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Draymond Green said Stephen Curry simply “wasn’t letting us lose” as the greatest shooter of all time scored 43 points to carry the Golden State Warriors to a 107-97 road win in Game 4.
The win tied the series at 2-2, swinging home-court advantage back to the Warriors as they prepare to head back to Chase Center for Game 5.
Curry’s ridiculous performance included going 14-of-26 from the field, and seven-of-14 from long range, while also grabbing 10 rebounds and scoring 10 of the Warriors’ last 12 points in a tense fourth quarter.
Andrew Wiggins also had a night to remember, pulling in a career-high 16 rebounds to go with his 17 points, finishing with a plus/minus of plus 20 in his 43 minutes, meaning the Warriors were minus 10 in the five minutes he was on the bench.
Speaking to the media after the win, Green let it be known just how special Curry was when his team needed him most.
“Incredible – [Curry] put us on his back, willed us to a win, a much-needed win,” he said.
“He came out and showed why he’s one of the best players to ever play this game, and why this organisation has been able to ride him to so much success. Just absolutely incredible.
“He’s one of the most resilient, toughest guys that I’ve ever played with. The way defenses guard him, they’re constantly grabbing, and he just continues to play… he just continues to do what he does.
“It says a lot about his toughness, and his competitive nature, and what it truly means to be a winner.”
When asked if he had a feeling Curry was going to bring it tonight, Green said there was no way they were heading back home trailing 3-1.
“Yeah, [Curry] wasn’t letting us lose,” he said. “That’s just what it boils down to.
“You hear all the noise… I could tell in his demeanour the last couple days, after Game 3, that he would come out with that type of fire, and we were all able to follow.”
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr echoed Green’s sentiments about Curry’s virtuoso performance.
“Just stunning,” he said. “The physicality out there is pretty dramatic.
“Boston’s got obviously the best defense in the league. They’re huge, and powerful at every position.
“For Steph to take that kind of pressure all game long, and then still be able to defend at the other end when they’re coming at him, I think this is the strongest physically he’s ever been in his career, and it’s allowing him to do what he’s doing.”
He also made sure to give a mention to Wiggins for his game-changing effort.
“‘Wiggs’ was fantastic – to go against Boston you’ve got to deal with [Jayson] Tatum and [Jaylen] Brown,” he said.
“They’re just powerful, skilled players. Great size, they’re coming downhill at you constantly, so we have to have Wiggs out there.
“I thought he was great defensively, and obviously 16 rebounds – a career-high – and [a plus/minus of] plus 20. We needed every bit of his contributions.”
