Curry Cooks Celtics
I had doubts, a whole lot of 'em. In a best of 7 series a team going 3-1 up increases their winning chance exponentially. That was the reality I was faced with before the start of Game 4 of the NBAFinals between Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors (GSW) at The Garden, Boston Celtic's home court.
Game 3 was a harsh reality; it was also played at The Garden and GSW were steamrolled in the Fourth Quarter by Jayson Tatum and co. Al Horford's fall on Curry led to a sore toe for the Warrior's guard which rubbed salt into injury and complicated the situation. Their is no way the Warriors are winning at Boston without a fit and firing Steph Curry.
No discredit to Curry's teammates but the two senior players in the team asides Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, have been highly inconsistent so far. Klay Thompson erupted in Game 2 at San Francisco to help Warriors tie the series 1-1. But since his return from the injuries that robbed him two years of his career Klay has been inconsistent.
Draymond Green is the loud mouth who never stops talking (His podcast is actually a good listen and he will definitely be a pundit after his NBA career). He is credited as the soul of this Warriors dynasty but he has failed to show up so far in this series. He has haggle with opponents, committed silly fouls, argued with referees and the opposing supporters so far. He was clearly targeted by Celtic fans in Game 3 and he responded woefully with one of his worst display in recent memory.
Satisfyingly, the Warriors have been irrepressible in the third quarter of this series. The disturbing situation is how badly they've faded in the fourth quarter of the two games they lost. A seemingly injured Curry, a Jekyll-and-Hyde Klay Thompson, a no-show Draymond Green and a persistent fourth quarter wobbling only served as the perfect recipe for an impending beat down by the Celtics on the Warriors.
Few minutes to the start of the game I was literally shivering. A miracle was needed and I just don't know where it will come from! A seemingly okay start calmed me but as the game wore on my confidence level was low. Andrew Wiggins surprised me with a couple of 3 pointers, same as Klay Thompson but I was still worried.
The Warriors did what they do best by dominating the third quarter and ending it with a two point lead (I still wasn't calm). They started the fourth quarter badly -as feared- and fell 5 points behind at some point. Derrick Whites and Marcus Smart were playing like possessed men for Celtics and shooting 3s at will. But for all the fear and the anxiety, the night belonged to Curry. He drained a 3 pointer to give the Warriors a 6 point lead with the scores still at 97-94 and less than two minutes to the end. The game ended 107-97 in the Warrior's favour with series tied 2-2.
Even though I let off a huge sigh of relief afterwards I know winning this series, and the Warriors fourth title in the last 8 years, won't come easy. Jayson Tatum disappeared in the last 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. Celtics had so many turnovers the Warriors capitalized on in transition. If Tatum drops a superstar display like he's capable of he is not containable. Coach Udoka will definitely work on eliminating the turnovers besetting Celtics before the next game at San Francisco so that game will be tougher.
For now I will enjoy this sweet Curry-delivered victory with a couple of beers and a curry prepared meal. I will sleep quietly after, and be here once again to discuss my confidence level after Game 5. It's been a tough, nerve wrecking NBAFinals!