It was an emotionally-charged night for Stephen Curry in Orlando on Wednesday, with the two-time MVP transitioning from immense disappointment to monumental jubilation in the Golden State Warriors' victory at Kia Center.
Curry's had plenty to celebrate throughout his enormously successful career, but rarely have you seen the 15-year veteran as visibly upset as he was after Draymond Green's ejection less than four minutes into Wednesday's game.
Stephen Curry's range of outward emotions on Wednesday perfectly illustrated the urgency in the Golden State Warriors' season
Not for the first time in his career, Green let the referees know of his displeasure on a call or two, leading to a quick pair of technical fouls that saw the former Defensive Player of the Year ejected. Curry's seen his long-time teammate get ejected plenty of times before, but his reaction suggested this one was particularly disapointing.
Asked in the post-game, Curry reiterated the team's need for Green to be on the floor, with Golden State clinging to the Western Conference's tenth-seed ahead of a Houston Rockets team who's now won 10 games in a row.
"We know how important this season is -- this part of the season is and our ability to get into a rhythm and secure a Play-In opportunity and gives ourselves a shot. We don't want to have self-inflicted wounds when it comes to that."Stephen Curry
Fortunately for Curry, the Warriors dug in defensively to build a sizeable lead in the first-half. Even as the Magic closed the gap in the second-half, Golden State still held the slightest advantage which allowed the franchise superstar to once again deliver for them in the clutch.
After Curry extended the lead to five with a finish at the rim with just over a minute left, he then put Orlando to sleep with a step-back three that ignited his signature 'night night' celebration and forced a Magic timeout.
Curry made his way to the bench and let out his emotions further by kicking a chair -- a somewhat strange response to his own made three, yet a clear indication of what the game and this point of the season means to him.
It was a wild night for the four-time champion but one that ended with him hyped on the bench, including congratulating Andrew Wiggins who proved a saviour in the fourth-quarter with 13 points. Curry was limited to 17 points on the night but added 10 assists, stating post-game that he was proud of every player that took the floor in what was an upset victory over the fifth-seed team in the East.