FROM 3 TO SHINING 3
Finals record set: Curry hits 9 three-pointers, goes 5-for-5 in 4th period
The Warriors subsist on Stephen Curry’s bursts of spontaneous glee. They are at their best when Curry, mouthguard dangling, is draining deep three-pointers, shimmying his shoulders and dribbling around helpless defenders.
Golden State had plenty to like about its 122103 win over the Cavaliers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, but there was perhaps no better sight than that of Curry — its ambassador of fun — at the center of the season’s biggest party.
Cleveland hung around for three quarters, only to fall victim to one of Curry’s signature long-range binges down the stretch. Five of his NBA Finals-record nine three-pointers came in that final period. By the time he was pulled with 3:27 left and the Warriors assured of a 2-0 series lead, Curry had added another sensational stat line — 33 points, eight assists, seven rebounds —
to his bid for a first career NBA Finals MVP award.
“He was tremendous,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “You know, nine threes and seemed to hit the big shot every time we needed one.”
Kevin Durant, who entered Sunday having failed to shoot at least 38 percent from the field in four of his previous five games, offered a clinic in efficiency. In addition to posting nine rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in his 38 minutes, he scored 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting.
A day after he was seen limping, Klay Thompson extinguished any concerns about his left lateral leg contusion, pairing sturdy defense with 20 points on only 13 shots. JaVale McGee, who earned the start after spending much of the playoffs anchored to the bench, ran the floor, threw down dunks and added 12 points. Draymond Green led a stingy defense — the Warriors held the Cavaliers to 41.1 percent shooting, including 9-for-27 from three — and Shaun Livingston made all five of his shots.
It all places Golden State in enviable territory: After sevenplus months dogged by inconsistency, it will fly to Cleveland for Game 3 on Wednesday resembling the juggernaut many have long awaited. LeBron James, who had another masterpiece — 29 points, 13 assists, nine rebounds — go to waste, is left trying to fend the Warriors off from the two more wins that would secure their third NBA title in four years.
“It will be very important for us to be locked in from the jump on the defensive side of the ball and not giving those guys easy shots,” Green said, looking ahead to Game 3. “They’ve got a great crowd and they really feed off it.”
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, Kerr supplanted Kevon Looney in the starting lineup with McGee the instant-energy center. In case Golden State forgot who it largely owed for its Game 1 victory, it quickly was reminded, when its fans gave Smith — the man who didn’t know the score was tied on a critical possession late in regulation — a standing ovation in pregame introductions.
With McGee helping set an aggressive tone, the Warriors raced to a 15-6 lead. It wasn’t until the 7:44 mark of the first quarter, after seven consecutive makes, that Golden State finally missed its first shot. Little more than a minute later, Smith stepped to the foul line to “M-V-P” chants and missed his free-throw attempt.
The Warriors did a much better job than they 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.
It helped Cleveland that Kevin Love, who followed up a seven-point first half with 13 third-quarter points, teamed with James to engineer several mini rallies. The problem was that the Cavaliers, like the rest of the league, have no answer for when Curry starts hitting from deep.
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. As he ran back on defense, Curry stuck out his tongue as the crowd roared. Little more than two minutes later, he tossed a pass to Green, darted to the corner and drilled a three-pointer over Love while being fouled.
“No matter where you are on the floor, especially past halfcourt on their side, he always has a chance to make a miraculous shot,” Love said.
“No matter where you
are on the floor,
especially past
half-court on their
side, he always has a
chance to make a
miraculous shot.”
Kevin Love, Cleveland forward, on Stephen Curry