Stephen Curry is a phenomenal player (Image via Instagram / @stephencurry30) In the NBA, Stephen Curry has been such a dominant force for so long that it’s hard to picture him doing anything else. Andre Miller, a longtime NBA veteran, was a member of the Denver Nuggets during the season when Steph was starting to establish himself. He witnessed the future MVP in action when the Nuggets faced the Warriors in the opening round of the playoffs. Recently, Miller discussed the same on the All the Smoke podcast. He also delved into stories regarding Stephen Curry, Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, Blake Griffin, and Carmelo Anthony.
Andre Miller blames George Karl, reflects on facing rising Stephen Curry in 2013 playoffs
While respecting Stephen’s game, Andre Miller described the Denver Nuggets–Golden State Warriors series as one that “slipped through the cracks.” Speaking of his encounter, he stated: “What was crazy is, I felt that the team that we had in Denver was probably the best team.” Miller further believed that George Karl, the head coach of the Denver Nuggets, is to be blamed for the team’s eventual 4-2 series loss. He added, talking about Stephen Curry:“You guys ran into a young Golden State Warriors team with Steph Curry… That’s when he was a baby. His ankles were hurting at the time, too. He had bad ankles…”
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He then claimed that he reportedly even warned Karl against working the players too hard, saying:“Right before the playoffs started, I told George Karl, ‘Look here man, these guys’ bodies are tired’. Oh, we got to get work in. We play the Dallas Mavericks in Denver. Danilo Gallinari (Gallo) blew out his knee and we gotta go play these dudes because I think we were like a two or three seed and they were like a six seed man…”To this, Miller said Karl replied:“‘Oh we gotta get work in’. We played the Dallas Mavericks in Denver, Gallo blew out his knee, and we gotta go play these dudes.”He then added that the G.S. Warriors weren’t yet championship contenders, that would only happen two years later under Steve Kerr. However, Miller saw that the Dubs were making progress. He said:“That’s when I knew, [Steph] and Klay, that ball was just going through the hoop different..”
Stephen Curry recalls their victory against Denver Nuggets during 2013 playoffs
Stephen Curry has also talked about the same match in the past. The Golden State Warriors star guard recalled the 2013 game when asked how his signature shots came to be part of his skill set. In 2022, he appeared on The Old Man and the Three podcast and said: “It’s either Game 3 or Game 4 of our first playoff series against Denver in 2013. It was the third quarter, I went on a crazy run, I think I got 20-something in the quarter and one of the last threes was right in front of Denver’s bench.”
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He further said:”We got into that series, we started as the sixth seed, we started at Denver, came back [with series result being] 1-1. I was walking out there, it was hazy all over the court..”Stephen Curry played six games against the Nuggets in the 2013 Western Conference First Round, averaging 24.3 points, 9.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds. His talent and precision led his team to victory. Also read: Stephen Curry joins NBA Dunk Week with first dunk in 6 years, leaving the bench and fans absolutely fired up