Gui Santos: When it matters most, Steph Curry sees everything

Apr 6, 2025 12:32 PM

In the Golden State Warriors’ pivotal win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday, Stephen Curry didn’t just shine as a scorer – he stepped into a leadership role that extended beyond the stat sheet.

As Ron Kroichick of The San Francisco Chronicle reports, Curry even played a bit of coach during crunch time. With the game in its final minutes and the Warriors holding a lead during a stoppage in play, Curry made a decisive suggestion from the court.

He motioned to head coach Steve Kerr, urging him to sub in Gui Santos, known for his high energy and defensive prowess. Kerr heeded the advice, and the move paid off – Santos helped secure the 118-104 victory.

Santos later described how the moment unfolded, revealing how much Curry’s voice carries weight, even on the sidelines.

“I was like, ‘OK, if he’s saying it, then I’m going in,’” Santos recalled. “When the game matters a lot, in the most important moments, Steph wants everything to be perfect. He sees everything.”

That comment echoed a broader sentiment throughout the Warriors’ locker room after the game, which marked their first regular-season win over the defending champions in more than three years.

Teammates highlighted Curry’s razor-sharp focus when the stakes are high, crediting his meticulous nature and relentless attention to detail as defining traits of his greatness.

Draymond Green, Curry’s longtime teammate, elaborated on how Curry’s intensity ramps up during key stretches of the season.

“There’s a completely different focus, but you see the focus everywhere,” Green explained. “It’s not just once Steph steps on the court in the game. It’s in practice, it’s in his workouts. He’s on the phone talking: ‘Yo, we need to do this.’ He gets into the weeds around this time.”

Green added with a smile that Curry’s intensity can be hard to contain over a full season.

“We try to keep him out of the weeds all year, because it can be a bit exhausting,” he said. “But he kind of knows when it’s time for him to get in the weeds, and that’s where he is right now. … You can see the look in his eyes from a mile away.”

That “look” – a signal of Curry’s laser-like determination – has become synonymous with playoff-caliber basketball, and it’s a driving force behind the Warriors’ late-season push.