It might not be a coincidence that Stephen Curry has done his best NBA Finals work so far in the first and third quarters of games.
The Golden State Warriors sharpshooter had another splendid third-quarter performance in Game 3, but it wasn't enough as the Boston Celtics withstood the push and ultimately pulled away Wednesday night at TD Garden. Boston held Curry to just two fourth-quarter points, outscoring the Warriors 33-11 in the final 12 minutes to take the 2-1 series lead.
It's worth wondering whether Curry hit a wall after a mesmerizing third-quarter showing in which he scored 15 points while making four 3-pointers.
If that was the case, give the Celtics credit for how difficult they're making it for Curry, not just on offense but in his own end. Boston at times in Game 3 made it a point to go after Curry and make him play defense. The result was three first-half fouls that not only took away some of his aggressiveness but also forced him to exude additional energy.
"That was part of it," Celtics coach Ime Udoka confirmed after the game, as transcribed by ASAP Sports. "That's been throughout the playoffs. We find matchups that we think are favorable, (and) we'll attack those. Got some fouls (on Curry) early, so we knew he wouldn't be as aggressive. Not just that, it's that you don't want to let those guys rest on that end of the court.
"We did it with (Kevin) Durant (in the Brooklyn series), and we did it with (Giannis) Antetokounmpo (in the Milwaukee series) at times. Even the good defenders, you don't want to give them one end of the court off. We have guys that play both ends, quite a few scoring threats as well as defensive guys. So putting those guys in action and not letting them off the hook is part of the plan, for sure."
That also does sort of help explain the first- and third-quarter thing, too. Curry obviously is going to feel his freshest and most rested at the start of a game or coming out of halftime. Over time, though, it seems like the Celtics are able to wear him -- and the rest of the Warriors -- down and make the most of their depth advantage. It's probably not a coincidence Boston has outscored Golden State by an average of 13 points in the fourth quarter through three games.
With Curry, though, it's not to say he's not impacting games with the ball in his hands. The Warriors' "seven-point play" in the third quarter to cut the Celtics' lead from nine to two was an example of just how fast they can flip the script. Once again, the Celtics struggled at times with defending Curry, especially when the Warriors set screens for him at the top of the key.
"We had to adjust a little bit. Got to switching a little bit more," Udoka said. "That's asking a lot of Rob (Williams) and Al (Horford) and those guys. They've done it all year, but with Rob being a little hampered and getting out there, you've got to work a little bit harder to get out on Curry with the range those guys have."
That part is a work in progress. But Curry is going to get his at times, and if the Celtics can make sure it's only in limited spurts, they should be OK. Making Curry work even harder at other aspects of the game will help, too, and it might be taking its toll, as evidenced by the two-time MVP being a little banged up after three games.
The Celtics are two wins away from a title, and Curry going nuclear remains the biggest roadblock. But if Boston can keep its foot on the pedal, especially when it comes to the Warriors' best player, it won't be surprising to see him run out of gas as the series nears its end.
