Getty Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors after Game 4 against the Boston Celtics.
We are four games through the NBA Finals, and both the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics are now in a best of three-game series to decide the 2022 NBA champions.
Steph Curry put the team on his back and poured in 43 points on 26 shots. Whenever the Celtics seemed to pull away a bit during the game, Curry would figure out ways to score and keep the Dubs within striking distance.
The rest of the Warriors shot 40% from the field with Curry having to play 41 minutes in what was considered by many to be a must-win game to avoid going down 3-1. It seems like a distance memory, but there was talk as to how severe Curry’s injury was leading up to Game 4 since he reinjured his left foot while battling for a loose ball in the fourth quarter of Game 3.
One of the culprits for the lack of scoring has been Draymond Green. Teams have not at all been worried about covering him from the perimeter let alone playing up against him too much at all. He continued to struggle shooting in Game 4 by going 1-for-7.
However, Green picked it up on every other aspect of his game. He finished with 9 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals—familiar stat lines that we were accustomed to during the younger Green days.
Four of Green’s nine assists came from Curry knocking down jumpers throughout the game. Green was never a scorer, but his playmaking skills unlocked numerous open looks for Curry that allowed the shooting guard to catch fire.
During Green’s reaction podcast on June 11, he explains how Curry was locked in days leading up to Game 4, and the moment he knew the Celtics were going to lose Game 4.
“He was locked in from the very beginning,” Green said on his podcast. “He hit a three in the first quarter and he started talking to the fans, and when Steph starts talking to the fans, it’s never a good sign. Well, it’s a good sign for us, but that’s never a good sign for anyone else.”
.@money23green reflects on an 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 performance from @stephencurry30 last night 🤌
The Celtics seemed to have control of the first quarter, but Curry hit back-to-back three-pointers to give his team a 23-18 lead at the 2:03 mark. His second three led to a Celtics’ timeout, and that was when Curry seemed to respond to some Boston fans that were in his ear.
Curry’s Usage Rate Is Amongst the Greats
The Celtics have made it difficult for the Dubs to get into their floppy action plays for their shooters, so the half-court offense for the Dubs has been pretty awful. However, this has relied heavily on pick and roll plays for the ball handlers throughout the series.
Curry’s usage rate has been pretty high this series. Kevin Pelton of ESPN found that Curry’s 33.6% usage puts him in elite company along with Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, and others.
So far, Steph Curry’s usage rate this year is the highest in an NBA Finals since LeBron James in 2015.
Lack of Help from Warriors’ Supporting Cast Is Detrimental
Besides Game 2, none of Curry’s teammates have that one game where they collectively helped alleviate much of the scoring for the best shooter of all time. The Celtics have done a fantastic job of limiting the Warriors to contested shots.
The suffocating Boston defense has gotten so mentally taxing for Golden State that they have been missing a lot of layups throughout the series.
The Dubs will need to figure out how to get more production from the supporting cast quickly if they hope to bring another championship back to the Bay Area.