This is a good use of Curry as an inbounder in ATOs. Leveraging his gravity to get Oubre a drive to the rim from a fake handoff, made easier by the Clippers not having anyone to help on the drive.
Really crafty pushoff by Curry on Patrick Beverley here. Forces Beverley under Looney's screen, and that's all the space Curry needs.
Hedging/trapping Curry has become the norm now, especially with the kind of roster Curry has to work with (i.e., average-to-below-average shooting).
I absolutely love this wrinkle they've put in to prevent hedging/trapping. Somewhat of a screen-the-screener/DHO action.
I've noticed Kerr likes to go with a 2-2-1 zone press with the 2nd unit every now and then. Really cuts into the shot clock and forces the opposing offense to rush. Case in point: Reggie Jackson doing god-knows-what and dribbling into nothingness. Warriors eventually force a TO.
Eric Paschall has really become the cornerstone of the Warriors' second unit. I love how he stays under control on this drive and doesn't force a shot against Ivica Zubac. Instead, he throws a strike to Damion Lee on the corner. Great vision, and an even better pass.
This is just lack of cohesion on the Clippers' part (and, of course, Steph Curry causing all sorts of chaos). Paul George does the right thing in jumping toward Curry, but the drag screen allows Curry to penetrate. No one is there to meet Curry at the level of the screen.
Okay so this is what happened as a result of that infamous picture going around Twitter of Curry drawing triple coverage from PG, Kawhi, and Batum. Draymond is left open and gets the pass. Look how he easily strolls to the rim because of a PG lapse.
Another Steve Kerr ATO special, this time w/ Wiseman running the fake handoff. He gets fouled and 2 shots at the line from it.
Unlike the last fake handoff, Clippers actually do help on this drive, but Wiseman is so big and fast that it's hard to get a clean block/strip on him.
Clippers actually deal with this high drag screen for Curry well, with Ibaka stepping up high to meet Steph at the line. But it doesn't matter because Curry can just do things off the dribble to create space.
Excellent defensive possession from the Warriors. This is the kind of thing you expect to see when you hear Steve Kerr say "Top-10 defense."
This is a pet play the Warriors often run to get Curry a side-PnR, lifted from the Spurs playbook. Aside from hedging or trapping, teams can deal with this by ICE-ing (denying the screen and funneling to the big).
Zubac, however, messes the ICE up badly.
Warriors are running TRIPLE ballscreens for Steph, which seem to be really effective with shooters (e.g., Mulder and Bazemore) on the floor. They get a nice Looney cut and dunk off of it.
Another triple screen for Curry. Clippers adjust by having someone jump out to deny the third screen, but that creates another hole for Curry to exploit.
The importance of Kent Bazemore. Probably the only one besides Draymond Green to actively look for Curry in scramble/fastbreak situations.
This pass by Steph lol. No matter how many times I watch it, it's still quite amazing.
This was flat-out embarrassing defense by the Clippers.
A series of actions to get Steph the ball and a favorable matchup. Ibaka is by no means a slouch when switching out onto the perimeter, but he is by default the ideal one to target. The plan works, and Steph with the nifty reverse layup.
The ingenuity of Draymond Green
Andrew Wiggins with the clutch shot over PG. He ain't afraid, that's for sure.
Draymond Green with great defense on Kawhi Leonard. Switches onto him, smothers, and forces the turnover.
And to cap it off, this incredible work of art by Steph Curry, using Paul George as his canvas.
That's a wrap! Doing a thread on this game was fun. Might do more in the future. It's good material for articles and it allows me to brush up on basketball terminology and Xs-and-Os and whatnot. If you made it this far, thank you for bearing with me!
