OAKLAND — There is no official evidence that Steph Curry’s pregame performance has any correlation to what he does in the actual game.
But when the Golden State Warriors star needed just two attempts to hit his famous Oracle Arena tunnel shot before Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against New Orleans on Tuesday, it was as good a sign as any that he was ready to roll.
"It doesn't get no better than that," Curtis Jones, the longtime Warriors security guard who has been Curry's set-up man on the tunnel shot for so many years now, told a young boy after the shot fell through.
He couldn't have been more wrong.
Curry, who suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee on March 23 and came off the bench in his return, had 28 points and seven rebounds in the Warriors’ 121-116 win. He entered the game for the first time with 4:20 left in the first quarter, the roaring cheers around him and the booming piano intro of Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E.” providing a fitting musical backdrop.
Still Steph, was more like it.
Eleven seconds in, the two-time MVP curled off a Kevon Looney screen and found a familiar spot on the deep left wing as Jrue Holiday scrambled to catch up. Smooth release from 29 feet out. Swish. It was like he had never left.
"It was funny," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Curry's first bucket. "We call a play we like to run just to get some movement, just to get the ball moving, and the ball swung to him and he just launched. Didn't surprise me. That's who he is. That was a fun moment."
Curry didn’t stop there, following with a floater in the paint and another three with his right foot planted near the ‘A’ in the “Oracle Arena” logo near the right sideline – 32 feet out, and good again. By the time the second quarter arrived with the Warriors down 29-27, Curry had buried three of his four shots and both of his three-pointers while scoring eight points.
The Warriors led 58-55 at halftime, with Curry's plus-15 rating a team-high by a large margin (Shaun Livingston's plus-7 was second). He also had a team-high 12 points after making five of his first seven shots.
There was plenty more to come in the second half.
Ever the showman, Curry buried another deep three with 48 seconds left in the third quarter and struck one of his statue-style poses afterward as the Warriors led 86-80.
He kept the pressure on from there, making up for the struggles of fellow All-Stars Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant (10 of 34 combined shooting early in the fourth beforeDurant, who finished with 29 points, heated up).
The Pelicans showed far more fight than they had in Game 1, with Anthony Davis (25 points, 15 rebounds) leading the way and all five starters scoring at least 14 points this time around.
Curry provided the unofficial final blow with 1:47 left, losing E’Twaun Moore on a Draymond Green screen on the right wing and burying a three that put Golden State up 119-106. He had 16 points on three of five shooting in the second half, and finished with a game-high plus-26 rating in 27 minutes.
At this rate, he might be a starter someday.
Curry had only been a sixth man once before in 76 playoff games, back on May 9, 2016 when he was taking on a challenge that has now become so familiar. He suffered a Grade 1 MCL sprain in his right knee in the first round of that failed title run, then had 40 points. nine rebounds and eight assists in an overtime win against Portland in Game 4 of the second round. The question going forward, of course, is whether the left knee is truly healthy enough to withstand another six weeks of high stakes hoops this time around.
Kerr opted to keep the same starting lineup as Game 1, when Andre Iguodala filled Curry's role and Golden State dominated in the 123-101 rout. Curry had strongly considered returning in the opener, but the two days between games gave him a chance to take the safe route and ensure extra prep time.
"It was an eternity (before he got in for the first time); it felt like for sure," Curry said. "You know, when the lights come back on, starting lineup, usually in that 'go' kind of mind frame, and then had to pace myself and be patient with it. Seemed like it took forever but it was a good feeling to get back out on the floor and just let loose and have fun."
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick on Twitter @Sam_Amick