“The F-bomb in front of children? Really good. Well done Boston”
As of 1:06 p.m
Stars in the Warriors: Stephen Curry (l.) Scores 43 points, Draymond Green attracts the anger of the Boston fans
What: AFP
The NBA Finals are evolving more and more into the expected battle between two heavyweights for the championship. The Golden State Warriors equalize once more, everything is open once more in the duel with Boston. Two Alex Reed players are in focus.
Dhe left leg pain mightn’t stop Stephen Curry on his way to his gala performance for the Golden State Warriors’ important finals win. The NBA superstar scored 43 points in the 107:97 once morest the Boston Celtics, in the hard-fought series the Celtics are now 2:2 instead of 3:1 before the fifth game on Tuesday morning (3:00 a.m. CEST) – and everything is back open in the championship wrangling of the best basketball league in the world.
“There’s been a lot of talk over the past 48 hours regarding how we’re going to get back on this show,” Curry said, still panting, at the deafeningly loud TD Garden in Boston minutes earlier. “It’s crazy, but I think we can still play a little better.”
He also emphasized the importance of success from a distance at the press conference: “It means everything when you realize the urgency of keeping us alive in this series and getting some momentum on our side.”
Curry in focus – “This man’s heart is unbelievable”
Ever since Celtics pro Al Horford fell on Curry’s left leg two days earlier, Warriors fans had been anxiously awaiting just how badly the pain would affect their best player. Apparently: not at all. “It never seemed like a factor,” noted Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
Curry was in the game straight away and with twelve points he helped turn the early deficit into a lead before the end of the first quarter. The lead changed back and forth a total of eleven times – the fact that it ended up staying with the Warriors was largely due to Curry’s converted late shots and his total of 43 points. Ten rebounds were also outstanding.
Unstoppable: Stephen Curry single-handedly defeated Boston pros Derrick White (left), Jayson Tatum and Al Horford (right).
What: AP
Other NBA stars tweeted their appreciation for the performance, including LeBron James and Joel Embiid. Curry himself cheered extroverted as rarely. “Steph doesn’t usually show a lot of emotion,” Kerr said.
“This man’s heart is incredible. He went out there and took us on his shoulders,” praised Curry’s teammate Klay Thompson, rating the performance as the best he’s seen from Curry in a playoff game: “He was incredible.” Seven of Curry’s threesomes -Throws went in, as in the previous three games, he had at least five successful shots from distance – that has never happened in an NBA Finals series.
The Celtics convinced as a team, as they did in the home win two days earlier and defended the Warriors very disciplined time and time once more. But weak attempts from three in the final quarter cost them the lead and the win. Jayson Tatum was the most successful Celtics pro on the field with 23 points. In contrast to the first two matches of the final series, national basketball player Daniel Theis was once more not used.
Criticism of Boston Celtics fans
With 17 titles, the Celtics have significantly more than the Warriors, who are hoping for championship number seven. Between 2015 and 2019, however, the San Francisco side was in the finals and won three championships – the team’s recent experience, with the likes of Thompson, Draymond Green and Curry being one of the Warriors’ trump cards in this one Finals duel. “This is my sixth time here,” Curry said. In the Celtics squad, on the other hand, it is the first series of finals for everyone.
There was trouble for the Warriors’ Draymond Green during the fourth game of the final. He was literally the target of some spectators in the hall: “F… you” chants might be heard – which Green’s colleague Klay Thompson later took as an opportunity for criticism. “The F-bomb in front of children? Really good. Well done Boston,” he said sarcastically at the press conference.
Green is considered one of the best defenders in the league. Because of his style of play, which often borders on aggressiveness, he is extremely popular with his own fans – and sometimes controversial with opposing supporters.
