Stephen Curry: Warriors 'Have to Respond' in Game 2 After Game 1 Collapse vs. Celtics
June 3, 2022
Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry called on his team to bounce back after watching a fourth-quarter lead slip away in a Game 1 loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
The Warriors led by 12 after the third quarter, but the Celtics stormed back to open the 2022 NBA Finals with a 120-108 road win.
"It's not ideal," Curry told reporters. "But I believe in who we are and how we deal with adversity, how we responded all year, how we've responded in the playoffs after a loss. So learn a lot from that fourth quarter."
He added: "We know they are a good team. So are we. We have to respond on Sunday."
Curry lit up the scoreboard in the first quarter with 21 points on the strength of six three-pointers, a Finals record for threes in a quarter.
Golden State's offense was on pace to rule the night before the vaunted Boston defense finally showed up in the final period. The Dubs shot just 41.2 percent from the field in the fourth and turned the ball over four times, leaving the door wide-open for the C's comeback.
The Celtics took full advantage, knocking down 15 of their 22 shots, including nine threes, to outscore the Warriors 40-16 to secure the series-opening victory.
Draymond Green stated watching the fourth-quarter lead slip away is "nothing to panic about."
"It's fine," Green said. "You get a chance to do something else, do it in a different way, embrace the challenge. We've always embraced challenges. It's no different. We'll embrace this one. So no, it's not a hit to the confidence at all not one bit."
Yet, there's no doubt it puts a lot of pressure on the Warriors heading into Game 2.
Heading to Boston, where the Celtics posted a 28-13 record during the regular season, in an 0-2 hole would create a massive uphill battle for Golden State as the franchise looks to capture its fourth championship since 2015.
While it's not a must-win situation in a technical sense, it's still a critical moment for the Warriors.
"So it's pretty simple. And I just know we'll be better Game 2. I'll be better," Klay Thompson, who went 6-of-14 in Game 1, said.
Game 2 at the Chase Center is scheduled for Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.