MY ACCOUNT
Stephen Curry has vowed to “keep shooting” in Game 6 after his all-time streak of 233 successive games with a 3-pointer came to an end against the Boston Celtics.
The Golden State Warriors beat the Celtics 104-94 at Chase Center on Monday to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven NBA Finals series.
Curry has played a huge part in the Warriors’ drive for a seventh championship, but the 34-year-old endured an off day in Game 5 as he went 0-for-9 from three-point range.
He had 16 points overall and laid on eight assists in what was a below-par showing, with Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson stepping up to help secure the pivotal victory.
Historically, when a seven-game series is tied at 2-2, the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the series over 82 per cent of the time.
Curry, who scored 43 points in the Game 4 triumph in Boston, is confident he will respond in the best way possible in Thursday’s Game 6.
“I’ll keep on shooting. It’s very simple,” he said. “I’m not afraid to go 0-for-whatever because I’m going to keep shooting and taking shots that you normally feel like you can make.
“And I’ve responded well when I’ve had games like that from the three-point line. But I don’t think I’ve ever been happier after a 0-for-whatever type of night.
“Knowing the context of the game, the other ways you tried to impact the game and the fact that you had four guys step up in meaningful ways to help us win offensively.
“So all that stuff matters. Yeah, there’s a fire burning and I want to make shots, but the rest of it is about how we win the game, and we did that.”
Curry has made 285 three-pointers this season, 23 more than next best Buddy Hield, with an average of 25.5 per game through his 64 appearances in 2021-22.
And after digging deep as a team to pick up the win, Draymond Green believes team-mate Curry’s off-day could work in the Warriors’ favour when the teams reconvene.
“Whether Steph gets 43, 10, four, or whether he finishes with 16-for-22 shooting, a win is a win,” Green said.
“Obviously, we have spoken about helping him, and I don’t think he’s been out there helpless, like that’s the narrative.
“But everybody’s doing their part, and tonight, a night that he didn’t have it going, we found offense elsewhere, and that’s kind of what it’s been.
“On the same token, if he’s got it going, we’re going to be heavy Steph Curry. That’s just what it is.
“The whole notion of this guy doesn’t have help, well, you’ve got 43, he’s going to keep shooting, and we’re going to do all that we can to get him shooting it.
“It was huge. Now, that’s good for us. He was 0-for-9 from three. He’s going to be livid going into Game 6, and that’s exactly what we need.”
