INKtastic wrote:DubTheVanDamage wrote:INKtastic wrote:Just curious for future reference. Is Curry "back". Or is this going to be another one of those playoffs where he is only "back" on nights he has good games?
Heh, still on that?
Interestingly, Tom Haberstroh had a very interesting article on exactly that point:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2773904-is-steph-curry-really-backBy the time the Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in a grueling seven-game series, the Cleveland Cavaliers had tracked and broken down his movements like a forensic scientist. They analyzed his in-game workload data, watched hours of film and came away with a realization that they weren't watching the reigning MVP anymore.
"He just wasn't the same animal," one high-level Cavs staffer admitted later.
The box score didn't scream that Curry wasn't 100 percent after the MCL injury; it whispered it. In 16 games after returning, Curry averaged 26.4 points, 5.4 assists and 5.8 rebounds and shot 40.2 percent on 11.5 three-pointers per game. In the Finals, Curry even set a record with 32 made threes.
"Steph still had his shooting ability, but he didn't have that state of flow where everything's working for you effortlessly," Penfold says. "Other times, it's still going to work, but you've got to work at it."
But the Cavs organization saw that Curry's mileage had piled up in the OKC series. The film also revealed a subtle change in the Warriors' attack by design or by default: They preserved his body by letting him create off the dribble.
"He stopped running off the ball," the Cavs source said. "You could clearly see that there was a gradual erosion to his game."
Also:
Curry had been slowly declining in speed, too. According to SportVU tracking data, he averaged 5.21 mph on offense in the Portland series, or covering about 460 feet per minute. In OKC, that dipped to 5.12 (450 feet). In the finals, it fell to 4.88 (430 feet).
You brought it up, are you going to be honorable here? Or just deny or ignore this?
I'd imagine most player slow down as the playoffs progress and the stakes get higher, defenses get tougher. I ask again, curry "Back" or is he only "Back" during the good games and injured the others. We sure didn't hear much talk about his knee when he scored 38 in game 4, but heard tons about it when they lost the next 3 and have ever since then too I'm not sure what Curry's knee had to do with LeBron having back to back 41 point games or Curry's own critical turnover late in game 7.
I am not sure what is so existentially important to you that you must desperately cling to the disproved notion that Curry was 100% healthy in the 2016 Finals.
Heh, you "imagine"...
You completely ignored a Cavs staffer saying, "He just wasn't the same animal."
You completely ignored his trainer saying, "Steph still had his shooting ability, but he didn't have that state of flow where everything's working for you effortlessly," Penfold says. "Other times, it's still going to work, but you've got to work at it."
You completely ignored the Warriors former director of player development saying that his lateral movement was limited.
So, yes, Steph could still shoot, which is why he had some good games. But he had a harder time moving off the ball or taking someone, say, a slow footed Kevin Love, off the dribble.
You're just being obtuse here. I don't even understand why it's so important to you -- the article states the Cavs watched the film and correctly found the weakness and LeBron, specifically, was smart enough to target Curry. The Cavs deserve credit for their Finals' game plan and play and you'd rather chalk the win up to Steph choking. Bizarre.
“I pretty much played the last three games with a broken hand,” James said as he sat there with a softcast on the right hand.
128-120
