Stephen Curry Delivers Signature Performance — Warriors Secure Game 4 Victory

If you look up the definition of a leader in the Oxford Dictionary — this is the result: “A person who leads a group of people, especially the head of a country, an organization, etc.”

The undisputed leader of the Golden State Warriors is none other than superstar Stephen Curry. As No. 30 goes — so goes the Warriors. Curry’s gravity, unselfish nature and joy of the game all propel the Warriors to a whole different level.

All eyes were on the Davidson product as he left Game Three limping into the locker room. Curry could’ve taken the easy way out — leaving people questioning on his status as he takes his MRI immediately after the game. Instead — he powers through and completes his post-game media session with all eyes on him. As The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami noted — Curry eased the minds of Warriors fans and had one message for them — he will play in Game Four.

“Not as bad,” Curry said of his injury in the Game Three post-game presser. “I don’t feel like I”ll miss a game. Take advantage of these next 48 hours to get ready.”

Whatever Curry did in the next 48 hours — whether it’s drinking Michael’s Secret Stuff from Space Jam or have Warriors Director of Sports Medicine Rick Celebrini do some of that Mr. Miyagi healing technique from the Karate Kid franchise — Curry went through his normal pre-game routine and was cleared for Game Four.

Head Coach Steve Kerr also made some adjustments — as he opted to start Warriors forward Otto Porter Jr. in place of Warriors center Kevon Looney — hoping to jumpstart the offense. But, this change leaves the interior defense open and the Celtics were able to take advantage early in the first quarter.

As is the case throughout the NBA Finals — the Celtics got off to a quick 11-4 lead. Celtics center Robert Williams continues to make his presence felt on the interior. With Warriors forward Draymond Green guarding Celtics forward Jaylen Brown — Porter Jr. is forced to guard Williams and due to the lack of size and athleticism from Porter Jr. — Williams was able to take advantage of the mismatch.

As a result — Kerr subbed in Looney in the 7:23 mark of the first quarter — and would follow the same pattern throughout the game. The Warriors slow starts are starting to be a nagging problem — as they shot 4-for-13 from the field in the early parts of the first quarter.

After their slow start, the Warriors would pick up some steam. Curry received the pick and went to work against Celtics center Al Horford — who continues to defend Curry in a drop-coverage. Curry made him pay with a step-back 3-pointer and let the Celtics crowd know about it.

“Obviously, it was because of how hostile the environment was,” Curry said. “The experience of knowing how fickle the momentum is in the Finals. We’ve been through it all — so we try to rely on past experience to understand how important that was.”

In the second quarter — the Warriors struggled early offensively. But, Warriors guard Jordan Poole would get in the act with a transition 3-pointer off the Celtics turnover — increasing the lead 33-28. Though the Celtics have been controlling the pace with their balanced attacks — one area they struggle with are live-ball turnovers.

Poole — who has been relatively quiet in these NBA Finals — provided critical scoring for the Warriors during the non-Curry minutes. Poole would finish the game with 14 points on an efficient 6-for-13 shooting.

The Warriors defense in the second quarter was much improved — as they’ve done a better job of staying competitive. The Celtics use a lot of skip passes to generate their offense. As teams pay attention to the drives — the driver would notice an opening and throw a fastball to the open man — who would get a relatively good look from distance or make another play.

In the third quarter — the Warriors would continue to stay in the game thanks to Curry’s greatness. Curry would score 14 of his 43 points in the third quarter. With the game tied at 73 — Curry dropped a 3-pointer cleanly through the net — despite getting tackled from behind by Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.

“I think I have seen [Curry] show that much emotion,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. “The heart on that man is incredible. The things he does — we kind of take for granted from time to time. But, to go out there and put us on our back — I mean — we gotta help him out on Monday.”

Despite his poor shooting throughout the game — Thompson nailed a clutch 3-pointer in the fourth quarter — tying the game at 84. Thompson mostly took advantage of transition looks rather than the plays in the half-court.

But — the Warriors demons would continue to haunt them — as they would turn the ball over three times in a span of two minutes. The two teams would continue to battle it out in the fourth quarter — as Thompon and Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins made clutch baskets to keep the Warriors in striking distance.

“I feel like we took possessions for granted,” Horford said of the Celtics fourth quarter struggles. “I don’t feel like we executed as well we did the previous games. We really can’t do that so we definitely need to be better down the stretch.

Wiggins had a solid game — scoring 17 points and grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds. Besides Curry — Wiggins has been one of the most consistent Warriors throughout the NBA Finals.

Late in the fourth quarter — Kerr made a risky decision of benching Green. Much of Green’s play has been under question lately — as fans wonder if his podcast serves more of a distraction and affects his play. But — as the game came to a close — Kerr would swap Green and Poole after every dead-ball for each offensive and defensive possession.

“Definitely never thrilled to come out of the game in a must-win game,” Green said. “I’m a competitor. At the end of the day, if that’s what Coach [Kerr] decides, you roll with it.”

The Warriors went on a 14-3 run to close the game — which included 3-pointers from Curry of the highest difficulty. With the season on the line — the Warriors grabbed the critical Game Four victory behind Curry’s 43 points and seven 3-pointers.

With the series even at two a piece — look for Game Five to be just as competitive on Monday, June 13.

(Photo credit: Elsa/Getty Images)