No Curry heroics, no problem for the Warriors

(News4usonline) – Stephen Curry didn’t make a three-point bucket in Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.  For good measure, Curry, who dropped 43 points on the Cs in Game 4, had probably his most dreadful outing in the postseason, shooting a 0-9 blank scorecard.

The Golden State Warriors superstar finished the game with 16 points on a rather forgettable 7 of 22 shooting performance from the field. Having such a bad shooting night did get to him a little bit, but his team getting the win and getting on Boston, 3-2, in the series is what mattered most to Curry. 

“I mean, of course, it bothers me as a shooter,” said Curry. “You want to impact the game that way. But thankfully that’s not the only thing that you do out there on the court. I remember the first game of the year, against the Lakers, I had a very similar shooting night, but impact the game other ways.

Curry continued, “And I remember I said, I played horrible, but I had to redefine what that looked like in terms of make the right play, keep things simple. And the fact everybody stepped up — Wiggs, JP, Klay hit some big shots, Draymond found his life and his spirit and the way he impacts the game. We could withstand going 9-for-40 as a team and me 0-for-9, and still come away with a win.”

Making just 9 of 40 attempts from 3-point land is very un-Warrior like for Golden State. Fortunately for the Dubs, Boston was unable to take advantage of Curry’s rare off-night. That could mean a negative for the Celtics’ chances of winning an 18th NBA title for the legendary franchise.

Even if Boston were to pull and win Game 6 at home, the Celtics would have to travel back to San Francisco and try to upset the Warriors on their home floor in a Game 7.

@warriors coach Steve Kerr on the play of Andrew Wiggins during Golden State’s 104-94 Game 5 win against the #Celtics. Wiggins finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds. #NBAFinals2022 pic.twitter.com/j3ocyxRFbR

— Dennis J. Freeman (@DennisJFreeman) June 14, 2022

The Warriors have seen this scenario play out before. It did not work out in the Golden State’s favor. Klay Thompson, who finished Game 5 with 21 points, said while it feels great being on top of the series, he and his Gold State teammates are not leaving anything for chance.

“I mean, I’m not going to lie to you, it does feel good; but we’ve been here before, 2016, and we might have been, you know, overly eager,” Thompson said. “But so — like it feels good, but we haven’t done anything yet, and the mission still is the same. We’re all eager to get to Boston and play a great game on Thursday.”

Playing a great game is something that Andrew Wiggins has been doing of late. In the Warrior’s stunning 107-97 Game 4 win at TD Garden, Wiggins’ 17 points and 16 rebounds backed up Curry’s all-world shooting dominance. He followed up with an even stronger Game 5, putting up 26 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. The way Wiggins has been on the glass the past few games is not surprising to Golden State head coach Steve Kerr. It’s something that he’s come to expect.  

“I think throughout the playoffs, really, he’s rebounded well,” remarked Kerr. “I think it’s just a sense of what’s needed and being on this team, where he’s got veteran guys who are helping him to understand what we need from him, and he’s just using his athleticism in a lot of different ways. He’s just been fantastic, not just in this series but throughout the playoffs.”

#Warriors guard Klay Thompson put up 21 points in Golden State’s 104-94 Game 5 win against the #Celtics. #NBAFinals2022 #NBA pic.twitter.com/DR5m8S13VL

— Dennis J. Freeman (@DennisJFreeman) June 14, 2022

After the Warriors were dominated on the boards by Boston in Game 3, Wiggins has played lights out on the glass the last two games. Scoring has never been an issue for Wiggins. He scored just over 17 points for the Warriors during the regular season. And in his first stint with Golden State, he tallied a shade over 18 points per game. And for his career, Wiggins averages 19 points.

In the last two games, Wiggins has mopped the floor in rebounding with his 29 boards. So far, when it has counted the most, Wiggins has delivered for the Warriors, a fact not lost on him.

“It’s something I dreamt about for sure, being in the league, and this is the ultimate stage. It doesn’t get bigger than this. I was out there being aggressive. It was a good game,” Wiggins said.