Green+Kawhi is a great defensive combo for the future, Kawhi can guard PF's, big strong SF's and SG's, meanwhile Green is great at defending PG's and quick combo guards.
Cojo is also turning out to be a solid defender as well. If only they could get an athletic PF that can play defense, hopefully that happens this off season.
Danny's doing great. I couldn't find any stats that compare how Curry shoots when Green is guarding vs when Green isn't guarding him. But I did find On/Off stats. Here's the comparison.
Curry On Off FG% 41.7% 50% 3PT% 42.1% 54.5% TO 2 .7 +/- -1.3 +1.7
Props to D. Green so far this series.
Danny big nuts Green
At least he's delivering on one end of the floor.
If Green can learn to drive and play offense inside the three point lead, and if Kawhi can turn into a star, this team may still contend even after Duncan and Ginobili retire. Joseph will also have to improve a lot and the Spurs will somehow need to find a really good big. Too bad Richards didn't turn into anything, I thought he might be a real darkhorse. Wait, what the am I doing talking about the future? let's surprise the nation and bring home Timmy's 5th ring! No other player in the league deserves a ring more than Timmy!
He matches up well with Curry because Steph is not a really fast or really athletic guy..when Danny has trouble it's just because he's not athletic enough to stop certain guys..
Bloody fantastic defensive performance from Danny. I didn't know he had it in him. We've found our LeBron stopper for the finals lol
Yes he did! He missed 2 clutch free throws in Game 1 to give us the win. This guy is solid as ! Happy to still have him in our team. PATFO doing their mad tricks, carrying 16 players this post-season.
Tbh Green was a Curry killer out there. He had the killer instinct and let's face it, Curry is demoralized and possibly hobbled after this game. Green turned him back into the 12 year old he is and I don't think it will be easy for him to recover from this. There's no debating that Curry got schooled last night and I don't see that changing as long as they keep Green on him the majority of the time.
Flashes of Bruce Bowen tbh.
It was interesting that Pop decided NOT to give GS the Klay Thompson mismatch out of the blocks this game, putting Kawhi on him and Tony on Curry to start. Once Jack came in, Tony went on him and Green blanketed Curry.
Man.... I don't think anyone seen this coming from Danny Fu**** Green!!
GO SPURS!
Green was great in game 3, he deserves a lot of credit..he was great on offense in game 1, as well..
Let's not get carried away, though..he has always defended PGs well, he's shown it many times in the past..his team defense is the problem, when he isn't asked to focus on one PG and lock him down, so let's relax with the Bowen comparisons..
The success of the system is dictated largely by Danny Green's success, tbh, so let's hope he gets hot and stays hot until the end of June..
Last edited by HarlemHeat37; 05-11-2013 at 10:17 AM.
Game 2 got away quickly when Green got those two quick fouls from Danny Crawford.
so the future of the spurs is looking pretty good from a defensive standpoint. cojo-green-leonard-splitter-baynes seems a really good starting point. The offense is a question mark though..
Let's not forget that he hit the three to send Game 1 to overtime.
Danny Green coming up big in this series so far.
Especially because Crawford wasn't even in position to see those fouls.
Gotta love Curry's downward trend due to a big part to Danny Green.
Game 1: 18-35 .514
6-14 from 3s
11 assists
6 TOs
44 pts
Game 2: 7-20 .350
2-6 from 3s
4 assists
2 TOs
22 points
Game 3: 5-17 .294
3-9 from 3s
8 assists
3 TOs
16 pts
Whether it's due to fatigue or the Spurs' defense (or both), Curry's downward production is the tilting point of this series. Gotta hope the trend continues.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...curry/2152145/
San Antonio Spurs slow Stephen Curry with Danny Green
OAKLAND – Danny Green was leaving the visitors locker room at Oracle Arena late Friday night when a reporter was hoping to pass along some well-deserved praise.
"You see those numbers when you're guarding (Golden State guard) Steph (Curry)?" the man said to the San Antonio Spurs guard.
"Nope, and I'd rather not, but thanks," he said with a smile before heading for the exits.
Like everything Curry-related that Green and the Spurs have done these past two games, it was the right move. After all, this matchup may wind up deciding the fate of these Western Conference Semifinals that the Spurs now lead 2-1 after their 102-92 win in Game 3. No reason for Green to jinx it now.
Whether Green wants to hear it or not, the numbers are as good as advertised. When Green has been crouched and ready with those long arms, quick feet, and textbook defensive stance, Curry has hit just one of 15 shots against him in Games 2 and 3 while not faring much better against the likes of Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard. Slowing the scorer who was the runaway people's choice for playoff MVP just a few days ago isn't easy, but they're doing it.
Curry is a combined 12 of 37 (32.4%) in those two games (5 of 15 from three-point range for 33%), this after shooting 47.9% overall and 43.9% in the Warriors' first seven playoff games. In other words, he's human again. And the Warriors, who had come to count on him as the resident superhero of their unexpected playoff run, may be in trouble as a result.
After hearing Warriors coach, Mark Jackson say afterward that "this is a make-or-miss league" and that Curry simply "missed shots," Green couldn't help but take a jab at his fellow New York native. Jackson had also said of Curry that "(the Spurs) did a good job defensively," but that didn't seem to suffice for Green and the Spurs.
"Not bad," he told USA TODAY Sports when asked of his defensive work on Curry. "If you ask Mark, it'd be a little different."
"I heard about (his postgame comments). That's how the game goes sometimes. That's how he's supposed to be. He's a great coach, another New York guy, supports his players. That's why they're coming out with a lot of confidence and knocking down shots. The main reason is him. And he's doing a great job of strategically sticking to a gameplan and getting them to come out each game with a lot of energy and we have to kind of match it."
Then again, Green is hardly the greatest Curry concern for the Warriors right now. In a fourth-quarter moment that brought back all the familiar tension from the fans that has surrounded Curry's early years, he turned the same left ankle that was sprained in the first round against Denver and hobbled his way to the finish because he insisted to Jackson that he was alright.
Curry underwent treatment afterward and did not speak to the media, but it's clear the Warriors fear he may be out for Game 4. The scheduling isn't helping his cause, as he has a grand total of approximately 38 hours between games to rest up and recover. And even if he plays, of course, he'll have yet another problem to deal with in Green.
The 25-year-old has come a long ways since fighting to get on the floor in his first two seasons in Cleveland and San Antonio, where he played 28 games combined. He has since become the Spurs' latest former second-round pick to flourish in their system – a la Manu Ginobili – after being taken 46th overall out of North Carolina by the Cavaliers. And now, the job requirement includes slowing one of the most dangerous scorers going in Curry.
"It's a great (challenge) man," Green said. "We treat him like a mini Kevin Durant. Obviously he's not as tall or as lethal attacking the rim, but he can finish, has floaters, has all types of stuff, a quick trigger. He's a scorer – a true scorer.
"I respect him. You've got to respect him. He's one of the best scorers we have in the league now. And for me to be able to guard him that tough – they have me guarding him and telling me to step up to this challenge – is big for me. I'm defending the way they tell me to defend him. You know, long story short, just stay connected to him. Stay in his airspace and try to make him uncomfortable. That's all."
Or, perhaps, just cross your fingers whenever Curry fires away.
"Like Mark said," Green deadpanned. "He just missed some shots tonight."
Tim Kawakami @timkawakami
Saw a longtime NBA vet a few minutes after the buzzer. He said this game was about one thing: "Danny Green's defense on Steph."
Not Bruce, just flashes, but flashes nonetheless. That's a good thing.
I've never been a Green hater, but I've definitely been a doubter since the Thunder series. He still has plenty of ways he can keep improving -- finishing at the basket, help defense, consistency with his 3s -- but it's nice to see him really hit a home run with his go-to skill. That was just a brilliant game.
It's also nice to see the media giving him due credit -- he totally deserves it.
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