'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Boston Celtics' game plan to limit two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry worked in game five of the NBA Finals.
The Golden State Warriors star failed to connect on a single three-point shot for the first time in his career in a playoff game, ending a streak of 233 regular-season and playoff games with at least one 3-pointer. Steph Curry finished 0-9 on 3-pt FG, the most attempts of his career without a single make.
Steph Curry’s incredible three and a half year run is over, yet it still could not get the Celtics over the hump in a pivotal game-five loss in San Francisco.
Boston Head Coach Ime Udoka said of their defense on Steph Curry -
“Yeah, better job on him. A little more physical there. Switched up the coverage a little bit. But we have to do it on the others. Anytime you got Wiggins with 26, Thompson with 21, Payton and Poole off the bench 15, 14, they're kind of making up for some of the things he was doing."
Udoka continued -
"Overall, it's a solid job on him. But again, I don't know if it was our defense as much as offensive struggles that hurt us.”
Udoka’s game plan going into game five of the finals was to tighten up on Steph Curry and make him a little more uncomfortable. The emphasis was also on not overreacting as Curry came into game five averaging 34.3 points per game in the Finals. It's the highest scoring average of his career in any Finals series he’s ever played.
Steph Curry later commented on his cold night from 3 -
“It bothers me as a shooter. You want to impact the game that way. But thankfully, that's not the only thing that you do out there on the court. And the fact everybody stepped up -- Wiggs, JP, Klay hit some big shots, Draymond found his life and his spirit and the way he impacts the game. We could withstand going 9-for-40 as a team and me 0-for-9, and still come away with a win."
The Warriors talisman also shared a hint of optimism -
"Obviously, track record says I shoot the ball better the next game. Looking forward to that bounce-back.”
Golden State Head Coach Steve Kerr gave due credit to Boston for Steph Curry's struggles -
"Boston did a really good job defensively, as we would expect. They are a great defensive team. I thought they put more pressure on him early in pick-and-roll. And Steph missed some open ones, too."
Kerr continued -
"So it's always a combination. But even for the best shooter in the world, you know, games like this happen. And fortunately they don't happen too often. I like Steph coming off of a game like this, too. I like his ability to bounce back. So to be able to win the game with our defense, with our depth, is a great team effort."
The Celtics pride themselves on being a physical and tough defense, and the top defense in the NBA made an effort to avoid letting Steph Curry create space, and while it worked, it still did not make a difference.
Golden State Warriors have always been the sum of their parts despite Steph Curry's recent heroics
This is not the first time that stopping or limiting Steph Curry has solved anything for an opposing team. Golden State has won 5 of their 6 games in the 2022 NBA Playoffs when Curry does not lead them in scoring. The fact that the Warriors can beat teams in other ways, makes them extremely dangerous.
Steph Curry’s 25 made 3-pointers is tied for the second-most in a single Finals, and it still did not matter at the end of the day that Boston’s defense improved on the eight-time All-Star.
"Well, the key to our game is defense, and Steph was a big part of that. They were trying to attack him over and over again, and he held up really well. I thought Gary Payton and Wiggs and Draymond really keyed our defensive effort to hold that team to 94 points. That's what it takes to win a Finals game. It's got to be about the defense."
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
"I think Steph was probably due for a game like this. He's been shooting the ball so well that, at some point, he was going to have a tough night. But we've got a lot of talent and a lot of depth that can make up for that, and the guys did a good job."
As great as Steph Curry is, Udoka did not want his team to lose sight of the big picture, but the Celtics' pedestrian offense hurt them and their efforts to cut down on turnovers did not work, which has been a point of emphasis all season long.
The Warriors have scored 103 points off turnovers so far in the NBA Finals, the most through five games in 30 years, including 22 points off 18 Boston turnovers in game five.
“Yeah, I think definitely we weren't as sharp as we needed to be during times there. Just tough. Definitely now, our backs are against the wall, and we have to see what we're made of.”
Celtics center Al Horford said.
The Celtics talked about it last night as well all season long, they can’t turn the ball over at the rate they have been. They had as many made baskets as turnovers in the fourth quarter alone.
Horford continued with his analysis -
“Playing in the crowd too much has caused a lot of these turnovers. Obviously, Jayson, Marcus having four, Jaylen having five, our primary ball handlers that get caught in some tough spots at times.”
“When we're at our best, it's simple ball movement. I think the third quarter showed that. The drive and kick was beautiful, was working, getting guys wide-open shots. Like I said, I don't know if it was fatigue affects the decision making a little bit there, or just physically don't have the burst to finish it off."
"That has been a problem for us obviously at times in this series, quarters specifically where we've gotten a little stagnant. When we do it well it works, it looks good, we get shots we want. We slow it down, play in the crowd, those turnovers pop up in the bad offense.”
The Celtics are now on the brink of elimination in the NBA Finals, with their backs against the wall.
Boston has been here before and has overcome adversity all season but will this be the end of the road for the Celtics?
Coach Ime Udoka certainly has a strong message for his players as they get set for game 6 back at home in Boston -
“The message to the guys is to be confident going home, get your rest, let's get ready to bring it back here. For us, it's really about consistency. That's the thing we're not having throughout a full game, is consistent efforts, sustained effort, more so offensively than anything. That's the part where we got to have carryover not only game to game but quarter to quarter, where we saw it happened in the third but not the fourth.”
“Obviously, we are all frustrated with tonight a little bit, but even prior, quarters and games. Our message is to take it one at a time. We've been here before, did it against Milwaukee. Let's bring it back out to the Bay.”
Boston needs to limit the turnovers and make free throws after missing 10 in game five or they don’t stand a chance back in Boston.
Boston has been here before and in the 2022 playoffs. They faced elimination twice in the Milwaukee series and again against the Miami Heat, but the Celtics prevailed.
The Celtics are the only team in NBA history to have a winning record in road Game 7’s, but first they need to stay alive in game 6 on their own floor Thursday night.
