Stephen Curry played like an MVP, the Golden State Warriors’ offense got back into a flow and role players stepped up to form.
Game 4 saw a Warriors team that looked a lot more like the one that fans witnessed win 67 games in the regular season and sweep through the first round of the playoffs.
But it all starts with Curry, who was “locked in,” as he so often says on Twitter before big games. He tweeted it yesterday and then did some special things on the court to quiet the doubters of his game that started mumbling after he hoisted the MVP trophy at Oracle Arena a week ago. And it wasn’t just his scoring, especially early where he mostly concentrated on facilitating the offense and moving the ball.
The Grizzlies have done an impressive job of defending passes inside the three-point arc and clogging up the Warriors’ pick-and-roll game long enough for passing windows to close. The Warriors still tried too often to force passes last night (21 turnovers) but Curry was able to disrupt the Memphis defense by driving in to the paint and forcing defensive switches.
Enough passing by the Warriors usually leads to a mismatch or open player, and getting in this rhythm early paid dividends for Golden State. It is a lot easier for an average three-point shooter like Andre Iguodala to make wide open threes than contested ones, and getting Iggy his open shot all starts with ball movement.
May 11, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the ball against Memphis Grizzlies guard Beno Udrih (19) in game four of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at FedExForum. Golden State Warriors defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 101-84. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports
Curry didn’t make his first shot until 3:30 left in the first quarter, but helping establish offensive flow was a key for this game, which Curry did early on.
Another thing Curry brought to the court was tenacity. Even though he almost missed a dunk, the next breakaway he got he jumped a little higher and threw it down pretty emphatically by Curry’s standards. After the game, Warriors players talked about feeding off the intensity that Curry displayed. Curry is a quiet leader; he leads by example rather than screaming, but his teammates and us watching on TV could tell he had that “can’t lose” look in his eyes.
When he gets that going, look out, world.
Curry has to play like this nearly every game, for the Warriors to continue to have success. Not that the Warriors can’t win when he has an off night, but the stakes are so high at this point that the Warriors need his consistency and ability to affect the game in so many ways. A big game from Curry isn’t measured just in points, but also game flow and intensity are most often dictated by No. 30.
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Thirty-three points from Curry is a very good night, but it’s not enough to win a game, and the Warriors were greatly aided by contributions from Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, and Iguodala. Barnes has looked exceptional in this series, and outside of Curry, has at many times been the Warriors’ best player on the court. While many of the other Golden State players have been visibly rattled and out of sorts, Barnes continues to have the same focus and poise; the moment never gets to big for him. He was also huge on the defensive end, often times guarding Zach Randolph and using his athleticism to get Randolph out of rhythm.
Green and Iguodala provided some much needed help in the scoring department, and Andrew Bogut played free safety in the paint and completely messed with Memphis’ offense and substitution patterns. Check out this great post by Ben Pickman for a more detailed breakdown of the Barnes, Bogut, Tony Allen matchups last night.
A true team effort, with the most important cog on that team — Curry — doing most of the heavy lifting. Often during the regular season, Steve Kerr was able to keep Steph fresh by resting him in the fourth quarter. The days of rest are over, Curry and his fresh legs need to be dominant the rest of the way. Go get ’em, MVP.
Next: Harrison Barnes and Tony Allen: Unlikely Keys to Game 4 Win