QUICKEN LOANS ARENA, CLEVELAND, OH — With the 2015 NBA Finals knotted at one game apiece, the Golden State Warriors were at shootaround at “The Q” this morning, hours before facing the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3.
One of the hot topics after the Warriors lost Game 2 was Stephen Curry‘s 5-for-23 shooting performance (2-for-15 from beyond the arc).
Jason McIntyre of the TheBigLead made the case that Curry has been struggling the last four games, since his scary fall against the Houston Rockets in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals:
Here are Curry’s stats in the last three games and from the second half of Houston game in which he was injured.
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Game 2, Cleveland: 5-for-23 FG, 2-for-15 on 3FG
Game 1, Cleveland: 10-for-20 FG, 2-for-6 on 3FG
Game 5, Houston: 7-for-21 FG, 3-for-11 on 3FG
Game 4, Houston (post-injury): 4-for-9 FG, 3-for-4 on 3FG
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Field goal shooting: 26-of-73, 35.6%
3-Point shooting: 10-of-36, 27%
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They are way off his regular season numbers of 48% from the field and 44% on 3-pointers.
Today at morning shootaround, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr didn’t think so.
“Is he in a slump? Steph curry’s in a slump?” Kerr said. “I just — he had a bad game.”
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In fact, he had the third-worst game ever by an MVP in the NBA Finals, writes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun:
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Curry’s .217 overall field goal percentage in the game was the third-worst ever in the Finals by an MVP (Bob Cousy shot .100 once and .211 another time. Michael Jordan once shot .263 from the field).
“He had a bad shooting night That’s what happens in basketball. That’s happened to every player to ever put a uniform on, so that’s not a slump. He just had a tough game,” said Kerr.
As Ethan Strauss of ESPN.com reported, Curry denied the fall in Houston had anything to do with his Game 2 shooting woes:
“No, [the fall] had nothing to do with it,” Curry said Tuesday. “I feel good. I feel fine. I gotta shoot better.”
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Kerr also said that Curry’s health is not a factor, but as a former NBA sharpshooter himself, admitted these things happen.
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“Shots come and go,” Kerr said. “No one would say a word if it was the regular season.”
On the flip side, Wolstat noted that Curry has not had a three-game stretch yet in which he shot worse than 33% from beyond the arc:
…three times during the regular season, he shot terribly three games in a row (33% from three or worse each game). The run never made it to four contests. Even better for the Warriors, after each of the mini-slumps, Curry went on outside shooting tears (after the final two skids of the year, Curry shot better than 50% from deep for a prolonged period).
Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group certainly thinks Curry will fare better, starting tonight in Cleveland:
– Curry has shot better on the road than at home these entire playoffs, and it’s even more pronounced from three-point distance.
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In 10 home games so far, Curry’s three-point percentage is 28.4 percent (37 for 113).
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In seven road games, Curry’s three-point percentage is 50 percent (40 for 80).
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It’s not just a playoff phenomenon: During the regular season, Curry shot 49.4 percent on the road and 47.9 percent at home.
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Possible explanation: The Warriors’ offense, Curry included, can get over-excited and trigger-happy trying to please the home crowd.
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On the road, they have buckled down, made the appropriate passes, and often worked the ball back to Curry in a flow—and he’s pretty good in a flow.
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– Curry and Kerr’s coaching staff usually need a few games each series to get a feel for the open spots against each new opponent.
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In these playoffs, Curry has made more and more three-pointers the longer a series goes.
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And that’s comparable to his three-point shooting in the regular season, which traditionally picks up in February (39.9 percent from three-point before the All-Star break this season, 51.7 percent after the break).
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Curry works his way into a season, and he works his way into a playoff series.
Sam Amick of USA Today reported that Curry noticed the Warriors had some issues with their intensity after watching the game on film:
“We watched some film, and I understand what we need to do better,” he said. “It’s nice to be able to see (what you need to do). You might think you’re giving it your all on every possession, and making the extra play, but we can take our intensity to another level and that’s what we’re going to do tonight.”
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Look for Curry to be engaged from beginning to end this time, with an aggression in his game that has almost always worked wonders for these Warriors.
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“Yes (he’ll look to be aggressive), but that doesn’t necessarily mean scoring,” he said. “It’s about just making plays. There have been games throughout the playoffs where I’ve gone eight or nine minutes to start a game without shooting, trying to get guys involved and find ways to attack. It doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to finish the possession with a shot, but I like to have an impact and getting us good shots on every possession.”
(Photo: @letsgowarriors Instagram account via AP)
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