After 133 playoff games, it finally happened – the greatest shooter in NBA history endured a night without scoring a three-pointer.
Steph Curry missing shot after shot was a bad omen, all right. But for the Boston Celtics. Curry followed his 43-point Game 4 genius-storm with a tepid 16-point effort, the presumptive NBA finals MVP an inconceivable zilch-for-nine from beyond the arc.
Yet the final score in Monday’s Game 5 was – checks score, rubs eyes, checks again – a 104-94 victory for his Golden State Warriors.
It means the teams head back to Boston for Thursday’s game with the Warriors ahead 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. And it means the Celtics wasted a big opportunity, because the usually-metronomic Curry is unlikely to go haywire again any time soon.