CAVALIERS SLUMP TO SECOND DEFEAT IN NBA FINALS
Curry cool after setting NBA Finals record of nine three-pointers
OAKLAND: Golden State guard Stephen Curry said that while it was “cool” to set an NBA Finals record with nine three-pointers in the Warriors’ 122-103 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, his focus was on keeping the Larry O’Brien trophy in Oakland.
Curry drained a series of three-pointers, some of them from well beyond the arc, during his stellar Game Two performance on Sunday to break the back of a Cavs team that had hoped to bounce back from a heartbreaking Game One loss on Thursday.
“That’s a pretty cool deal to accomplish,” Curry told reporters after the win, which puts his team two wins away from their third title in four years.
“But at the end of the day, it’s all about trying to get a win and doing whatever you can to make that happen.”
Curry’s performance surpassed Ray Allen’s previous record of eight three-pointers in a Finals game, which he set with the Celtics in 2010. “I never woke up and was like, all right, let’s go get nine threes and get the record,” he said.
“It was more so about playing the game the right way, having good intentions out there on the court and good things happen.
“So pretty special night, and hopefully some more special things happen and we get two more wins.”
The soft-spoken 30-year-old finished the night with a game-high 33 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, while frequently having to defend Cavs star forward LeBron James at the other end of the court.
While Curry was humble, Warriors coach Steve Kerr was quick to sing his praises after the win.
“He was tremendous. You know, nine threes and seemed to hit the big shot every time we needed one,” Kerr said.
“He was fantastic.” Warriors forward Kevin Durant, who scored 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting, was anything but surprised by Curry’s heroics.
“At this point, it’s expected,” he said.
Game Three of the best-of-seven series in Cleveland is tomorrow. — Reuters