Back in 2021-22, the LA Clippers were in the Play-In position and went home early after two straight exits. This time, they have finished 9th, meaning a loss against the Golden State Warriors would be the end of the road for them. The head coach, Ty Lue, knows the severity of a do-or-die game and also knows the damage that Stephen Curry can cause.

“I’m sick of it, I’m sick of it, I’m sick of it, I’m tired of it,” before the game against the Dub Nation, Lue vented his frustration in a joking manner. But it underlined a severe threat that the 2x MVP carries.

“He’s the guy that can explode, he can score 50 if you’re not careful. So, he only had 24 last game, but he had nine three-point attempts. We can’t let him get those mid-attempts up and keep one line. We gotta try to keep him down as much as possible. So, but his ability to move without the basketball causes confusion, opens up layups for other guys, opens up shots for other guys. We gotta be locked into what we’re trying to do offensively.”

Before the play-in, the team clashed in their final regular-season game, where the Clippers won 115-110. Stephen Curry was limited to 29 minutes after playing in four of the last five games, having missed the previous 27 with a right knee injury. But in limited minutes, he scored a game high of 24 points and converted 4 of 9 from 3-point range. And the Clippers’ head coach has been on the receiving end of the results when the Warriors’ star gets hot.

Before his tenure with the Clippers, he was the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers for three of the four meetings in the NBA Finals between the two teams. The Cavs created history when they infamously knocked off the Warriors in 2016, but Ty Lue lost the other two. Previously, he has admitted to “blitzing” Stephen Curry even when other superstars like Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson were on the floor. Even called Steph the “most dangerous player in the league”.

The play-in tournament now serves as a leveler, and the head coach doesn’t have the luxury of the 2016 Finals, where one game loss can be afforded. But to ease his troubles, Stephen Curry is one of three Golden State Warriors, alongside Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, who will be on a minutes restriction in the team’s play-in game.

Head coach Steve Kerr revealed all three will play less than 40 minutes in the do-or-die game. Just like Ty Lue is worried about Curry’s performance, even the Golden State head coach has to create a plan of his own.

Just like the Clippers, Stephen Curry also faces a ghost from the past

Despite being the underdog, Kawhi Leonard famously derailed the Warriors’ dynasty during the 2019 NBA Finals, leading the Toronto Raptors to a six-game victory. He even bagged his Finals MVP honors, and it ended the Stephen Curry-led Warriors’ bid for a third straight title. Ahead of the do-or-die encounter, Steve Kerr made it clear his team must be disciplined against Leonard’s ability to draw fouls.

“We’ll have some rules for our guys that we’ve had in regular-season games too, in terms of not letting him do certain things. He’s going to really try to get fouled. He’s going to do the NBA thing, which lots of guys are doing.”

The stats of Leonard rank him 18th in the league at 5.1 fouls drawn per game (330 total in 65 appearances). Even if the Warriors limit his chances of field goals via strong defending, the Clippers star can still chip away from the charity stripe. Thus, his ability to shift momentum is undeniable. While they may not have James Harden, the additions of Bennedict Mathurin and Darius Garland make LA a potent threat to the Warriors.