NBA: Curry must be 'smarter' - Warriors coach Kerr

[ducks]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/warriors-coach-kerr-curry-must-140001354.html

[jermaine]

I just sent that to my boy in Charlotte.... I told him he's probably gonna get his Charlotte Curry jersey. Lol It's funny how people talk when it's a new nicca around. Curry been making dumbass decisions. An Kerr airing his ads out. Saying it's been an issue. Not good Kerr, not good.

[UZER]

:lol another behind the back pass late in the game.

[Chris]

NBA forum breh

[r0drig0lac]

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smishocked.gif



























http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e42/sherdogwebmaster/WuLbJB4_zps7tpghfh0.gif

[PÒÓCH]

Kerr trying to be Pop.

[sananspursfan21]

One of the biggest reasons I hate Steph Curry: his game promotes bad basketball. Dribble up the court, ignore wide open teammates, chuck up a three 8 feet away from the arc. Of course, to my chagrin he drains a lot of those. I'm glad some of his awful decisions are catching up to him. Even though the Warriors are still flourishing, it seems like Steph is coming down to earth a little. It's pretty aggravating when you're helping coach highschool basketball and all the kids try to mimick that. "But, but, Steph Curry does it and look at him"

[james evans]

Welp, it was fun while it lasted...

[james evans]

One of the biggest reasons I hate Steph Curry: his game promotes bad basketball. Dribble up the court, ignore wide open teammates, chuck up a three 8 feet away from the arc. Of course, to my chagrin he drains a lot of those. I'm glad some of his awful decisions are catching up to him. Even though the Warriors are still flourishing, it seems like Steph is coming down to earth a little. It's pretty aggravating when you're an assistant coach for youth basketball and all the kids try to mimick that. "But, but, Steph Curry does it and look at him"
It works when you're wide open, but when someone presses up on you and forces you to hit that shot with defense, it's not so easy. Curry has spent the last 2 and a half seasons shooting wide open 3 pointers off illegal screens and he's supposedly the 4th best pg ever for it according to ESPN

[sananspursfan21]

It works when you're wide open, but when someone presses up on you and forces you to hit that shot with defense, it's not so easy. Curry has spent the last 2 and a half seasons shooting wide open 3 pointers off illegal screens and he's supposedly the 4th best pg ever for it according to ESPN

Yup. Of course, if more teams would stop ball just past half court it would alleviate some of that as well

[skulls138]

One of the biggest reasons I hate Steph Curry: his game promotes bad basketball. Dribble up the court, ignore wide open teammates, chuck up a three 8 feet away from the arc. Of course, to my chagrin he drains a lot of those. I'm glad some of his awful decisions are catching up to him. Even though the Warriors are still flourishing, it seems like Steph is coming down to earth a little. It's pretty aggravating when you're helping coach highschool basketball and all the kids try to mimick that. "But, but, Steph Curry does it and look at him"It also promotes bad behaviour. So many players come out of school cocky as hell and they ALL get their asses handed to them. Some persevere like Lebron but others never recover like Manziel and Vince Young.

Steph Curry is a fucking brilliant player but he needs to lose his cockiness. This is what I loved about Bird and Duncan. Confident? Hell yes but what made them the best to me is that they loved the battle, the competition at the highest level. Steph acts like this is all owed to him.

[daslicer]

It also promotes bad behaviour. So many players come out of school cocky as hell and they ALL get their asses handed to them. Some persevere like Lebron but others never recover like Manziel and Vince Young.

Steph Curry is a fucking brilliant player but he needs to lose his cockiness. This is what I loved about Bird and Duncan. Confident? Hell yes but what made them the best to me is that they loved the battle, the competition at the highest level. Steph acts like this is all owed to him.

I don't think his cockiness is even real. To me it comes across as fake. I don't recall him acting the way he does now when he was in college or his first few years in the league when the Warriors were crap. He adopted his arrogant persona the moment Draymond joined the Warriors. This applies to all the warriors which is they derive their arrogance and cockiness from Draymond. I feel Draymond is their daddy and they are his followers.

[james evans]

I don't think his cockiness is even real. To me it comes across as fake. I don't recall him acting the way he does now when he was in college or his first few years in the league when the Warriors were crap. He adopted his arrogant persona the moment Draymond joined the Warriors. This applies to all the warriors which is they derive their arrogance and cockiness from Draymond. I feel Draymond is their daddy and they are his followers.
Well, I saw Daddy getting raped by Santa Clause yesterday.
https://j.gifs.com/g5XOMZ.gif

[spurs10]

Well, I saw Daddy getting raped by Santa Clause yesterday.
https://j.gifs.com/g5XOMZ.gif Is that a song yet?

[spurs10]

It also promotes bad behaviour. So many players come out of school cocky as hell and they ALL get their asses handed to them. Some persevere like Lebron but others never recover like Manziel and Vince Young.

Steph Curry is a fucking brilliant player but he needs to lose his cockiness. This is what I loved about Bird and Duncan. Confident? Hell yes but what made them the best to me is that they loved the battle, the competition at the highest level. Steph acts like this is all owed to him. :toast


I don't think his cockiness is even real. To me it comes across as fake. I don't recall him acting the way he does now when he was in college or his first few years in the league when the Warriors were crap. He adopted his arrogant persona the moment Draymond joined the Warriors. This applies to all the warriors which is they derive their arrogance and cockiness from Draymond. I feel Draymond is their daddy and they are his followers. Yeah fake or real it's not a great display of character and made it all the more enjoyable watching them get beat last Finals- and again on Christmas Day. I can't see how that obnoxious behavior is condoned by many, including the refs and likely Kerr.

[Mr. Body]

Dubs have chemistry issues. They're all soft betas and have little leadership. That's why they act hard, like Green does.

[Seventyniner]

Dubs have chemistry issues. They're all soft betas and have little leadership. That's why they act hard, like Green does.

I'll take that kind of softness every day. One title, one near miss, best record in the league this season. Hard to argue with.

[ElNono]

Kerr is legit, tbh... would love him to succeed Pop once he retires

[spurs10]

Kerr is legit, tbh... would love him to succeed Pop once he retires Agreed!

[DAF86]

One of the biggest reasons I hate Steph Curry: his game promotes bad basketball. Dribble up the court, ignore wide open teammates, chuck up a three 8 feet away from the arc. Of course, to my chagrin he drains a lot of those. I'm glad some of his awful decisions are catching up to him. Even though the Warriors are still flourishing, it seems like Steph is coming down to earth a little. It's pretty aggravating when you're helping coach highschool basketball and all the kids try to mimick that. "But, but, Steph Curry does it and look at him"


It works when you're wide open, but when someone presses up on you and forces you to hit that shot with defense, it's not so easy. Curry has spent the last 2 and a half seasons shooting wide open 3 pointers off illegal screens and he's supposedly the 4th best pg ever for it according to ESPN

Kerr isn't talking about Curry's shot selection. He's mainly talking about his casual ball handling and unnecessary flashy passing.

[cutewizard]

the fortress is beginning to show significant cracks......

all the better for my Spurs!

[Mr. Body]

I'll take that kind of softness every day. One title, one near miss, best record in the league this season. Hard to argue with.

You misunderstand. Adding Durant and losing a lot of the old players have made things worse.

[$pursDynasty]

CIA Pop secretly sowing the seeds of discontent in the Dubs to beat them this year and steal Curry next year. Did any of you see Curry on the bench during the Kyrie game winner? :wow

[mavsfan1000]

Dubs have chemistry issues. They're all soft betas and have little leadership. That's why they act hard, like Green does.
They need a big man in the worst way.

[james evans]

They need a big man in the worst way.
no shit. I was probably the only person on this whole fucking site that celebrated them signing Durant. I told everyone in the summer that they would struggle getting rid of rim protection and their bench for a known choker in Durant. I'm glad we didn't get him.

[Cry Havoc]

One of the biggest reasons I hate Steph Curry: his game promotes bad basketball. Dribble up the court, ignore wide open teammates, chuck up a three 8 feet away from the arc. Of course, to my chagrin he drains a lot of those. I'm glad some of his awful decisions are catching up to him. Even though the Warriors are still flourishing, it seems like Steph is coming down to earth a little. It's pretty aggravating when you're helping coach highschool basketball and all the kids try to mimick that. "But, but, Steph Curry does it and look at him"

Did you hate Jordan too? He also promoted bad basketball because he was so good in the ISO that he would just destroy defenders no matter what they did against him. Thousands of rec-league quality players all the way up to the NBA followed suit and some truly ugly basketball resulted. We're just now crawling out of that.

Curry is the greatest shooter of all-time without question. If anything I think Durant has hurt them because Steph should be shooting a lot more. You can't ignore what he's done the past couple of seasons. Warriors simply have too many weapons right now.

It'll be interesting to see how far teams take 3 point shooting. I think that will be Curry's legacy -- if bad teams that shoot poorly from 3 embrace taking 40+ threes a game, we'll know that the NBA has shifted too far in that direction.

[GSH]

Did you hate Jordan too? He also promoted bad basketball because he was so good in the ISO that he would just destroy defenders no matter what they did against him. Thousands of rec-league quality players all the way up to the NBA followed suit and some truly ugly basketball resulted. We're just now crawling out of that.

Curry is the greatest shooter of all-time without question. If anything I think Durant has hurt them because Steph should be shooting a lot more. You can't ignore what he's done the past couple of seasons. Warriors simply have too many weapons right now.

It'll be interesting to see how far teams take 3 point shooting. I think that will be Curry's legacy -- if bad teams that shoot poorly from 3 embrace taking 40+ threes a game, we'll know that the NBA has shifted too far in that direction.


I mention it about once per season, but not many people think about (or understand) high-variance ball. If you average 40% on 3-pointers, you get 1.2 points per attempt. That's the same as if you shoot 60% on 2-point attempts. The problem is, when you're shooting 3's, you only score 4 out of 10 times - which means that 6 out of 10 possessions, you get nothing. In close games, that's a killer. To make it worse, chronic 3P shooters like Curry don't shoot a consistent 40% (obviously). So when they make 50% of their 3's, their teams are unbeatable. But when they only make 30%, their teams are going to spend a lot of time playing transition D. And that doesn't even take into account the extra FT's the team gets to take when taking the ball into the paint. My single biggest complaint about Manu is that he plays high-variance ball, even in crunch time. That's great if you have to make up a deficit. But it sucks if you're clinging to a narrow lead.

In the last 7 minutes of that game, the Warriors were 1-6 from 3P, and 4-4 on 2P attempts. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. They can get by with it against bad teams, but it's a lot harder against a team like Cleveland. And it's a REALLY bad strategy when trying to hold a lead at the end of a game. Earlier in the game, there's time to even out the misses with some made 3's.

[HarlemHeat37]

I agree with Kerr, tbh..

Curry just had the best 2-year peak of any PG in NBA history..while it wasn't entirely a fluke(wasn't 100% legit, since that would make him a Jordan-caliber player, which he isn't), it's a level of play that was never going to be sustainable..it's not surprising that he reached a level of arrogance where he carelessly throws behind the back passes in traffic during game 7 of the NBA:lol it's only natural to feel invincible when you've been dominating the league for 2 years..

He needs to adjust his game to "normal" basketball, though, which he will..his poor start will be forgotten by March..IIRC, he didn't get to rehab his knee during the off-season, too..

[Cry Havoc]

I mention it about once per season, but not many people think about (or understand) high-variance ball. If you average 40% on 3-pointers, you get 1.2 points per attempt. That's the same as if you shoot 60% on 2-point attempts. The problem is, when you're shooting 3's, you only score 4 out of 10 times - which means that 6 out of 10 possessions, you get nothing. In close games, that's a killer. To make it worse, chronic 3P shooters like Curry don't shoot a consistent 40% (obviously). So when they make 50% of their 3's, their teams are unbeatable. But when they only make 30%, their teams are going to spend a lot of time playing transition D. And that doesn't even take into account the extra FT's the team gets to take when taking the ball into the paint. My single biggest complaint about Manu is that he plays high-variance ball, even in crunch time. That's great if you have to make up a deficit. But it sucks if you're clinging to a narrow lead.

In the last 7 minutes of that game, the Warriors were 1-6 from 3P, and 4-4 on 2P attempts. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. They can get by with it against bad teams, but it's a lot harder against a team like Cleveland. And it's a REALLY bad strategy when trying to hold a lead at the end of a game. Earlier in the game, there's time to even out the misses with some made 3's.

Hence live by the 3.

But I do want to point out that offensive rating and PPP metrics DO, in fact, take into account free throws from contact. The 3 pointer is a stupidly efficient shot if made at or slightly above league average levels. On the flip side of the bit about transition D, 3 pointers also save offensive players from the wear and tear from contact made while driving into the paint. Keep in mind that often a 3 point shot is a good way to start breaking down set half-court defenses -- they are often built to converge on interior passes and penetration. So there is definitely a lot of inherent positives (and negatives) regarding it's usage. If the 3 pointer was really affecting Golden State's defense that badly, they wouldn't be so highly rated on both sides of the ball, especially last year.

[HarlemHeat37]

Did you hate Jordan too? He also promoted bad basketball because he was so good in the ISO that he would just destroy defenders no matter what they did against him. Thousands of rec-league quality players all the way up to the NBA followed suit and some truly ugly basketball resulted. We're just now crawling out of that.


Yep..arguably the most hated era in modern NBA history(1999-2006) was a product of Jordan's ISO-basketball, yet many people conveniently ignore that:lol

Also, while I was only a baby when he was hitting his prime, I've read that most "purists" at the time considered his brand of basketball to be cancerous..he was called a ball-hog, told he would never win anything, etc..

[Cry Havoc]

I agree with Kerr, tbh..

Curry just had the best 2-year peak of any PG in NBA history..while it wasn't entirely a fluke(wasn't 100% legit, since that would make him a Jordan-caliber player, which he isn't), it's a level of play that was never going to be sustainable..it's not surprising that he reached a level of arrogance where he carelessly throws behind the back passes in traffic during game 7 of the NBA:lol it's only natural to feel invincible when you've been dominating the league for 2 years..

He needs to adjust his game to "normal" basketball, though, which he will..his poor start will be forgotten by March..IIRC, he didn't get to rehab his knee during the off-season, too..

Do you see Curry ending up as a top 10 player? I'd say he's well on his way right now. Curry over the past 2 seasons has been as scary as anyone I've ever seen with the ball, the dread I felt when he was hoisting against basically anyone is palpable. Kobe never had that kind of effect, for sure. :lol

[Cry Havoc]

Yep..arguably the most hated era in modern NBA history(1999-2006) was a product of Jordan's ISO-basketball, yet many people conveniently ignore that:lol

Also, while I was only a baby when he was hitting his prime, I've read that most "purists" at the time considered his brand of basketball to be cancerous..he was called a ball-hog, told he would never win anything, etc..

To be fair, I think as the NBA developed as a product that was going to happen anyway, more pressure on coaches in the modern era to win or get fired meant that defenses were going to at least get a tune-up. Instead they got an outright overhaul and became much more intricate in just 5 years or so, which coincided with Jordan-ball, hence getting scores in the 80s for much of the early 2000s. Jordan wasn't the only catalyst, but he definitely hurt it more than it would have been otherwise.

[GSH]

Hence live by the 3.

But I do want to point out that offensive rating and PPP metrics DO, in fact, take into account free throws from contact. The 3 pointer is a stupidly efficient shot if made at or slightly above league average levels. On the flip side of the bit about transition D, 3 pointers also save offensive players from the wear and tear from contact made while driving into the paint. Keep in mind that often a 3 point shot is a good way to start breaking down set half-court defenses -- they are often built to converge on interior passes and penetration. So there is definitely a lot of inherent positives (and negatives) regarding it's usage. If the 3 pointer was really affecting Golden State's defense that badly, they wouldn't be so highly rated on both sides of the ball, especially last year.


Can't argue with any of that. Just saying that a team has to be smart/versatile enough to shift gears. It's just not a good way to try and hold a lead late in the game. That's the bad decision that Kerr should be upset with. But he's got to share a lot of the blame for that, if his team doesn't understand it.

BTW - I agree that Curry is the best pure shooter that we've ever seen. But there have been other guys with great strokes and quick releases. A lot of what separates Curry is mental - he BELIEVES every shot is going to fall, and he plays loose. He's also young, quick, and healthy - so he has the ability to stop on a dime and to get himself the crack of daylight he needs to get a shot off. It's going to be interesting to see how that holds up. Not that I'm hoping for him to fall back to Earth. Just saying that if even a little doubt creeps in, his effectiveness could change drastically.

Golfers get "in the zone" and the cup looks like a washtub. You'll see guys in the zone for a few weeks, and they look unstoppable. Guys like Tiger Woods (and Curry) stay in the zone longer than everyone else, because they're just better than everyone else. But even they can't stay in the zone forever. The idea of Curry ending his career as a Top-10 player depends on how long he can keep this up. As good as he is, I think it's unlikely he can do it for a whole career. If he can, he deserves to be a Top 10 player.

[spursistan]

813162142794969088

:wow

Wondering if KD completely outshining him is starting to cause a bit of uneasiness for Steph. well I'm sure it already did for his sponsors mainly Under/Armour and probably for his camp (family, handlers etc....)..The guy was coming off a B2B MVPs season, a championship and Finals run as top dog in his team, and he is suddenly relegated to a spot-up shooter....

[Kawhitstorm]

I agree with Kerr, tbh..

Curry just had the best 2-year peak of any PG in NBA history..while it wasn't entirely a fluke(wasn't 100% legit, since that would make him a Jordan-caliber player, which he isn't), it's a level of play that was never going to be sustainable..it's not surprising that he reached a level of arrogance where he carelessly throws behind the back passes in traffic during game 7 of the NBA:lol it's only natural to feel invincible when you've been dominating the league for 2 years..

He needs to adjust his game to "normal" basketball, though, which he will..his poor start will be forgotten by March..IIRC, he didn't get to rehab his knee during the off-season, too..

Dominating the league for 2 years?:lol

Are we going to ignore his 2015 postseason performance which should have humbled him, if he didn't have his head up his ass, instead of making him feel invincible?

Considering all the circumstance, even his '14-'15 REGULAR season performance wasn't even better than Harden's & he got the MVP only b/c the Warriors won 12 more games than the Rockets. There is a reason why he didn't receive a single MVP vote from the GMs during the '15-'16 per-season survey despite being the reigning MVP.:lol

It would be hard for me to say that Curry b/w '14-'16 was better than Dominos b/w '12-'14 if we are going to factor in their impact on BOTH sides of the court & that Dominos played in a shitty system w/ inferior teammates especially when WestBrick was out.

Bottom line in that Curry has ALWAYS been a guy that commits dumb turnovers like Turnobili & was ALWAYS cocky even before he became an MVP.

LeBron dominated the league to a much greater magnitude than Wardell b/w '11-'13 but I don't remember him making careless behind the back passes b/c that has NEVER been his thing.

[Kawhitstorm]

Wondering if KD completely outshining him is starting to cause a bit of uneasiness for Steph. well I'm sure it already did for his sponsors mainly Under/Armour and probably for his camp (family, handlers etc....)..The guy was coming off a B2B MVPs season, a championship and Finals run as top dog in his team, and he is suddenly relegated to a spot-up shooter....

This is like the Kyrie/LeBron power struggle except Dominos/Curry are two betas who go the passive aggressive route rather than confronting each other or slanging their dick in front of the media.

[spursistan]

This is like the Kyrie/LeBron power struggle except Dominos/Curry are two betas who go the passive aggressive route rather than confronting each other or slanging their dick in front of the media.

Kyrie is a no-name compared to Lebron, these two are more or less equals..Don't think Wardell will run him off Kirby style, but if they fail to win the title, the only way to maximize both KD/Steph is by trading Klay who is somehow doing this:

Field Goal Attempts:

Klay Thompson: 17.2
Kevin Durant: 17.1
Stephen Curry : 16.8

Is Kerr really dumb? :lmao..

[Kawhitstorm]

Kyrie is a no-name compared to Lebron, these two are more or less equals..Don't think Wardell will run him off Kirby style, but if they fail to win the title, the only way to maximize both KD/Steph is by trading Klay who is somehow doing this:

Field Goal Attempts:

Klay Thompson: 17.2
Kevin Durant: 17.1
Stephen Curry : 16.8

Is Kerr really dumb? :lmao..

Kyrie isn't on LeBron's level but he's a full-on alpha who stood his ground & refused to change his game no matter what Daddy Lebron had to say. Wardell is getting cucked by Dominos & whining about it. Klay has bigger balls than Curry, tbh.:lol

If anything, Curry is going to get run off his team by Dominos & Klay is going to be doing the Birdman hand rub thinking about all the shots he's going to get.:lol

I wouldn't be surprised if Wardell didn't want to re-sign if they don't win it all this season assuming the current trend continues. It took two seasons of championship drought to breakup the Kobe/Shaq Lakers.

Lowry/Nogueira for Curry would give them a complete starting line as Nogueira is a major lob threat who can protect the rim. Lowry is the head-of-the-snake for the best offense in NBA history so far &, when healthy (he had an elbow issue in the postseason), he can cuck Kyrie:

ENKFJGDCp6w

[Killakobe81]

One of the biggest reasons I hate Steph Curry: his game promotes bad basketball. Dribble up the court, ignore wide open teammates, chuck up a three 8 feet away from the arc. Of course, to my chagrin he drains a lot of those. I'm glad some of his awful decisions are catching up to him. Even though the Warriors are still flourishing, it seems like Steph is coming down to earth a little. It's pretty aggravating when you're helping coach highschool basketball and all the kids try to mimick that. "But, but, Steph Curry does it and look at him"

When I was helping Coach HS and high level aau it was the and 1 ovrrdribnling bullshit that was a problem .. kids emulate what they see ...

[tonight...you]

When I was helping Coach HS and high level aau it was the and 1 ovrrdribnling bullshit that was a problem .. kids emulate what they see ...
The Allen Iverson Effect...

[Kawhitstorm]

The Allen Iverson Effect...

No, it started with the NBA going commercial thanks to Bird/Magic who promoted flashy styles then Jordan took it to another level when he teamed up w/ Nike.

[skulls138]

No, it started with the NBA going commercial thanks to Bird/Magic who promoted flashy styles then Jordan took it to another level when he teamed up w/ Nike.Bird/Magic promoted passing, thats a good thing.

[GSH]

No, it started with the NBA going commercial thanks to Bird/Magic who promoted flashy styles then Jordan took it to another level when he teamed up w/ Nike.


Went to hell when they started broadcasting in color.

[Kawhitstorm]

Bird/Magic promoted passing, thats a good thing.

Bird promoted trash talking, Magic promoted hot saucing. :wakeup

[cutewizard]

Rodman promoted weirdness, but he had the game and the rebounds (and the titles) to to show for it...............

[cutewizard]

Here is an an interesting article:

From the website, http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/stephen-curry-golden-state-warriors-cleveland-cavaliers-problem-kyrie-irving-lebron-james-christmas-122616

Stephen Curry’s struggles aren’t the Golden State Warriors’ biggest problemAndrew LynchDec 27, 2016 at 12:00p ET

Trade Stephen Curry!
That’s about the level of Internet discourse in the wake of the two-time MVP’s struggles against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas Day — struggles cast in an especially harsh light when Curry’s point guard counterpart, Kyrie Irving, hit the game winner while Curry sat on the bench.
Curry finished with 15 points on 4-for-11 shooting and as many turnovers (3) as assists, the latest in a string of questionable performances. Simply put, the former on-court leader of the Golden State Warriors hasn’t been the same since Kevin Durant came to town.
We should criticize Curry for his shortcomings, of course. When you’re a superstar, there are no free passes, and Curry’s performance of late has been the one obvious sticking point in an otherwise transcendent start to the season for the Warriors. Yet all the focus on Curry obscures the real issue in Golden State: When the title is on the line, who rounds out this “superteam”? Who’s the Warriors’ fifth player against the Cavaliers?


The NBA is the most predictable of the four major sports, a fact underscored by this very rivalry. We know what we’re going to get from each team’s “Big Four,” to the point that you can close your eyes and almost see the game play out before you.
Curry, Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green bring finesse, shooting and just enough edge to make you want to punch someone. LeBron, Kyrie, Thompson and Kevin Love will break your will in isolation, somehow come together as a ridiculously cohesive defensive unit, and punish you on the glass if you dare go small.
The wild card, then, is each team’s fifth player — and it’s here that Cleveland has a decided advantage over Golden State.


Lost in Sunday’s drama was the fact that the Cavs beat the Warriors without J.R. Smith, who won’t be back for a couple months. When he’s healthy, he’s the starter, of course, bringing his unique mix of 3-point shooting, capable defense (when he wants to lock in, anyway) and “No, no, no, no … YES!” moments with the game on the line. But Smith is just the beginning of Cleveland’s depth on the wing.
Channing Frye can come in and torch the nets without sacrificing height. Richard Jefferson gives the Cavs defense and shooting, in that order — while also giving the team access to a mythological fountain of youth, apparently. Iman Shumpert exists, too, and DeAndre Liggins is emerging as a bigger, better version of Shumpert (and a bothersome defender in his own right).
None of them are stars, and that’s fine; Cleveland has plenty of star power. All the Cavs need from their fifth man in crunch time is a player who will play his role to perfection, and they have multiple options.

Golden State’s fifth, on the other hand?


In years past, the answer was Andre Iguodala. For all of the praise we rightly heap on Draymond Green for his versatility, the Warriors’ small-ball approach wouldn’t work without Iguodala. His basketball IQ, willingness to make the right pass and defensive ability allow Golden State to put its best five basketball players on the court, regardless of position. The Warriors trust they’ll make up the size difference with superior decision-making and shooting. In the past, it’s been a worthy gamble.
Unfortunately, we saw the 2015 NBA Finals MVP take a significant step back in last year’s title tilt against the Cavaliers, due in large part to a creeping back injury. Although Iguodala seems healthy enough six months later, he’s yet to bounce back to his pre-June form this season.
Against Cleveland on Sunday, in fact, he was a whisper of his former self. The usually decisive Iguodala was hesitant with the ball and unsure of his jump shot. Rather than a fluke occurrence on the biggest stage, however, that’s become the norm for the former LeBron stopper.
If Iguodala isn’t himself in a potential rubber-match Finals against the Cavaliers this season, Golden State will have a glaring weakness on both ends of the court just begging to be exploited by Cleveland. The Cavs will run Iguodala off the floor in transition and tilt its defense away from a player who’s shooting just 31.5 percent on 3s this season, while LeBron will go to work against a player who no longer can guard the King.
And when — not if — the Cavs are successful in forcing a substitution, where does Steve Kerr turn?


JaVale McGee has been a nice piece for Golden State at times this regular season, but you probably can’t play him in the Western Conference finals, let alone the NBA Finals. Zaza Pachulia? Good luck against Tristan Thompson, my friend. Ian Clark could have his moments, perhaps; maybe David West might steal a few minutes here or there; but all of these are scattershot solutions for a team in need of a precise answer to an acute problem.
Where the Cavs need wings who will execute the overarching scheme, the Warriors need one of two things from their fifth player: either a rim-protecting big who cleans up any mistakes committed by the perimeter defense (like that one guy who plays for Dallas now (http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/42/14/24/8963338/3/rawImage.jpg)), or a jack-of-all-trades wing who can guard LeBron, Love or even Thompson in spurts, depending on what the matchup dictates. Neither of those players exists on this roster.
None of this is to say Curry has been great this season — or against the Cavs in general. The reigning MVP must be better, especially in the fundamentals. As the Warriors continue to run their offense through Durant, Curry has to commit to running his defender through screens, not around them. He probably needs to freelance a little less on defense, too, although it’s always hard to judge what’s a poor decision and what’s an attempt to cover for someone else’s mistake on that end of the court.
Those issues can and will be fixed. It’s only December, after all. The Warriors are too good to let the little stuff sink their revenge tour. Yet the larger question in Golden State seems likely to go unanswered this season, and that spells trouble for the Warriors.

[cutewizard]

Here is an an interesting article:

From the website, http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/stephen-curry-golden-state-warriors-cleveland-cavaliers-problem-kyrie-irving-lebron-james-christmas-122616

Stephen Curry’s struggles aren’t the Golden State Warriors’ biggest problem

Andrew LynchDec 27, 2016 at 12:00p ET

Trade Stephen Curry!
That’s about the level of Internet discourse in the wake of the two-time MVP’s struggles against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas Day — struggles cast in an especially harsh light when Curry’s point guard counterpart, Kyrie Irving, hit the game winner while Curry sat on the bench.
Curry finished with 15 points on 4-for-11 shooting and as many turnovers (3) as assists, the latest in a string of questionable performances. Simply put, the former on-court leader of the Golden State Warriors hasn’t been the same since Kevin Durant came to town.
We should criticize Curry for his shortcomings, of course. When you’re a superstar, there are no free passes, and Curry’s performance of late has been the one obvious sticking point in an otherwise transcendent start to the season for the Warriors. Yet all the focus on Curry obscures the real issue in Golden State: When the title is on the line, who rounds out this “superteam”? Who’s the Warriors’ fifth player against the Cavaliers?


The NBA is the most predictable of the four major sports, a fact underscored by this very rivalry. We know what we’re going to get from each team’s “Big Four,” to the point that you can close your eyes and almost see the game play out before you.
Curry, Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green bring finesse, shooting and just enough edge to make you want to punch someone. LeBron, Kyrie, Thompson and Kevin Love will break your will in isolation, somehow come together as a ridiculously cohesive defensive unit, and punish you on the glass if you dare go small.
The wild card, then, is each team’s fifth player — and it’s here that Cleveland has a decided advantage over Golden State.


Lost in Sunday’s drama was the fact that the Cavs beat the Warriors without J.R. Smith, who won’t be back for a couple months. When he’s healthy, he’s the starter, of course, bringing his unique mix of 3-point shooting, capable defense (when he wants to lock in, anyway) and “No, no, no, no … YES!” moments with the game on the line. But Smith is just the beginning of Cleveland’s depth on the wing.
Channing Frye can come in and torch the nets without sacrificing height. Richard Jefferson gives the Cavs defense and shooting, in that order — while also giving the team access to a mythological fountain of youth, apparently. Iman Shumpert exists, too, and DeAndre Liggins is emerging as a bigger, better version of Shumpert (and a bothersome defender in his own right).
None of them are stars, and that’s fine; Cleveland has plenty of star power. All the Cavs need from their fifth man in crunch time is a player who will play his role to perfection, and they have multiple options.

Golden State’s fifth, on the other hand?


In years past, the answer was Andre Iguodala. For all of the praise we rightly heap on Draymond Green for his versatility, the Warriors’ small-ball approach wouldn’t work without Iguodala. His basketball IQ, willingness to make the right pass and defensive ability allow Golden State to put its best five basketball players on the court, regardless of position. The Warriors trust they’ll make up the size difference with superior decision-making and shooting. In the past, it’s been a worthy gamble.
Unfortunately, we saw the 2015 NBA Finals MVP take a significant step back in last year’s title tilt against the Cavaliers, due in large part to a creeping back injury. Although Iguodala seems healthy enough six months later, he’s yet to bounce back to his pre-June form this season.
Against Cleveland on Sunday, in fact, he was a whisper of his former self. The usually decisive Iguodala was hesitant with the ball and unsure of his jump shot. Rather than a fluke occurrence on the biggest stage, however, that’s become the norm for the former LeBron stopper.
If Iguodala isn’t himself in a potential rubber-match Finals against the Cavaliers this season, Golden State will have a glaring weakness on both ends of the court just begging to be exploited by Cleveland. The Cavs will run Iguodala off the floor in transition and tilt its defense away from a player who’s shooting just 31.5 percent on 3s this season, while LeBron will go to work against a player who no longer can guard the King.
And when — not if — the Cavs are successful in forcing a substitution, where does Steve Kerr turn?


JaVale McGee has been a nice piece for Golden State at times this regular season, but you probably can’t play him in the Western Conference finals, let alone the NBA Finals. Zaza Pachulia? Good luck against Tristan Thompson, my friend. Ian Clark could have his moments, perhaps; maybe David West might steal a few minutes here or there; but all of these are scattershot solutions for a team in need of a precise answer to an acute problem.
Where the Cavs need wings who will execute the overarching scheme, the Warriors need one of two things from their fifth player: either a rim-protecting big who cleans up any mistakes committed by the perimeter defense (like that one guy who plays for Dallas now (http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/42/14/24/8963338/3/rawImage.jpg)), or a jack-of-all-trades wing who can guard LeBron, Love or even Thompson in spurts, depending on what the matchup dictates. Neither of those players exists on this roster.
None of this is to say Curry has been great this season — or against the Cavs in general. The reigning MVP must be better, especially in the fundamentals. As the Warriors continue to run their offense through Durant, Curry has to commit to running his defender through screens, not around them. He probably needs to freelance a little less on defense, too, although it’s always hard to judge what’s a poor decision and what’s an attempt to cover for someone else’s mistake on that end of the court.
Those issues can and will be fixed. It’s only December, after all. The Warriors are too good to let the little stuff sink their revenge tour. Yet the larger question in Golden State seems likely to go unanswered this season, and that spells trouble for the Warriors.