Stephen Curry’s dominance stretches further than just scoring
The Golden State Warriors split their two games in Boston, a huge win for the Dubs after going down 2-1 following a Game 3 loss.
They have regained home-court advantage and would have to lose either Game 5 or Game 7 to not capture their fourth NBA Championship in eight seasons. Golden State has thrived on the back of two-time MVP Stephen Curry.
The Golden State Warriors drew the series because of a 43-point explosion from Stephen Curry, but he’s been far more than just a scorer.
With Curry, one thing those that stand against the all-time legacy of the star guard say is that he’s never won an NBA Finals MVP despite having three rings. While he deserved it in 2015, Curry is making no doubts of who the series’ best player is now.
Curry has absolutely erupted, scoring 43 points against the Celtics in Game 4. It’s also necessary to note that guard Marcus Smart was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and Boston had the NBA’s best defensive rating.
That’s who Curry has been abusing.
It’s not just his scoring.
But, to recap, he is averaging 34.3 points per game. The next closest is a tie between Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, both of which are averaging 22.3 points per game.
The star guard is also hitting 6.3 triples per game and shooting 49% from deep. Curry is the only player in NBA Finals history to have four straight games with 5 or more threes. It’s been masterclass performances from Curry through the first four.
It’s more than just his shooting and scoring though.
While that’s what will undoubtedly make the headlines, look at what else the star has done on the court. He’s averaging 6.3 rebounds per game, the 8th most in the series and the most of any guard other than Jaylen Brown, who really plays more of a guard/forward mix.
Curry is also tied with Brown for the fourth-most assists in the series, only beaten out by Draymond Green, Tatum, and Smart.
How about ball security? He’s been doing that as well with just 3 turnovers per game, surpassed by Tatum who is averaging 3.5 per game, the most in the series. Oh, wait, Curry is bad at defense, though. Has he been?
His defensive field goal percentage comes in at 43.4. Klay Thompson, Gary Payton II, Al Horford and Robert Williams III all have a higher DFG% than Curry. He’s been incredibly on both ends of the court this series, and that’s what should make the headlines.
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While the scoring is what fans love, Curry has become far more than just a shooter, and these NBA Finals are proving just that.