At 34, Curry may be in the twilight of his career, but he looked like a man who was still playing at the absolute peak of his strength.
Curry, who had doubts about this match with an injury received in match 3, made 14 of his 26 attempts with a goal field and seven of 14 attempts out of three. But it wasn’t just his remarkable performance in front of a boisterous Boston crowd that made this performance special.
The man, considered by many to be the greatest scorer of all time, made threes at long distances when disconnecting, difficult to lay, and displayed the absurd silk handles that made him one of the toughest players in the NBA.
Teammate Clay Thompson said he believed Friday’s master class was “probably number one” of Curry’s biggest appearances in the finals.
“I mean, it was almost a must-play,” Thompson told reporters. “And to go out there and shoot as effectively as he did, and take 10 fights and they attacked him in defense – I mean, his training is unsurpassed in this league.
“Steph played amazing … Come to match 5, we will have to help him. Asking him to score 43 a night is ridiculous.
“It’s just special to watch what he does,” Thompson added. “He does it so often that you kind of take it for granted, but I’m mesmerized just like the rest of the crowd. It seems effortless.
But Curry, who had 10 rebounds and five assists, was not drawn into his individual finals.
“I don’t appreciate my performance. I just want to win the game,” Curry told reporters.
However, as was the case for most of the final series, Curry was again disappointed with teammates Thompson and Draymond Green.
In particular, Green has come under heavy criticism from fans and experts, with some suggesting he seems more concerned with trying to annoy his opponents than with his appearances on the court.
Jason Tatum led the Celtics with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists, while Jaylan Brown scored 21 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
It was just a three-point game in the last 90 seconds after Al Horford hit a huge three-pointer, but the Celtics’ attack remained obsolete in the final stages and they failed to score another point.
Now the teams are returning to San Francisco for game 5 on Monday night, as the Warriors are trying to make the most of regaining the advantage on the home court.
Add Comment