Klay Thompson: Stephen Curry had his best NBA Finals game; Draymond Green: He wasn't letting us lose
Every game of the NBA Finals is live on Sky Sports: Watch Celtics @ Warriors – Game 5, live on Sky Sports Arena and Main Event, on Monday night from 1.45am; with repeats shown the following morning and in the days thereafter
Monday 13 June 2022 12:19, UK
Draymond Green and Klay Thompson have been over the coals with Stephen Curry many times, but it says everything about Steph's greatness that he can still blow them away with his performances on the biggest stage of all.
Curry produced a 43-point masterpiece to level the NBA Finals at two wins apiece, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 107-97 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 4.
The Warriors needed the win and Curry made sure they got it by attacking repeatedly until Boston just did not have enough left to muster a response.
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Curry also added 10 rebounds and four assists on a night when he etched another chapter into one of the most illustrious careers in NBA history.
He went 7-of-14 from three-point range on Friday night, making him the first player to score five-or-more threes in four consecutive NBA Finals games. He also joined Jerry West and Magic Johnson as the only point guards to record a 40-point and 10-rebound NBA Finals game in the history of the game.
One of the very few accolades Curry does not have is an NBA Finals MVP award, but if he can help carry the Golden State Warriors to a fourth championship in eight years, then the award is surely his.
He was averaging 31.3 points per game coming into Game 4 and then he produced greatness in front of the watching fans at TD Garden on Friday night.
Thompson and Green have been there every step of the way since Curry's crusading on the NBA Finals stage began in 2015 and they both recognised this as him, one of the greatest NBA players of all-time, performing at his very best.
When asked where he believes this ranks in Curry's NBA Finals performances, Thompson was effusive in his response.
"I think probably number one," Thompson said. "I mean, this was nearly a must-win game and to go out there and shoot as efficiently as he did, and oh, grab 10 rebounds when they're attacking him on defense – I mean, his conditioning is second to none in this league. Steph played incredible.
"The things he does, we kind of take for granted from time to time. But to go out there and put us on his back – and I mean, we've got to help him out on Monday – it's shocking he wasn't a first team All-NBA guy but whatever, next year."
Few could argue with that assessment, especially after this latest display of the 34-year-old's greatness.
What makes Curry's explosive display all the more impressive is that he was nursing an injury after Celtics big man Al Horford fell onto his leg late in Game 3.
"I've always said, he's one of the most resilient, toughest guys that I've ever played with," said Green. "The way defenses guard him, who are constantly grabbing, and he just continues to play. He doesn't make much of it, he just continues to do what he does. It just says a lot about his toughness and his competitive nature and what it truly means to be a winner.
"He wasn't letting us lose, that's just what it boils down to. You know, you hear all the noise for a day or so. I could tell [by] his demeanour last couple of days, even after Game 3, that he was going to come out with that type of fire. And he did and we were all able to follow it."
Curry's own torch was lit, and he turned that into a flamethrower which fired long-range strikes all night for the Warriors and also lit the touchpaper for his colleagues to grow in confidence early in the game.
"I felt like I just had to let everybody know that we were here tonight," Curry said. "Whether that's their crowd, their team, our team, whoever wants to see that energy and that fire – we feed off of that. And yeah, I think it helped us kind of just get settled into our game because obviously, [with] our experience you can want it so bad, you kind of get in your own way a little bit and everybody feels a little bit of pressure and it can go the opposite way. I wanted to try to leverage that in a positive direction for us to start the game."
The two-time league MVP was also quick to direct thanks in the direction of the Warriors training staff and his team-mates.
"Great rehab and medical staff hooking me up the last two days getting me right," Curry said, "I think for the most part I didn't think about. It's more so just when you're out there you don't compensate or it doesn't take up too much mental space, in terms of feeling like I can do whatever I want to on the court. So hopefully that continues with these next two days off and get ready for Game 5.
"It was a hard-fought win. I think our first quarter really set the tone. Even though we were down, it was night and day difference between Game 3 and Game 4 how we came out defensively. That just gives you enough life to withstand some rough patches and then, you know, find some runs – we get some stops, get [out in] transition, guys get involved and you give yourself a chance to win it down the stretch.
"So proud of everybody in terms of our physicality, our focus and perseverance throughout the game."
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recognised Curry's contribution but is also thankful for the extra experience his star man has around him.
The coach also deserves credit for some gritty calls, including starting Otto Porter Jr in place of Kevon Looney and, particularly, benching Green during the fourth quarter in a stretch where the Warriors took the lead for good.
He knows the triumvirate of Green, Thompson and Curry give him something invaluable to work with that no other coach in the league can boast – NBA Finals experience stretching back eight years, accumulated together.
"You have a group of guys who are going to be in the Hall of Fame someday: Steph, Klay, Draymond," Kerr said. "These guys are the constant. They've been here together throughout that span, so they're not only gifted, but they're incredibly competitive and that's what it takes to win on the road.
"You have to summon that kind of will and intensity and passion. Those guys have that."
Now it is back to San Francisco for Game 5 on Monday night, live on Sky Sports Arena & Main Event from 1.45am overnight.
Klay cannot wait to get back to the Bay and knows his team need to pick up where they left off if they are to beat a Boston team who have gone 7-0 after every defeat in this year's NBA Playoffs.
If the Warriors can break that streak, however, it could prove a telling blow.
"We have re-established home court again," Thompson said. "We can look ahead and we've got to play with that same force in the fourth quarter that we did [tonight]. Bring that Monday and it's going to be rocking there at Chase Center.
"I can't wait to see our fans, I know they're excited. So we can look ahead, just be present and embrace the off-day but then get some good work Sunday and then when Monday comes, just live in the moment, because you don't do yourself any good if you look ahead to Game 6 or 7, or a championship.
"You've just got to embrace these moments, especially to be one of the last two teams playing and I know we're all gonna bring it Monday. We're so excited. This is a was a special night for Dub Nation."
And a special night in the career of Stephen Curry. If the Warriors do hoist aloft the Larry O'Brien trophy within the next nine days, then this performance will undoubtedly be remembered in the basketball annals forever.
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