Steph Curry obliterated the Chicago Bulls in the 3rd quarter, flipping this game to the W column with 23 total points created. How did he do it?
Unsurprisingly, lots of split action. Wiggins rolls and Steph flares, with a Looney screen as a wrinkle to create an open look.
Curry is an exceptional rebounding guard, boxing out Javonte Green on the weakside and hustling to finish the play.
Takes Green off the dribble on the other end, using a slick stop-start move to create the separation he needs. Beautiful and-1, even with the right hand
Off another rebound, Steph uses the high screen from Draymond to force a switch onto DeMar DeRozan. He's too flat to stop the Curry drive, and the entire defense is forced to collapse. A slick dump off to Looney forces the foul
With Lonzo Ball defending, he's beginning to expect the Looney screens they have been using all night to create space. In a flash, Steph rejects the screen into a pull-up going to his right. The net hardly moves. Goodness
The Steph/Draymond chemistry is on display 24/7, and it's a treat to watch. Look how Draymond starts the pass with his left hand to really sell LaVine on the misdirection, before switching to his right as Steph makes the flare move. Creates a good look off of pure timing
Good fight by Steph on the glass again, and keeps the ball pushing against an unsettled defense. The drive against DeRozan again forces the defense to collapse, most importantly Lonzo Ball. He creates a good running look for Poole in the corner but its juuust a bit off
Andrew Wiggins attacking a closeout to his left, getting all the way to the rim with his left, finishing with his left. I am typing this through tears of joy
A lot goes into this play. The dive cut from Poole takes Lonzo out of the play as a help defender first. Looney initiates contact to throw off Caruso before a tough second screen. I agree w/ @TheAlleyOpe@perrymuchso, LaVine should press Dray here. Caruso, not your fault my guy
Caruso is a special trail defender and screen navigator, probably why he feels responsible for the previous play. His own standard is so high. Stays in Steph's jersey before dodging the Looney screen, and surprising Steph by denying the lane for the drive, forcing a funky travel
Another variation of the split action puts Chicago in trouble. This time, Steph abandons the screen early, going up through the elevator screen from Bjelica. His ability to stop on a dime is world-class, and Caruso can't stay attached.
More easy looks created for the Warriors simply because Steph Curry exists. He draws the early double off the Bjelica screen from Alize Johnson, who commits on a rotation to Iggy instead of tracking Bjelica, who fades to the wing. Iggy recognizes it quickly and makes the skip
Good luck defending Steph on picks when the big can fade out to 32 (!!!) feet. Again Johnson comes on the double, and Lonzo is forced into a tough choice with Bjelica fading so high. Concede the deep three, or play high and risk the dribble off the closeout. Option A fails him
Chicago making LaVine cover the inbounder on a Warriors BLOB (even if it's his man) is a bad call. That's almost always their #1 look. The high post pass to Iggy draws eyes up the court, while Steph works on LaVine. He's not ready for the screen and it's an easy layup for GPII
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
It's time for a mega-thread of Kevon Looney's statue-building 4/20/9 performance against the Kings to deliver the win on...4/20. Let's dive into it.
First and foremost is the rebounding. He needed to do it all by himself for GSW to get a rebounding edge, and did just that. Watch how he gets positioned and coiled with Sabonis boxing him out, preparing to spring for the board at the exact right moment.
Look at the effort to save this end-of-shotclock heave. Without even having good position or any help, he uses his determination and long reach to fight for the rebound over three Kings all by himself
Let's talk about James Wiseman's 30-point performance against Brooklyn. The third-year center posted a career-high 30 points, showing off a lot of his strengths alongside his weaknesses. Time to take a closer look at the tape:
Wiseman is assertive about wanting the ball in the post, and it's even more of a weapon against a small-ball team like Brooklyn. When almost every player defending you is a physical mismatch, get position and make decisive moves to the basket.
It requires some craft to pick the right times to flash open in the post. After Jordan Poole runs the baseline cut, expecting an Anthony Lamb exit screen, Wise flashes to the middle with deep position on Royce O'Neale, then turns and slams off the catch.
Every Warriors fan knows how Steph gets mauled shooting on a nightly basis, but last nights game against Portland was egregious. I watched every jump shot from both teams from last night to point out how ridiculously ignorant referees are of how Steph is defended. Threaded below.
First possession of the game, Steph uses the Kevon Looney screen to get freed at the break. Dennis Smith Jr. is able to mostly wiggle around it but catches Steph on the wrist. You can see him pull his arm back, the classic sign of guilt. No call.
Take your pick: Little clearly gets Steph on the wrist while also taking up a good chunk of his landing space. Directly in front of the ref. No call
Gonna thread some Emoni Bates clips here in anticipation of more #words
Wanted to qualify all of this by saying this entire Memphis offense is a mess, so starting with a clip that shows some of that. No movement, cutters, screens, everyone staring at the ball.
Emoni is pretty good at using his height on defense when in the lane. Denies any lane for a good shot or entry pass and forces the player into a tough hook shot off the glass
I get why people saw the Kevin Durant in Emoni Bates through his high school/youth circuit days. For a 6’9” wing this is some impressive control of his momentum to slow himself into a controlled shot.
Posting some Franz clips that stood out against the Dubs because he rocks and everyone should know about him.
Using the WCJ screen, Franz gets leverage on Wiggins and puts him in hip jail. That allows him to wait for WCJ to recover and seal off the paint, then he goes up for two
Great way to manipulate Jordan Poole's tag from the far side. When Franz drives, Wendell Carter dives, and that forces the tag on WCJ from Poole so that Draymond isn't 1v2 in the paint. Franz reads it all the way, firing the ball to the far corner for the open three
Another example of Franz's size, handle and patience getting him a layup. Switched on Jordan Poole, he already has the size mismatch, and WCJ vacates the paint along with Kevon Looney. Once Loon is out, Franz spins away from him and Draymond to go up strong over Poole for two
Throwing out some clips from the Dubs' blowout against the Orlando Magic last night, as we got a big dose of the whole roster.
With Kevon coming to screen Cole Anthony's left, Mo Bamba follows him, and Steph spins in the opposite direction to get the open three. Nasty stuff
Jordan Poole's start/stop ability is just incredible. With Gary Harris not anticipating the Draymond screen, there's no chance for Orlando to stop this bucket
Great slow-mo shot of Jordan Poole using the eye/head fake to get Gary Harris up in the air before dropping the pass off to Gary Payton II