Steph Curry is hurting the Warriors
As much as everybody was saying, and rightfully so, that the Warriors are simply better with Curry on the court, in this series he is not being himself. He usually is the kind of player that, even if he doesn’t put up big numbers, his presence spaces the floor and leads to backdoor cuts or open lanes for others to attack. Unfortunately for Steph and the Warriors, this fact cannot be brought into discussion in this edition of postseason basketball, as of yet.
He was coming in this series shooting only 39% from-the-field and 26% from 3-point range, that being very uncharacteristic for him, knowing what kind of a lethal shooter he can be. Also, his defense is a weak point for the Warriors, because the Rockets are trying to switch Curry on Harden every time they can, making him think about his defense, too. It’s ok for the defensive aspect of the game, as there is no player who can actually guard James, as you can only try and stay in front of him. The offense is the main problem for the guy, and he needs to do something as soon as possible, because missing layups and wide-open dunks won’t help anybody in the long run. Something is going on with him, as he didn’t seem to be like his old self since the beginning of this year’s playoffs. It can be the health problems, his ankles being sore, but he will find a way to get out of his slump.
Last night marked the first one in this dynasty’s history when Draymond Green records a triple-double and they loose. Until now, they had a 27-0 record when he was in double-digits in those three main categories. Kevin Durant also had a monster game, keeping his team in the game throughout the whole contest, while scoring 46 PTS on 45,2 FG% and 60% from 3-pt land. He was the main reason of the Warriors going in overtime, otherwise it would’ve been a blowout game for Houston. Since the playoffs started, Durant seems to be on another level once again, as people around the league think that he is peaking his prime now, at 30 years of age.
Even if Curry is a reason of concern for now, he will bounce back at some point in this series, and when that time will come, it will be over for every opponent in the league, not only the Rockets. You simply can’t stop the Warriors when Curry and Durant are playing both at their highest level… it’s kind of impossible. Given Durant’s incredible play style lately, it’s safe to say that these series are most likely to end in six games. For now, though, we can just lay back and enjoy the displays brought by each of these two great teams.
