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Stephen Curry gives father, brother a New Orleans show for the ages

NEW ORLEANS – Not long after Stephen Curry’s remarkable performance in Game 3 of the Golden State Warriors’ first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans, the star guard laughed out loud in the Smoothie King Center while watching a video on his cell phone with his somewhat embarrassed father and brother.

No one could blame him for enjoying the moment after the postgame news conference as he looked at some congratulatory messages and videos sent to his phone.

Curry had nailed a game-saving 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter as the Warriors tied it at 108-108 to force overtime late Thursday night. After Curry hit the shot, the television camera focused on his father, Dell, and his brother, Seth, who were so stunned they celebrated with an uncoordinated and unsuccessful high-five attempt. The Curry men certainly had an unforgettable night as the Warriors eventually won 123-119 to take a 3-0 series lead.

“That was unbelievable. I thought he got fouled,” Dell Curry told Yahoo Sports, chuckling about his son’s timely shot. “Is that being greedy?”

It almost seems greedy that the Curry men have had so much success in the game of basketball.

Dell Curry, now a television color analyst for the Charlotte Hornets, played in the NBA for 16 seasons and retired in 2002 as the Hornets’ all-time leader in points and 3-pointers made. Seth Curry is a former Duke star who has been jumping back and forth between the NBA and the D-League the past two seasons. Then, of course, there is Stephen Curry, the two-time All-Star and NBA Most Valuable Player candidate.

As the playoff series shifted to New Orleans, the plan was for Stephen to travel without his family so he could focus on the Pelicans. Dell, however, had been champing at the bit since the Warriors’ Game 1 win in Oakland, Calif., and wanted to follow his son. And with dad wanting to visit the Crescent City, of course Seth wanted to roll, too.

As it turned out, it ended up being a guys’ trip as Stephen’s wife, daughter and mom didn’t make the trek.

“It was just me and pops who came down here for the trip,” Seth told Yahoo Sports. “The ladies are doing their own thing. I can’t turn down New Orleans.”

Dell and Seth were quiet for most of the game as they sat next to each other several rows behind the Warriors’ bench without any Golden State gear on. A frustrated Dell took a lengthy walk on the concourse at halftime without being recognized by most of the enthusiastic Pelicans fans, who were enjoying their team’s 63-52 lead.

The Warriors would eventually trail by 17 points with 7:25 remaining in the fourth quarter. But as Golden State crept back into the game, Dell and Seth couldn’t help but get caught up in the improbable comeback.

“This is wild. I had no idea he would win this game,” Dell said.

In fact, Seth could be seen on television biting his nails with 21.3 seconds left in the fourth with the Warriors down 105-101. The picture resurfaced quickly on Twitter as a running joke.

“People have been sending it to me left and right,” Seth said. “I told them [on Twitter], ‘It’s stressful up there [in the stands].’ I’d rather be on the court.”

From the time Stephen was in high school in Charlotte to his college days at Davidson and now with the Warriors, his father and brother have witnessed a lot of his big shots. But Dell and Seth admitted that they were surprised by Thursday’s clutch 3-pointer, which will surely dominate the talk until Saturday’s Game 4.

“I don’t know how to explain that,” Dell said. “I mean, just to get the shot off in the corner … because [Pelicans 6-10 forward] Anthony Davis is running at him, Steph had to get it higher to get it in.”

Seth said: “He comes with it every year and he keeps getting better and does more every game. He has played well all season, but when he does stuff it’s still hard to believe.”