Without Stephen Curry, the Warriors aren’t missing a beat
By Eric He
The Golden State Warriors can win without Stephen Curry just as they can win with Curry, and that is a scary yet beautiful thing.
As I watched the Golden State Warriors rout the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals, I did what usually do when I watch this team play: shake my head.
I’ve given up trying to explain what makes this team so good, how they lose the best player in the world and don’t miss a beat.
Maybe it’s Klay Thompson stepping up as the No. 1 option, hitting threes left and right and showcasing the full arsenal on both ends of the floor. Maybe it’s Draymond Green finishing with a typical triple-double. Maybe it’s Shaun Livingston proving that, on any other team in the league, he would be the starting point guard. Maybe it’s Andrew Bogut unleashing fury on the low block, or Andre Iguodala off the bench, or Marreese Speights‘ energy, or … you get the point.
The Warriors are able to withstand an injury that would be crippling to any other team because — even with the two best shooters and most versatile player in the league — for them, the whole is truly greater than the sum of the parts.
To have such a scenario is much easier said than done. It is so rare to have a team where everyone is equally unselfish, willing to share the distribution of points in a manner that would make Bernie Sanders proud. In terms of talent, the Warriors and Rockets aren’t as far apart as the five-game dismantling in the first round — the only difference is the Rockets have two bickering stars while the Warriors have two stars who would much rather see the other star succeed.
On the Warriors, everyone knows their role. And when Stephen Curry goes down, everyone else moves up a spot. Thompson took over the “Steph” role on Sunday, hitting a barrage of threes that essentially ended the game in the first quarter and had Hubie Brown doing his usual murmuring that he does after watching an incredible play. Green doesn’t usually score 23 points in a game, but he can if he needs to. And with a triple-double in addition to a scoring boost, it was as if Steph wasn’t missed at all.
The Warriors’ success without Curry proves a few things. For one, the Warriors can win the series handily without Curry. The Blazers are a good team, but unless you have considerably better personnel and run your gameplan to perfection while hoping the Warriors have an off night, the door to victory against the Dubs closes really, really quickly — in Game 1, it took just a few minutes for Thompson to splash the Blazers away.
But perhaps more importantly, the Warriors are learning to play, to win without Curry. When Curry sat out against the Mavericks in late December with a leg injury, the Warriors were blown out of Dallas, and their offense did not look pretty. They were stagnant, unsure of what to do without the guy who does everything. But the next night, sans Curry again, they adjusted, played much better, and beat the Rockets on the road.
Flash forward to May, and it is clear they have a much better grasp of how to survive without No. 30. Of course, it helps to have Thompson’s ability to run of screens, knock down jumpers and carry the offensive load. But the Warriors also subtly shifted their offensive gameplan, using more postups, which is smart considering Thompson’s length — he’s the Dirk Nowitzki of guards — Green’s strength, and Livingston’s deadly mid-range jumper.
Critics will say that the Rockets and Blazers are far inferior opponents — and that’s true. The Thunder, Spurs, or Cavaliers would be tough to beat without Curry in the lineup, but at the very least, the Warriors would put up a worthy fight. Take away Kawhi Leonard from the Spurs or Kevin Durant from the Thunder or LeBron James from the Cavaliers and they wouldn’t stand a chance against the Warriors.
All season long, the pressure has been on the Warriors to repeat as champions and prove that last year wasn’t a fluke. Everything was rolling along just fine — with a 24-0 start and a 73-win regular season mixed in — until a bad landing and a wet spot took out the best player in the world at the worst possible time.
And yet, the Warriors have shrugged it off in a manner that can only make you shake your head. Not only are they surviving, but they are thriving. They can win without Curry just as they can win with Curry, and that is a scary yet beautiful thing.