Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 4 of 2019 NBA Finals

2. The Stephen Curry complex

It’s time to have a real conversation about Stephen Curry’s ceiling as a franchise superstar.

He doesn’t possess the intangibles to be the catalyst of an NBA championship team. Statistically, the Steph Curry seemed to have a strong game, but that’s due to his consecutive buckets in garbage time.

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Before you bring up the fact the Warriors won without Kevin Durant, just take a quick gander at what LeBron James had to work with, as his co-stars both suffered finals altering injuries.

What has become more and more evident is that Steph Curry, in contrast to Kawhi Leonard, enjoys playing when there is little to no pressure on him.

And don’t even try bringing up the fact Steph Curry dropped 47 points in Game 3, although that sounds great, Curry went ballistic in a game in which he had no expectations to win as Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney and Kevin Durant were deemed unfit to play.

With Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney returning in Game 4 and suffering defeat in Game 3, there were legitimate expectations for the Warriors to not only win but have a statement victory before heading back onto the road.

And unfortunately, Steph Curry was forced into taking bad shots and was almost always a non-factor on defense throughout the game.

With the proverbial series on the line and their backs against the wall, the Warriors needed their offensive “engine” to have a repeat performance of Game 3, but in some scenarios, we must be reminded that pressure bust pipes as much as pressure makes diamonds.