Stephen Curry has performance for the ages, it doesn't matter one bit, yet Warriors feel fine
OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry knew there was an opportunity to send the Toronto Raptors reeling with an NBA Finals performance for the ages Wednesday night.
But with every shot that sent Oracle Arena into orbit, the Warriors were brought back to earth by a strategy that mirrored their own mantra — strength in numbers — as the Raptors calmly and methodically absorbed every emotional run for a 123-109 victory in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead.
Curry’s playoff career-high 47 points, while impressive, ultimately meant nothing because some of his teammates were unable to join the party. In the absences of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, very few were even equipped to contribute as the injuries finally took an expected toll Wednesday night.
Curry hadn’t had a signature performance in the Finals to date — in part because the situations hadn’t always called for it and Durant often elevated his play to a level very few in history could match.
If there were one criticism remaining, as petty as it might be, it was that Curry had one too many stinkers in the Finals, games in which his shot was erratic and he flung the ball around like a yo-yo.
This wasn’t the case, as Curry played with a controlled urgency. The Raptors just played better together for sustained stretches, a fact that shouldn’t go unnoticed regardless of the opponent.
Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala couldn’t replicate their Game 2 performances, and Green took the blame, believing Curry’s performance would’ve had a better result if he had more of an impact. But even then it could’ve been fool’s gold considering how resilient the Raptors were and how unaffected they were by the atmosphere.
“We got to be more solid with the ball. And it starts with me,” Green said. “I've had a bunch of turnovers in, I think, every game this series. So just take ... be more cautious with our passes.”
If Curry were able to deliver a knockout punch with so much production inactive for the night, it would’ve broken the Raptors. In essence, it was the series — so far.
If it feels like the rhythm has been disrupted because each team isn’t at full strength, or because the Raptors are supposedly Finals novices, the reasoning should dissipate rather soon.
The Raptors are here and not awed by the moment. Kawhi Leonard isn’t healthy, either, bulling through defenses to muster 30-point performances that are as methodical as Curry’s are loud.
And no matter who’s with him, Curry is ready for what’s ahead.
“The moment is now,” Curry said. “I liked the competitiveness that we had, understanding that we're missing 50 points pretty much between KD and Klay. So we'll adjust. And it's a long series, you know. It's going to be fun for us.”
Sometimes Danny Green ran himself dizzy chasing after the energetic Curry, and Kyle Lowry ate some of those devastating right-handed flicks from the two-time MVP. Reserve Fred VanFleet, a defender that many believe gives Curry trouble because of his aggressive style, couldn’t do anything with him either.
But what they could do was fight fire with fire, and although Curry wasn’t getting torched personally, he had to watch as the Raptors displayed championship poise every time the Warriors began making matters interesting.
Green and Lowry’s 11 combined triples were able to outshine the Warriors’ starting backcourt because Thompson’s replacement, Shaun Livingston, doesn’t venture too far outside the paint. And for as much as Thompson’s offensive exploits were missed, his on-ball defense is the best in this series this side of Leonard’s, and the Raptors knew it.
The Warriors were missing plenty of All-Star, Hall of Fame-caliber talent, but the Raptors played precisely to Golden State’s weaknesses, no different than what the Warriors do when facing a wounded opponent.
“Every time we made a run or got the crowd into it, they either made a tough three or there was a tough foul called and they slowed the tempo down or something went their way,” Curry said afterward.
Never one to overreact, Curry’s early aggressiveness showed he couldn’t wait for his teammates to warm up and hoped they would follow his lead. Playing with the freedom necessary to just keep his team afloat as the Raptors jumped to an early lead they wouldn’t relinquish showed Curry’s more than capable of exploding against a defense that’s long, versatile and sound.
“For sure. Yeah,” Curry deadpanned when asked if his 17-point first quarter was by design.
His confidence after the Game 1 loss was rooted in his belief he could get anywhere he wanted to on the floor, and that his quickness could overpower the elements that drive his teammates to take rushed shots and commit turnovers.
Usually, Curry is often a ringleader when the Warriors’ arrogance puts them in situations they have to dig themselves out of, but his play Wednesday was as mature and focused as it’s been through this championship run, which is a good sign for the remainder of the series.
“Tonight from the start, I felt like I could get to where I wanted to go on the floor,” Curry said. “It's just a matter if you make or miss or make the right play, distributing the basketball, and that will continue the rest of the series.”
Perhaps it was because he knew he didn’t have the wiggle room to play around on the margins and fool around with the ball.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was in full admiration, even in a losing effort that puts the Warriors two games from going home titleless for the first time in three years.
“Steph was incredible,” Kerr said. “The stuff he does is ... he does things that honestly I don't think anybody has ever done before. The way he plays the game, the way he shoots it and the combination of his ball handling and shooting skills, it's incredible to watch. He was amazing.”
The Warriors were more upbeat in the hallways and locker room following the loss, perhaps because they have a sense Durant and Thompson will be available for Friday’s Game 4 — a reasonable deduction to make considering Thompson was a game-time decision before the training staff ruled him out, not wanting to risk further injury to his hamstring with a quick turnaround before the next game.
Durant has seemingly had Game 4 circled on his calendar since the Finals schedule was revealed, and the Warriors’ reticence with Thompson suggests they believe this will be a long series.
It didn’t matter to Curry, as he went for it anyways and if nothing else, the confidence the Warriors exude probably derived from Curry doing whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Their defiance in the face of a 2-1 deficit was evident.
“But no one cares if guys are hurt. Everybody wants to see us lose,” Draymond Green said. “So I'm sure people are happy they're hurt. We just got to continue to battle and win the next game, go back to Toronto, win Game 5, come back to Oracle, win Game 6 and then celebrate. Fun times ahead.”
Fun times, indeed.
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