How off was Stephen Curry? He fired an airball, committed a turnover in final seconds of overtime
OAKLAND, Calif. – The NBA's Most Valuable Player made his trademark 3-pointer, a deep shot from the hallway, on his first try after completing his pregame workout for Game 2 of the NBA Finals. But after the game started on Sunday evening, the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry turned surprisingly cold on much shorter shots that counted, including an airball in the clutch.
"Shots I normally make I knew as soon as they left my hand that they were off," Curry explained. "That doesn't usually happen."
Curry averaged 29 points per game in the postseason entering Game 2 of the Finals. Some argue that he is the NBA's best shooter ever. But on this night, the All-Star missed 13 of 15 3-point attempts and 18 of 23 shots from the field overall while having more turnovers (six) than assists (five).
Curry's lackluster performance, which included missing badly on a potential game-winning shot in overtime, resulted in 19 points as the Warriors lost 95-93 in overtime to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Oracle Arena. The series is tied 1-1.
"We're just trying to make it tough on Steph. That's all you can do," said LeBron James, who had a triple-double – 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists – to lead the Cavaliers.
The Warriors, who have no players with previous Finals experience, were jittery for the most part before holding on to a 108-100 victory in Game 1 on Thursday. Curry played well in that ballgame with 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field while making 2-of-6 3-pointers. He had also scored at least 20 points in his previous seven postseason games.
The prospects for a great night appeared high for Curry as backup second-year point guard Matthew Dellavedova was guarding him. Dellavedova was in for Cavaliers All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, who suffered a season ending broken left knee cap in Game 1.
"I don't think anyone can really stop Steph Curry," Dellavedova said. "He can get his shot off pretty much whenever he wants and can get hot in a second."
With Irving back in Cleveland, Curry was extremely off from the start on this night as he missed five of his six field-goal attempts and all three of his 3-pointers while playing all but 13 seconds in the first quarter, which ended in a 20-20 tie.
Curry shot four times, all 3-pointers, in the second quarter and made one. He was 1 of 3 from the field in the third quarter and both of misses were 3-pointers. Curry also missed 4-of-6 field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter and 3-of-4 3-point attempts.
"Mechanically I don't know if there is an explanation for it, just didn't have a rhythm and didn't find one the whole game," Curry said.
The Warriors were down 11 points, 79-68, with five minutes left in regulation. Curry showed some life by nailing a 3-pointer with 2:45 left in the fourth quarter to trim the deficit to 84-78. He also tied the game on a layup with eight seconds left and released a lot of emotion after making his easiest shot of the night that eventually sent Game 2 to OT.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr played with some of the NBA's all-time greats who had off nights in big games. That experience kept him from being alarmed about the cold Curry.
"I've seen it with Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan," Kerr said. "It doesn't matter who you are. Nobody is immune from a tough night."
Curry's cold night extended into the extra period as he missed all four of his shot attempts. He had a chance to make Warriors fans forget it all with the ball in his hands down 94-93 in the final seconds on an isolation play against Dellavedova. While a 19-foot shot can seem like a layup for Curry, he missed that one, too, not even drawing iron on the attempt.
Dellavedova, an undrafted player out of nearby St. Mary's College, rightfully celebrated after stymying the NBA's MVP.
"If they hit that, they're up one, and LeBron got the rebound and got to the line, so I was just pretty excited about getting the stop," Dellavedova said.
Said Curry: "[Dellavedova] played hard and stuck to the game plan."
James missed one of his two free throws with 4.4 seconds left and gave Golden State hope. The Warriors were out of timeouts. Curry tried to race the ball down the floor on a pass to Thompson, but that stayed the course with his forgettable night, ending in a turnover.
If Curry was depressed about the loss, his face certainly didn't show it afterward. He even said he would be ready for Game 3 in Cleveland on Tuesday. That's the mentality of great shooters, always ready for the next shot.
"I don't ever overreact to one game," Curry told Yahoo Sports. "If it goes on two or three, I'll figure something out. But one game is just basketball. It happens. It's unfortunate it happened in the Finals."
