Klay Thompson (background) and others were on target in Game 5 even though Stephen Curry went without a 3-pointer in that game.
• Complete coverage: 2022 NBA Finals
SAN FRANCISCO — As he marched up toward the podium, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry wanted to deliver a message.
Curry conveyed one of his messages through his apparel. He wore a T-Shirt that read, “Ayesha Curry Can Cook,” a strong defense of his wife after a Boston-area restaurant posted a sign that tried to argue otherwise.
Curry outlined another message with his words. No doubt, Curry expressed satisfaction with the Warriors’ 104-94 win against the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday at Chase Center. With the Warriors holding a 3-2 series lead, they can secure their fourth NBA title in eight seasons with a decisive Game 6 win in Boston on Thursday (9 ET, ABC).
Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green also collected their 20th all-time NBA Finals win, a mark that eclipsed a certain San Antonio Spurs’ trio (Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker) for most collective Finals wins in the last 50 years.
Nonetheless, the Warriors’ latest effort toward reaching championship prosperity coincided with Curry experiencing something abnormal. He finished with 16 points while shooting 7-of-22 from the field and 0-of-9 from 3-point range, which marked the first time in his 13-year NBA career that he failed to make at least one 3-pointer in a playoff game. Curry also snapped his league-leading 3-point streak through 233 games through the regular season and playoffs.
“Of course, it bothers me as a shooter,” Curry said. “You want to impact the game that way. But thankfully that’s not the only thing that you do out there on the court.”
No, the Warriors understood that their championship hopes cannot just rely on Curry’s shooting outbursts. Curry already did that in Game 4 when he finished with 43 points while shooting 14-of-26 from the field and 7-of-14 from deep in what marked his third-highest scoring playoff game. Before that, though, the Celtics collected two other wins despite Curry maintaining high scoring numbers in Game 1 (34 points) and Game 3 (31).
Steph was probably due for a game like this. He’s been shooting the ball so well that, at some point, he was going to have a tough night. But we’ve got a lot of talent and a lot of depth that can make up for that, and the guys did a good job of that tonight.”
— Warriors coach Steve Kerr, on Stephen Curry’s Game 5
Through both the Warriors’ successes and failures, Curry appeared intent and capable of scoring through tough circumstances. He met swarming defenses. He lacked consistent health. And he nursed some pain in his left foot after Celtics forward Al Horford fell on it late in Game 3.
“Steph is the best to ever shoot it,” Thompson said. “Everyone in the building, including the fans and those watching, believe the ball is going in when it leaves his fingertips.”
Very rarely did that happen in Game 5. Perhaps that made some Warriors fans scratch their heads. Warriors coach Steve Kerr didn’t though.
“Steph was probably due for a game like this. He’s been shooting the ball so well that, at some point, he was going to have a tough night,” Kerr said. “But we’ve got a lot of talent and a lot of depth that can make up for that, and the guys did a good job of that tonight.”
They sure did. It would be a stretch to say that Curry lacked a reliable supporting cast. No, the Warriors could not just hand the ball to Kevin Durant as they did often in winning two NBA titles in three seasons from 2016-19. The Warriors still have plenty of depth, but throughout these Finals, they lacked certainty on how they would benefit from it.
Golden State's supporting cast steps up in Game 5, providing big-time plays and buckets to overcome Stephen Curry's off-night.
What they got in Game 5 was more comforting clarity on that topic.
After showing season-long inconsistency with his rhythm following a 2 1/2 year absence with injuries, Thompson returned to All-Star form with 21 points while shooting 7-for-14 overall and 5-for-11 on 3-pointers. In what marked the latest reminder of how he has become the perfect complementary fit since the Minnesota Timberwolves traded him to Golden State two years ago, Andrew Wiggins finished with 21 points on 12-for-23 shooting.
As for the rest of the supporting cast, Golden State leaned on a young player who finally reached some stability in his career (Gary Payton II’s 15 points) and a young player who might represent the team’s future (Jordan Poole’s 14 points).
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.”
— Warriors star guard Stephen Curry
Just as they did in their wins in Game 2 and Game 4, the Warriors also relied on their defense. Green, Wiggins and Payton all locked in on individual assignments. The Warriors collectively held Boston to 41.3% shooting overall and 26.7% shooting in the fourth quarter.
“We have spoken about helping him, but I don’t think he’s been out there helpless,” Green said of Curry. “Everybody’s doing their part. On a night that he didn’t have it going, we found offense elsewhere.”
As for Curry? Both Curry and Kerr conceded that his off night partly reflected how the Celtics defended him. Boston had mostly stuck to a drop coverage during the Finals, a strategy that essentially gave Curry open looks with hopes that at least none of his teammates would become offensive threats. In Game 5, Curry observed that the Celtics “were a little bit more aggressive and a little higher-up on their pick-up points.”
That did not stop Curry from taking shots. It did stop Curry, however, from making them. Instead of hunting more shots, Curry became a playmaker to ensure his teammates made up the difference. He recorded eight assists as the Warriors had five players score 10-plus points. Curry also leaned on his individual and help defense coverages.
Stephen Curry shoots just 7-for-22, but huge contributions across the board lift Golden State to the brink of another championship.
“There’s a lot of confidence knowing you don’t really have to force it too much in certain situations,” Curry said. “The rest of the game has to show up so that you can still make an impact and still draw enough attention offensively, even if you’re not making shots. I do take pride in doing that consistently.”
Curry tried fulfilling that job description by “just using that aggression against” the Celtics. Do not get it twisted, though: Curry would prefer to use that aggression with how he shoots the ball. After all, Thompson described Curry as “a magician with the ball in his hands.”
“I know he’ll be thinking about the shots he missed,” Thompson said. “That’s a good thing, because Thursday, hopefully, most of the time, he regresses to the mean. It’s scary when he does.”
For Curry, a somewhat similar incident happened in the regular season.
Klay Thompson hails the greatness of his teammate, Stephen Curry, after the Game 5 win.
Following the Warriors’ season-opening win against the Los Angeles Lakers, he described his performance as “trash” after a 5-for-21 shooting performance. That comment amused the Warriors because, despite that shooting performance, he had a triple-double (21 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists). Nonetheless, Curry responded the next game against the LA Clippers with 45 points while shooting 16-for-25 overall and 8-for-13 on 3-pointers.
“Keep shooting. Very simple,” Curry 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.”
After all, Green had reminded reporters earlier in the series that the Warriors’ offense always started with Curry’s shooting brilliance even during Durant’s tenure. That will not change anytime soon. As Green said, “If he’s got it going, we’re going to be heavy Steph Curry.” As he scanned the box score, Green anticipated that will happen for a simple reason.
“He’s going to be livid going into Game 6,” Green said, “and that’s exactly what we need.”
Moments later, Curry stepped to the podium and validated Green’s prediction.
“Track record says I shoot the ball better the next game,” Curry said. “Looking forward to that bounce-back.”
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Mark Medina is a senior writer/analyst for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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