"I'm about to put a few people to sleep" - Stephen A. Smith believes Steph Curry will be 'Kobe-like' in the 2023 NBA playoffs

The matchup between Steph Curry's Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the playoffs is set to begin on Saturday. The series should showcase an impressive back-and-forth action of electric offenses for both teams.

The playoffs are the perfect stage for stars to showcase what they're all about, and these kinds of performances are usually associated with a "Kobe-like" mentality. On "First Take," ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said Steph Curry is a dark horse in the playoffs and may use the opportunity to remind the basketball world that he's still the reigning defending champion and NBA Finals MVP Steph Curry.

"They got all of their horses back," Smith said. "I think Steph Curry responds and reminds the world 'I'm about to put a few people to sleep.'"

Curry and the Golden State Warriors were criticized heavily as they played inconsistently throughout the regular season as opposed to being one of the top teams in the Western Conference last season. They finished with an 11-30 road record compared to their stellar 33-8 home record.

With a combination of injuries and a lackluster bench unit, the Warriors did not look the same, especially at the defensive end as they rank 14th with a 113.4 rating. Last season, they ranked second on defense with a 106.6 rating.

Even with all of the questions surrounding the Warriors' chances of making the NBA Finals, Steph Curry still put up an incredible season, averaging 29.4 points on 49.3% shooting, 6.3 assists and 6.1 rebounds.

Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors potentially having Wiggins in the playoffs

Stephen A. Smith also said that Curry and the Warriors will be at full strength once the first round begins. This applies to their All-Star wing, Andrew Wiggins, as the Warriors president of basketball operations, Bob Myers, provided an update on "97.5 The Game in San Francisco" on Wednesday:

"He scrimmaged the other day, looked good. They're going to scrimmage today. All indications are he'll be ready to go. But how many minutes? I don't know. How he'll be used, that's up to (coach) Steve (Kerr) and the staff. I'm just thrilled that he's back and that he's going to give us something."

Andrew Wiggins missed the final 25 regular season games due to this father, Mitchell Wiggins, dealing with a serious medical condition as reported by The Athletic's Shams Charania.

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Shams Charania

@ShamsCharania

Golden State's Andrew Wiggins plans to attend Warriors-Thunder on Tuesday. The reason for Wiggins' leave of absence since mid-February is that his father, Mitchell Wiggins, has been dealing with a serious medical situation, sources close to the situation say. 🏽

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Golden State's Andrew Wiggins plans to attend Warriors-Thunder on Tuesday. The reason for Wiggins' leave of absence since mid-February is that his father, Mitchell Wiggins, has been dealing with a serious medical situation, sources close to the situation say. 🙏🏽

Wiggins returned to the Warriors on April 4 to begin his training regimen as the team prepares him to be in shape for the playoffs.

Having Wiggins back will give the roster a boost on offense and especially on the defensive end as he was one of the pivotal pieces outside of Steph Curry in the Warriors' championship run last season.

Wiggins is averaging 17.1 ppg on 47.3% shooting, 5.0 rpg and 2.3 apg along with a 114.6 defensive rating.

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