Grading Key Golden State Warriors Players In Game 2 Win Against Spurs

Point Guard: Stephen Curry

May 8, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during a post game interview against the San Antonio Spurs in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the AT

The main objective for Stephen Curry in Game 2 was to be unpredictable. Basketball is a game of tendencies and once the Spurs broke down the footage of the Denver Nuggets first-round series, they knew to double Curry on the pick and roll and force the ball out of his hands. This initially seemed to be a negative, but now with guys like Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes making buckets at a high rate, Curry is beginning to fully trust his teammates.

Curry’s biggest contribution to Game 2 was valuing the ball. He and Thompson combined for zero turnovers in the first half. This is how you beat the Spurs. Curry was taking everyone off the dribble and creating shots for himself and his teammates. Even if he would miss a tough floater, it was because one of the San Antonio bigs had to rotate over, leaving either Carl Landry or Andrew Bogut open to put back the uncontested layup.

Even though Curry isn’t getting to the free throw line at an elite rate, he is still carrying the load offensively. Speaking of which, he missed his first free throws of this postseason run, going 6-for-9, which is very unlike him. He had to put up 20 shots to get 22 points, which is never a good sign. But Curry still outplayed Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard (the two that spent the most time guarding him).

Grade: B+