Warriors Upset With Kendrick Perkins After Curry Incident
Ryan Mayer
The Golden State Warriors took Game 2 of the NBA Finals 122-103 over the Cleveland Cavaliers behind a record-breaking nine threes from All-Star guard Stephen Curry on Sunday night. The victory gave the Warriors a 2-0 advantage in the series heading into Game 3 in Cleveland on Wednesday night.
However, the game was not without controversy as Curry and Cavaliers center Kendrick Perkins got into a verbal exchange at the end of the third quarter. The exchange came after a wild last-second shot attempt from Curry that ended with him landing back near the Cavs bench.
According to a report from ESPN, multiple Warriors players were concerned by the fact that Perkins didn't move his legs as Curry backed into him, believing that it was a dangerous play that could have gotten Curry hurt.
"The fear was Curry could have sprained an ankle or suffered a knee injury. The incident occurred when Curry tossed up a wild shot in an attempt to beat the buzzer and his momentum carried him backward.
Perkins, who is inactive, never moved his knees, legs or feet and the back of Curry's right leg bumped into him."
Neither Curry nor Perkins commented on the incident after the game, but it did seem to change the rhythm of the game for the Warriors guard. Prior to the incident, he was just 6-18 from the field for 17 points. After the exchange with Perkins, he lit up the Cavs for 16 in the final quarter including a perfect 5-for-5 from three point range. Game 3 is set for Wednesday night at 6 p.m. Pacific.