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Okay, the Warriors have just pulled out a tight win in Toronto, and Stephen Curry has just scored 44 points and bombed in 9 three pointers with many clutch points in the 4th quarter. What a game.
Draymond Green Does The Dirty Work
Before we talk more about Curry, I want to highlight Draymond Green's vital contributions down the stretch. In the last three minutes, the Warriors went to Small Ball Hurt Squad (with Shaun Livingston instead of Harrison Barnes, it's not quite as good as Small Ball Death Squad) and it was anyone's game until the end. In this stretch, Draymond:
- has two outstanding drives in early offense, using his speed to outrun the opposing bigger center, seven-footer Lucas Nogueira, drawing 4 FTs.
- at 0:20, he fights off three Raptors to keep an offensive rebound alive. It goes out of bounds off a Raptor, turning it into a free throw contest with the Warriors up.
- in the last 3 seconds, the Warriors are inbounding to win, and Andre Iguodala throws an offline inbounds pass way back into the Warriors backcourt. If the Raptors take over, they will have a shot to tie, inbounding in the Warriors half court. So Draymond does this:
Draymond jumps out of bounds, grabs the ball and while falling out in mid-air, turns and dishes it perfectly to Curry inbounds. He won't get a stat or a highlight, but those kinds of plays add up to wins.
Nine Curry Threes
The guy can shoot. I know you want to see the threes, so here is a highlight mix.
@StephenCurry30 matched his season-high with 9 made 3-pointers in today's win at Toronto. Watch them all here https://t.co/ZCH6hkoMqZ
— Golden St. Warriors (@warriors) December 6, 2015
In case you were wondering, the plays were:
- sideline pick and roll
- broken play: high double ball screen (don't recognize this play)
- early offense catch and shoot, gorgeous find from Green
- curl around Green, drop off. Usually Bogut's play.
- Floppy (explained)
- catch and shoot corner 3 from Marreese Speights (shades of Pelicans Game 3)
- quick high pick and roll with Green (explained)
- transition stop on a dime pull up
- quick high pick and roll with Green (explained)
Curry's Gravity
"In a basketball context, gravity is the tendency of defenders to be pulled to certain parts of the floor. Every offensive player has gravity -- but not all players have the same gravity."
Gravity Play #1
- at 8:00 Curry intentionally dribbles INTO a quadruple-team. Yes, the Raptors are literally guarding him with four players. Curry dribbles in to try to collapse the defense.
- I believe Kyle Lowry #7 is guarding Klay. He loses Klay in transition. As Klay runs down court, you can almost hear him tiptoeing behind Lowry saying "Be vewy quiet, I'm hunting threes, he he he."
- Klay hustled for that rebound. He seems to be trying harder this year on the boards.
- Klay also got off that shot quickly, as Lowry did a good job to try to get there to contest.
Gravity Play #2
- How the heck did Shaun Livingston get so open? Once Johnson switches to Curry, Curry's defender Cory Joseph is now in charge of Johnson's man or at least has to cover somebody. Instead, he sort of zones behind Johnson in case Curry blows by him, all while looking for the unguarded Warrior. But the unguarded Warrior, like a horror movie, is right behind him. THE LAYUP IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE, RUN!
- It's also amusing to watch Livingston glide into the play. He jogs completely unguarded straight to the hoop, but Curry doesn't have a good angle to get the ball to him. Curry moves over for a better angle and then - basket.
- You can't see it from this angle, but Shaun fakes a wraparound pass to confuse Nogueira into looking the other way, and then lays it up.
Bonus Play
This was in many ways the deciding play of the game. Warriors clinging to a 1 point lead, one minute to go. The Warriors need a good play. They pick this one, which is stopped by a foul leading to free throws and the Warriors never trailed afterwards. Advanced Quiz: Can you recognize this play?
Okay, this is the Fake Warriors Rip Into Floppy play (full explanation here). Curry and Klay start a Floppy under the basket and Curry screens for Klay and then instead of screening for Livingston at the elbow, he turns around and gets a quick screen right back from Klay. He is fouled, but he was to curl around the left elbow screen from Draymond.
Here's a fuller example of the play.
Final Thoughts
When I started doing this series, I decided I would do one breakdown for every Warriors win to start the season. I wasn't sure what I would do for the losses. I expected to be too bummed out, and what would I breakdown anyway? A successful play in a loss? The depressing pivotal play pointing out Warriors mistakes? I didn't know but I was sure I would figure it out along the way.
Well, it's freaking December 5th and I've pounded out 20 of these, and I STILL don't know what I'm going to do for a loss. Savor every game while we can.
The Explain One Play Series So Far
Offense
- Explain One Quarter: Curry's Casual 28 Points (Come On, Son!!)
- Explain 1 Play: Curry Cold-Blooded Go-Ahead 3 (Klay-Curry Pick and Roll)
- Explain 1 Play: Brandon Rush Rides Elevator for 3 (HORNS Elevator Doors)
- Explain One Play: Klay Sweet 3 Restarts Blowout (Motion Weak)
- Explain One Play: Curry No-Look Pass For Barnes 3 (Warriors Early Offense)
- Explain 1 Play: Barnes Tries To Be Not "Terrible" (HORNS Elbow Get)
- Explain One Play: Thunderous Green-Ezeli Alley-oop Dunk (Recycled Double Screen)
- Explain 1 Play: Busted Elevator = Draymond Wins (Elevator Doors, Baseline Out of Bounds)
- Explain One Play: Curry & Green's Favorite Play (High Pick and Roll)
- Explain 1 Play: Iguodala's Last-Gasp 3 Saves W's (Split Screen, Sideline Out of Bounds)
- Explain 1 Play: Awesome Curry Bank Shot And-1 (Warriors Rip, Floppy, Curl)
- Explain One Play: Curry Screen = Barnes Dunk AGAIN (Warriors Rip)
- Explain One Play: Warriors + Floppy = Klay 3 (Floppy)
- One Play: Warriors + Triangle Offense = Barnes 3 (Post-Cross/Guard Squeeze)
- One Play: The W's Stop and Steal a Clippers Play (High HORNS)
- One Play: That Absurd No-Look Backwards Curry Pass (Simple Pick and Roll)
- One Play: 2 Spurs Recipes + Curry = Klay 3 (Hammer and Triple Loop)
- One Warriors Play: Spurs Play + Curry = Bogut Dunk (Motion Strong)
- Two Wild Threes from a Wild Game Three (Post-Cross)
- How the Warriors fought the blitz in Boston, Brooklyn (HORNS, Pick and Roll, Blitz)
- Understanding the Warriors Weave (The Weave!)
- Notes on Turnovers: The Movie!
- Notes on GSW's New Offense: Deception & Motion (HORNS and Post-Cross)
- Notes on the Warriors' new offense: Feeding the post (Basic Principles, Post-Cross)
Defense
- Explain One Play: Curry & Green's Favorite Play (High Pick and Roll)
- Explain One Play: Warriors Swarm Drummond (Post Double Teams)
- Guardin' Harden: The New Warriors Defense (Strong Side Goalie)
- Breakdown of Wild Ending of Rockets-Warriors G2 (Perimeter Double Team)
- Slowing (and Freeing) Anthony Davis: A chess match (Strong Side Goalie)
- Barnes Plays Big and Bold (and Bad) (Strong Side Goalie, Switching)
- Steph Curry Is Awesome At Defense (Post Switches)
- Notes on the Warriors' defense (ICE, Switching and Sagging)