Steph Curry who missed a shot after a shot was a bad omen, okay. But for the Boston Celtics. Curry followed the genius storm of 43 points in Game 4 with a lukewarm 16-point effort, the supposed MVP of the NBA Finals an inconceivable zill for nine over the arc. However, the final score in Monday’s 5th game was – check the score, rub the eyes, check again – a 104-94 victory for the Golden State Warriors. It means the teams are returning to Boston for Thursday’s game with the Warriors leading 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. And that means the Celtics missed a great opportunity, because the usually metronical Curry is unlikely to hit again soon. Including the regular season, it was his first game in the NBA without scoring three points since November 8, 2018. “I think Boston did a very good job defensively, as we would expect, they are a great defensive team. “I thought he was pressured earlier, and then Steph lost some open,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “Even for the best shooter in the world, such games happen. Fortunately they do not happen very often, and I like Steph coming out of such a game. I like his ability to bounce. So, being able to win the game with our defense and with our depth, was a great team effort “. The Warriors advance to a victory over the NBA title after the victory in the 5th game against the Celtics – video Boston will present their own crazy game in the fourth quarter, which started with the game being well prepared after the Celtics made an amazing comeback immediately after halftime. But it was Andrew Wiggins’s all-encompassing excellence that helped upset visitors while adequately offsetting Curry’s inferior production. The modest 27-year-old Canadian was selected first overall in the 2014 draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers and immediately traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves when LeBron James took his talents back to Ohio. Sent by the Timberwolves to the Warriors in 2020, he is realizing his potential and is now on the verge of his first NBA championship. Not to mention family bragging rights: his father, Mitchell, was part of the Houston Rockets who lost to the Celtics in the 1986 final. The defining image of this game was not Carrie shooting a long-range shot, but Wiggins throbbing from the basket and knocking down a dunk to give the Warriors a 15-point lead with about two minutes left. With impeccable assists from Jordan Poole (14 points) and Clay Thompson (21 points), Wiggins took first place for Golden State with 26 points and contributed the best 13 rebounds. Too nice to respond to the advertising campaign and the pressure of his first choice? That has long been the case. But on Monday at the Chase Center he was ruthless, passionate, efficient and emphatic as the Celtics lost consecutive games for the first time in the playoffs this season. Asked by ABC what the message of the slam was, Wiggins replied: “We are here and we are hungry, we want that.” He also impressed in last Friday’s 107-97 victory over the Warriors, with 17 points and 16 rebounds, although he was overshadowed by Curry’s excellent production: 43 points, 10 rebounds and countless mouth-watering chews. Curry scored at least five three-pointers in each of his first four games against Boston, including seven last Friday. But here, with the 34-year-old being misunderstood from a distance – despite giving eight assists – Wiggins put his team behind him. For a while in the second half it seemed that the Celtics could prevail with the help of the good performance of Jason Tatum, who scored the first score with 27, and thanks to a sudden rain of three points. After losing its first 12 attempts, Boston sank eight in a row and overturned a 12-point deficit at halftime. The comeback roared at Golden State in the last quarter, thanks to another shift in momentum in a series that has seen some dizzying changes in fortune. As Tatum’s influence plummeted – he was strong in the middle of the race, but quiet at the start and finish, with Wiggins a key reason – Boston’s composure deteriorated. In total, the Celtics made a fatal 18 turnovers in the six Warriors. Surprisingly, in a series of tight-fitting teams that can still take the distance, the winning margin was at least 10 points in each of the first five games. Tonight was a correction to the narrative “as Steph goes, so did the Warriors.” Perhaps we should not be surprised that a team that is chasing its fourth title in eight seasons has the depth and ability to adapt as required. That it is, indeed, a team. But the Wiggins were not part of those three previous leagues. Another night like this, though, and may challenge Carrie for MVP recognition. “I just try to do every little thing to win,” he said. “If I have to score, rebound, defend, whatever I am asked to do on the pitch to help win, I will do it.”
