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Kendra AndrewsESPN
BOSTON Stephen Curry You don’t have to express a lot of emotion in a single game. However, in the Golden State Warriors‘107-97 win over Boston Celtics Curry was a consummate professional in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Curry, who had just made back-to-back 3 pointers in the first quarter, ran to the opposite side of the court, shouting at Boston fans. He does this maybe once or twice after a big shot but not from the beginning.
Curry said, “Felt we just had to let everyone know we were here tonight.” Curry said, “Whether it’s their crowd or their team, whatever their motivation, we take that energy and fire from them.
Curry scored 43 points on 14-of-25 shooting. This included seven 3-pointers. Curry also added 10 rebounds to his total and had four assists. Curry was the fifth guard in NBA History to record at least 40 points and 10 rebound in a Finals match.
“Incredible,” Draymond Green said. “Put him on his back. Were willing to win. Much-needed win. It was a game we needed. It was a game we had to have. He showed us why he’s one the best players of this game and why this company has been able ride him to great success. It’s incredible.”
Green stated that he knew Curry would not let the Warriors lose. Kerr called Kerr’s game “stunning”. Klay Thompson Curry ranked it No. 1 Finals performance.
Curry didn’t rank Curry’s performances but said that he appreciated the importance of Friday night’s performance, particularly considering what was at stake. Friday’s game could have ended in a tie or a 3-1 loss for the Warriors.
Curry made sure that it was the former.
Curry stated, “It means everything knowing how urgent we had to win tonight on the road and keep life in the series,” Curry added.
Curry scored 33 points during the first quarter, a trend which had been evident through all three games. Curry’s problem was in the fourth quarter. He averaged just three points and hit 30% of his field goals. He had scored just six points across all three games.
On Friday, he scored ten in the final frame. He scored 24 points in the final half, which tied him for the most Finals games in his career.
The Warriors took control of the Celtics’ fourth quarter. Golden State beat Boston 15-0 during crunch time, becoming the first team in 50 years to win a Finals Game by at least 10 point after trailing at one point in the final five minutes.
Wiggins stated that they were playing together, helping each other, being cooperative, aggressive on the defensive and closing out. “You know what, we weren’t grabbing rebounds. No offensive rebounds. Didn’t get second-chance points. That was huge.”
Green grabbed the offensive rebound from a missed Thompson 3-pointer with just over a minute remaining in the game. Curry passed the ball to Green, but he quickly took it back from Curry after Curry was double-teamed by the Celtics. Green then gave the ball to Looney. He finished his game with a dunk. Al Horford.
Kerr called this the largest bucket of the evening. Curry was the one who got them to that point, when the shot could be the dagger.
Thompson stated that Thompson takes some of the things he does for granted. Thompson said, “But to go out and put him on his back, i mean, we got help out on Monday.”
Thompson helped Curry with Friday’s game, scoring 18 points for Curry and scoring four 3-pointers. Andrew WigginsAndre, who scored 17 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Jordan PooleHe added 14 more points. Kevon LooneyThe first player to come off the bench in this series was Corey, who had 11 rebounds and finished the series with a plus-21 rating.
Curry scored 43 points more than the Warriors’ starters, and that was 39 ahead of Curry. He is 34 years old and the oldest player to achieve this feat in a Finals match since Michael Jordan (35), in Game 6 against Jazz 1998.
Green was again struggling, and he didn’t make any significant contributions to the game until his rebound in the fourth. Kerr decided to remove Green from the game after he was able to make offensive possessions during the last five minutes.
Thompson explained that Curry is Curry’s priority and the Warriors understand it. They don’t say they have to share the scoring responsibilities.
Thompson stated, “When a man is on a roll such as that, you just have to get out of his path.”
Green said, “You just have to try to help him get to his spots or make space for him create and get to those spots.” We just need to keep filling in the gaps. If you have a chance, go for it. … If everyone is strong on the offensive, which means with cuts and crisp with your passes then you can allow him to do what he does.”
Green stated that Curry was going to play with more fire in Game 4 and that he knew it from watching Curry’s behavior in the days after their disappointing loss.
Curry claimed that he was ready to take control of Game 4 when he entered it. He was aware of how quickly momentum could shift in the Finals and knew that he would win Boston for his team.
Green stated that “He was going be out with this type of fire.” “And he did. We were all able and able to follow him.”