Better Team: Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets?

Point Guard

Mar 8, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles past Houston Rockets guard Jeremy Lin (7) in the fourth quarter at ORACLE arena. The Rockets defeated the Warriors 94-88. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

This one seems fairly obvious, no disrespect to former Warrior Jeremy Lin. From a purely statistical standpoint, Stephen Curry is leaps and bounds ahead of the Harvard graduate. Curry averaged 22.9 points, 6.9 assists and four rebounds with 1.6 steals per game.

Curry shot 45.1 percent from the field on more attempts than Lin, not to mention the fact that he made triple the amount of the three-pointers per game than the Houston guard. The second-generation sharpshooter’s dominance from beyond the arc can be seen even clearer when you compare their percentages. Curry’s 45.3 percent from the three-point line was 11.4 percent better than Lin. The greater implication of this is that not only is Curry scoring more points, his credibility as a three-point shooter spreads the floor and creates opportunities for other players.

While the regular season stats tell a convincing story, Curry’s playoff stats and ability to become a leader for his team in crunch time is the final nail in the coffin of this comparison. Lin fell apart in the playoffs, scoring just four points on 25 percent shooting. His poor performance caused Coach McHale to play him just 21 minutes per game, compared to his 32.2 minutes of the regular season.

On the other hand, Curry had his best performances of the season during the playoffs, averaging 23.4 points, 8.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds as well as 1.7 steals. Now, while some of that increase can be attributed to the fact that played slightly increased minutes during the postseason, his increased stats are a testament to his ability to turn it on in the crunch.

Edge: Warriors