OT: I was wrong about Steph Curry

[kyleslamb]

I've never been one to doubt Curry's shooting ability, nor will I start despite his poor playoff showing. That said, while his offensive skill level is indisputable, I think it's fair to question whether he has the willpower and commitment to playing smart and disciplined enough to ever reach his potential.

To be clear, my point here is that he's an amazing dribbler, passer, shooter and has great vision and instincts. He could be a monumental offensive player. At the end of the day, though, he wants to shoot and make fancy passes. He's too concerned with making highlights and not concerned enough with making his teammates better. That's the difference between he and LeBron. James makes amazing plays too, but he does so because he's just trying to win games and put his teammates in position to make the best play possible. Curry has this kind of ability, but he too frequently reverts to trying to be a highlight reel.

I don't question Curry. I question his decision making and style.

 

[polycom]

I've never been one to doubt Curry's shooting ability, nor will I start despite his poor playoff showing. That said, while his offensive skill level is indisputable, I think it's fair to question whether he has the willpower and commitment to playing smart and disciplined enough to ever reach his potential.

To be clear, my point here is that he's an amazing dribbler, passer, shooter and has great vision and instincts. He could be a monumental offensive player. At the end of the day, though, he wants to shoot and make fancy passes. He's too concerned with making highlights and not concerned enough with making his teammates better. That's the difference between he and LeBron. James makes amazing plays too, but he does so because he's just trying to win games and put his teammates in position to make the best play possible. Curry has this kind of ability, but he too frequently reverts to trying to be a highlight reel.

I don't question Curry. I question his decision making and style.

The difference is Lebron has been to the finals 6 times and Curry has only been 2. Experience it's clearly the difference, Curry went to hero ball while Lebron kept with the game plan through every game and really throughout his career.

 

[JimHurley]

Curry's game is so one dimensional. If he's not hitting threes he has a minimal impact.

 

[auror]

I think it's fair to question whether he has the willpower and commitment to playing smart and disciplined enough to ever reach his potential.

He's already exceeded the wildest projections of his potential. 2x time MVP and greatest shooter of all time isn't a high enough ceiling for you? LeBron didn't win a title until his 9th season, and there was the same talk about him early on in his career. Curry won it already in his 6th.

Curry's game is so one dimensional. If he's not hitting threes he has a minimal impact.

The hot takes continue. Did you watch GSW this year? His passing and handle are both unbelievable. He has sloppy moments, but especially this year, his range opened up his driving. He shot 56% on 2s during the season on almost 9 2s a game and 5 FTAs per game. The 3 is his bread and butter, but he does other things and does them well.

Did you know he led the league in steals this year?

 

[kyleslamb]

He's already exceeded the wildest projections of his potential. 2x time MVP and greatest shooter of all time isn't a high enough ceiling for you?



The hot takes continue. Did you watch GSW this year? His passing and handle are both unbelievable. He has sloppy moments, but especially this year, his range opened up his driving. He shot 56% on 2s during the season on almost 9 2s a game and 5 FTAs per game. The 3 is his bread and butter, but he does other things and does them well.

Did you know he led the league in steals this year?

I don't care about subjective awards like MVPs. He was MVP this year but we all saw LeBron is still the best and most valuable player in the MVP without a doubt here in this playoff series. I don't subscribe to media-driven narratives, nor do I care about hype. I care about reality.

The reality is Curry is a talented player, but no, given his talent he has not exceeded his potential. His potential is that of a guy who can come in and beat Oklahoma City without falling down 3-1 and his potential is that of a guy who up 3-1, can make plays and close out the series against Cleveland.

Let's not forget, last year, Curry wasn't otherworldly in the final either. He was very average. That same MVP you're talking about didn't go to Curry in the final... it went to Iguodala.

You are making the mistake too many people make... they fall in love with the long, beautiful 3-pointers and the highlight reel plays. You're ignoring all the little things Curry doesn't do that add up in the course of a basketball game. He's capable of doing these things, he certainly has the talent, but he's not doing them.

 

[jibsey]

Curry's game is so one dimensional. If he's not hitting threes he has a minimal impact.

The game was so close that if Curry doesn't lose the behind the back pass or if someone hits a jump shot we are talking about the Warriors winning and why LeBron couldn't get it done.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Curry is an exceptional player, but he choked down the stretch last night.

I was rooting for Golden State and came away impressed with LeBron.

Draymond Green has to be the leader of his team. He has the requisite toughness (mental and physical) that Curry does not.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Maybe if Curry ever faced adversity ever he'd know what to do.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I know this is an internet forum, but these are some of the stupidest hot takes I've ever seen.

1) The current era of NBA free agency and max player contract value has created super teams. These 2 teams are better than most of the teams in NBA history. The 4 best teams this year had ending ELOs at or above 1750. The Celtics hit a 1750 ELO I believe only one time in the 80's? If you don't like this brand of basketball, that's fine, but these teams are GOOD.

2) Come on. Were games 2 and 4 not when it counts? Because Kyrie was terrible in those games. Curry's offensive value is so much more than Kyrie's. Even when Curry plays poorly, he draws so much defensive attention. Why is every 3 Harrison Barnes or Draymond Green takes wide open? Because Curry gets doubled on pick and rolls and his man is up on his grill 30 feet from the basket. If you don't know basketball and are impressed by hitting tough shots in ISO (and forgetting the ones he misses in those scenarios), you'd take Irving. Curry has also been a better defender than Irving throughout his career, although I suspect his lateral movement on D was still affected a bit by the injury in these last few series.



Curry played better than you remember in last year's finals. He had one bad game, but played 3 excellent games to close it out last year.

That being said, the playoffs are absolutely reffed differently than the regular season, and it is to players like Curry's detriment. If you can absolutely maul him off ball and coming around picks like the Thunder and Cavs did, he's going to play worse. I can't stand the discrepancy. If playoff basketball is more pure and more intense, than ref that way all season. That will probably have an impact on his game.

Every level of basketball, really any sport the games get more physical in the playoffs and at highest levels. That isn't changing, Curry needs to adapt. Lots of other players have gone thru it, you either respond or you wilt.

And no one is saying Curry is bad, simply that he was a justifiable unanimous MVP in the regular season, BUT he wasn't either his teams or the leagues MVP in multiple postseason series over the last 2 years. LeBron & Irving this year (heck Livingston was MVP leader in clubhouse after 2 games), LeBron & Igoudola last year, Westbrook & Durant
Curry's 2016 playoff is 25pts, 4.4 on 40.4% 3pt shooting, 5.2APG, 5.5RPG, 4.2TO
IN 2015 NBA finals Curry averaged 25pts 4.2 on 38.5% 3pt shooting, 6.3APG, 4.7TO
So very similar body of work in this year's playoffs to last year's finals. These are great stats! Only quibble is they are a dropoff from regular season and neither MVP or game dominating caliber in aggregate (and he only took over maybe 3-4 games all playoffs). I think he has it in him given his regular season performances, I think there is some BB IQ, desire and physical toughness adjustments still needed. Not dissimilar to the way MJ had to get battered by the Pistons back in the day. If Curry wants to be a transcendent player (and I think he does) he makes these adjustments and wins more championships.

I think the other thing going on is to this point Curry has been the media and fan darling, so now everyone is quick to pounce on the false king they built themselves or waited silently for a slip-up to bash. That is annoying hot-take angle and I sympathize with auror's frustration at that.

 

[kyleslamb]

Every level of basketball, really any sport the games get more physical in the playoffs and at highest levels. That isn't changing, Curry needs to adapt. Lots of other players have gone thru it, you either respond or you wilt.

And no one is saying Curry is bad, simply that he was a justifiable unanimous MVP in the regular season, BUT he wasn't either his teams or the leagues MVP in multiple postseason series over the last 2 years. LeBron & Irving this year (heck Livingston was MVP leader in clubhouse after 2 games), LeBron & Igoudola last year, Westbrook & Durant
Curry's 2016 playoff is 25pts, 4.4 on 40.4% 3pt shooting, 5.2APG, 5.5RPG, 4.2TO
IN 2015 NBA finals Curry averaged 25pts 4.2 on 38.5% 3pt shooting, 6.3APG, 4.7TO
So very similar body of work in this year's playoffs to last year's finals. These are great stats! Only quibble is they are a dropoff from regular season and neither MVP or game dominating caliber in aggregate (and he only took over maybe 3-4 games all playoffs). I think he has it in him given his regular season performances, I think there is some BB IQ, desire and physical toughness adjustments still needed. Not dissimilar to the way MJ had to get battered by the Pistons back in the day. If Curry wants to be a transcendent player (and I think he does) he makes these adjustments and wins more championships.

I think the other thing going on is to this point Curry has been the media and fan darling, so now everyone is quick to pounce on the false king they built themselves or waited silently for a slip-up to bash. That is annoying hot-take angle and I sympathize with auror's frustration at that.

Good post, but one minor quibble... one shouldn't assume everyone's opinion is simply a hot take. There are many people who have felt the way they do since last season. I'm one of them. Everything I'm saying isn't reactionary... I've been saying this since last year.

I think Curry's offensive skill level is through the roof. I don't think he's disciplined enough to ever realize his full potential because he likes the glitz and glamour plays far too much. That behind the back pass turnover to Thompson last night with under 4 minutes left in the game is a microcosm of why Curry isn't as good as advertised. It's not talent, it's that he tries too much to be fancy and doesn't get the job done nearly as consistently as his talent would allow. Believe me, if he played with a little more restrained energy and just made the play his natural instincts would allow, he would be an unstoppable offensive player.

 

[CallMeBruce]

He's already exceeded the wildest projections of his potential. 2x time MVP and greatest shooter of all time isn't a high enough ceiling for you? LeBron didn't win a title until his 9th season, and there was the same talk about him early on in his career. Curry won it already in his 6th.



The hot takes continue. Did you watch GSW this year? His passing and handle are both unbelievable. He has sloppy moments, but especially this year, his range opened up his driving. He shot 56% on 2s during the season on almost 9 2s a game and 5 FTAs per game. The 3 is his bread and butter, but he does other things and does them well.

Did you know he led the league in steals this year?

I applaud your effort, but this isn't going anywhere.

 

[kyleslamb]

On a lighter note...

 

[tzznandrew]

I applaud your effort, but this isn't going anywhere.

Seriously. Best to leave those who make absurd hot takes to themselves. They're never the type of people susceptible to reason.

 

[mauconnfan]

I know this is an internet forum, but these are some of the stupidest hot takes I've ever seen.

1) The current era of NBA free agency and max player contract value has created super teams. These 2 teams are better than most of the teams in NBA history. The 4 best teams this year had ending ELOs at or above 1750. The Celtics hit a 1750 ELO I believe only one time in the 80's? If you don't like this brand of basketball, that's fine, but these teams are GOOD.

2) Come on. Were games 2 and 4 not when it counts? Because Kyrie was terrible in those games. Curry's offensive value is so much more than Kyrie's. Even when Curry plays poorly, he draws so much defensive attention. Why is every 3 Harrison Barnes or Draymond Green takes wide open? Because Curry gets doubled on pick and rolls and his man is up on his grill 30 feet from the basket. If you don't know basketball and are impressed by hitting tough shots in ISO (and forgetting the ones he misses in those scenarios), you'd take Irving. Curry has also been a better defender than Irving throughout his career, although I suspect his lateral movement on D was still affected a bit by the injury in these last few series.



Curry played better than you remember in last year's finals. He had one bad game, but played 3 excellent games to close it out last year.

That being said, the playoffs are absolutely reffed differently than the regular season, and it is to players like Curry's detriment. If you can absolutely maul him off ball and coming around picks like the Thunder and Cavs did, he's going to play worse. I can't stand the discrepancy. If playoff basketball is more pure and more intense, than ref that way all season. That will probably have an impact on his game.

Amazing you can make fun of our "hot takes" and somehow say these teams are better than most in NBA history.. Not only are they not, they aren't and weren't close. Throw all the crap stats and free agency super teams out there you want, from the Celts to the Lakers to the Pistons to the Bulls to the Spurs most recently as well as Lebron's Heat team, they aren't as good.

So say what you want about others hot takes but yours are more of the hilarious variety. I prefer not to say stupid because it's your opinion although just not a very good one at all.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Good post, but one minor quibble... one shouldn't assume everyone's opinion is simply a hot take. There are many people who have felt the way they do since last season. I'm one of them. Everything I'm saying isn't reactionary... I've been saying this since last year.

I think Curry's offensive skill level is through the roof. I don't think he's disciplined enough to ever realize his full potential because he likes the glitz and glamour plays far too much. That behind the back pass turnover to Thompson last night with under 4 minutes left in the game is a microcosm of why Curry isn't as good as advertised. It's not talent, it's that he tries too much to be fancy and doesn't get the job done nearly as consistently as his talent would allow. Believe me, if he played with a little more restrained energy and just made the play his natural instincts would allow, he would be an unstoppable offensive player.

I think IF you remove 'EVER realize his full potential' that's a reasoned analysis of Curry's game. Arguably he SHOULD do glitz/glamour in the regular season b/c ultimately it is more about entertainment than anything else. But bad habits take hold and very difficult to turn things on and off in sports. Again, I think Curry the superstar is very new to the NBA playoffs and this year in particular will be a huge learning curve. You think he's not going to watch those game 7 turnovers and cringe?

Curry worked really hard last offseason and it was evident in his play. So reasonable to expect he'll do that again and he actually needs to make less of a quantum leap. I assume he'll continue to refine & expand his shooting range and accuracy. He now needs to get stronger for offense and defense, either add muscle or just leaner with even more solid core. Goal is to be able to play against size on defense and absorb contact off ball on offense. Then work more on individually attacking defense and getting to rim or creating shots for others with fewer turnovers. Lastly next season he should try end of season taper off to build up strength for playoff push.
All-in-all, I think less dramatic than LeBron's "ADD A POST UP GAME" which was his Achilles heal after the first Miami season and a similarly disappointing finals loss as a favorite.

To me this is eerily like Jordan when the Pistons were knocking him down. Eventually he got bigger and smarter and was still able to do the 'wow' plays but used his teammates a little more and the rest is history. Not saying Curry is Jordan by any stretch, just that player's Achilles heels are often fixable.

 

[TasteofUConn]

That is annoying hot-take angle and I sympathize with auror's frustration at that.

This has been my cold take for two years. Here are the reasonable conclusions you can draw from this year:

1. The GSW had a great team the last two years. Not a historically great team, nor a team that will be remembered with the likes of the 80s Lakers or Celtics or the Bulls, but in the 2nd eschelon after those teams.

2. GS was helped immensely last year by injuries to other teams. Even with that, they dropped two to the Cavs in the finals. A tip of the hat to LeBron and a foreshadowing.

3. Curry is an underrated shooter and an overrated player. Best ever at shooting, and it's not close, as some still believe. Not a top 20 player overall, career wise, and has a long way to go to get there, which he may not. I took a lot of abuse for my "flash in the pan" comment, but I stand by it. As of right now, two thirds of the way through the meat of his basketball career, he has had two very noteworthy seasons, and two forgettable post seasons and not much else. If his career ended tomorrow, you'd have a hard time saying anything beyond "had a great two years." Greatness in rarely earned over a short time (but see Big Ern getting thrown out and Maker's Muppet post), and in BB, it takes many years, not two quick ones. His window is narrow. In another 5 years he'll be on the rapid downslope for quickness, without which his game will suffer immensely.

4. Curry has not shown himself to be a big-game player. Is it the fact that Defenses can be more physical with him in the post season? Maybe. But it may also be that his loosey-goosey jack up the 3 from any old circus angle doesn't work as well when the pressure gets turned up. Sure, when you're running away with the best record and there's nothing much to lose by jacking 3s up from 5 feet beyond the arc, go to town - no pressure. The most damning stat that Curry posted yesterday was what? 1 trip to the line. 1? or was it 2? What great player ever got shut down like that at crunch time, and couldn't even get to the line to have an impact. None. That's why they're all time greats. Kobe may have put up 7 for 25 nights on occasion, but the dude would get 12 or 15 points from the line in doing so.

5. GS played a very weak Rockets team and a very weak Portland team in the early rounds. The two good teams they played - took them to 1-3 and - came back from 1-3. Curry did not play well in any of the losses. That is hugely telling.

6. There were many terrible calls over the series, but GS needed 2 really bad calls to keep the game close late. 1st, LBJ was called for a foul on a 3 point shot that was minimal to no contact in which the shooter jumped into him. A foul was then called on a Livingston jumper were the replay showed no contact at all. Those 5 points were part of an 8-0 GS run late which kept the game close. Refs blew calls in the other direction as well - Curry got called for a foul when a guy plowed into him - ridiculous. But if you're looking for a conspiracy theory, those 5 point made the game much tighter than it was at that point.

7. I don't see GS being better next year, unless they pick up the right piece, but it's unclear who that would be. Not sure Durant or anybody else being there makes them better. They need to use caution making changes. Too many chefs spoil the soup.

 

[superjohn]

This has been my cold take for two years. Here are the reasonable conclusions you can draw from this year:

1. The GSW had a great team the last two years. Not a historically great team, nor a team that will be remembered with the likes of the 80s Lakers or Celtics or the Bulls, but in the 2nd eschelon after those teams.

2. GS was helped immensely last year by injuries to other teams. Even with that, they dropped two to the Cavs in the finals. A tip of the hat to LeBron and a foreshadowing.

3. Curry is an underrated shooter and an overrated player. Best ever at shooting, and it's not close, as some still believe. Not a top 20 player overall, career wise, and has a long way to go to get there, which he may not. I took a lot of abuse for my "flash in the pan" comment, but I stand by it. As of right now, two thirds of the way through the meat of his basketball career, he has had two very noteworthy seasons, and two forgettable post seasons and not much else. If his career ended tomorrow, you'd have a hard time saying anything beyond "had a great two years." Greatness in rarely earned over a short time (but see Big Ern getting thrown out and Maker's Muppet post), and in BB, it takes many years, not two quick ones. His window is narrow. In another 5 years he'll be on the rapid downslope for quickness, without which his game will suffer immensely.

4. Curry has not shown himself to be a big-game player. Is it the fact that Defenses can be more physical with him in the post season? Maybe. But it may also be that his loosey-goosey jack up the 3 from any old circus angle doesn't work as well when the pressure gets turned up. Sure, when you're running away with the best record and there's nothing much to lose by jacking 3s up from 5 feet beyond the arc, go to town - no pressure. The most damning stat that Curry posted yesterday was what? 1 trip to the line. 1? or was it 2? What great player ever got shut down like that at crunch time, and couldn't even get to the line to have an impact. None. That's why they're all time greats. Kobe may have put up 7 for 25 nights on occasion, but the dude would get 12 or 15 points from the line in doing so.

5. GS played a very weak Rockets team and a very weak Portland team in the early rounds. The two good teams they played - took them to 1-3 and - came back from 1-3. Curry did not play well in any of the losses. That is hugely telling.

6. There were many terrible calls over the series, but GS needed 2 really bad calls to keep the game close late. 1st, LBJ was called for a foul on a 3 point shot that was minimal to no contact in which the shooter jumped into him. A foul was then called on a Livingston jumper were the replay showed no contact at all. Those 5 points were part of an 8-0 GS run late which kept the game close. Refs blew calls in the other direction as well - Curry got called for a foul when a guy plowed into him - ridiculous. But if you're looking for a conspiracy theory, those 5 point made the game much tighter than it was at that point.

7. I don't see GS being better next year, unless they pick up the right piece, but it's unclear who that would be. Not sure Durant or anybody else being there makes them better. They need to use caution making changes. Too many chefs spoil the soup.

You are biased against GS. Complaining about the refs is just silly, if there was a bad whistle in the last two games is was against GS. Curry was in foul trouble the whole time on some questionable calls and some flat out bad calls. Even the examples you bring up are bad, Livingston was clearly hacked on the arm on the jump shot.

 

[kyleslamb]

I think IF you remove 'EVER realize his full potential' that's a reasoned analysis of Curry's game. Arguably he SHOULD do glitz/glamour in the regular season b/c ultimately it is more about entertainment than anything else. But bad habits take hold and very difficult to turn things on and off in sports. Again, I think Curry the superstar is very new to the NBA playoffs and this year in particular will be a huge learning curve. You think he's not going to watch those game 7 turnovers and cringe?

Curry worked really hard last offseason and it was evident in his play. So reasonable to expect he'll do that again and he actually needs to make less of a quantum leap. I assume he'll continue to refine & expand his shooting range and accuracy. He now needs to get stronger for offense and defense, either add muscle or just leaner with even more solid core. Goal is to be able to play against size on defense and absorb contact off ball on offense. Then work more on individually attacking defense and getting to rim or creating shots for others with fewer turnovers. Lastly next season he should try end of season taper off to build up strength for playoff push.
All-in-all, I think less dramatic than LeBron's "ADD A POST UP GAME" which was his Achilles heal after the first Miami season and a similarly disappointing finals loss as a favorite.

To me this is eerily like Jordan when the Pistons were knocking him down. Eventually he got bigger and smarter and was still able to do the 'wow' plays but used his teammates a little more and the rest is history. Not saying Curry is Jordan by any stretch, just that player's Achilles heels are often fixable.

Everything you say is certainly fair. But I would ask... if you play for 82 games a certain way, is it really going to be as simple as turning on a switch to turn off those bad habits? You're right there's nothing wrong with all the highlight reel stuff in the regular season if he tones it down when he needs to be more efficient. I just don't know if you can turn off 6 months of playing one way and then suddenly do it another way when the playoffs begin.

The scary thing about this is that I think Curry could easily be a consistent 30-10 type of player if he toned down the finesse and just used his abilities to make the right reads. For instance, instead of getting by the defender and going to the rim, spotting a baseline cutter and throwing a simple lob or two-handed bounce pass, he'll often contort his body and attempt some sort of over-the-shoulder toss. It's this sort of thing, along with sometimes falling in love with the 25-footer, that I think is the symptom of his erratic playoffs the last two years. Both years, his playoff points, assists and rebounds have been below his regular season totals.

Curry is fun to watch. Make no mistake, as a spectator I love watching him in the regular season. However, I just don't think his style makes his team nearly as good as it could. His numbers in the regular season were amazing this season. But the cuteness isn't working in the playoffs with better defenses and more physical defense. There's simply too much need for efficiency.

Great points, and in theory I agree with your premise. I just don't know how practical it is.

 

[TasteofUConn]

On a lighter note...

OMG. Had me laughing out loud. The look on Thompson's face is precious. It translates to, "Really Steph? Are you aware this is a game 7?"

 

[kyleslamb]

OMG. Had me laughing out loud. The look on Thompson's face is precious. It translates to, "Really Steph? Are you aware this is a game 7?"

Yep, that play and that gif is kind of a microcosm of their issues this series. Funny tweet though for sure.

 

[EBonz30]

This has been my cold take for two years. Here are the reasonable conclusions you can draw from this year:

1. The GSW had a great team the last two years. Not a historically great team, nor a team that will be remembered with the likes of the 80s Lakers or Celtics or the Bulls, but in the 2nd eschelon after those teams.

2. GS was helped immensely last year by injuries to other teams. Even with that, they dropped two to the Cavs in the finals. A tip of the hat to LeBron and a foreshadowing.

3. Curry is an underrated shooter and an overrated player. Best ever at shooting, and it's not close, as some still believe. Not a top 20 player overall, career wise, and has a long way to go to get there, which he may not. I took a lot of abuse for my "flash in the pan" comment, but I stand by it. As of right now, two thirds of the way through the meat of his basketball career, he has had two very noteworthy seasons, and two forgettable post seasons and not much else. If his career ended tomorrow, you'd have a hard time saying anything beyond "had a great two years." Greatness in rarely earned over a short time (but see Big Ern getting thrown out and Maker's Muppet post), and in BB, it takes many years, not two quick ones. His window is narrow. In another 5 years he'll be on the rapid downslope for quickness, without which his game will suffer immensely.

4. Curry has not shown himself to be a big-game player. Is it the fact that Defenses can be more physical with him in the post season? Maybe. But it may also be that his loosey-goosey jack up the 3 from any old circus angle doesn't work as well when the pressure gets turned up. Sure, when you're running away with the best record and there's nothing much to lose by jacking 3s up from 5 feet beyond the arc, go to town - no pressure. The most damning stat that Curry posted yesterday was what? 1 trip to the line. 1? or was it 2? What great player ever got shut down like that at crunch time, and couldn't even get to the line to have an impact. None. That's why they're all time greats. Kobe may have put up 7 for 25 nights on occasion, but the dude would get 12 or 15 points from the line in doing so.

5. GS played a very weak Rockets team and a very weak Portland team in the early rounds. The two good teams they played - took them to 1-3 and - came back from 1-3. Curry did not play well in any of the losses. That is hugely telling.

6. There were many terrible calls over the series, but GS needed 2 really bad calls to keep the game close late. 1st, LBJ was called for a foul on a 3 point shot that was minimal to no contact in which the shooter jumped into him. A foul was then called on a Livingston jumper were the replay showed no contact at all. Those 5 points were part of an 8-0 GS run late which kept the game close. Refs blew calls in the other direction as well - Curry got called for a foul when a guy plowed into him - ridiculous. But if you're looking for a conspiracy theory, those 5 point made the game much tighter than it was at that point.

7. I don't see GS being better next year, unless they pick up the right piece, but it's unclear who that would be. Not sure Durant or anybody else being there makes them better. They need to use caution making changes. Too many chefs spoil the soup.

Curry is not a flash in the pan player...

Think your being too hard on him, their are multiple reasons why he didn't play well in the finals in which I am not going to get into right now...

He's not a top 20 player of all time either, maybe in future, but right now NO...

He's a wonderful player, a real treat to watch, we are so lucky to see a kid at 6 foot 3 and a buck nothing be so skilled and talented, have fans got carried away a little with his greatness yes, but it shouldn't be a reason for us to destroy him...

Def not a flash in the pan player, he's a wonderful player, top 3 in the league, he will make you eat your words, sooner or later, he's that damn good!!

 

[mauconnfan]

Curry is not a flash in the pan player...

Think your being too hard on him, their are multiple reasons why he didn't play well in the finals in which I am not going to get into right now...

He's not a top 20 player of all time either, maybe in future, but right now NO...

He's a wonderful player, a real treat to watch, we are so lucky to see a kid at 6 foot 3 and a buck nothing be so skilled and talented, have fans got carried away a little with his greatness yes, but it shouldn't be a reason for us to destroy him...

Def not a flash in the pan player, he's a wonderful player, top 3 in the league, he will make you eat your words, sooner or later, he's that damn good!!

Bingo

 

[D-NICE]

Curry is the greatest shooter in the regular season, not so in the finals, I have ever seen. Maybe his wife could stop blaming the media, and his young, daughter should stay out of the spotlight, like Lebron's fam.

 

[EBonz30]

Curry is the greatest shooter in the regular season, not so in the finals, I have ever seen. Maybe his wife could stop blaming the media, and his young, daughter should stay out of the spotlight, like Lebron's fam.

Not a good look, commenting on people's children and family members never a good look....

 

[auror]

Amazing you can make fun of our "hot takes" and somehow say these teams are better than most in NBA history.. Not only are they not, they aren't and weren't close. Throw all the crap stats and free agency super teams out there you want, from the Celts to the Lakers to the Pistons to the Bulls to the Spurs most recently as well as Lebron's Heat team, they aren't as good.

So say what you want about others hot takes but yours are more of the hilarious variety. I prefer not to say stupid because it's your opinion although just not a very good one at all.

It's not my opinion. It's what the realities are as demonstrated by the actual results on the courts represented by ELO rating. You dismiss reality by only believing in your own narratives. 4 of the teams this season were among the 30 best all-time teams.

Dismiss the stat if you want, but ELO was developed by chess players to track their relative standing among each other. If it passes mustard for chess grandmasters, I think it's fair to use to compare NBA teams across eras.

 

[auror]

I don't care about subjective awards like MVPs. He was MVP this year but we all saw LeBron is still the best and most valuable player in the MVP without a doubt here in this playoff series. I don't subscribe to media-driven narratives, nor do I care about hype. I care about reality.

The reality is Curry is a talented player, but no, given his talent he has not exceeded his potential. His potential is that of a guy who can come in and beat Oklahoma City without falling down 3-1 and his potential is that of a guy who up 3-1, can make plays and close out the series against Cleveland.

1) You're ascribing team things to 1 player.
2) Curry deserved MVP this year, and no, he was not as good as Lebron in the Finals. Both of those things can be true. 7-game sample size vs. 82. The value you give to MVP is up to you, but both the subjective value and all the statistical metrics deemed him the best player this regular season. That's not up for debate. He was better than LeBron during the season.

You are making the mistake too many people make... they fall in love with the long, beautiful 3-pointers and the highlight reel plays. You're ignoring all the little things Curry doesn't do that add up in the course of a basketball game. He's capable of doing these things, he certainly has the talent, but he's not doing them.

This is a joke, right? His team is one of the best offensive teams of all time, not just because of his scoring and shooting, but because of the space he creates, the rotations he forces, the mismatches he abuses, the passes he makes, his decisiveness with the ball, and other little things like leading the league in steals and creating semi-transition opportunities out of defensive cross-matches. These are all things that apparently you can't see, but you accuse me of not seeing the little things because Curry had 3 games with high turnovers and presumably not making "winning plays", despite his team winning more games than any other team in a single season.

 

[EBonz30]

1) You're ascribing team things to 1 player.
2) Curry deserved MVP this year, and no, he was not as good as Lebron in the Finals. Both of those things can be true. 7-game sample size vs. 82. The value you give to MVP is up to you, but both the subjective value and all the statistical metrics deemed him the best player this regular season. That's not up for debate. He was better than LeBron during the season.



This is a joke, right? His team is one of the best offensive teams of all time, not just because of his scoring and shooting, but because of the space he creates, the rotations he forces, the mismatches he abuses, the passes he makes, his decisiveness with the ball, and other little things like leading the league in steals and creating semi-transition opportunities out of defensive cross-matches. These are all things that apparently you can't see, but you accuse me of not seeing the little things because Curry had 3 games with high turnovers and presumably not making "winning plays", despite his team winning more games than any other team in a single season.

Why argue about all this sillyness, stupid, obviously Curry was the MVP and James was the finals MVP and is currently the best player on the planet, not even sure what the argument is here, just silly.

Everyone stop trying take shots at Curry, we all who know he is and what he isn't, let him prove over time how good he is....

 

[TasteofUConn]

Curry deserved MVP this year

He definitely was the best offensive player. Most valuable to his team winning? I'd disagree.

all the statistical metrics deemed him the best player this regular season. That's not up for debate.

Sure it's up for debate. "ALL" the statistical measures do not support your conclusion. Curry is not a great defensive player, and, as it turned out, LeBron's defense is what won the series.He gave up the clinching 3 pointer. LeBron blocked a crucial layup. Curry was far and away the best offensive player this year. That's all.

His team is one of the best offensive teams of all time . . .

Maybe the best.

 

[CallMeBruce]

It's not my opinion. It's what the realities are as demonstrated by the actual results on the courts represented by ELO rating. You dismiss reality by only believing in your own narratives. 4 of the teams this season were among the 30 best all-time teams.

Dismiss the stat if you want, but ELO was developed by chess players to track their relative standing among each other. If it passes mustard for chess grandmasters, I think it's fair to use to compare NBA teams across eras.

This guy.

 

[Excalibur]

The "authors" of ELO for the NBA admit its recency bias.