Steph Curry logged 35 minutes — a full fourth quarter included — in the Warriors’ victory on Monday night over the Rockets, breaking a six-game losing streak.
It wasn’t until the conclusion of his postgame radio interview that the 35-year-old guard learned of his latest historic milestone and immediately started asking for an ice bath.
The Warriors’ longtime radio broadcaster, Tim Roye, informed Curry that he had surpassed Nate Thurmond for the most minutes played in franchise history.
“I’m exhausted, I need to jump in the cold tub,” Curry reacted, “Goodness. Don’t tell me that — that’s the kind of news you don’t share with me.”
During the final quarter, Curry surpassed Thurmond’s total of 30,729 minutes over 11 seasons with Golden State. Since being drafted in 2009, he has now played 30,735 minutes for the Warriors.
“I don’t know if anyone at his position, at his size, has played as effectively as Steph has at this age,” coach Steve Kerr remarked the following day. “I’m sure there are some names. I watched Steve Nash play at a high level into his late 30s. It feels like what Steph is doing is just at a different level. He feels better than he has ever looked before.”
For third-year guard Moses Moody, watching Curry’s longevity up close is truly inspiring.
“You know how they say never meet your idol? He’s the opposite of that,” Moody shared. “He’s a role model and kind of shows what’s possible and what it takes to be on top. You work to become the king of the hill, but once you become the king of the hill, a lot of people rest. That’s when somebody else takes over the throne. Well, he’s somebody that’s on top that’s the king of the hill and works harder than he did when he first got here.”
Kerr removed Curry a bit early in the third quarter after a turnover from the two-time MVP. He then sent him back out to start the fourth quarter with a chance to extend an 11-point lead.
“I was going to try to get him out for a couple minutes in the middle of the quarter but that opportunity didn’t present itself,” Kerr explained postgame as the Warriors’ lead peaked at 14. “We needed to get this one obviously, so I stayed with him the whole fourth.”
Curry hinted that he might have surpassed Thurmond sooner if given the chance to play more fourth quarters in the past when the Warriors were dominating opponents.
“I might have (passed Thurmond) like three years ago had Coach played us a couple more fourth quarters back in the day,” he quipped.
Staff writer Evan Webeck contributed to this report.
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