Curry needs help from longtime, trusted comrades in Game 2

SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen Curry’s performance in the first quarter Thursday night was precisely the kind of opening salvo the Warriors wanted from their superstar in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. It’s showtime. Scoring 21 points in 12 minutes, Steph made it clear he was all in, riding hard from the jump.

For most of the night, though, he rode with little accompaniment from longtime and highly trusted comrades Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.

Draymond and Klay represent the other two-thirds of the team’s primary core, and their ineffectiveness was a major factor in the inability to hold a 15-point lead in a 120-108 loss to the Celtics.

On Saturday, after 40 hours of reflecting on Game 1 and preparing for Game 2 on Sunday, both Green and Thompson acknowledged their shortcomings.

“I need to make more shots,” said Thompson, who scored 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-7 from distance, in 39 minutes. “I need to take more shots. I need to get more stops. I need to just be myself, and that would be one of the greatest to ever shoot it.”

Though Klay had reason to be less than satisfied, Draymond had even more reasons. He’s the pulse of the team, often dictating intensity. He was both inefficient on offense, below his standard on defense and also never was able to generate team-wide emotional engagement.

Green finished with four points on 2-of-12 shooting, including 0-of-4 from deep – Boston practically dared him to launch – and five assists. His greatest impact was on the glass, grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds.

He reacted as he usually does when he plays poorly in defeat, pointing at himself.

“That's what I've always been taught my entire life,” Green said. “And for me, I understand that, ultimately, if I play well, we win. If I don't, we still can. But if I do, we win. So that falls on me.”

Boston shot 50.6 percent overall, 51.2 percent beyond the arc. Those percentages were boosted by jumping to 68.2/75.0 in the decisive 40-point fourth quarter. The catastrophic defensive failures can be spread across the team, but Golden State’s defense tends to follow Draymond’s lead.

“We have to play with more force on the defensive end,” Green said. “There were times in the game when they didn't feel us. When you're playing against a great team at this level, at this point in the season, they have to feel you every possession. There were times they didn't, and then once you get into a rhythm, due to them not feeling our pressure, then it's tough to stop.

“It's easy to go back and look at the shots in the fourth quarter and be like, ‘Man, they started hitting,’ but the reality is some guys got comfortable early in that game. And once you get a guy comfortable, it's hard to break that rhythm. We just have to make sure they feel us every possession.”

Draymond simply was not the defensive terror, flying around, disrupting sets, discouraging challenges, required for the Warriors to succeed against such a well-rounded opponent. He played in spurts, as did Klay.

Thompson spent a lot of time through the first three quarters defending Jaylen Brown, who was 6-of-17 from the field entering the fourth. He was 4-of-6 in the fourth.

“We got comfortable when we went up 15, including myself, our team, the fans,” Thompson said. “We've done it so many times, we probably just expect that we're going to win.

“Then I reminded myself, the playoffs are about being uncomfortable until you complete the mission. So, it was a harsh reminder but something we all needed to go through, including myself. It's about how we respond tomorrow, which I am very excited for.”

The difference in effect among the Warriors trio together since 2012 in Game 1 is perhaps best illustrated by their respective game scores, defined as “a rough measure of a player’s productivity,” and box plus/minus figures.

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Thompson’s game score was 10.7, his fifth-lowest in 17 postseason games. Furthermore, his box plus/minus was -1.9.

Green’s score was -0.2, his lowest in any game, regular season or playoffs, this season. His box plus/minus for the game was a team-worst -14.4.

Curry, who totaled 34 points, five assists, five rebounds and three steals, posted a score of 25.7, the highest of any player on either team. His box plus-minus was 12.2, second among Golden State rotation players to Otto Porter Jr.’s 12.5.

Steph’s primary comrades, together almost 10 years, owe him better in Game 2. Whether they’re able ride with him likely will determine the difference between the Warriors tying the series or falling into a 0-2 hole as the games move to Boston.

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