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| Infographic by Kavin Mistry |
The Steph Curry that Warrior fans have been waiting for finally took shape Friday night in Cleveland. The MVP scored a game high 38 points on 11-25 shooting and seven three’s.
The Warriors improved to 14-0 in the postseason when Curry scores at least 30 points.
“I’ve seen him do it for five years now,” said Warriors guard Klay Thompson in a postgame interview. “Nobody in the game can keep up, (...) when you have Steph’s range and handle, we’ take that shot everyday.”
Golden State now sits one game away from reaching the NBA pinnacle for the second year in a row. They can do so for the first time in franchise history on their home court.
The Warriors have been the best team in the league at adjusting after a loss this season and did so without missing a beat tonight. Cleveland came out firing in game 3, putting the Warriors on their heels and pressing their defense. In game 4, the Warriors became the aggressors.
“Sometimes our best offense is our defense,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr in a postgame interview.
The Warriors defense was much more active, led by forward Draymond Green, who finished with a team high 12 rebounds.
“In the end we out rebounded them, which seems crazy because of how it looked in the first half,” Kerr said. “All of our guys played really well and we just competed well.”
Along with the Warriors great defense, the Cavaliers offense did not carry over from game 3. The first half was filled with Lebron James at the helm, attempting to drive in, then kicking out to a shooter who would miss. The only thing that kept Cleveland in the game was second chance points.
“The way we started the game,” Curry said in a postgame interview. “The starters controlled the tempo in the first quarter, it wasn't great basketball by any means but on the road we gave ourselves a chance.”
The Cavaliers hit an surge before the half, capitalizing on some careless Warrior turnovers and took a five point lead into the locker room.
In the second half, Curry came alive. The Warriors battled back to cut the Cavaliers lead lead to one, but guard Kyrie Irving did not let the Warriors comeback go uncontested.
“You gotta respect the fact that they didn't want to go down,” Thompson said. “We wanted it, we didn't want to have to come back to Cleveland.”
However, Curry was too much for the Cavaliers to handle and the Warriors took a 79-77 lead into the fourth. He finished the third quarter with 11 of his 25 points.
“We had a lot less breakdowns,” Curry said. “All-around mental toughness and effort, but we still got to rebound better.”
In the fourth, defense was the defining factor for the Warriors. They stretched their lead to nine and Curry iced the game with clutch free throws at the end.
“Defense is a constant night in and night out,” said Warriors forward Andre Iguodala in a postgame interview. “We want to make it as tough as possible for the opponent.”
The Warriors made an NBA finals record 17 three's in game 4 and Curry said it was just the shot they were most confident in tonight.
“You got to make them and you got to have confidence,” Curry said. “We got guys stepping up when they need to.”
“Roaracle” will be alive Monday night, packed with Warrior fans hoping to see their team win its first title on home court.
“It's going to be our biggest game of the year,” Curry said. “Just because we are going home, does not mean we can relax.”
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