Posts Tagged ‘Stephen Curry’

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Going Small Key For OKC & Golden State?

May 9, 2013  ·  11:42AM

HANG TIME NEW JERSEY – With each of the four conference semifinals tied at 1-1 (for the first time since this round went to seven games in 1968), it’s a great time to mine the lineup data provided by NBA.com/Stats for trends, anomalies, and whatever information might be useful … or at least interesting.

The eight teams remaining have only played between six and nine games, so we’re not looking at very big sample sizes here. But small sample sizes are all you have to go on in the playoffs. Decisions have to be made on how players or player combinations have played in that series and against that opponent. Even if you include numbers against the opponent in the regular season, that’s at most four additional games of data.

We’ve already seen some of these teams change lineups mid-series. And sometimes, like when the Dallas Mavericks decided to start J.J. Barea in Game 4 of the 2011 Finals, a lineup change can make a big difference.

So, as we take our first day off of the playoffs, here are some notes from 53 games worth of postseason lineup data…

The drop-off in Indiana
The most-used lineup of the playoffs should be no surprise. The Pacers’ starting lineup of George Hill, Lance Stephenson, Paul George, David West and Roy Hibbert have been getting it done on both ends of the floor and were a terrific lineup in the regular season as well. Though Indy ranked 19th defensively overall, this lineup scored at a rate that would have ranked fourth, playing the second-most minutes of any lineup in the league.

It was a plus-48 in the first round and a plus-5 in both Games 1 and 2 of the conference semifinals. The problem, of course, is that the Indiana bench stinks. In 216 minutes, all other Pacers lineups have scored 93.1 points per 100 possessions and allowed 105.8, for a NetRtg of -12.7 in the postseason.

Indy coach Frank Vogel talks often about his emphasis on defending without fouling. That’s key to not only keep the Pacers’ opponents off the line, but also to keep their starters on the floor.

Over their eight playoff games, every Pacer starter has a positive plus-minus and every sub has a negative one. So maybe the Pacers can benefit as much from three days off as the banged up Knicks can, with an ability to use their rested starters for heavy minutes in Game 3 on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, ABC).

Time for OKC to go small?
Setting a minimum of 35 minutes played, the best lineup (offensively, *defensively and overall) of the postseason has been Oklahoma City’s small lineup of Reggie Jackson, Derek Fisher, Kevin Martin, Kevin Durant and Nick Collison. This unit of two point guards, two scoring wings, and a versatile big has outscored its opponents by 46.5 points per 100 possessions and had its best run in Game 6 in Houston, outscoring the Rockets 31-20 in 14 minutes. It was a plus-7 in seven minutes of Game 1 against the bigger Grizzlies, but Scott Brooks didn’t use it at all in Game 2 on Tuesday.

If you remove Nick Collison and just look at the four smalls together, they’ve been just as effective (OffRtg: 130.2, DefRtg: 80.9, NetRtg: +49.3) in a slightly larger sample of 51 minutes (43 against Houston and eight against Memphis).

With Thabo Sefolosha, the Thunder have other small-lineup options. And thus far against the Grizzlies, they’re a plus-13 in 14 minutes playing small. They’re a minus-17 in 82 minutes playing big and their starting lineup (Jackson, Sefolosha, Durant, Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins has shot a brutal 13-for-47 (28 percent) in its 28 minutes together.

That, of course, will be something to keep an eye on as the series heads to Memphis for Saturday’s Game 3 (5 p.m. ET, ESPN).

*The best defensive lineup with a minimum of 35 minutes played was actually the Thunder’s original starting lineup, which allowed the Rockets to score just 73.1 points per 100 possessions in the first two games of the first round. But Russell Westbrook‘s injury puts that lineup out of commission.

Small works in the other West series too
Both Gregg Popovich and Mark Jackson changed their starting lineups for Game 2 in San Antonio on Wednesday, moves that worked out better for the Warriors. Their (small) lineup of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut is a plus-17 in the series (plus-12 in Game 2), the second-best mark of the conference semifinals thus far.

It was a mini lineup of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard and Boris Diaw that pulled off the Spurs’ amazing comeback on Monday, racking up a plus-13 in 10 minutes over the fourth quarter and two overtimes. With Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter healthy, Popovich didn’t use that lineup at all in Game 2.

Supersubs in Chicago
Obviously, Wednesday’s blowout in Miami makes for some funky lineup numbers in that series, but the Bulls do have a lineup – Nate Robinson, Marco Belinelli, Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah – that’s a plus-14 over the two games (plus-13 in 16 minutes in Game 1 and plus-1 in three minutes in Game 2). It was a plus-7 in 21 minutes in the first round and was a strong plus-20.3 points per 100 possessions in 129 minutes in the regular season. If Kirk Hinrich and/or Luol Deng return for Game 3 on Friday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), it will be interesting to see how much time that lineup plays together going forward.

A change of fortune in Miami
The Heat had a killer lineup – Mario Chalmers, Ray Allen, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh – that Erik Spoelstra used rather sparingly (only 112 minutes), but outscored its opponents by 30.3 points per 100 possessions in the regular season. That lineup was a plus-12 in 10 minutes in the first round against Milwaukee, but is a minus-13 in six minutes in the conference semis, having allowed the Bulls to shoot 6-for-9 (3-for-3 from 3-point range) in the closing minutes of Game 1.

Offensive struggles in New York
The best offensive lineup in the regular season (minimum 200 minutes) was the Knicks’ lineup of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, J.R. Smith, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler, which scored 119.3 points per 100 possessions in 269 minutes together. With Kidd, Smith and Anthony all struggling, that unit has scored just 86.6 points per 100 possessions in 18 playoff minutes, and has been even worse defensively.

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Posted in 2013 Conference Semis: Heat-Bulls, 2013 Conference Semis: Knicks-Pacers, 2013 Conference Semis: Spurs-Warriors, 2013 Conference Semis: Thunder-Grizzlies, 2013 NBA Playoffs, NBA.com/Stats / Comments (17) /

Warriors’ Defense Shoots Lights Out, Too

May 9, 2013  ·  2:36AM

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SAN ANTONIO – This is not merely about Stephen Curry looking like the deadeye love child of Annie Oakley and William Tell one night and Klay Thompson turning into a heat-seeking missile the next.

It’s about shooting, yes, because it’s what they do. Shooting from the gaps and shooting over outstretched arms. Shooting a running, one-footed 3-pointer with the dour expression of an English butler on your face and shooting a fallaway heave in front of the opponents’ bench to beat the third quarter horn. Shooting late in the shot clock to bail out a possession gone wrong and shooting early in the shot clock because, well, you just feel like it.

It’s also about pressuring the ball out front, squeezing the penetrators into the lane, cutting off the paths on the baseline and protecting the rim as if it were the Holy Grail.

While all of the postgame highlights and most of the headlines about their first victory in San Antonio since the Mexican flag flew over Texas will concentrate on Thompson’s deep ball barrage, the Warriors got this Western Conference semifinal series to 1-1 because they played ferocious, high-energy, unforgiving defense.

It’s like finding out that Kate Upton can cook, too.

“Our shooters, Steph and Klay, are amazing,” said center Andrew Bogut, “but we like to think our defense is consistent.”

It consistently chased Spurs point guard Tony Parker. When Thompson wasn’t pushing the limits of credulity with his 8-for-9 shooting from behind the arc and his ridiculous 29-point first half, he was the one sinking his teeth into Parker.

“I told him at halftime, that is in the discussion of one of the greatest halves ever,” said Golden State coach Mark Jackson. “Not only what he did offensively, but what he did defensively. If you slow it down and see the multiple plays and the attention to detail defensively, he is playing a future Hall of Famer and he’s making him work for everything.”

That’s been the difference in the first two games so far — the Spurs keep looking like they’re laboring for everything on offense and the Warriors might as well be cruising the court on roller skates. (more…)

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Posted in 2013 Conference Semis: Spurs-Warriors, 2013 NBA Playoffs, HT News / Comments (41) /

Blogtable: Playoff Underdogs

May 8, 2013  ·  11:40AM




Each week, we’ll ask our stable of scribes to weigh in on the three most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below.

Week 28: Favorite playoff underdog | Heat’s stumble | P.J. and Vinny

Who’s your favorite playoff underdog, the Warriors or Bulls?

Steve Aschburner: The Bulls. Being based in Chicago, I’ve seen this team more than any other — and most of the time, it is overcoming some injury, mishap, illness or absence. It’s no longer just a Tom Thibodeau phenomenon, their coach stubbornly and without excuse driving them through adversity. It’s the whole team manning up without Derrick Rose, without Kirk Hinrich, without whomever, and new guys without much track record for grit (Marco Belinelli) or selflessness (Nate Robinson) pulling on the same rope as if they’d been in that locker room for years. From Game 7 in Brooklyn to their Game 1 on Miami’s court, the underdog Bulls already have experienced a level of exhilaration and accomplishment that talented, three-star championship teams never know.

Fran Blinebury: You love these “Which of your children do you like best?” questions. Let’s face it. While we can admire and respect the work ethic, the attitude and the intensity of the Bulls, what little kid ever grew up in the backyard or on a schoolyard fantasizing about grinding out possessions and getting bloody fighting for rebounds? In the game of our dreams, it’s all about being Steph Curry hitting ridiculous, unbelievable shots from anywhere on the court, Jarrett Jack being utterly fearless, Klay Thompson getting it done at both ends and everything being played at warp speed. I’d be happy to watch the Warriors play into June, July, August or September.

Joakim Noah (by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE)

Joakim Noah (by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE)

Jeff Caplan: No question it’s the Bulls. Hey, I love the Warriors just like everybody else, but they’re essentially a young, healthy team (Brandon Rush was lost at the start of the season) on the come and led by an emerging superstar. They’re a great feel-good story, but the Bulls have proven time and again to be the ultimate warriors. How in the world is this banged-up and depleted club, one that keeps absorbing blows — a spinal tap gone wrong for Luol Deng, I mean, WTH? — in the second round and up 1-nil on the champs. Because nobody outworks the Bulls. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.

Scott Howard-Cooper: I’ll go Golden State, even with the running start of Bulls 1-0 and Warriors 0-1. Chicago is pretty special at dealing with, or even ignoring, adversity, but is still bigger underdogs than Golden State. The Warriors are closer to the Spurs in talent level, have the hottest hand of the postseason (Stephen Curry) and are doing fine at ignoring as well. The Warriors had more of a chance from the start. One game doesn’t change that, for either option.

John Schuhmann: Well, the Bulls are the true underdog, aren’t they? They’re facing the defending champs, the world’s best player, and a team that had lost just two of its previous 43 games before Monday. They’re a M.A.S.H. unit of injuries and illnesses. They’re carried offensively by a guy who’s barely taller than Sekou. Their best (active) player has a ponytail, wears le coq sportif shoes, and shoots a jumper like he’s playing paper football. And they have the most disheveled-looking coach in the league! This is no contest.

Sekou Smith: This is a tough one. It’s like asking who do you like better, Miss America or Miss Universe. You’re right no matter who or what you choose. I love the Warriors’ style and the fact that Steph Curry can turn a game upside down in minutes with his scoring and shooting. But my pick is the Bulls. Any team capable of doing the things they’ve done, under these circumstances, has earned my attention and the favorite status. Tom Thibodeau has turned the bottom third of his roster into a wicked playoff machine over the the past five days. They’re doing it with defense, fueled by the relentless Joakim Noah and the surprising Jimmy Butler. But they’ve also got the best fourth quarter scorer in the playoffs (Nate Robinson) driving the bus late in games. How can you not love what the Black-and-Blue Bulls are doing?

Lang Whitaker: The Warriors are obviously fun to watch, but it’s hard to root against the Bulls. They’ve got more guys missing than they have healthy, or at least it feels that way. Also, the Bulls have a cast of characters who we’ve seen try and fail with other franchises, from Nate Robinson to Marco Belinelli, so it feels as though there’s some great quest for redemption. Also, it doesn’t hurt that their coach, Tom Thibodeau, looks like he’s being played by the King of Queens, Kevin James.

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Posted in 2013 NBA Playoffs, Blogtable / Comments (16) /

Is Curry Time An Issue For Warriors?

May 8, 2013  ·  9:46AM

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SAN ANTONIO — Like the rest of them, Stephen Curry said it was a learning experience.

So is dropping an anvil on your toe, but just because you claim it won’t happen again doesn’t stop you from hopping around on one foot.

If the Warriors are truly going to take the next step forward in their education and development, they will have to stop letting leads slip like fistfuls of jelly through their fingers and to learn about Curry himself — who he is and how his remarkable shooting and scoring talents can best be most effectively used.

While Carmelo Anthony’s shoulder, the Bulls’ hard noses and the above-the-rest offensive capabilities of LeBron James and Kevin Durant are headlines, the splendid splinter Curry has been the transcendent story of these playoffs. He’s the reason to stay up late, the reason to keep hitting “reverse” on the DVR just so you can re-watch another ridiculous 3-pointer and try to figure out how he did that.

Curry’s 44-point, 11-assist virtuoso effort in Game 1 seemed to push at the limit of what is possible only because he hasn’t played his next game. Yet at the end of the double-overtime classic, the numbers that mattered were 129-127 — the final score in favor of the Spurs and the 57 minutes and 56 seconds that he logged in a 58-minute game.

“We’re not gonna get discouraged at all,” Curry said. “It’s not going to be a depressed locker room. We’re excited about how we played considering the finish and looking forward to (Game 2).”

But before the Warriors fly hungrily toward the opening tip and try to pounce with another fireball of youth and energy at the start, there has to be more consideration in planning for the finish.

It is tempting (and probably necessary) to milk every last drop they can out of Curry in order to defeat a team as talented, deep and experienced as the Spurs. But as much as Curry lit the fuse to the Warriors’ explosive opening-game performance, he was unable to deliver when they needed him to close out the game. (more…)

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Posted in 2013 Conference Semis: Spurs-Warriors, 2013 NBA Playoffs, HT News / Comments (13) /

Spurs, Warriors Have Game 1 For The Ages

May 7, 2013  ·  6:38AM

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Warriors-Spurs: Series Hub | Game 1: Box score | Notebook

SAN ANTONIO – On the court of our dreams, they would still be out there playing. Shot for shot, pass for pass, the astonishing marvel of a relentless attack against a miracle comeback born of experience and stubbornness.

There were spin drives that swirled faster than the winds inside a funnel cloud and a clinching 3-pointer that came down wearing a touch of blue from scraping against the sky.

Bop till you drop. Last team standing advances to next round. If that were the case, they might keep on fighting this battle into July. Or even August.

Steph.

Manu.

Warriors.

Spurs.

This was billed as a Western Conference semifinal series that would bear watching, and for three hours and 12 minutes of Game 1 we were like cavemen mesmerized by their first glimpse of fire.

Wonderful.

Marvelous.

Amazing.

Terrific.

OK, so why not get carried away about the Spurs’ 129-127 double-overtime masterpiece over the Warriors? About the only things missing were a gold frame and a spot behind a velvet rope on the wall in the Louvre.

If Dr. Naismith’s game has been played better, it certainly wasn’t on this planet. The extraterrestrial Stephen Curry rang up another out of this world third quarter, hitting 9 of his 12 shots for 22 of his 44 points. The remarkably down-to-earth Danny Green matched Curry’s half-dozen from long range. And a zaftig Frenchman who hadn’t played in exactly one month — Boris Diaw – provided a certain je ne sais quoi.

The Spurs trailed by 16 with 4:31 left in the fourth quarter and forced overtime. The Warriors trailed by five with 1:06 left in the second OT and nearly stole off into the night with the win.

“It was a crazy game,” said the Spurs’ Tony Parker.

Never crazier and never swinging further from the ridiculous to the sublime than when Kawhi Leonard’s inbounds pass found a wide open Manu Ginobili, who launched a high-arching 26-footer that settled into the bottom of the net with 1.2 seconds left to end it all.

All of that on the night when Ginobili made just 5 of 20 shots from the field and just 44 seconds earlier had missed badly on a brain-lock 3 try from straight out.

“I went from trading him on the spot to wanting to cook him breakfast tomorrow,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. “That’s the truth.

“When I talk to him and Manu, he goes ‘This is what I do.’ That’s what he’s going to tell me. I stopped coaching him a long time ago.”

It was beautiful and bombastic, frantic and fragile, wild, woolly and wondrous … and certainly the best game of the season and maybe as good a playoff game as has been played in any season. It was Nureyev and Baryshnikov on the same stage, Picasso and Pollock on the same wall, Miles Davis and Leonard Bernstein making music together.

The sixth-seeded Warriors wear their underdog image as a suit of armor, fearless and invulnerable and even after losing their 30th consecutive game in San Antonio since 1997, have served notice that they no longer intend to be polite houseguests.

The second-seeded and ageless Spurs simply look at every game and every situation as something that can be handled, even if it’s like picking up a hot coal in their bare hands.

On one hand, the Spurs will have to devise a plan to stifle or at least slow down Curry, who has joined the Rolling Stones as the hottest act touring America this spring. They will also have to fret that if Klay Thompson hadn’t fouled out and Richard Jefferson hadn’t missed two free throws with 1:57 left, they might never have survived regulation time.

On the other, the Warriors probably have to figure that the Spurs won’t continue shooting 43.8 percent in the series and that Tim Duncan will be more of a force at both ends of the floor when he shakes off the effects of the flu that eventually forced him to the sidelines.

Jarrett Jack attacks, the Spurs answer. Curry thrusts and Parker parries.

“We’re excited about this series,” said Warriors coach Mark Jackson. “I saw a lot of good things during the course of the game tonight.”

The good news is there could be six more left. The bad news is there can only be six.

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Posted in 2013 Conference Semis: Spurs-Warriors, 2013 NBA Playoffs, HT News / Comments (94) /

Red Carpet Rolled Out For the Spurs

May 6, 2013  ·  11:46AM

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SAN ANTONIO — Ever since they dusted off a young LeBron James and his overmatched Cavaliers with a backhanded sweep in 2007, the Spurs have been searching for a path back to The Finals.

Now, perhaps, the only thing missing is a red carpet rolled down an aisle or a trail of rose petals.

The Western Conference bracket that was supposed to a demolition derby involving a series of jarring collisions is beginning to look instead like dominoes falling just right for San Antonio.

What could have been a dangerous first-round matchup against the Lakers lost its peril the moment that Kobe Bryant collapsed with a torn Achilles tendon. Without their leader, the Lakers were toothless and clueless and simply ran out of healthy bodies to even put up a semblance of resistance, and the Spurs only had to fight boredom and try to avoid injuries.

Then while Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker were sitting at home resting their veteran legs for a full week, the remainder of the West came unraveled like a cheap sweater.

So many experts around the league had picked the superstar-less Nuggets to build on their 57-win season with a team-first attack that could carry them to the conference finals or even beyond. Yet No. 3 seed Denver had its home-court dominance ended by the sharp-shooting of Stephen Curry and the Warriors.

A season-long hullaballoo and love-fest over the No. 4 seed Clippers finally winning more than 50 games and their first division title in franchise history went out the window when they were exposed as little more than a sideshow dunking act that gave little inclination to playing defense or being serious when the stakes were raised.

While those two pretenders were being exposed, even the top-seeded Thunder were taking a severe blow when their All-Star guard Russell Westbrook suffered a torn ligament in his right knee in Game 2 of their series against Houston. First it meant that OKC was extended to six games by the young and restless Rockets and then it sent them into the second round and beyond looking vulnerable and anything like the favorites to reach a return match against Miami than a month ago.

Now the Spurs go into a second-round series tonight against the Warriors and Curry, who have become the “must-see” TV-show of the playoffs and it’s likely that the top shooting ace in the game will provide a few moments of entertainment and drama and anxiety in Spurs huddles.

But it can’t be overlooked that Golden State has lost an astounding 29 consecutive games in San Antonio, a streak that goes back to Feb. 14, 1997, four months before the 37-year-old Duncan was even drafted by the Spurs. As much of a test that they’ll get from trying to guard Curry, the Spurs would much rather have it against the No. 6 seed than trying to run and keep pace with the Nuggets in the mile high thin atmosphere of Denver.

Of course, the grit-and-grind Grizzlies are still out there lurking with their powerful inside game of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol and the much-improved point guard Mike Conley. But the Grizzlies already blew an opportunity to take Game 1 of their series at OKC on Sunday and trail 1-0. So the storyline couldn’t be playing out any better for the Spurs if they had written it themselves.

“We lost to an eight (Memphis, 2011) once,” Ginobili told reporters. “We won being seventh (Dallas, 2009). So anything can happen.”

Of course, the Spurs know they had won 20 straight games and took a 2-0 lead on the Thunder in the conference finals a year ago before dropping four in a row to be eliminated. Nothing is ever certain, nothing is guaranteed.

But the Spurs were looking for a route back to The Finals for the first time in six years, they couldn’t have found a clearer path.

– Series hub: Spurs vs. Warriors

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Posted in 2013 Conference Semis: Spurs-Warriors, 2013 NBA Playoffs, HT News / Comments (4) /

Turnovers Pressing Issue For Warriors

May 5, 2013  ·  2:21PM

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HANG TIME WEST – Higher powers at play. That’s it. It was higher powers.

“…. I think that God has a sense of humor,” said Mark Jackson, pastor and Warriors coach, “because He wanted to show folks at the end as we threw the ball all over the place, and it’s only a miracle that we advanced.”

Or maybe it was a reality check that kept changing.

“Each possession, it can’t get any worse than this,” guard Stephen Curry said. “Then it does.”

As if the opponent in the second round – the Spurs, co-favorites at worst all season to win the West – isn’t enough of a concern, the Warriors are in San Antonio in advance of Game 1 on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT) with another opponent staring back at them: the Warriors.

The Western Conference semifinals became a double-concern in that way about the time they started doing everything in their power to keep the Nuggets alive in the first round by committing 10 turnovers in the fourth quarter alone. Which came after another near-meltdown moment earlier in the series. Which came after Golden State finished 23rd in the league in turnovers during the regular season.

The Warriors are giving a clinic on what not to do at the end of games. It’s not the youthful indiscretion of a team relying heavily on four players in their first or second season, either. Curry, the hero against Denver, had four turnovers in 3 minutes 33 seconds of the fourth quarter as part of the Nuggets rallying from 18 down with 9:11 remaining to within two points with 32 seconds left.

The Warriors collapsed but survived, as much as falling across the finish line face first would be forgotten all around them amid the euphoria of going from first-round underdog, trailing 0-1 to a team that almost never lost at home and losing David Lee to a hip injury. But Golden State needed almost all of the 18-point cushion, and that was with the Nuggets making only 50 percent of their free throws (five of 10) in the final quarter and 61.9 percent (13 of 21). If Denver is so much as respectable from the line, or anything better than 34.7 percent from the field, it could have earned a Game 7 at the Pepsi Center.

That finish would have been bad enough, and possibly written off as a fluke occurrence, except that it wasn’t the first escape. Just six days earlier, the Warriors led 109-108, were coming out of a timeout with 9.4 seconds remaining, and had the ball. And Jarrett Jack was called for a five-second violation on the sideline near midcourt – even though Golden State had a 20-second timeout left.

The Nuggets got another chance, but could not capitalize. Ty Lawson lost the ball, Denver was forced to foul, Harrison Barnes made one free throw for a 110-108 Warriors lead, and Andre Igoudala missed a last-second three-point Hail Mary for the win. As much as Golden State had succeeded, Golden State had survived itself for what would become twice in four games.

“It’s hard to put into words,” Curry said after the Warriors nearly coughed up Game 6. “When the first two turnovers happened, it’s like, ‘All right, we’ll get it right.’ Two turnovers happened, they started making threes. The lead starts to dwindle down. I don’t know if we played on our heels. We did play on our heels. We had some miscommunication that put us in some awkward spots. Coach just told us, ‘Hey, we got this 18-point lead, we’ve played well the whole game, we’re going to figure out how to win this game, get out of here.’ That’s just what we did…. I promise that won’t happen again. Kind of inexcusable at this point.”

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Posted in 2013 Conference Semis: Spurs-Warriors, 2013 NBA Playoffs / Comments (7) /

The Next Step For Stephen Curry

May 2, 2013  ·  3:07PM

 

HANG TIME WEST – Now we know for sure Stephen Curry has hit the big time. Not because he threw the Warriors on his back in the playoffs, the ultimate superstar move, not because he did it playing hurt, and not even because praise as the best shooter in the game is practically coming nonstop.

It’s because the Nuggets are getting physical with him.

There is no greater status symbol than a player who demands extra attention from the opponent, and Curry is there as the first-round series returns to Oakland tonight (10:30 ET, TNT) with Golden State holding a 3-2 lead and trying to close out. That hasn’t just been the case since the rowdy Game 5, either. The Nuggets have been crowding him from the beginning. Tuesday in Denver was merely the continuing escalation.

The move by Kenneth Faried of the Nuggets to trip Curry was a cheap tactic, especially given Curry’s history of ankle problems, but Warriors coach Mark Jackson went over the top with the statement that Denver sent hit men after Curry. Or at least that’s what it sounded like Jackson said over the laughter of Dennis Rodman, Bill Laimbeer, Kevin McHale and Rick Mahorn. And Kurt Rambis’ neck says hello, too.

The series had turned testy long ago, since the Andrew Bogut-JaVale McGee scrape in Game 3 led to Bogut pointing to his chin while close to McGee, daring McGee to take a poke. In the regular season, it would have been a passing moment. In a long playoff series, it’s a layer in the rising tensions.

“If there’s a scorecard and we’re in a boxing fight right now, they’re winning the fight,” Nuggets coach George Karl told reporters in Denver. ”OK, we won a round (here and there), but I’m going to tell you, I’ll go to any arbiter now and show the dirty shots — they’re winning.

“Some of them are really good at the things they do. Andrew Bogut started it; the (Draymond) Green kid is really good at it; and Festus (Ezeli) is pretty good too…. Check the elbow to Ty Lawson‘s head with 20 seconds to go in the second quarter. Check that one out.”

Curry and the Warriors — and especially Jackson, the former veteran point guard — could not have been surprised this was coming, even if they were bothered by the extent. Of course the Nuggets, with the benefit of bigger wing defenders to throw at Curry, were going to get physical with him. Any playoff opponent would have tried the same thing, only without Corey Brewer and Andre Igoudala.

Don’t be surprised at an early technical tonight by the officiating crew headed by Danny Crawford, one of the best, to send a message it will keep order. Don’t be surprised if both sides remain aggressive and the crowd at Oracle Arena, passionate anyway, is especially riled. But most of all, don’t be surprised this has happened with Curry.

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Posted in 2013 NBA Playoffs / Comments (20) /

Schedule An Issue For Warriors, Nuggets

April 28, 2013  ·  4:59PM

OAKLAND – This is when the pace quickens in the Nuggets-Warriors series that continues in a few hours at Oracle Arena, and not the tempo on the court.

Neither side minds it in style of play, especially Denver. Both sides may mind it with the schedule.

The first-round series that went from Game 1 to two days off to Game 2 to two days off has moved into an every-other-day routine. It’s not a big deal for teams that play back-to-backs and three times in four nights in the regular season, except that the calendar could become an issue because of extenuating circumstances with location and health.

Stephen Curry, the spark to the Warriors’ 2-1 lead, will have very little recovery time with the sprained left ankle that remains a Golden State concern despite Curry passing the first test by playing 38 minutes on Friday, and playing very well. Curry, who already wears a brace to support the right ankle that needed surgery last year, said he ditched the brace on the left ankle during Game 3 because using two was too difficult. But, he said, he will have the bottom of the left leg heavily taped.

Location becomes an issue when the series returns to Denver on Tuesday and, if necessary, Saturday for a Game 7. Even the Nuggets talk about the risk of adjusting to being back at altitude after they have been out of town, which makes Game 5 at the Pepsi Center a potential unique challenge for both sides.

A few other notes heading into tonight:

  • Strange reaction from Nuggets coach George Karl after losing Game 3 to fall behind in the series: “There’s a lot of good tonight. I told the team after the game that the process of the NBA playoffs is to get better. We got better tonight. We didn’t win tonight, but there’s a process going on and it’s just two wins. They’re barely half the way there. I think it’s going to be fun Sunday. I think tonight’s game was a great game to be a part of.”
  • The Nuggets are still obviously in the series, no matter how uncomfortable it may be to be down and facing another game in the noise of Oracle Arena. But “There’s a lot of good tonight?”
  • Warriors coach Mark Jackson continues to put a great deal of faith in his three rookies. He played Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Festus Ezeli together in the fourth quarter of Game 2, though with the safety net of a big lead, and then in the tight finish to Game 3 went with Barnes the entire fourth quarter and Green about half the final period.
  • The question had to be asked: Was Curry really as hurt as the Warriors indicated before Game 2 or was it one giant head fake? He played 38 minutes, after all, and had 29 points and 11 assists against three turnovers, which qualifies as a little more than getting through the night.

“I really wish I was giving a Hollywood treatment,” Jackson said. “Steph, we did not know. He did not practice both practices (Wednesday and Thursday), he did go through shootaround (Friday). We got here, took a look at him jumping rope like everybody else and took a look at him sprinting. We didn’t need to see him shoot the basketball. He’s a gamer. The interesting thing, I believe, the second half or somewhere in the third quarter, he took his brace off. I mean, the guy made big-time plays, man. I’m still baffled and I know it’s going to sound like a broken record, but somebody owes the kid an apology. Please write an article and say, ‘Sorry.’ He’s an All-Star. He’s a big-time player and he made big-time plays.”

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Posted in 2013 NBA Playoffs / Comments (3) /

The Stephen Curry Draft Dominoes

April 27, 2013  ·  4:27PM

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OAKLAND – Stephen Curry just became the first Warrior with consecutive playoff games of at least 20 points and 10 assists since Tim Hardaway in 1991. The Suns just had another lottery season. David Kahn is out as director of basketball operations in Minnesota. And this isn’t exactly a good time for Geoff Petrie to be house hunting in Sacramento.

The Curry draft fallout from June 2009 are everywhere in April 2013. In Oakland and Denver, obviously, because the shooting star of a point guard has led the Warriors to a 2-1 lead over the Nuggets as the teams take today off before meeting back at Oracle Arena on Sunday night.

They have to be watching and wondering in Phoenix. The Suns and Warriors had serious discussions about a draft-night blockbuster headlined by free agent-in-waiting Amar’e Stoudemire to Golden State for the pick that would become Curry or, after the selection had been made, actually Curry. He was the clear target of personnel boss Steve Kerr.

Talks got interesting, but were never on the verge of being completed. The Warriors were not going to do the deal without a commitment by Stoudemire to re-sign a year later, and they did not so much as get to the stage of asking for permission to talk. Besides, he was not going to give anything close to that commitment, so the deal would have fallen apart anyway.

In the end, the Warriors kept Curry, the Suns took Earl Clark at No. 14 in that draft and kept Stoudemire for one more season before he left for the Knicks as a free agent.

Petrie and the Kings passed on Curry to draft Tyreke Evans fifth. It wasn’t a disastrous choice – Evans won Rookie of the Year and remains a starter – but Curry has lapped Evans for impact, and at the same position. The decision by Kahn and the Timberwolves, that was a disaster worthy of guys in yellow plastic outfits and masks.

With picks five and six, Minnesota went point guard-point guard. That was curious enough. But when one of the point guards was Jonny Flynn and his career went nowhere fast, while Curry and Brandon Jennings (10 to the Bucks) and Jrue Holiday (17th to the 76ers) developed, it became one of the Kahn undoings.

A lot of teams had Flynn in that No. 6 range, meaning it was no reach by Kahn. But when the Timberwolves passed on Curry twice, the Warriors were thrilled. They took Curry without serious consideration of anyone else on the board, kept Curry without getting to the brink of a decision on a Stoudemire deal, and then, nearly four years later, rode him to a series lead in the playoffs.

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Posted in 2013 NBA Playoffs / Comments (5) /

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