Maybe it’s New York. Or… Stephen Curry just loves playing with a roaring atmosphere. Tonight was another successful MSG chapter for the ‘Baby Faced Assassin’. It wasn’t a thunderous performance like his 54-point game twelve years ago. However, Curry was enjoying himself, shooting the ball from the depths and claiming another incredible win for the Golden State Warriors.

But there’s also another part of his glittering career that continues to deliver unforgettable highlights. It isn’t as easy or carefree as before. At 36, Curry has been dealing with a series of injuries this season. “I still deal with all that stuff. You can’t escape it at this age,” he had said after the game.

But it also makes him feel great gratitude just because he is actually able to play through pain and not suffer any other major consequences. Many of the major stars in the league can’t say the same.

“You just have a maintenance program on staff, but also guys have been good to allow me to get through some early scares. I never take a day for granted. You see what’s going on, you know, around the league. You just got to have fun and enjoy all the work that goes into it. Enjoy that part of the process too,” Stephen Curry said.

For many of the most prominent names in the NBA, the injury curse has ended their seasons. Joel Embiid continues to find doctors who can solve his chronic knee riddle once and for all. The 76ers shut him down for the season recently. Yesterday, Kyrie Irving suffered a season-ending ACL tear that prevented him from building on his wonderful campaign.

In the face of such news churning out frequently in the NBA, Stephen Curry is just happy he gets to play. He has missed a few games managing a ‘nagging’ knee injury. But for the most part, Curry has protected himself from taking any major toll. His teammates have also played a huge role in this.

However, it seems that we owe Coach Kerr an apology.

The apology to Steve Kerr should be loud

Even a slight deflection away from the plans made Steve Kerr anxious. “I hate that his minutes are creeping up. I don’t like it. But we gotta do what we gotta do,” he said about Curry in January. Since the season began, Kerr’s aim has been rather astonishing. He’s actively trying to reduce the amount of time Steph plays a game. “I’d love to get him closer to 32 or even a little under,” he said in preseason.

The Warriors were dismal before the Jimmy Butler trade. So when the Dub Nation first saw this, they weren’t particularly happy with Steve Kerr. Why would a coach continue resting the franchise cornerstone when the team isn’t performing up to the mark? It might have annoyed some at the time.

However, what if the recent happenings around the NBA—the truth seems to be that Kerr’s careful approach could be a pivotal factor in why Stephen Curry has managed to evade any major scare?

This isn’t said without proof, of course. Just go 1,700 or so miles away and look at the Dallas Mavericks. After trading Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis getting hurt, the onus fell on Kyrie Irving. KAI could have a ball on a string for 48 minutes or more if he wanted to. The former number-one pick can even produce some of the audacious basketball plays.

But what Irving, or any athlete, can’t keep doing is outrun physical strain. Over the last month, ‘Uncle Drew’ averaged nearly 40 minutes per game for the depleted Mavericks team. Naturally, his recovery could never reach a point where it should be as a player. And it took one freak landing for him to suffer a season-ending injury.

Steve Kerr has added several layers of caution around Stephen Curry to avoid just that. It’s not at 36 that the ‘Chef’ is beginning to have injury concerns. His career is built on an improbable story of being labeled an injury-prone player in his early years. Hence, preserving him is a priority.

Had Kerr panicked, Curry could have been on pace to have an injury of the same magnitude. Luckily, even in times of turmoil, the Warriors didn’t think twice about giving Stephen Curry rest at times and ensuring his conditioning remains top-notch. Now, the Bay sees past the bridge, having lost just once since Butler’s arrival.

And Curry looks to be at his best, making ludicrous shots and running off before they even go in.