Don’t be surprised if the NYPD gets a call Friday about being on the lookout for a bus making an illegal U-turn in midtown.
Golden State’s Stephen Curry would gladly take a Friday repeat of the game that occurred against the Knicks one year and one day ago. Curry would like the day to go the same — with one notable exception.
“Get the win to enjoy it even more,” Curry said.
For a refresher, the Warriors bus was pulled over last year for an illegal U-turn and that preceded the team arriving late which preceded Curry enduring an “awful” pregame shooting warm-up. He then had one of the greatest individual games the Garden ever has seen. Curry shot 18 of 28 from the floor, with 11 3-pointers and spiced his stunning 54-point explosion with six rebounds and seven assists.
“Our bus got pulled over so we were a little late,” Curry said. “I shot, did my warm-up later than normal. Worst shooting warm-up of the year, felt rushed then played the whole 48 minutes and that happened. Weird day. I might try to duplicate it.
“We’re staying at the same hotel so that same turn is still there. They [cops] might get an anonymous tip,” Curry said.
It was a game you simply don’t forget.
“I remember we lost,” Warriors coach Mark Jackson said of the game where his team was without David Lee (suspension). “A special night by a special player but ultimately we lost. That’s the thing that stands out most.”
Curry almost single handedly beat the Knicks, who got 61 points from the tandem of Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith in the 109-105 win. Was it Curry’s best game as a pro?
“It’s in the discussion because the defense tried everything and he had an answer for everything they tried,” Jackson said. “It was an incredible performance, an all-time great Garden performance.”
And it began with the local constabulary enforcing the rules of the road.
“Good memories obviously but I’m looking forward to getting a win this time,” said Curry, eighth in the NBA in scoring before Thursday night’s games (23.8 points per game) and second in assists (8.8).
The All-Star Curry is “one of the best pure shooters I’ve seen at this stage of a career,” veteran teammate Jermaine O’Neal said.
“We know the arena, the legacy it has, the history that’s been made there and just the prestige it has across the world,” Curry said.
So just get the bus driver another ticket and hope for a repeat — except for the win-lose part.