injured his right leg Wednesday night, this isn’t going to go over very well. The possibility of the Golden State Warriors losing Durant for Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals, if not longer, creates delicious intrigue. Durant's status is uncertain with the Warriors leading the Houston Rockets 3-2 heading into Game 6 Friday. Golden State won 104-99 on Wednesday. But this injury allows the rest to ponder these questions: Could Durant’s absence allow Steph Curry to regain the dominant offensive role Curry gave up when Durant joined the Warriors before the 2016-17 season? STEVE KERR AFTER INSPIRED WIN:'Our guys are (expletive) giants' SPORTS, DELIVERED:Get latest news right in your inbox! Could Curry lead the Warriors, not only past the Rockets, but to a third straight NBA title as Durant, set to undergo and MRI Thursday, simply watches? It would be foolish to argue the Warriors can be better without Durant. But it’d be just as foolish to bet against Curry, especially after what transpired Wednesday when Durant limped off the court and into the team’s locker room. “During the timeout, we all looked at each other, and there were a couple of smiles in terms of like what that meant for us as a team and the guys that were going to need to step up in those moments," Curry said. “Next-man-up mentality, Draymond (Green) said that at some point in that timeout." Curry stepped up, all right. After Durant’s injury, which the team described as a calf strain, Curry made his next two shots to close out the third quarter. He then propelled the Warriors to victory with 12 points in the fourth quarter. It felt a little like 2015, when Curry led the Warriors to the NBA championship — while Durant was still with the Oklahoma City Thunder. “If Kevin is out, then what you saw in the fourth quarter is what you’re going to have to see going forward," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. What you saw is while Curry initiated the offense, the Warriors played with heightened passion and zest. There was Green, burying a clutch 3-pointer and on his way a strong night with 11 assists, 10 rebounds and eight points. There was Klay Thompson, drilling his fifth 3-pointer of the night and breaking a recent shooting slump with a team-high 27 points. There was Kevon Looney, blocking Chris Paul’s layup with 1:17 left to play. And Jonas Jerebko, draining a long 3-pointer. And the frenetic Warriors, locking down on defense and holding James Harden to only five points in the fourth quarter. All of that without Durant, who entered the game averaging 34.2 points during the playoffs. “There’s a big gap that needs to be filled," Green said. “But one thing I think everyone understood and understands is not one person is going to fill that role. And so we’re going to have to collectively do that." Can they? Against the Rockets? With Curry leading the way? It’ll be damn fun to find out.