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NEW ORLEANS — The news surprised Nick Young just as much as it did to Warriors fans.
During a team meeting prior to Game 2, Warriors coach Steve Kerr informed his players that he planned to bring Stephen Curry in limited minutes off the bench to ease his return after missing the previous 5 1/2 weeks with a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee. And when that meant Young would start for a second consecutive game, even the man who calls himself "Swaggy P" was left feeling confused.
"I was shocked when I started before. I thought the fans were going to boo me!" Young told The Bay Area News Group with a laugh and a smile. "Everyone was expecting Steph to start. Everybody wanted Steph, so it's kind of tough."
It has been kind of tough for Young, who averaged only 2.1 points on 31.3 percent shooting in 8.7 minutes through seven postseason games. In the Western Conference semifinals against the New Orleans Pelicans, however, Young still started. Then, he improved his numbers in Game 1 (six points on 2-of-4 shooting from 3-point range) before dipping in Game 2 (three points on 1-of-4 shooting). Even though Young had poor plus-minus numbers in Game 1 (-7) and Game 2 (-11), Warriors coach Steve Kerr still credited Young for his floor spacing.
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Still, it appears that experiment will end. Kerr revealed that he will start Curry without a minutes restriction when the Warriors (2-0) play Game 3 against the Pelicans on Friday. Though Kerr has adopted a playoff-long policy of keeping his starting lineup secret, it appears a safe bet Curry's start will lead to Young coming off the bench. Young chuckled about the likely demotion and added, "whatever it takes."
"It's just about being able to play with these guys and showing I can be a part of a contending team. I'm a contender now!" Young said. "It's dope that coach believes in me to put you out there. It's been fun."
Young would not use the same words to describe his daily interactions with Warriors forward Draymond Green. In recent weeks, Green has posted videos on his Instagram account that documented countless incidents of Green either teasing or slapping Young. Whenever Young fights back, Green has become even more aggressive.
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It does not sound like Young needs counseling from Green's bullying, though.
"I'm going to let him. I don't want to hurt him right now," Young said, smiling. "He's a big part of this team. If I beat him up now, he's not going to be able to play."
On June 15, Young plans to release a diss track on Green after he questioned his rap skills earlier this season. That has only elicited skepticism if that will actually happen, though. After all, Young had originally planned to release the song on New Year's Day.
Young doubled down on the delay, maintaining it all has more to do with calculated timing and promotion than procrastinating in the studio.
"I let him get his confidence right," Young said. "If Draymond doesn't have any confidence, we're not going to win."
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