Golden State Warriors 10 best moments from Game 1

The Kardashian that couldn’t keep up

These NBA Finals feature the two best ball handlers in the game. Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving are absolute magicians with the ball in their hands. They can stop, start, and change direction better than anyone else.

Curry put that ball handling excellence on display in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. He danced all over the court as the Golden State Warriors cruised to a victory and a 1-0 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tristan Thompson was one of his victims.

During last year’s NBA Finals, Thompson was able to effectively switch out onto the two-time MVP. He hung with him as he ran around screens. He stayed in front of Curry as he tried to break him down with the rock.

He wasted no time at the start of the 2017 NBA Finals. Without an MCL sprain slowing him down, he was able to break down bigs that tried to check him throughout the postseason. So he did it to Thompson.

Curry displayed the whole skill set here. What makes him so difficult to defend–for anyone–is that there’s the threat of the three-pointer. You can’t give him an inch of space or else he’ll let one fly quickly.

By playing him tightly, you give up the lane. So Thompson didn’t really know what to do here. He actually played pretty good defense, but the offense was just that much better.

Curry used the whole arsenal here. He crossed over, went inside out, used a low dribble, hesitated, everything. Then he showed the finishing ability.

He took the contact from Thompson, using his body to ward off the bigger defender and finished with the left hand. It was a pretty nifty play and it shows just how crafty and skillful he is when he isn’t being slowed down by his own body.