NBA: Curry before Game 3 against the Rockets: Will The Real Steph Curry please stand up?

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors had to fight with the throw again in game 2, but there are question marks around his knee. The double MVP is a little annoyed by these discussions. What curry will the fans see in Game 3? SPOX broadcasts the game from 2am in the free LIVESTREAM.

Stephen Curry has played more important games in his career. At the age of 30 he reached the finals three times in a row and won two titles with the Warriors. So while for Chris Paul, for example, his first conference final of his career is somehow a special thing, for Curry this almost degenerates into business as usual.

And yet: The focus in the third game of the series will be on the Warriors’ point guard, who was almost completely deregistered after a decent first game in Houston in the second clash. At 1-1, I entered the Bay Area and both Steve Kerr and Mike D’Antoni never tired of emphasizing that the teams want to express their own style and align themselves less to their opponents.

Individual players will make the difference. That the Warriors did not fly home with a 2-0 lead was also due to Curry’s problems, who scored just two of his 13 triples in the first two games. So of course the tiresome question about the health of the double MVP arose again. “I’m fine,” Curry said on Friday after practice, adding: “I hope that was the last question about my knee.”

It’s a different situation from 2016, where Curry also missed a few games in the playoffs with an injury. At that time it seemed as if the Guard returned a little hastily, there was a lack of explosiveness. This doesn’t seem to be the problem this time, mobility is undoubtedly there, as you can see from the fact that Curry scored mainly by drive in the first games against Houston and could accommodate 12 of his 17 throws in the Restricted Area in the basket.

The wufrhythm just isn’t back yet. Curry had a maximum of three in a row in several games in December 2014, it becomes apparent that the playmaker was unable to play basketball under competitive conditions for almost two months.

“I think Steph is healthy,” Kerr said. “His movements look good, it’s more his rhythm. When you return to the Regular Season, you can meet a less focused team and gain self-confidence. The defense is less tough and you can sink some threesomes.”

In May, however, the playoffs are on a tight schedule and the Rockets provide an elite defense with lots of switching, forcing the opponent to isolate more and more – and in Kevin Durant the Warriors have one of the best in the world. In the first two games you saw a lot of KD and less the creative game of Curry. Kerr has of course also recognized this and has already announced to include his number 30 more.

The fact that the threesome doesn’t fall as well as usual also has to do with the defense of the Rockets, who are determined to take the threesomes out of dribbling. After switches Center Clint Capela gladly accepted the drive – even if Curry scorte – but the Warriors-Guard didn’t get a rhythm from a distance.

Instead Curry wanted to force it too much and threw one or the other airball. Rockets coach D’Antoni also confirmed this strategy: “We don’t want to give them open throws. If they get heavy twos or acrobatic lay-ups, we can live with that.”

On the other hand, the gameplan of the Rockets also revolves around curry. In two games James Harden and Co. have already put the Point Guard in record-breaking 43 isolations. The Warriors never tired of explaining that this was okay with them and Curry also accepted the challenge, but it is also possible that the dubs could double more aggressively or try to get harder around the blocks.

If this doesn’t happen, there will be another orgy of Isos with curry, which is also a formidable option to bring the probably best shooter of all times into foul problems. Harden is a master at getting whistles and Curry is known for generating steals with his fast hands. Against the bearded, however, this is incredibly risky. and ends quickly with a foul.

Of course, the chef himself knows that. “I need to control my instincts and play solid defense without fouls,” Curry explained. “I need to understand the odds of catching the ball or the opponent clearly, giving him two points and taking the pace out of play.”

After all, the Dubs now have two home games and in Oakland curry is almost traditionally better than in foreign halls – as in these playoffs. During his comeback in game 2 against the New Orleans Pelicans he played 28 points (8/15 FG, 5/10 trio), in game 5 it was again 28 (10/16 FG). His yield in the remaining four away games in Houston? 19, 23, 18 and 16 points at a rate of 41 per cent.

So there is hope for Golden State that the champion will get a better game from their franchise player. “Steph and Oracle – that’s a good combination,” Kerr knows.

It would be good to wish Curry after the questions about his injury and his litter lull were asked again and again. “I don’t need to talk to you about it to know that I didn’t play well in game 2,” Curry reacted a little irritated. “I’ll score well in game three.” It must have been music to the ears of Warriors fans.