One More Left for Warriors

In Game 5, the Golden State Warriors defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 104 - 91. In this game , LeBron James had yet another triple-double, scoring 40 points to go along with 14 rebounds and 11 assists. During this series, LeBron is averaging just over 35 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assist. Without his running mates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love , the Cavs look too short-handed.

Stephen Curry was able to finally breakout this game, scoring 37 points, including 17 in the 4th quarter alone. The baby face assassin and his counter parts played very well. Draymond Green scored 16 points and 9 rebounds. Andre Iguodala had 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assist. Klay Thompson contributed as well with his 12 points.

Will the Warriors close out the series on Tuesday? Or will Cleveland prevail and force a Game 7?

Live by the three....die by the three? How the Golden State Warriors single-handedly changing basketball.

This past saturday, Golden State defeated the Houston Rockets by 35 points in a series that has the Warriors shooting their way to the NBA Finals.  This year, the Golden State Warriors finished 67-15, including  a 39-2  record at home. What separates the Warriors from the rest of their teams is their talent, depth, and philosophy. Let's take a closer look at the main attribute just named: philosophy.

Growing up playing basketball, every player has heard the phrase "you live by the three, you die by the three" at some particular point in their careers. For the most part, this phrase has stood true.  When someone's way of contributing to a team is mainly by shooting three's,  it's widely considered as both a blessing and a curse. If a player shoots and makes a lot of threes, they are very valuable because they score they possess the ability to score alot of points in fewer possessions. Who wouldn't want to score the most possible points every time you shoot the basketball!? However, if a player shoots a lot of threes and misses  majority of their attempts, they become defective to their teams. Each missed three becomes a missed chance to possibly score at least 2 points instead of 0. These missed attempts can add up throughout the duration of a game.

 

Stephen Curry 

 Golden State's style of play is based off pushing the ball up the floor quickly, and getting an open three point shot. Majority of these "open shots" are threes. Typically, teams only go so far depending on that because when players have games in which they don't play well, those threes turn into a bunch of 0 point possessions. Well, Golden State is defying that rule.  Even on off nights, they manage to knock down just enough threes to win a game. Golden State (led by the Splash Brothers , Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson)  are so good at making threes that a bad game for them can equate to an average game for most teams.


Opponents  have a hard time defending the Warriors because they differ from most teams. Usually, players that tend to drive to the basket can get roughed up and fouled hard by an opponent when attacking. This tactic used by opponents can cause players to re-consider driving to the basket. Can't really do that all the way out by the three point line. Another tactic would be to double team the star player. The problem with that is that Golden State has so many  others that can shoot the three and put up points that they would easily score points off of that tactic. So what can you really do?

As of now, no team has been able to really stop Golden State. Until the perfect counterattack is created to stop this kind of style, it's hard to imagine anyone stopping it.

Curry's MVP Run against all Odds is nothing new for him

Explosive off the dribble, jaw-dropping athleticism, overwhelming physique. These are all traits that come to mind when one thinks of the MVPs of recent years, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose; these are also all attributes that the current frontrunner for the MVP, Stephen Curry, lacks. However this isn’t the first time that Curry has gone up against the norm and proved doubters wrong.

On Mar. 30, 2008, the clock struck midnight for Cinderella, or in this case, Curry and the Davidson Wildcats. Curry lifted the 10 seeded Wildcats all the way to the Elite 8 to take on the top seeded Kansas Jayhawks, a place no one expected them to be. However, Curry lifted his team to new heights during the tournament while making himself a household name to be taken down by NBA scouts. Relatively unknown before that miraculous tournament run, Curry was not your typical NBA ready player with his skinny, lanky frame and questionable athleticism. The NBA was just transitioning to more physically imposing guards with Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook being drafted just a year before; however, Curry would be ready to prove that hard work, skill, and high basketball IQ could trump those natural gifts.

In the 2009 NBA Draft, Curry was drafted after four other guards and fell to the seventh pick because of questions about how his game would transition at the pro level, once again, due to his lack of size and athleticism. Scouts questioned whether he would be able to get past defenders, get his jump shot off, and be able to do what he did while at Davidson. Would Curry end up like Adam Morrison who failed to pan out in the NBA after questions about athleticism or would he prove to be different? The Golden State Warriors were the team to take that shot on a player who had these questions, and well, the rest is all history.

Stephen Curry 

Curry is having a tremendous season with his team atop one of the strongest Western Conferences we have ever seen in the history of the NBA. Hardly do we ever see such quality and depth of teams from a conference top to bottom. This makes Curry’s season that much more incredible, to be doing it against the best in the better conference. Curry is currently averaging 23.6 PPG, 7.9 APG, 4.6 RPG, and 2.2 STLPG, while shooting over 90% from the foul line and over 40% from beyond the arc. Those stats are great, but might not even begin to do justice of how crucial Curry has been to his team. Whether is dishing out assists, throwing up a floater, or everyone’s favorite, knocking down his signature 3-point shot, Curry has been the spark that gets his team going. He’s helped other players on his team realize their potential in Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, two players having career years. At the same time, he’s helped new head coach, Steve Kerr, fit right in with the team that was missing its old beloved head coach, Mark Jackson who was fired for front office tension.

Curry has proven all season he is the top dog for MVP, and he’s doing it with the new age of team-play and 3-pointers as the nucleus for winning championships. The old days of isolation, feeding big men, and midrange jumpers are over, and Curry is the face of that movement; so lets give him the MVP he deserves as he proves the doubters wrong again, this time, on the highest platform possible.

Warriors Dominance Solidifies the Evolution of the 3-Point Line

Remember when teams had to be built from the outside in? That you live by the 3, die by the 3? You can only go so far by shooting outside shots without an interior presence? Well, don't tell Steve Kerr that, the Warriors head coach is doing just fine with four outside shooters and a big man in the game most of the time. The 3-point shot had been becoming more and more popular throughout the years. However, in the past few summers, 3 point shooting was a hot commodity with players like Kyle Korver, Jodie Meeks, and Danny Green getting paid big bucks to spread the floor. The statistics show that the 3 point shot has become more and more popular throughout the years as well, making it an integral part of the game these days.

The Warriors are built from the outside in. With their key pieces being Klay Thompson and MVP candidate, Stephen Curry. Their next tier of players are good as well and most of them can shoot. Draymond Green has vastly improved his shooting in the past summer. Harrison Barnes can shoot the 3 point shot as well and can drive. The Warriors big men are most for defense other than Speights, who's having a breakout season. The 3 point shot is emerging in the NBA and may be getting bigger and bigger as the game evolves. Will it end up evolving the game even more than today? Or will the evolution of the game stop and we go back to big men being the primary centerpiece for a franchise? Whatever the case, the Warriors are looking good and are cruising their way with the 3-point shot.