The Boston Celtics have several stars on a team that leads the Eastern Conference with a 20-6 record. With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown running the show, supported by Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday, the Celtics have plenty of star power, but do they have a legitimate superstar? Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry once again showed the Celtics what a true superstar looks like.
The Celtics experienced a little bit of deja vu on Tuesday, December 19, when the Warriors hosted the red-hot Celtics. Left for dead in the third quarter, trailing by 17 points, the Warriors, led by Curry, stormed back to pull out a 132-126 overtime victory.
Curry finished with 33 points on 11-for-22 shooting to lead the Golden State rally. His long 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining in overtime was the dagger that gave the Warriors a 130-126 lead. Boston never recovered.
“Nothing shocks me with Steph, that shot was insane, the catch-and-shoot, the arc,” coach Steve Kerr said per ESPN, “but I fully expected it to go in, and I think all of our fans did, too.
“The guy’s magical. I can’t explain it. That’s just the kind of stuff he does.”
The Celtics know this all too well.
Curry was a Celtics killer during the 2022 NBA Finals. The Celtics held a 2-1 series edge in the championship round and looked to pull away at home in Game 4. Curry wouldn’t let it happen.
The two-time MVP singlehandedly lifted the Warriors by pouring in a game-high 43 points in a 107-97 victory that re-set the series and allowed Golden State to head back home for Game 5 tied at two games apiece. Curry went 14-for-26 from the floor and also pulled down 10 rebounds.
“He wasn’t letting us lose. That’s all it boils down to,” teammate Draymond Green said after the game, per ESPN. “I could tell in his demeanor, last couple of days, even after Game 3 that he was going to come out with that kind of fire.”
During a 2022 appearance on J.J. Redick’s “Old Man & the Three” podcast, Curry admitted that Game 4 against Boston is the favorite of his career.
“Game 4 is definitely my favorite game of my career because of the stakes that were a part of it and the fact that if we lost that game, who knows if we ever have a chance to win a championship again,” he said. Golden State went on to win the series in six games.
This isn’t a reactionary piece thrown together after the Celtics blew a 17-point lead to Curry and the Warriors. This is about showing what the Warriors have and the Celtics lack.
It’s not a knock on Tatum or Brown, view by many as the best tandem in the league. Tatum and Brown are exceptional players. They’re just not Steph Curry. Physically, they’re both bigger, stronger and more athletic, but Curry has what it takes to win. Tatum and Brown haven’t gotten there yet.
Not only is Curry a two-time MVP, but he’s a four-time NBA champion.
Tatum and Brown still have plenty to prove. Curry doesn’t.
Curry went 6-for-11 from 3-point land in Tuesday’s win over the Celtics. Tatum and Brown went 3-for-13. In his last seven games, Tatum is 18-for-60 from beyond the arc.
Some say Tatum, a three-time All-NBA player, is a top-five player in the league. Without an MVP or a title, it’s tough to place him there.
The Celtics don’t need to panic. They’re 20-6 and have as good a starting five as any in the league. They’re still the favorite to win the championship.
On paper, they’re far better than the Warriors, but they don’t have a proven player like Curry, a mentally tough superstar who can get it done in the clutch.
