You don’t usually worry too much about contesting a shot beyond 25 feet. But you do against Stephen Curry and his out-of-the-gym range. The single threat of Curry making any shot you give him has brought the Golden State Warriors all this way. Giving Curry a wide open three is like giving Hank Aaron a fastball right down the middle. Ka-boom!
The Warriors put up 131 points last night in a game two win over the Denver Nuggets. They shot an outrageous 64.6 percent from the field after dropping game one. Offense is clearly what makes the Warriors excel and Stephen Curry is the sharp shooter it all starts with.
Defenders worry so much about Curry that there is often a wide open teammate somewhere to be found.
That was certainly the case in last night’s unbelievable shooting display. Curry was 13-for-23 with 30 points and four of those made shots were three-pointers. He also added 13 assists and three steals.
Klay Thompson, Jarrett Jack, and Harrison Barnes also had terrific shooting nights. They were a combined 27-for-40 from the field and Stephen Curry deserves much of that credit. No way does the rest of them team shoot that ridiculously efficient without Stephen Curry being on the court.
It is a natural reaction for more than one defender to go after Curry right when he picks up the ball.
Everybody knows he’s shooting if he has an inch of space. The only way he isn’t shooting is if there is another player completely wide-open. Klay Thompson and Jarrett Jack delivered, not just last night, but all season long.
It isn’t just the fact that other shooters are wide-open. Curry’s shooting ability also gives his teammates confidence. A few made three-pointers and the Warriors suddenly have all the momentum. There is no better feeling as a team to keep letting loose knowing that the shot is hitting nothing but net.
Even having the tenth best defensive efficiency in the league, it is difficult for Denver to slow down this offensive attack. Denver also has one of the league’s best perimeter defenders in Andre Iguodala. But it doesn’t matter who is defending you when you have great shooters that can move the ball quick. The Nuggets will have to find another way to beat the Warriors and live with the fact that they’re lights-out-shooters.
Not to say that it’s acceptable to allow a team to shoot over 60 percent because it definitely isn’t. No team should ever be able to shoot 60 percent on you. But the Warriors were just feeling great yesterday night and they were in the zone. A performance like this convinces the Warriors that they can and should win this series. That is even without all-star power forward, David Lee.
This series is tied at one game a piece and is now heading back to Golden State. The party may continue if the Denver Nuggets don’t get serious about playing team defense. A team that is on fire is even harder to stop in their home arena. All that said, Steph has the Golden State Warriors hot as curry.
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