Steph Curry Dismantled the Spurs’ Gameplan

Steph Curry figured out the Spurs’ game plan and dismantled it.

It’s no secret that Stephen Curry has struggled against the San Antonio Spurs, historically speaking.

For his career, he’s averaged under 20 points while shooting below 39 percent from beyond the arc. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard has bothered Curry on many occasions, using his length and quickness to stay in front of the MVP. Led by Gregg Popovich, the Spurs do anything and everything to slow down the league’s best offensive player.

Curry attracts a lot of attention. As soon as he crosses half court, teams try to pick him up. Whenever he drives, his gravity attracts nearly everybody in an opponent’s jersey to circle him. For the most part, defenders have given up trying to recover after getting screened because Curry will take advantage of any window of opportunity, no matter how small.

The best shooter in the world can get hot and take over a game in an instant, draining one magical, jaw-dropping three after another. The Spurs know this. They know everything. Pop has some all-seeing eye that keeps track and studies everything while preserving Tim Duncan‘s body, probably. The Spurs game plan for Curry better than most, if not all.

San Antonio’s strategy when defending the league’s most un-guardable player was simple: Don’t let him shoot threes. While he doesn’t like the three-pointer, Popovich understands that three is more than two and enough threes can break you especially when you give them up to the premier marksman in the NBA. So they did everything to not allow Curry to get off any clean looks.

The Warriors like to run a pick-and-roll with Curry as the ball handler and either Draymond Green or Andrew Bogut as the screener. The defense, generally, switches and the best ball handler in the Association ends up with a helpless big man on him. The big fella always ends up on Twitter and in Curry’s trophy room as another victim to one of his trademark, step back three.

The Spurs, on the other hand, denied Curry the three-point shot. Throughout the night, LaMarcus Aldridge switched onto him and played right up on him. Instead of dancing around and trying to force the long ball, Curry just gave what the defense gave him and drove to the rim every time, taking all the layups he wanted.

Three is more than two and when you shoot the three ball as well as Curry does, it’s generally better to take the shot from beyond the arc than settle for the two. But when you’re getting wide open layups nearly every time down, that’s just as good.

The Spurs threw the kitchen sink at Curry, giving him Danny Green, Leonard, and everyone else to slow him down. None of it really worked. Sure, he only shot 3/7 from beyond the arc, but he still scored 27 points and dished out 9 assists.

Knowing the Spurs, they probably haven’t shown their hand yet. Pop probably has something up his sleeve, but this plan didn’t work. Curry picked it apart.