Stephen Curry answered the bell in Game 2 of the NBA Finals as he led the Golden State Warriors to a 107-88 win over the Boston Celtics. Curry finished with a game-high 29 points and after allowing the Celtics to register a come-from-behind win in Game 1, he wasn’t going to let it happen again.
Curry scored 14 of his points in the decisive third quarter, which the Warriors won 35-14 to put the game beyond the reach of the Celtics. It wasn’t just offense where Curry had an impact, however, as he had a number of good defensive possessions as well and Steve Kerr spoke glowingly about his superstar after the game.
"Steph was breathtaking in that quarter. Not just the shotmaking but the defensive effort."
Steve Kerr on Stephen Curry's 3rd quarter and his improved strength and conditioning compared to 8 years ago.#NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/AjqhvFHVyr
— NBA (@NBA) June 6, 2022
“Steph was breathtaking in that quarter. Not just the shotmaking, but the defensive effort. He just doesn’t get enough credit for his level of conditioning, physicality, and defense.”
“People go at him to try to wear him down because they know how important he is to us offensively, and it’s pretty dramatic the difference in Steph’s strength and physicality and his body now than from 8 years ago when I first got here. The guy is amazing, he just keeps working on his game, his strength, his conditioning, year after year. It is a pleasure to watch him play every night.”
Curry definitely has had a physical transformation when you compare him to what he was when this Warriors run first began. He was often considered a liability on defense back in the day, but things have certainly changed since then. While Curry will never become an elite defender, he has improved big time on that aspect of his game and it should be recognized.
The fact of the matter, however, is that whatever he does on defense just gets overshadowed by his spectacular offense. He is currently averaging more than twice the amount of points as anyone else on his team in these Finals and the Warriors need him to maintain this level of play to get their hands on another title.
