Brian Windhorst pointed to a telling moment on the LA Clippers bench during Steph Curry’s late-game surge, highlighting how even opponents sensed what was coming.
The Warriors’ Play-In win was shaped by experience and execution in the closing minutes.
And for Windhorst, it reinforced a familiar theme about championship-level players rising when it matters most.
Brian Windhorst highlights the champion’s mentality in Steph Curry’s moment
Speaking in an analysis shared via SC with SVP, Windhorst reflected on what separates elite players in pressure situations.
“One of the things that I’ve had a chance to learn over two-plus decades of covering the NBA is that they get older, but champions never disappear,” Windhorst admitted.
The comment set the tone for how he viewed Curry’s performance, not as a surprise, but as a continuation of a proven pattern.
It also framed the Warriors’ comeback as something rooted in experience rather than momentum alone.
Steph Curry’s fourth-quarter threes shifted the Warriors vs. Clippers game
That perspective was backed up by what unfolded late, as Golden State erased a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Clippers 126-121 in the Play-In Tournament.
“Of course, Curry, my god the three-pointer on the replay, I was watching the Clippers bench. When you watch the replays, watch the eyes on the Clippers bench, because they saw it in the air and they knew what was gonna happen,” Windhorst added.
Curry scored 27 of his 35 points in the second half, including a decisive three-pointer in the final minute, while the Warriors closed the game on a late run to flip the result.
The reaction Windhorst described reflected the inevitability of the moment, with even the opposing bench anticipating the outcome as the shot left Curry’s hands.
In the end, it was another example of how elite players can change games instantly, not just through execution, but through the belief, or fear, they create on both sides.
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