"This was his 'Flu Game;' his Isiah Thomas scoring 25 PTS in the 3Q" - Chris Broussard puts Steph Curry’s Game 4 masterclass amongst all-time great performances
Steph Curry put on a stellar shooting display in Game 4 against the Boston Celtics, scoring 43 points on just 26 field goal attempts and nine free-throw attempts. His efforts helped the Golden State Warriors counter the mighty defense of the Cs and level the series at two wins apiece.
The score remained tight for much of the first half, but Curry dominated in the second half – scoring 24 points, including a few tough ones from beyond the arc. Steph Curry responded with flair when his team needed him the most, coming up with a historic night for himself and the team.
"Game 4 was Steph's moment. This was his 'Flu Game;' his Isiah Thomas scoring 25 PTS in the 3Q; his Iverson G1, 48 PTS vs. the Lakers. Win or lose this series we'll look back years from now & say, 'Man, that Steph Curry G4 performance was his best game ever.'" — @Chris_Broussard https://t.co/sUPvBYT4Pq
Chris Broussard of “First Things First” deemed Game 4 to be Steph Curry’s best game so far, as he said:
“Look, obviously he’s had huge regular season games, but this is the finals. Alright, this was a near must-win, so it trumps all of that he’s done in the regular season, or maybe even earlier in the playoffs.”
Whenever a player of Steph Curry’s caliber steps on the court, expectations are always high. Fans are sometimes quick to dismiss the foiled efforts of an All-Star, just because they’re so used to seeing them perform week in week out. Curry was averaging 25.9 points in the playoffs before the finals started, and that felt less. Against the Celtics he’s averaging 34.3 points – over the first four games.
Stephen Curry.
That’s it, that’s the tweet. https://t.co/NxOmlAr9x2
Chris Broussard went on to highlight the significance of Curry’s Game 4 outburst:
“We’ve been saying for the last two weeks, we’re waiting for that game, we’re waiting for that moment, where all the greats have had in the finals. And now this was Steph’s moment.”
“This was his ‘Flu Game;’ this was his Isiah Thomas scoring 25 points in the 3Q on a bad ankle, cause Wildes – he had a bad foot.”
“This was his Allen Iverson Game 1, 48 points against the Lakers in 2001. That’s what this was.”
Throughout his career, Steph Curry has regularly made it into exclusive company because of the records he breaks and how he’s changed the game. Whether the Warriors win or lose in the finals, Curry’s elite status can never be in question.
Steph Curry made it look easy against the Celtics in Game 4
The Boston Celtics have been playing high-level defense under Ime Udoka since the start of the season. Once they made the playoffs, their intensity and chemistry were visibly a notch higher. The Cs were able to make Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving non-factors in the first-round.
They followed it up by limiting Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jimmy Butler’s impact in the following rounds. But the Celtics defense has not been able to find a formula to slow down Steph Curry.
These are the five players who have taken the most *very tightly* contested shots this playoffs. Here are their FG%:
30.0% — Andrew Wiggins
32.1% — Jayson Tatum
38.7% — Jaylen Brown
39.4% — Giannis Antetokounmpo
52.0% — Steph Curry https://t.co/PJyMVhsIeh
Chris Broussard spoke about the ease with which Curry is delivering. He said:
“Also, last thing – the degree of difficulty. No other Warriors’ player scored 20 points, two of his starters – Draymond and Otto Porter – scored two points each. And this is against the best defense in the league, that made Kevin Durant look pedestrian and Giannis shoot 45% from the floor.”
In three out of the four games in the series, Curry has scored 30 points or more – missing the 30-point mark by one in the Game 2 win. Steph Curry is definitely the key piece to Warriors’ success, and it remains to be seen if the Celtics can contain him in the upcoming games.