The Warriors’ 104-93 Game 3 triumph over the Houston Rockets wasn’t about the 36 points, nine assists, or seven rebounds Stephen Curry posted in his 41 relentless minutes. It wasn’t the stats that told the story. It was what couldn’t be measured — his sheer mental steel, his grit hidden beneath the jersey, and the fire between his ears that pulled Golden State through.
“He’s always been mentally tough,” said Draymond Green. “He’s even more mentally tough now.”
Houston Had Answers — Curry Had More
The Rockets, armed with one of the NBA’s sharpest defenses, brought waves of defenders. But none of it could corral Curry’s will, exemplifying the indomitable nature of Stephen Curry.
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With just over three minutes left, and the Warriors rolling, Curry caught the ball at the top of the key. A quick jab step, a taunting hesitation — live dribble still dancing — he dared Jalen Green to guess wrong. Curry was approaching 40 minutes of play, face-guarded for hours, but looked fresher than ever.
He wasn’t supposed to have any gas left.
But that’s the thing about legends — they don’t run on fumes.
They run on something else entirely.
“You’ve got to be locked in — mentally, physically, emotionally,” Curry said. “If it doesn’t happen early, it’s a 48-minute game. And I pride myself on endurance — feeling just as strong in the fourth as I do at tipoff.”
Turning Traps Into Triumphs
Houston’s scheme dared Curry to break. Trap after trap, body after body thrown at him. In response? Five assists in the fourth quarter alone, carving up the Rockets’ defense with surgical patience that Stephen Curry is known for.
But in the final moments, Curry didn’t want to pass.
He wanted to dance.
And he wanted his former protégé — Jalen Green — to learn the hardest lesson of all: There are levels to this game.
37 years old, battling an athletic swarm without his co-star Jimmy Butler — who watched from the sideline in a brown Don King-style fur coat — Curry still wore that familiar smirk. Still carved space from chaos. Still let it fly.
Houston’s mission was simple: Turn Splash into Whine. Frustrate the franchise. Crack the code. They came close. But close doesn’t count against Steph Curry.
Hard to Break. Impossible to Bury.
After three games of brutal defense aimed squarely at him, Stephen Curry didn’t waver. Didn’t complain. Didn’t fold.
Saturday was the time to get him. The moment to make him bleed.
Houston missed their shot.
Now, heading into a pivotal Game 4 on Monday, the Rockets are learning a painful, timeless truth: Stephen Curry bends — he never breaks.
But he isn’t.
In the blink of an eye, Stephen Curry caught the ball, launched a three before the defender even blinked — and he already knew it was good. Because they couldn’t hold him.
Not even close.
