Curry Solid In First Two Games
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Andrew Rosario
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
The Boston Celtics, fresh off their game 7 road win in Miami, looked rusty in the first three quarters in game 1 against the Golden State Warriors last Thursday night. The Warriors were having their way offensively and defensively. Down 15 (87-72) with 2:10 left in the third quarter, something clicked and Boston went on a tear while the Golden State offense went silent. Klay Thompson could not find his shot missing on 8 of 14 shots for only 15 points. Stephen Curry did all he could leading all scorers with 34 while Andrew Wiggins chipped in 20.
The Celtics were led by veteran Al Horford who finished with 26 nailing 6 of 8 3-pointers every time the Warriors tried to close the gap. Jaylen Brown 24 points and Derrick White 21 points contributed as Boston outscored Golden State 40-16 in the final quarter. Said Horford about his night, “I felt like the guys kept finding me. I was just getting the looks, knocking them down.”
A dejected Curry, whose team under head coach Steve Kerr was 21-2 in the first game of playoff series, knew the team missed a golden opportunity. “”It’s not ideal but l believe in who we are and how to deal with adversity,” he said afterward. “When you have a team that just finds a little bit of momentum like they did and they keep making shots, it’s tough to regain that momentum.”
Game 2 last Sunday was the exact opposite as the Warriors made shots while taking advantage of costly turnovers (18) in the Celtics 107-88 loss. Golden State went a third quarter romp outscoring Boston 35-14. Curry led both teams with 29 (5-12, 3-pointers) points and got bench help from J Poole who scored 17. Jayson Tatum shook off his game 1 rust scoring 28 points hitting on 6 of 9, 3-pointers. Tatum reflected on the turnovers that plagued the team. “”It’s just kind of simple as we’ve just got to take of the ball,” he said. “We’ve done it and we’re a really good team when we take care of the ball. But we have those lapses where we, snowball effect, we pile on turnovers and dig ourselves in a hole.”
The series shifted across country Wednesday night for the next two games. The Warrior are hoping to snatch one game in order to regain home court advantage. Both teams have won on the road during the playoffs. Golden State made the proper defensive adjustments and held Horford to only 2 points. He only attempted 5 shots missing 4.
“This year, the team needs me to be a little more aggressive,” Said Curry.
