Before the Golden State Warriors took the court for Game 4 of the NBA Finals last weekend, veteran superstar Stephen Curry -- who injured his left foot late in their Game 3 road loss to the Boston Celtics -- declared himself as available and game-ready. And if there were any doubts about Curry's ability to maintain his torrid scoring pace and carry the offense on one healthy leg, he squashed them all under near must-win pressure.
Facing a 2-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals, Curry orchestrated a masterpiece in Game 4 on Friday, erupting for a game-high 43 points with 10 rebounds and four assists in the Warriors' 107-97 win. According to ESPN, Curry became the second-oldest player (34 years, 88 days) in NBA history to post a 40-10 Finals game, behind only LeBron James in 2020. And rather than returning home on the brink of elimination, Golden State once again owns homecourt advantage.
"The Warriors have seen that these Celtics are very physical and very strong, and they've had difficulty doing that. So, they've said, 'Let's get the ball into the hands of Curry,'" NBA analyst Tim Capstraw told The DA Show on Monday. "And then these Celtics had to make a decision. If they're going to play a high pick-and-roll a lot, 'How are we going to guard this?'... They're kind of playing it two-on-two, and then staying at home with everybody else.
"Think about other years. In other years, everyone would say, 'If Curry comes off a screen, we better trap that.' And think about how great Draymond Green was in those series... [Boston's] willing to play this with two guys and see how well they can do... Now, they did adjust at times -- they switched a few times, did trap a few times. But, generally speaking, they're saying that right now... Can Curry keep doing this, at this level, is the big story on the defensive side."
Curry, who recently won the inaugural Western Conference Finals MVP award, is averaging 27.6 points with 5.7 assists, 5.2 boards, and 1.3 steals through 20 playoff games this season. He's also scored 85 three-pointers, and according to ESPN Stats, it's the fifth time in his career that he's made 80-plus threes in a single postseason. With two more NBA Finals victories, Curry would be tied with James and 14 others as a four-time league champion.
Golden State, which earned the West's third seed with a 53-29 record, will play Game 5 against Boston on Monday at Chase Center, with tip-off slated for 9:00 ET. According to FiveThirtyEight projections, the Warriors currently have a 34-percent chance to capture their fourth title since 2015. And if the Celtics hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy, it'll be their NBA-record 18th in history.
The entire NBA conversation between Capstraw and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
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