Golden State Warriors: 3 Ways Toronto has neutralized Stephen Curry

1. Hesitation

All of the above reasons combine to give us our number one factor behind Stephen Curry’s Game 4 struggles. The two-time MVP and deadliest shooter in the league has begun hesitating before his shots.

Let’s examine this play. Curry pushes the tempo by dishing the rock to Draymond Green on the elbow. Within seconds, Curry is relocating off of a fake cut as Green is returning the ball back to Steph. Curry buys a few feet of separation and has a look that has bought him buckets for years now.

Except, he doesn’t shoot it right away. Instead, we can see a brief moment of hesitation in Curry’s release, causing his shot to be just off the mark. Maybe it was due to Kawhi’s outstretched hands, so let’s take a look at another play.

This time we see the Warriors in the midst of a fastbreak opportunity. Steph does the correct thing by filling the lane and spotting up for a 3-pointer. Andre Iguodala makes the push and completes a pass on the money to Steph.

Rather than pulling this shot in one fluid motion, Curry again hesitates as the ball reaches his chest. This subtle but significant movement is more than enough to throw a shooter off of his target. Not to mention the mental effects of questioning a shot before you even attempt it.

This is truly a strange sequence for Curry. Perhaps he didn’t have a full grip on either ball before shooting and that explains his hesitation. Regardless, Curry will need to have a different mentality heading into Game 5. Shooters must be ready to shoot at all times.