Last Monday, Stephen Curry was overly ambitious when he said “anything is possible” about making the 16 3-pointers he needed to set the NBA’s all-time record. Instead, the greatest shooter ever trudged through another four games before finally fulfilling his destiny in grandeur at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. A weight was lifted. Curry, along with Steve Kerr and Draymond Green, hinted as much after the game. Though ugly, wading through those adverse conditions will aid the Warriors in their quest back towards the mountain top.
Golden State mustered an average of 101 points over the past four games (down from 111.8 on the season) and scored at the rate of a bottom-10 team. The Warriors’ half-court offense looked stagnant at times, free throws were harder to come by, and opponents appeared energized to make Curry and his team play in a living hell. Those are also called playoff conditions. The game slows down and gets more physical. Whistles are infrequent and sometimes inconsistent. The opposition has time to make adjustments and take away what you do best. Whoever the Warriors play in the postseason will almost certainly blitz Curry like he is going for the three-point record.
Even when Klay Thompson returns, Curry will carry most of the offensive load, especially in the postseason. History tells us that weight adds up the deeper he gets in the playoffs. For his career, Curry shoots 47.5 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from three in the regular season, which is remarkable. In the postseason, those figures fall to 45 percent and 40.1 percent. That is still impressive, but can be the difference in a seven-game series. It is also worth noting that Curry has shot lower than 40 percent from 3-point range in each of his past two postseason runs. He will need help and here is where the Warriors recent mini-slum – if one can even call a 3-1 stretch a slump – matters. Outside of the players on the Warriors title teams, the rest of Golden State’s roster has a combined 43 games of NBA playoff experience – Otto Porter Jr. (31), Nemanja Bjelica (7), and Andrew Wiggins (5).
The burden carried by Curry and the Warriors during the past two weeks could prove to be a unique but valuable teacher. Golden State got a look at what they need to do when Curry has an off night. He will not shoot 38.5 percent like he has these past four games, but the opposing double (and occasional triple) teams are a sure bet to remain consistent. During Curry’s arid aerial efforts, defense is the Warriors key to success. Golden State ranks first in opponent effective field goal percentage (eFG%) and was slightly better over the past two weeks (47.2 percent) than its season average (49 percent). These recent games demonstrate what Kerr has always preached: offense sometimes can waver, the defense cannot.
Unsung heroes also took center stage during Curry’s crusade towards becoming the immortal marksman. They were necessary and will remain so come playoff time. Wiggins was a constant fail-safe on offense. Draymond remains a bulwark whose case for Defensive Player of the Year gets stronger every game. Porter Jr. put in four 3-pointers versus Portland, Looney logged 14 points with eight crucial rebounds at Indiana, and Bjelica had a perfect shooting performance against New York. In each win, without a dominant Curry, the Warriors received a positive contribution from different parts of the roster.
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It is worth noting that through 27 games, this is Curry’s worst 3-point shooting (39.9 percent) to start a season since his first MVP year in 2014-15 – when he shot 38.6 percent. The rest of that season, he went on to knock down a ridiculous 46.9 percent of his looks from deep. Curry has always made adjustments and expect that to continue. However, teams will throw the kitchen sink at him. Some nights it’s going to work.
Thompson’s presence should hopefully take pressure off The Chef’s plate, but it’s unreasonable to expect much to change in the short term. Even though a wave of relief has washed over the team, the past couple of weeks were a blessing in disguise. Contenders have to deal with the pressure of winning and remaining focused away from the court. The latter is often a heavier burden. This is the first of many hurdles for a Golden State team that has, so far, exceeded expectations. Though “anything is possible” was inappropriate considering the situation, it might be a proper slogan for this group.
