dhsilv2 wrote:bovice wrote:dhsilv2 wrote:
He still nerfs the height issue. if you want to address Curry's issues, address them. Not try using comps while calling a guy too short with someone a whole inch taller.
you're pointing out the very few exceptions to the rule. go and find teams who have won championships with their best player being their shortest player in the last 30 years. pistons with IT, warriors with Steph, and maybe you could say billups in '04. those are 3 outliers and you could probably find a good way to explain why they won those years. they either benefitted from injuries and/or had the majority of matchup advantages in the finals.
and again, dwade is a physically imposing player. physicality is important in the playoffs. it's why a player like bogdonavic who may be a better scorer but is finesse regresses in the playoffs but Terrence Mann's impact is elevated.
edit: I feel like you're choosing not to understand the gist of what I'm saying because you're so caught up in wanting to be right. I don't want that to come off as condescending, I just want a discussion in good faith
The best players in NBA history have generally been taller. That's pretty well established. That said Curry isn't that small. He's 6'3 and is today a fairly well built and strong guy. The thing about Curry is his value is unique among MVP level stars. His value is more about his shot creation for others than it is his ability to shot create. Sure, he's an all time great shot MAKER, but not creator for himself. He's just a very different style of player. It would be like saying no team had won with a superstar who shot under 60% since Wilt when Shaq was winning titles. Shaq's just a different animal. Same with Curry.
That said if you're including IT and Bilups with Curry. That's 7 titles since 1989 or 20.6% of them. That seems like a pretty reasonable number, basically 1 in 5.
he's a scrawny, finesse 6'3 player who recently put on some weight in recent years and has become a better finisher inside as a result. no one would say he's above average in strength at his height. you would say that about someone like donovan mitchell.
there comes a time in the playoffs where the system breaks down and you need to put the team on your back. relying on movement to get open shots gets wins in the regular season, but it's not reliable in the post season. look at the jazz 2 years ago when they were the #1 seed or atlanta when they had millsap and korver, they fizzled out in the postseason. sure, the warriors are that on steroids, but you're seeing in these playoffs when it's neck and neck in the 4th quarter, you need to be able to isolate a defender and score on him. steph can't do that and they're down 3-1. dwade, paul pierce, kobe, jordan, KD, kawhi, lebron could all do it.
you can believe steph and the gsw system is so great that it overcomes that weakness, i cant convince you otherwise. but i don't believe that. i look at his playoff resume and i see a lot of wins but how many of those wins were against actual contenders? like kobe played a legit rockets team with artest, yao, scola, battier in the 2nd round, a 2nd seeded melo, billups, kenyon martin nuggets team, then played DPOY, MVP-candidate led magic who were good enough to beat lebron in the finals. that's a legendary run. Kawhi beating MVP Giannis + a philly team with embiid and butler just to get to the finals is a legendary run in and of itself. what run of curry's was that great? so did he win because of dominance or did he win because of circumstance. they had KD for 2 years and were the best team, but who did they beat without KD? OKC in '16 but they weren't champions that year. only series i can think of is boston last year. so forgive me if i'm not convinced of curry's transcendent greatness.
and...billups being the best player in '04 is debatable. you could say ben wallace was the most important player on that team. you could say sheed was. i wouldn't disagree if you said billups was the best, but if we're being honest that really was a total team effort that has yet to be repeated since then. an anomaly of a ring. the 2 years the warriors won with KD, a lot of people would say KD was the best player and his FMVP makes that case stronger. that 20% number is probably closer to 10%. but yes, you can win a ring if your best player is your shortest, but you're gonna need a lot more advantages to go your way to make that happen, it's why we don't see it often.