Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has already cemented himself as the greatest shooter in NBA history, and his team-high 29 points in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday at Chase Center were enough to help lift them to a series-tying win over the Boston Celtics. But other-worldly shot-making isn't the only strength to Curry's game, and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said as much during his postgame press conference.
While speaking to reporters, Kerr lauded Curry for "breathtaking" effort during the third quarter, in which the Warriors outscored the Celtics by 21 points and essentially sealed the win. Kerr also said that the 34-year-old veteran "doesn't get enough credit for his conditioning, physicality, and defense." Curry helped disrupt two critical Celtics possessions in the quarter, and his defensive rating of 109.2 in the series ranks fifth among players averaging 25-plus minutes.
"Steph has always been an underrated defensive player. He's always been in the top-10 or top-15 category when you talk about steals," former NBA player Jason Terry told The Zach Gelb Show on Monday. "So his off-ball anticipation, his ability to get in passing lanes has always been there. And then, if you look at him for points guards, he's probably top-10 in rebounding. Very underrated defensive player. He'll stick his nose in there, get loose balls, snatch steals...
"He's small in stature, and a lot of times he's overmatched because guys he's guarding are taller or more physical guards. But he competes. Sometimes the thing about defense is, if you're willing to get dirty, get in there, and compete. If you're willing to stand your ground, give maximum effort, then you can be a pretty good defensive player in our league. Steph's proved that he is that. He just doesn't get nearly the recognition he deserves..."
Curry, who recently won the inaugural Western Conference Finals MVP award, is averaging 26.6 points with 6.0 assists, 5.0 boards, and 1.3 steals through 18 playoff games this season. He's also scored 72 three-pointers, and according to ESPN Stats, it's the fifth time in his illustrious career that he's made 70-plus threes in a single postseason. With three more wins against the Celtics, Curry will be tied with LeBron James and 14 others as a four-time league champion.
Golden State, which clinched the West's third seed with a 53-29 record, will visit Boston for Game 3 on Wednesday night, with tipoff scheduled for 9 ET. According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the Warriors currently have an 18-percent chance to capture their fourth league title since 2015. If the Celtics hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy, it'll be their league-record 18th in team history.
The entire NBA Finals conversation between Terry and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.