NBA Twitter has been losing their minds over Stephen Curry’s Game 3 performance. Is there actual concern surrounding the two-time NBA MVP?
There’s no doubt about it. Game 3 of the 2019 Western Conference semifinals will go down as the worst of Stephen Curry’s postseason career. He was inefficient from all areas of the court, tallying just three rebounds and four assists.
Curry did manage 17 points which would be an accomplishment for any routine starter. However, those 17 points were scored on 23 shots and an awful 2-for-9 from behind the arc. Then, you can add in just 1-3 from the free throw line where Curry is typically automatic.
Combine all these things together, and you have a performance that’s rare for the league’s only unanimous MVP. That begs the question: When will see the Stephen Curry break out of his slump and should be there be concern around The Baby-Faced Assassin?
While many may answer that question with a swift no, I think there should be concern.
In Game 2, Curry shot 3-for-13 from deep. That’s just a marginal amount better than his Game 3 2-for-9. However, both are severely underwhelming for Curry who shot around 43% from deep during the regular season.
There aren’t many reasons why Curry has been struggling, but the easy one can be seen in the early parts of Game 2. Curry dislocated one of his fingers on his left hand. While it is his non-dominant hand, the pain still plays a role in his shooting.
That discomfort could’ve led Curry to his subpar performance in Game 3. An injury that takes weeks to heal, Curry will have to fight through the pain, but will he be able to fight the pain while playing efficiently?
For Golden State, this is more than just a dislocated finger. It’s something wrong with Curry’s shot mentality. He’s getting wide-open looks. He’s shot over 50% of his jumpers over the last three games in an ‘open’ or ‘wide open’ position. On those shots, he’s shooting under 35%.
It’s certainly not his shot selection that’s the problem. He’s getting the looks. He’ just not making them.
That said, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr have displayed a lack of concern regarding Curry, and if they feel he’s going to bounce back, then hopefully it’s already written in the stars.