Steph Curry elaborates why 2022 finals Game 4 mattered the most to him: “Who knows if you’ll ever win a championship again”
Steph Curry went through all the emotions during the Golden State Warriors' Game 4 win over the Boston Celtics in the 2022 finals. The Warriors were down 2-1 and faced the possibility of entering an elimination Game 5 contest.
However, Curry flipped the switch to produce one of the greatest finals performances. The Warriors superstar had 43 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, shooting 53.8% from the floor. The Dubs needed Curry to be at the top of his game, with his co-stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green not in the best form.
Curry started the game with an aggressive mindset, taking many by surprise. The reigning finals MVP reflected on that particular game on "The Old Man & The Three" podcast, saying:
"Required another level of response from us. For me, I wanted to lead that. Even though we were still down in the first quarter, I was like, I don't know what really I'm talking about, but let's go. And kind of manifested a three-game run that was for the books.
"Game 4, definitely. My favorite game of my career because of the stakes that were a part of it and the fact that you know (if) we lose that game, who knows if we ever have the chance to win a championship again."
The Golden State Warriors faced plenty of adversity last season. Nobody gave them a shot at possibly winning a chip again after their 2019 finals loss to the Toronto Raptors. Meanwhile, even after making the finals last season, the Warriors still had the odds stacked against them by a significant margin.
Celtics fans also didn't go easy on them, which explains why Steph Curry and the team displayed their raw emotions after winning the chip last season.
Steph Curry and Co. face an even tougher road to winning a championship this season
Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors entered the favorites to win the 2023 championship as they were the defending champions. Many expected them to get off to a phenomenal start and be the unbeatable team they used to be during their championship years between 2015 and 2018.
However, that's not been the case. The Warriors are 8-10 for the year and 1-9 on the road. Their starters have delivered as expected, but the same can't be said for their young bench unit. The Dubs saw players like Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica depart the team in free agency.
Also read: Golden State Warriors insider makes a bold statement about team: "Warriors before last season decided we're gonna go all in on the future... I don't think it's going to lead to a championship"
The Warriors had to maintain their salary cap flexibility to extend their core players like Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Keeping Payton and the rest of their free agents wasn't viable, as they earned big paydays.
It puts pressure on Steph Curry and the team's other star players to play out of their skins again and potentially guide the Warriors to a successful title defense. If the Dubs win the chip, it will arguably be their toughest championship win over the last nine years.
Also read: "Every single game cannot be a Steph miracle bail out" - NBA analyst expresses concern about Warriors' inability to win games without Steph Curry