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Even Stephen Curry was amazed by his miracle shot and the Warriors' stunning comeback

NEW ORLEANS – Stephen Curry replayed the shot in his mind over and over, silently shaking his head several times in the locker room late Thursday. Eventually, the triumphant Golden State Warriors guard showered, dressed and walked into a hallway of onlookers before finally uttering a simple word that summed up his memorable night.

"Unreal."

Curry completed a jaw-dropping Warriors comeback from 20 points down in the fourth quarter – the third-largest in NBA playoff history – with a stunning corner 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left to send Game 3 against the New Orleans Pelicans into overtime. From there, the MVP candidate finished with a game-high 40 points en route to a 123-119 victory that left Golden State a win away from moving on to the second round. Curry's smooth shot silenced the boisterous Pelicans crowd, and was still the rage long after the game ended.

Stephen Curry reacts to his tying 3-pointer to force OT against the Pelicans. (NBAE/Getty Images)
Stephen Curry reacts to his tying 3-pointer to force OT against the Pelicans. (NBAE/Getty Images)

"I've been a part of a couple comebacks, but not with that much of a deficit in the playoffs in a game that is very important to us, and one we really wanted to get," Curry told Yahoo Sports. "It feels kind of surreal."

The Warriors were admittedly awful during the first three quarters as the Pelicans took an 89-69 lead. New Orleans even had a 19-0 run at one point in the game.

"We never got too down on ourselves," Curry said. "Everyone had their heads up in the huddles and timeouts. 'It's a long game. It's a long game. We just stick with it and it will be a sweet feeling if we can get this win.' "

The Warriors were actually down 17 points with 7:25 remaining in regulation. With a 2-0 series lead they could have easily taken the loss, drowned their sorrows on Bourbon Street and still entered Game 4 feeling good about their position in the series.

That, however, is not what the Warriors did.

"We all believed we could come back," Curry said.

The Warriors responded with a stunning 25-10 run that got them within 107-105 after a Curry 3-pointer with 11.8 seconds left. Pelicans All-Star Anthony Davis made one of two free throws with 9.6 seconds left to give Golden State one last chance, down three points.

"I need to do more to win," said Davis, who had 29 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. "We need to figure it out as a team. No one man is going to win the game."

Well, the Warriors could beg to differ.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr drew up a play to get the ball to either Curry or fellow All-Star sharpshooter Klay Thompson for the tying 3-pointer. Curry missed one 3-point attempt, but it was rebounded by teammate Marreese Speights. Speights somehow found Curry for a pass in his sweet spot in the corner opposite of the Pelicans' bench.

With New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and coach Sean Payton watching nearby from courtside seats, Curry looked like he was sacked as Davis and Tyreke Evans knocked him to the ground during his shot. No foul was called.

"I knew I had a few seconds to get the shot off, and thankfully I got it off quick enough before those two guys clobbered me," Curry said.

While Curry lay on the court looking at a nearby referee in disgust, the ball went into the basket. Evans dashed up the court and launched a long 3-pointer that didn't fall, sending the game into overtime.

"I was mad the whole second half," said Curry, who missed 16-of-25 field goal attempts and 10-of-16 3-point attempts in regulation. "I was missing open looks. That shot was more of 'it's-about-time-you-made-one' kind of feeling. I was kind of like on a cloud a little bit. It was a great feeling."

Pelicans fans could be heard in a bathroom prior to overtime verbally crushing coach Monty Williams and the players for not fouling before Curry's tying trey was taken. Williams said the team was instructed to foul, but failed to execute. The Warriors went on to outscore the stunned Pelicans 15-11 in overtime to steal the win.

"We knew we had all the momentum when Steph hit that shot going into overtime," Thompson said.

Pelicans fans showered Davis with "MVP" chants during the game. After the game, a small contingent of Warriors fans stuck around to chant "MVP" for Curry before he left the floor. Curry waved to acknowledge his adorers, pumped his right fist in the air before throwing a towel into the crowd and running off the court.

"It feels good," Curry said. "It hasn't really sunk in just yet."

Curry has hit a lot of big shots in his NBA career. But is this one now No.1?

"Considering the circumstances, for sure," Curry told Yahoo Sports. "There was one two years ago against Denver in the playoffs [Game 1 in the first round], same spot, same kind of situation. Andre Miller finished up the game on a layup and we lost. But to go up 3-0 on a shot like that is huge."

Said Thompson: "One of the biggest of Steph's career probably and just the degree of difficulty was amazing."

A win over the Pelicans on Saturday would give Golden State a sweep of the series and quality rest going into the second round. Thanks to his late-game heroics, Curry has put the Warriors in position to do that.

"We don't want to come back here or have to play at home [against New Orleans in Game 5]," Curry told Yahoo Sports. "We got to get the next one."