Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry’s All-Star Chance Rises

The Golden State Warriors took on the Miami Heat last night at the Oracle Arena to play a highly anticipated match up between two legitimate playoff contenders. In their last meeting the Warriors pulled off a nail-biter with a great find from Jarret Jack to Draymond Green for a quick layup with nine tenths of a second remaining in the game. 

This time it would be a different story. The Heat came into Oracle and presented a blowout win led by reigning MVP and league champion LeBron James. They won by a final tally of 92-75. LeBron led his team with 25 points 10 assists and seven boards in just 30 minutes.

January 13, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after being injured during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 116-105. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

However, Stephen Curry injured his troubled right ankle Wednesday during shoot around prior to the game against the Miami. This immediately sent fans, the team and the organization into a panic, as Steph Curry has been playing some of his best basketball this season. 

That nagging right ankle seems to constantly come back and haunt him. Since joining the NBA, the youngster has spent a significant amount of time on the  bench due to injury. He has been unreliable to the point where many pundits did not agree with the $44 million contract extension the Warriors inked him to during the offseason. 

When Curry is on the floor, he is certainly worthy of every buck their giving him. He has been playing out of his mind this year, and is the most valuable player on the team without a question – Wednesday night’s loss is a piece of evidence. The Warriors were far from stable without Curry, and they will continue to struggle without him.

Curry is one of the only three players in the league averaging at least 20 points, six assists,and four rebounds per game – the others are Miami’s LeBron James and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook. Curry’s exact season averages thus far are 20.5 points, 6.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. He is shooting 43 percent from the field and 46 percent from downtown, not to mention that he is nearing two steals per game as well.

Curry had X-rays on his sprained ankle that came back negative, reports the San Jose Mercury News.

“I’m not a doctor,” head coach Mark Jackson said, “But I can’t imagine it turning into something more. I’m not going to get into timetables and all that. We’re not concerned.” Good news from Golden State’s head coach and we should expect Curry to return to game action very soon

With or without the blowout loss to the Heat, he should be in the All-Star Game regardless. He has been such a presence this year on the court, and his numbers justify that statement. He might not make the All-Star team because of all the good guards in the Western Conference – Kobe, Westbrook, Parker, Paul and Harden.

The competition is extremely stiff for guards in the West, but Curry deserves to be a part of the All-Star team, and the Warriors’ awful performance on Wednesday without him, should boost his chances even higher.