Curry shimmies way to 33 points, 2-0 lead
Star hits NBA Finals-record nine 3-pointers as Golden State torches Cleveland’s defense
OAKLAND, Calif. — More than a switch-heavy defense or constant ball movement, the Warriors subsist on Stephen Curry’s bursts of spontaneous glee. They are at their best when Curry, mouth-guard dangling, is draining deep 3-pointers, shimmying his shoulders and dribbling around helpless defenders.
Though Golden State had a lot to like about its 122-103 win over the Cavaliers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, it probably was most pleased that Curry — its ambassador of fun — is at the center of the season’s biggest party at just the right time. After letting Cleveland hang around for three quarters, Curry sealed Cleveland’s fate, pouring in 16 of his game-high 33 points in the fourth to give the Warriors a 2-0 series lead.
Along the way, Curry hit an NBA Finals-record nine 3pointers.
“Pretty special night,” Curry said, “and hopefully some more special things happen and we
get two more wins.”
Along the way, Kevin Durant snapped out of a shooting slump with 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting. Klay Thompson, who was seen limping Saturday after spraining his ankle in Game 1, needed 13 shots to score 20 points. In his first start of the postseason, JaVale McGee ran the floor, feasted on dunks and added 12 points.
Golden State flies to Cleveland for Game 3 on Wednesday resembling the team that many long expected. After sevenplus months dogged by complacency, the Warriors are two wins away from their third NBA title in four years.
“They’re a dangerous ballclub no matter what,” said Cavaliers star LeBron James, who finished with 29 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds. “It starts with those four guys, those four All-Stars. Everybody else just does their job, and they don’t miss a beat when they put someone in or they take someone out.”
In the wake of Thursday’s Game 1 win over the Cavaliers, Golden State was more relieved than pleased. It had withstood a slew of mistakes — including porous defense on James, who rang up 51 points with relative ease — thanks to several questionable calls going its way and an absent-minded blunder from J.R. Smith.
To help guard against another sluggish start, Warriors coach Steve Kerr supplanted Kevon Looney in the starting lineup with instant-energy center McGee.
With McGee helping set an aggressive tone, the Warriors raced to a quick 15-6 lead. It wasn’t until the 7:44 mark of the first quarter, after seven consecutive makes, that Golden State missed its first shot.
The Warriors did a much better job than it did in Game 1 of making James work. However, even solid defense isn’t enough to keep a generational player at the peak of his powers from keeping a steep underdog within striking distance.
Kevin Love — who followed up a seven-point first half with 13 thirdquarter points — teamed with James to orchestrate several mini rallies, only for Golden State to hit timely shots.
Midway through the fourth quarter, after a dazzling dribbling display, Curry drained an off-kilter 29-footer over the outstretched arm of Love to beat the shot clock. Little more than two minutes later, he tossed a pass to Draymond Green, darted to the corner and drilled a 3-pointer over Love while falling.
“He’s a big-shot taker, big-shot maker,” Green said. “Tough-shot taker, tough-shot maker.”