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Damian Lillard talks time in Milwaukee, return home to Portland

Damian Lillard was always going to retire and enter the Hall of Fame as a Portland Trail Blazer, but his return to the city ended up happening much sooner than expected. After Lillard tore his Achilles in an April playoff game, and with rumors of Giannis Antetokounmpo's frustration growing, Milwaukee shocked the league by agreeing to waive and stretch Lillard, buying him out and making him a free agent. That cleared his path to a return to Portland.

In recent interviews, Lillard spoke about all of it. When discussing his tenure with the Bucks, injuries were the main topic — Antetokounmpo missing Lillard's first playoffs with the team, then this year with his Achilles — with Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"I think you gotta be a little bit lucky to win big. You gotta be healthy and you gotta be playing your best at the right time and I think we just had bad luck."

He also talked about loving the experience of playing alongside Antetokounmpo, despite some criticism of his production and play.

"But I think Giannis and I, we was the highest-scoring duo during that time. We won a [NBA] Cup. I think a lot of people for me personally was like, we want to see Dame do this and Dame do that, but I'm playing with a 30-plus point per game scorer, a guy who plays with the ball in his hands the same way I've done my whole career. He's aggressive and attacking and I still managed to score 25 points per game and seven assists over my two years pretty much. So I think it's kind of unfair how people was like Dame (isn't the same) because of the way I played in Portland. I had the ball all the time, so it just looked different. But I think for how productive I actually was I think it's been viewed unfairly."

Now, Lillard is just happy to be home, as he told Anne M. Peterson of the Associated Press.

"Just knowing that I'm going to be back home for all parts of my life, with my kids, playing for the Trail Blazers, driving on the same streets that I've driven on pretty much my entire adulthood, my whole family being here, my mom, my brother, my sisters, all my friends around the city of Portland," he said. "All of those things count. I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon."

It did. He is going to spend this season more as an assistant coach working with young guards like Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara. He will join them in the rotation in a year.

For now, he's just happy to be home.

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Penguins Made Good Move Signing Big Forward

The Pittsburgh Penguins have made multiple moves this off-season. This included bringing in several new players, including winger Anthony Mantha. The Penguins signed the 6-foot-5 forward to a one-year, $2.5 million contract earlier this month.

Mantha, unfortunately, missed the majority of this past season after tearing his ACL early on in the campaign and undergoing surgery. As a result, he appeared in just 13 games with the Calgary Flames in 2024-25, posting four goals, seven points, 16 hits, and a plus-6 rating. Overall, he was on pace to have another solid season before his injury.

While Mantha did not play much this past season due to his injury, he has the potential to be a very good signing for the Penguins when looking at his resume. He has demonstrated for much of his career that he can be an effective point producer, and the Penguins will be hoping he can be just that for them in a top-six role next season. 

Just back during the 2023-24 season, Mantha posted 23 goals, 21 assists, and 44 points in 74 games split between the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights. He has also recorded at least 20 goals and 40 points three times during his career, so he undoubtedly can make an impact when playing at his best.

Overall, with the Penguins needing more offense, there is no harm in them taking a shot on a big and skilled winger like Mantha with this one-year contract. If he stays healthy, he could end up being a very nice part of their forward group in 2025-26. 

Former Penguins Forward Signs PTO With RangersFormer Penguins Forward Signs PTO With RangersAccording to the New York Post's Mollie Walker, the New York Rangers have signed former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Conor Sheary to a professional tryout (PTO).

Photo Credit: © Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

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Yankees' Aaron Judge placed on 10-day IL with right flexor strain; no tear in UCL

The Yankees had some relatively good news to share in regards to Aaron Judge and his "elbow issue."

Aaron Boone revealed on Saturday that Judge is suffering from a flexor strain, and on Sunday the Yankees officially placed him on the 10-day IL.

The good news is that the UCL is intact, meaning there is no tear in the ligament.

"Overall, we got some good news. It is going to require an IL stint with the thought it’s right about that 10 days and those few days coming off, probably in DH mode and then starting throwing in around then," Boone explained after Saturday's game. "And then hopefully, get back to the outfield shortly thereafter…as long as the symptoms are what they need to be."

Judge has already taken a PRP injection and will sit for a few days and then start swinging the bat again and see where they are at when they get to the 10-day mark. Boone is optimistic Judge could return in the minimum 10 days.

The Yankees skipper has already spoken with Giancarlo Stanton on potentially getting work in the outfield to see if he's an option when Judge returns. This week is when they'll start working that into Stanton's routine, but there's nothing imminent.

Judge was missing from Saturday's lineup and Boone said that the Yankees Captain had felt something in his elbow on a throw during the previous series against the Blue Jays in Toronto. After starting as DH on Wednesday and the off day on Thursday, New York felt as though Judge was fine, but the injury popped up again in Friday's loss.

"Just last night (he) was really dealing with it," Boone said prior to Saturday's game. "He couldn’t really throw well from the outfield."

Judge spoke to the media after the results came in and said that he felt something off in his elbow on a throw home, a play prior to the one he winced on. He's never had an elbow injury before and even tried to convince the team to let him avoid an IL stint so he can still bat. But the organization advised against it. Boone said that they didn't want to risk Judge injuring himself further by hitting and wanted to take care of the strain immediately.

"Throwing is the main concern. Hitting, it happens too quick and it’s not the motion where I haven’t felt anything," Judge explained. "The muscle that’s hurt is the muscle that’s used to grip. There might be some issue with that, but I’ve been hitting with it the last couple of days. If I can hit, I can be out there."

As for who will take Judge's spot on the roster, the Yankees have a few outfield options in Triple-A. Everson Pereira and Bryan De La Cruz are likely options as they are both right-handed, and then there's prospect Spencer Jones, who has been tearing the cover off the ball with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. However, Jones missed Friday's game with back spasms.

Despite that, it's unlikely the Yankees will call up Jones, as he's not on the 40-man roster and this would be a temporary stint that won't come with enough at-bats to justify the move.

Judge was asked about whether the team can withstand his absence and the AL MVP front-runner said he believes in his teammates.

"Guys are going to step up, that’s what it comes down to," Judge said. "I always go back to that 2019 team where I felt everyone got banged up and everyone stepped up and played bigger roles than what they signed up for coming into the season. I expect the same for guys… especially now in the second half, going to the end of the stretch. We have to make a push."

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Blackhawks Have Intriguing Free Agent Target To Consider

It is fair to argue that the Chicago Blackhawks' current roster could use more secondary scoring before the start of the season. When looking at the unrestricted free agents (UFAs) who are left on the market, one intriguing option who stands out is forward Victor Olofsson. 

Olofsson, 30, just had a strong 2024-25 season as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. In 56 games with the Pacific Division club, the 2014 seventh-round pick posted 15 goals, 14 assists, 29 points, and a plus-17 rating in 56 games. With numbers like these, he would certainly have the potential to give the Blackhawks' bottom six and second power-play unit a boost. This is especially so when noting that he can play both left wing and right wing.

Olofsson has also shown for much of his career that he has the ability to put the puck in the net. The seven-year veteran has scored at least 20 goals three times during his career, which includes him scoring 28 times during the 2022-23 season with the Buffalo Sabres. He has also record at least 40 points three times, so he could give the Blackhawks more offense if brought in.

On a one-year deal, Olofsson could be a very solid veteran for the Blackhawks to add to their group. It will be interesting to see where he ends up signing, but the Blackhawks could be a good potential landing spot for him. 

Blackhawks Should Swing Trade For Bruins ForwardBlackhawks Should Swing Trade For Bruins ForwardThe Chicago Blackhawks have had a quiet off-season thus far, but the possibility of them making another addition to their roster before the season is here should not be ruled out. They currently have over $21 million of cap space and could use it if it means bringing in a player that would help them beyond the 2025-26 campaign.

Photo Credit: © Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

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Ray French, former BBC rugby league commentator, dies aged 85

  • Played internationally in union and league

  • Led BBC coverage for 38 years

Ray French, the former rugby league commentator, has died at the age of 85. He had been living with dementia.

He played internationally in union, winning four caps in the second row for England in 1961, before moving to league and joining his home town club, St Helens, that year and helped them win the Challenge Cup in 1966. He appeared four times for Great Britain, in 1968.

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2025 Anaheim Ducks Prospect Rankings: 5. Lucas Pettersson

The Anaheim Ducks have missed the playoffs every year since 2017-18 and in doing so, have drafted in the top ten for seven consecutive seasons and procured one of the NHL’s deepest and most potent prospect pools.

Despite several young players having graduated and become full-time NHLers, such as Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger, the Ducks still have an impressive pipeline of potential impact and depth prospects yet to make the jump.

Can ‘Rangers West’ Help Get the Ducks Back Into the Playoffs?

Lukas Dostal: Increased Pressure, Journey from 'No-Name Goalie' to Paid Among NHL Elite

For this exercise, only players who haven’t lost rookie status are eligible for a ranking, and to be clear, these are my (Patrick Present) subjective rankings.

Honorable Mentions: Yegor Sidorov, Herman Traff, Tarin Smith, Lasse Boelius, Calle Clang

Top Ten:

10. Nathan Gaucher, 21, C, San Diego Gulls (AHL)

9. Ian Moore, 23, RHD, San Diego Gulls (AHL)

8. Sasha Pastujov, 22, W, San Diego Gulls (AHL)

7. Tomas Suchanek, 22, G, San Diego Gulls (AHL)

6. Eric Nilson, 18, C, Michigan State University (NCAA)

Photo Credit: Derek Lee-The Hockey News

5. Lucas Pettersson, 19, C, Brynas IF (SHL)

Kicking off the top five is another Swedish center who, on paper, is a very similar player to Eric Nilson, but who might have the slight edge on the offensive side of the puck: Lucas Petterssson.

Pettersson does all the little things that coaches love in their centers: he stays above pucks in offensive-zone forecheck scenarios, angles well on the backcheck, and he doesn’t lose assignments in d-zone coverage. As a prospect, those aspects will set his floor relatively high and practically guarantee him a career in the NHL.

“I think he's really smart both ways. He's got enough skill and speed to think that he will produce offensively at the pro level, in the NHL level,” Ducks assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting Martin Madden told The Hockey News: Anaheim Ducks. “His two-way (play) is really, really, smart. Now, when you play that way, you need to be strong enough to play that way against men, right? So he just wasn't there yet last year.”

The aspects that will separate and elevate him, potentially to a top-six role in the NHL, will be the details of his offensive game. He’s an outstanding skater, both explosive and shifty with impressive four-way mobility.

He scans the ice well before pucks arrive and connects with his wingers when building attacks up ice. He has the hands to simultaneously invite attention and avoid defending sticks in transition to gain entry, along with the vision to make plays on the cycle.

The Ducks selected Pettersson in last year’s draft (35th overall in 2024) as the first Swedish player taken in what was considered one of Sweden’s weaker classes.

He bounced around Swedish hockey divisions in 2024-25, seemingly unable to find a fit until he was loaned to Ostersunds IK of HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second professional tier, where he scored 19 points (9-10=19) in 26 games while playing middle-six minutes.

He had a difficult time securing minutes on a nightly basis in the SHL while playing for MoDo Hockey last season, but he’ll head back to the SHL on loan in 2025-26 to play for Brynas IF alongside longtime Anaheim Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg.

“I think he found a good fit for him. I think he's going to be really well surrounded in Brynäs,” Madden said. “Yes, it's going to be in the SHL again, so he will need to earn his ice time, but I think he's better prepared for it now. He's had to deal with that tough first year.”

Like most prospects his age, his focus will be on getting bigger, stronger, and harder to play against. He’s now in the midst of an offseason without the distractions that come with the NHL combine and draft process, so those goals should be easier to attain.

Though Madden compared Pettersson to William Karlsson when the Ducks drafted him, to me, the duo of Pettersson and Nilson is reminiscent of a time when the Ducks had Karlsson and Rickard Rakell in their pipeline. Both are 200-foot players who can kill penalties and contribute offensively, but Nilson projects to have the edge on the defensive end like Karlsson, while Pettersson has more offensive skill and instinct, like Rakell.

Ducks Sign Drew Helleson to Two-Year Extension

Ducks Sign Lukas Dostal to Five-Year Extension

Ducks Sign Clang, Myšák to One-Year Deals

Photo Credit: Derek Lee-The Hockey News

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Blackhawks And Arvid Soderblom Avoid Arbitration

The Chicago Blackhawks were only going to arbitration with one player. Arvid Soderblom needed a new contract as an active restricted free agent. 

The date for his hearing was July 28th, but that will no longer be necessary. Two days before the date, they avoided arbitration by agreeing to an extension. 

Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) on XElliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) on XChicago and Arvid Soderblom avoid arbitration 2 x $2.75M

According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Blackhawks and Soderblom have agreed to a two-year deal worth $2.75 million. He will remain with the club for at least two more years after a good year proving himself in 2024-25. 

The Blackhawks see Spencer Knight as their goalie of the future, but Soderblom is a nice backup to have. The modern-day NHL requires teams to have multiple sufficient goalies to play a fair amount of games. The Blackhawks now have that locked in. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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ICYMI in Mets Land: New York acquires Gregory Soto, West Coast road trip begins with win

Here's what happened in Mets Land on Friday, in case you missed it...

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Rangers Sign Conor Sheary To A Professional Tryout

 Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers have signed Conor Sheary to a professional tryout. 

The veteran forward will report to Rangers training camp in December and fight to earn a spot on the roster. 

Throughout Sheary’s 10-year NHL career, he has played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, Washington Capitals, and Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Sheary played under the Rangers’ new head coach Mike Sullivan, as they won a Stanley Cup together with the Penguins. 

He spent most of his time this past season with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League, where he recorded 20 goals, 41 assists, and 61 points in 59 games. 

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Why The Ottawa Senators Are Ready To Contend In 2025-26

In the last few years of Pierre Dorion's tenure as Ottawa Senators GM, fans and media would wonder during the summer if this was the year the long rebuild would finally be over. If not last year, was this the year? Is it over now?

Okay, how 'bout now?

Now?

Sens fans are thankful those days are over. Today, those questions can be replaced with: Are the Senators now a contender, ready to legitimately battle with the NHL's best?

Yes. Yes, they are.

Let's go back to July 1st. When Ottawa Senators GM Steve Staios was asked how he felt about his team for next season after his modest 2025 free agent shopping trip, the assumption was that he'd speak mainly about the acquisition of veteran NHL depth forward Lars Eller. 

"We feel good," Staios said. "Adding Lars Eller today was significant for us heading into the season."

But then he was quick to point out that the club's work at the trade deadline was part of why he feels good about the roster for next season.

"Looking back, (we also acquired) Dylan Cozens and Fabian Zetterlund (at the deadline), and Jordan Spence at the draft. We didn't have a lot to do in free agency this year as far as acquisitions. The work has actually been laid out in a bit of a slow roll."

Hearing an NHL GM who still has $4.3 million in cap space declaring that he didn't have a lot to do in free agency is an amazing show of confidence in his roster. And Staios has every right to be confident and satisfied with what he has.

Let's get ahead of the Montreal Canadiens fans who like to fill up our message board with chirps and questions, which we welcome. They're probably going to mention that the Senators were only a wild-card team last year. How can they suddenly be flirting with a roster that might be a finished product?

Well, for starters, making the playoffs will do wonders for their collective psyche. But they also weren't far from being labelled contenders last season, finishing with a record of 45-30-7. Teams with lesser records have won Cups before. The Florida Panthers, the reigning two-time Cup champs who everyone is trying to emulate right now, were just one point ahead of Ottawa.

Meanwhile, is Staios is right to include Cozens and Zetterlund as part of why he felt he didn't have much to do this summer, then the club should have been noticeably better after the deadline, right?

Oh, they were, my friends. As Everyday Sens packages up nicely, they were a lot better.

When you consider what happened after the trades, March 7th instantly goes down in the books as one of the most successful deadline days in franchise history. Here are the standings on March 7th, the day of the deadline. The Sens were just hanging on by a thread to the final wild card.

NHL.com

After deadline day, the Senators totally floored it, putting up the second-best record in the NHL at 14-5-2 (.714) to close the season and run away with the Eastern wild card race. Here are the final standings.

NHL.com

5 on 5 scoring? That was worrisome through most of the season, but it saw a massive spike in the final quarter of the season. Goalie graveyard? Not anymore. The Sens will roll into a new season with a healthy former Vezina winner, and his new full-time backup didn't allow a goal in regulation in 4 of his 12 NHL starts last season.

Remember when the Senators' goal used to be a chance to play meaningful games at the end of the season? Last spring, they not only played in them, they thrived in them. Staios's deals at the deadline may have been the final additive that Ottawa's rebuilt engine needed to finally start purring. Spence and Eller now serve as nice bells and whistles to the final assembly.

Yes, it cannot be ignored that the Senators came out of the playoff gates slowly. But a lot of that can be chalked up to first-time jitters for the club's key young players. They've wanted it so badly for so long, and by the time they calmed down and found their poise, their room for error was gone.

Now they've experienced it. Now they've had a taste. Now they know. The Stanley Cup Playoff nets have the exact same measurements as they do back in Hickory.

I get it. It's summer. Time for golf, cottage or whatever. But Sens fans who aren't completely excited for the season ahead should probably put that on their to-do list very soon.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
Image Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

This article orginally appeared at The Hockey News Ottawa, where you'll find all the latest Senators news:
2018 World Junior Trial Ends: Former Senator Alex Formenton Found Not Guilty
Croatia's NHL Trailblazer: Sens Prospect Bruno Idžan Takes NHL Road Less Travelled
Top 3 Ottawa Senators Bounce-Back Candidates For 2025-26
Sens Captain Brady Tkachuk Celebrates Hard at Brother Matthew's Wedding
Can The Senators Count On Dylan Cozens To Consistently Produce?
Senators Re-Sign 2021 First-Round Pick To One-Year Deal
An Early Glance At The Senators’ 2026 Free Agent Class
Why Mason McTavish Isn’t Coming Home To The Senators

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Phillies notes: Castellanos day-to-day while Nola progressing to triple-A

Phillies notes: Castellanos day-to-day while Nola progressing to triple-A originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

NEW YORK – An especially fun offensive night in Yankee Stadium on Friday when the Phillies belted six extra-base hits among their 14 as they downed the Yankees by a 12-5 score.

It was a defensive play on the final out of the game, however, that put a little bit of a damper on an otherwise positive evening. When Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham lined out to right field to end the game, Nick Castellanos wound up hitting the outfield wall in a bit of an awkward way. It cost him a start Saturday afternoon and may or may not keep him out a bit longer.

“The last play last night, where he went back towards the wall, he just kind of jammed his left knee,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He came in a little bit sore today, so keeping him out. We’ll see how it is tomorrow.” Asked if it was a day-to-day thing, Thomson said it was.

While he never wants to have to deal with injuries, without Castellanos it did give him a chance to tinker a bit with the lineup.

I don’t mind (tinkering), really,” he said. “It gets (Johan) Rojas a chance to get in there and (Edmundo) Sosa’s back in there today so it gives these guys a little bit of an opportunity to get some at-bats and get some reps.”

Also on the injury front, the Yankees held out star outfield Aaron Judge due to a sore elbow. The New York Post reported that Judge was to undergo an MRI before Saturday’s game as well as see a team doctor. Judge leads the league with a .342 average and is tops in RBI with 85. His 129 hits are also a league best. 

Walker, Nola updates

When asked if Taijuan Walker will stay in the rotation, Thomson didn’t hesitate with his answer. “Yeah. Yeah, he’s got it. I think the next start is the last one in Chicago.” Thomson was referring to Wednesday afternoon’s game against the White Sox. Walker admitted after his start on Friday that he knows and accepts the fact that he’ll be heading back to the bullpen in the near future as Aaron Nola gets closer to being put back into the starting rotation. Nola had a bullpen session on Friday and now will start to see some live action. 

“He will go out on a rehab assignment Thursday, (with Lehigh Valley)” Thomson said. “Yeah will keep him the same (60 pitches). Three up-downs.” Mick Abel struggled through five innings with the Iron Pigs Friday, allowing seven hits and five earned runs while walking three. But the manager wasn’t too displeased with the results.

“Command was off a little bit,” Thomson said. “In the notes the good thing is they mentioned he maintained his focus, maintained his poise even though he didn’t have his command and tried to fight through it. So that’s a good sign. He’s really grown up so it was good to see him do that last night, have some failure and just keep fighting through it.” 

Bohm to rejoin on road trip

Third baseman Alec Bohm will join the team Sunday in New York then will fly with them to Chicago for the series against the White Sox. “Still a little bit sore. Just check him out tomorrow and see how he is.” Bohm was hit by a pitch from Yu Darvish back on July 12 and it was later determined he had a fractured rib. In his place, Thomson has been rotating Otto Kemp and Edmundo Sosa at third, but hinted he may have both of them in the lineup on Sunday.

“I’d like to see both of them, really. Kind of flip them back and forth and maybe get Kemp back to the outfield at some point. I’m sure tomorrow we’ll have Kemp at third and Sosa at second and probably Wes Wilson in the outfield.” 

The Phillies are scheduled to face Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon on Sunday.

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Henderson Silver Knights Re-Sign Artur Cholach To One-Year Deal

Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Henderson Silver Knights have re-signed defenseman Artur Cholach to a one-year deal, it was announced earlier this week. 

Cholach, a product of Lviv, Ukraine, finished his first full season of professional hockey in 2024-25, splitting time between Henderson and the ECHL's Tahoe Knight Monsters. Although he went pointless in five AHL games, Cholach scored seven goals and added 16 assists for 23 points in 54 ECHL games. 

Drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL Draft, Cholach played his junior hockey in the OHL (Barrie Colts) and the USHL (Sioux Falls Stampede) before making the jump to the pro game. His best season offensively came with the Colts in 2022-23, where he put up 21 points in 60 regular season games. 

With Cholach extending for another year, he has proven he is a valuable member of the Golden Knights organization. His play should earn him a longer look in the AHL this year, and he could even snag a full-time spot before the season is over. 

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Tour de France 2025: Pogacar in line to win overall after Groves goes solo to win stage 20 – as it happened

  • Updates from 184.2km penultimate stage

  • Email John with your thoughts

165 km to go: This third-category climb, the Col de la Croix, isn’t easy. The weather overnight has caused some debris on the road. And the rain is pouring down now. Jonathan Milan has dropped off, saving his powder for Paris, no doubt. Asgreen is caught, and Thibau Nys of Lidl and Harry Sweeny go off the front. This is grim for all concerned. Raul Garcia Pierna of Arkea-B&B Hotels makes it a breakaway trio in the pouring rain.

170km to go: Fred Wright leads the pack up the climb as Asgreen forges on. Dropping back, and rather worryingly, Arnaud De Lie is way off the back of the peloton.

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Warriors star Steph Curry shares enlightening reply to best shot of his career

Warriors star Steph Curry shares enlightening reply to best shot of his career originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Warriors superstar Steph Curry has no shortage of jaw-dropping, clutch shots throughout his illustrious basketball career.

But when he looks back on it and reflects, one shot in particular stands out over the others.

“From my eyes, it’s the shot against Gonzaga when I was at Davidson,” Curry told Complex’s Speedy Mormon in a recent interview. “Everybody has these moments where if things went a different way, in that moment, your life could go a different path. I really feel like that was a difference maker in terms of not just that run that we had, because that was the first round, it was a tie game with just under a minute left. Andrew Lovedale, my big man at Davidson, got the biggest offensive rebound and it was like slow-motion.

“He got the rebound, pawed it with one hand, threw it to me. I made it and we go up three. That just started to snowball of what that tournament run was. And then your stardom kind of goes up a little bit and you carry that confidence. Not to say I wouldn’t have been able to figure it out had we lost that game, but that was a big moment that had that shot not gone down, who knows how it would’ve played out.”

The game Curry is referring to took place on March 21, 2008, when Curry dropped 40 points to help his No. 10-seeded Wildcats defeat the No. 7-seeded Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Curry shot 14-of-22 (63.6 percent) from the field and 8 of 10 (80 percent) from 3-point range, with three rebounds, two assists and five steals in 39 minutes.

While he was hot from beyond the arc, it was the trey he took with just over a minute remaining that forever will be engraved in his memory. The triple gave Davidson a 77-74 advantage and forced Gonzaga to call a timeout; the Bulldogs never recovered and ultimately fell 82-76.

Curry then led the Wildcats to upset No. 2 seed Georgetown in the second round and No. 3 seed Wisconsin in the Sweet 16. Their Cinderella run finally ended against the No. 1 seed Kansas in the Elite Eight, as Curry and Davidson were just one win away from the Final Four.

“I think about that stuff a lot,” Curry told Mormon. “My faith is a big part of who I am. There’s no real rhyme or reason; stuff happens and you’re always grateful and thankful and trying to find the purpose of it. That’s a moment that was in my formative years where you fantasize had this gone a different way.”

It is all part of the butterfly effect, and Curry — and Dub Nation — surely is happy with how things turned out.

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