Stephen Curry’s comments after the Golden State Warriors’ crushing defeat to the Boston Celtics highlight the stark contrast between the two teams’ performances and trajectories. 

Curry, who has experienced dominant performances firsthand with the Warriors, acknowledged the demoralizing nature of being on the receiving end of such a lopsided game.

Curry noted the Celtics’ proficiency in shooting threes, a trademark of the Warriors during their prime. He described how the Celtics’ relentless momentum made it feel like every play was going their way, resulting in a significant deficit for the Warriors by halftime.

“They’re hitting 10 threes in the first quarter, that’s what we used to do to teams,” Curry told reporters, according to video posted by CLNS Media. “It’s kind of demoralizing, especially on the road. A shot that you’re comfortable giving up or whatever the case is, they’re taking advantage of it.”

When asked if he believed the Celtics were motivated by their loss in the 2022 Finals, Curry emphasized that the narrative may have become stale, considering the teams had faced each other multiple times since then. He commended the Celtics for their current status as the best team in the league and acknowledged the gap the Warriors need to close to reach that level.

“I don’t know what they talk about in that locker room,” Curry said. “We’ve played them four times since. I’m sure that narrative has gotten old. They’re the best team in the league right now and they play like it. We have a nice gap to try to make up if we want to be that type of team down the stretch of this season. But, give them credit. They played their (butt) off and it was tough to watch on the other side.”

“Then you feel like you have to play home run basketball on the other end to try to make it up,” Curry added. “And that’s where the momentum shift just kept going their way, and going their way and then it seems like every little play goes their way and you look up you’re down 40. So, just one of those nights.”

Reflecting on the Celtics’ journey since their Finals defeat, Curry acknowledged their resilience and improvement, particularly with the addition of players like Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. Despite Porzingis’ absence in the recent game, Curry recognized the Celtics’ confidence and cohesion as factors in their dominant performance.

“The road up until the 2022 Finals, they had made a couple of Eastern Conference Finals,” Curry said. “They were younger, fell short a couple times then obviously we got them in that Finals. They stayed motivated, hungry. You always take those moments and understand that you have to get better.”

“They’ve done that. They obviously added two pieces with Jrue (Holiday) and (Kristaps Porzinigis),” Curry continued.” “KP didn’t play (Sunday) but the way that they’ve been playing, they seem very sure of themselves and who they are. They came out and whooped us from the jump. It was one of those perfect storms of a rough night on our end and them taking it to us.”

Overall, Curry’s comments underscore the Warriors’ need to regroup and improve if they hope to compete at the level of teams like the Celtics. The loss serves as a reminder of the challenges they face in reclaiming their status as contenders in the league.