Steph Curry has found his rhythm again…that’s trouble for the rest of the league
By Derek Tahara
Golden State Warriors MVP guard Stephen Curry is himself again and that’s bad news for the rest of the NBA.
The word “slump” came up a lot when reporters asked Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry about his shooting struggles in recent weeks. In response to many of those questions regarding his shot, he said that his confidence never waivers, but watching him, it became clear that the shots that were “wide open” (this means shots that are given 4-6 ft of space) for him that were not going down for him got into his head. This stretch for about two weeks got into his head. Maybe the Kevin Durant injury had something to do with it? Having to carry the big burden without another elite scorer (other than Klay Thompson) could have messed with his rhythm.
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However, something clicked in the fourth quarter of the Warriors win against the Sixers on March 14th for Curry. It was as if a switch had been turned on in his mind that he did not want to lose that game, especially against the lowly Sixers and on his 29th birthday.
He went off for 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting in the fourth quarter. His most memorable shot of that quarter was a dribble right, spin back to his left, getting a mean screen from David West and hitting a one-legged shot from about 17 feet to bring the Warriors to within 90-86.
In the next game against the Magic, Curry went 8-of-15 from the field, including 2-of-7 from beyond the arc for 25 points. The three-point shot was not at a great percentage that game, but he showed signs of coming out of his “slump.” Against Milwaukee, Curry posted a 9-of-13 shooting game, including 6-of-8 from three for 28 points. Curry posted another fantastic and efficient shooting statline in Oklahoma City going 8-of-17 from the field, including 7-of-12 from three. Last game, he posted a 50% field goal shooting performance against the Mavericks. (all stats are courtesy of basketball-reference.com)
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Now, it is clear that Curry has his shooting stroke back. Curry and the Warriors are rounding into playoff form at the right time with Kevin Durant rehabbing from his knee injury.
Once the Warriors are able to re-integrate Durant back into the offensive system, the Warriors are going to be a tough team to stop come April 15th with Curry finding his rhythm shooting the ball.