The Impact of Steph Curry
The Warriors suffered a tough loss to San Antonio Saturday night, losing 112-107. If you were to check the box score after the game, Curry’s 27, 8, and 5 would be no surprise to most fans. But he had a rough start to the game as he missed his first nine shots. Ending with subpar shooting percentages of 25% from the field and 29% from three. He would struggle to make shots, no doubt a result of playing back-to-back games.
According to Bay Area Sports HQ Steve Kerr agreed saying, “His shooting is most likely due to fatigue than anything else.” Playing back-to-back is one thing but having to lead your team in scoring as well as climb back into a game where you trailed by 22 points is another. Down by fourteen with about five seconds left in the third quarter, Steph casually pulled up from half-court and drained his fourth three-pointer of the game.
In the first half he only made one in eleven shot attempts. Yet the defense still must respect him as the greatest shooter ever, even on his off nights. And even on these poor shooting nights he still manages to take a no look thirty-footer. In this case it was a half court bomb to keep them in the game. As mentioned, the Spurs had no choice but to guard up on him. Especially after they saw that shot go in and as a shooter there’s no better feeling than seeing the ball go in the net, demoralizing your opponent's spirit.
And again, if you checked the box score, twenty-seven isn’t a bad night for most stars. But it came on twenty-eight shot attempts and seven makes. His plus minus wasn’t much better, only +3 but that is what makes him unique in comparison to other superstars in the league. When they don’t see the ball go through the basket, they start to take themselves out of the game. Not Steph though. The fact that the Warriors were even remotely close to winning this game is a testament to his strength as a leader. As well as a great sign for the Dub’s depth because it seems that every other night someone is sitting out or getting hurt but they managed to keep the game close.
On a back-to-back, the team showed great effort down the stretch. But it was Curry’s willingness to stay engaged in the game and ready to shoot that helped them climb back from down 20+. He has also proven himself to be a better defender this season. The backcourt duo of Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker became somewhat of a problem for him though. The mix of young legs versus a thirty-three-year-old who just played thirty plus minutes the night before, was not the best look for him. It is safe to say that he gets some sort of a pass in that department.
Steve Kerr even implemented a 1-2-2 zone (triangle and two) during the game which we have seen some of this season. It was a way to mix up the game and to see how the Spurs reacted and for the most part in the second half it worked. But teams know better than to go in zone versus Steph Curry, unless it
is box-and-one. Which the Dubs saw lots of in the 2019 Finals against the Raptors. And for most teams, coming into their game versus the Warriors, their whole plan is just to contain him and make other players beat them first. This is the true impact of Steph Curry, his ability to make shots and lead his team even on off nights. As well as strike fear in the hearts of opposing defenses as no one can truly come up with a game plan to stop him.
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