In a series in which LeBron James has nearly averaged a triple-double but was scrutinized after Game 2 for not taking over games more, Curry has yet to score 20 points in a game. He has had trouble hitting shots, trouble with fouls, trouble with turnovers and seemed positively human after a season in which he seemingly scored at will regardless of who was covering him or how far away he was from the basket.

Kerr, who learned the power of brevity in his years with Coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs, summed up the performance by saying, “He didn’t play well.”

In many ways, the struggles to make a dent in the finals go back to last season. Curry’s teams have won six of the nine games he has played in the finals over the last two seasons and, even with Wednesday’s loss, the Warriors appear to be in the driver’s seat for back-to-back titles with their two games to one lead. But Curry has yet to have a signature game. He has scored more than 30 points just once in the finals — a 37-point performance in Game 5 last season — and his two-year average of 22.7 points a game is more than 7 points a game lower than what he averaged per game this season.

Curry acknowledged Cleveland’s effort, but personally took the blame for his performance in Game 3.

“Unfortunately, it was all me,” Curry said. “They were playing aggressive defense, and they came out with a big punch, and I didn’t do anything about it or play my game. For me to do what I need to do to help my team, I have to play a hundred times better than I did.”

Many say the Curry era has eclipsed the James era. It will be interesting to see if the pressure James endures begins to surround Curry, not only to win games and titles, but also to provide jaw-dropping performances rather than just well-fought games in which his team wins with depth and strategy.