Stephen Curry on hard fall in Game 4: ‘It was the scariest’

MANILA, Philippines — Stephen Curry experienced at least two nasty falls before he came down hard during Game 4 of the NBA 2015 Western Conference Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets. 

Both previous falls were nothing compared to hitting the deck head first from high off the ground on Tuesday, May 26 (Monday, May 25 in the US).

“It was the scariest one,” the reigning NBA MVP quietly narrated how he felt during the post-game press conference. 

“I’ve had worse symptoms from getting hit in the head but that was the scariest one because you’re in the air for a long time, not knowing how you’re gonna hit the floor, knowing that it’s gonna happen, it’s inevitable. And you’re out there just bracing yourself.

“The seconds after was a scary feeling with all the voices out there saying to just take your time, gather yourself, regroup and trust the process,” he added.

Curry, 27, landed hard and banged his head on the floor after attempting to block a Trevor Ariza shot at the 5:52 mark of the second quarter. It took several minutes before Curry managed to pull himself back up as the entire Toyota Center in Houston, Texas fell silent.

“I remember everything about it,” said Curry. “It’s a bad feeling because you’re trying to [get to] the ball, you think he’s [Ariza] going for the lay-up and once you see the situation changes immediately in the air, you got no control over yourself and it could have been a lot worse. 

“So I’m just thankful that once I got back to the locker room and gathered myself, I understood what was going on and the chance I could get back out there.”

The diagnosis was a head contusion but Curry was not immediately allowed back into the game as it was league protocol for a player to pass a series of test to make sure he’s cleared of a concussion.

According to Curry, he was made to ride the bike to get his heart rate up and “make sure it didn’t get worse.” He also “ran up and down the hallway, all the balance tests and all that.”

This was something Curry was familiar with as he experienced it the past two times he hit his head in a game.

“I felt a lot better than I did those last couple of times, which is good news on my end,” he said.

Curry returned to the game in the third quarter and visibly struggled to get back his rhythm. It took several possessions before he made a field goal as he finished with 23 points on 7-of-18 shooting following a 40-point Game 3 performance.

His return, however, was not enough to bolster a Golden State comeback from a double-digit deficit as Houston extended the series with a 128-115 victory.

With his symptoms looking better, Curry is confident he’ll be back strong in Game 5 as the Warriors, leading by 3-1, try to wrap the series up at home.

“I’m disappointed we lost but all I know is I’m thankful I came out of that relatively okay, was able to go back in there and try to give my team something,” he said. “I’m really proud of how we fought all night. Just looking forward to Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).” — Rappler.com