With the Golden State Warriors leading the Dallas Mavericks by 14 points in the third quarter of Game 1, Steph Curry took a big risk.
The two-time All-Star tossed an over-the-head, no-look pass out of a trap that flew over his intended target and appeared headed out of bounds, what would have been a costly turnover at a time the Mavericks were desperate for any kind of momentum. But instead, the pass found its way into the hands of Draymond Green, who sailed it back to Curry for a dagger three-pointer followed by a celebratory dance that grabbed some viral attention.
After the game, Curry talked about the wild sequence.
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Curry’s Blind Pass
The play took place less than three minutes into the third quarter, with the Warriors trying to extend their lead after a strong first half. As Curry was trapped in the corner, he flipped the ball over his head, intending to find teammate Kevon Looney. But the pass came out high, sailing over the Warriors big man and straight to Green’s hands.
Though it was a mistake, Curry chalked it up to years of building up chemistry with Green.
“It was a longshot pass,” Curry admitted after the game, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “I just talked to [Green] in the locker room just a minute ago. When I threw it and I looked back and I saw it was not going anywhere near Loon, who I was trying to throw it to and I saw Draymond save it, sigh of relief on that one. But the way we play, once you get the first pass, they had two guys on me and then we have more actions to follow, that’s what we’ve been doing for years and there’s a chemistry to that. Good things usually happen.”
This is the dance in question. What would you call this Steph Curry celly #dubnation ?? 😂😂😂 #goldblooded @kron4news
While the play may have been botched at the start, Curry seemed especially pleased with the way it turned out in the end. After Green returned the ball, Curry nailed a three-pointer and then burst into a celebratory dance as Mavericks coach Jason Kidd called timeout.
Fans React
Curry’s dance went viral almost immediately, with many fans taking to Twitter to share their amazement both at the play and the swagger from the Warriors guard.
Steph Curry going nuclear… Nobody is safe
Curry flings it over his head for what looks like a sure turnover – only to get it back a split second later and hit a 3 in your face while doing whatever the F that dance was.
Sheesh.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr joked about the play after the game as well, saying that it went just as they had drawn it up.
“Yeah, we work on that play,” Kerr joked. “It’s called ‘Looping Pass 2.’ ”
The game didn’t seem to be as fun for Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, who suffered one of the biggest losses of the season. After the game, the Mavericks guard said his team needs to put the performance behind them and focus on getting back in Friday’s Game 2.
“We’ve got to play better,” Doncic told reporters after the game, via SI.com. “That’s it. We’ve got to play tougher. We’ve got to play better. Just like the Phoenix series. After Game 1 — we’ve got to learn from there. Game 2 was the same as Game 1, so we’ve got to learn from that, and we’ve got to come out and play harder and play better.”
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Warriors’ Steph Curry Opens up on Play That Led to Viral 3-Point Dance