SAN FRANCISCO — The Chase Center crowd let out a big “oooh” after Steph Curry’s halfcourt heave at the end of the first quarter didn’t go in. You can’t blame them for expecting it to splash.
Steph started off the NBA Finals with an absolutely scorching first quarter on Thursday night, going 6-of-8 from the 3-point land and 7-of-9 from the field en route to 21 points. The Warriors carried a 32-28 lead over the Boston Celtics after a tightly-contested opening period. Ultimately, Golden State collapsed in the fourth quarter as the Celtics took Game 1 with a 120-108 victory.
Curry has put on some otherworldly displays, but even this was next level for Steph, who set an NBA Finals record for most 3-pointers in a quarter.
While Curry was able to make some contested trifectas, the Celtics also had some defensive breakdowns in the first quarter that led to some wide-open looks.
Alas, the Warriors were outscored 40-16 in the fourth quarter, including a 17-0 Celtics run at one point.
"I think I found a lot of space obviously in the first quarter and just was trying to ride that wave as long as I could," Curry said. "And they are obviously a good defensive team, but we created enough good looks offensively to win the game tonight. Just couldn't get enough stops. You know, let the lead melt away in the fourth. There's a lot of bright spots in how we played. Got to get over the tough feeling of letting one slip away."
Remarkably, Curry was held scoreless in the second quarter after his early barrage. He finished with a game-high 34 points, five rebounds and five assists on 12-of-25 shooting.
