NBA: Curry out of order! Warriors with record victory

What a statement from Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors! After a weak performance in game 2, they destroy the Houston Rockets at home with 126:85 and take a 2:1 lead in the Conference Finals. Curry started the evening with a mixed start, but was unstoppable in the second half. There was also a record for the champion.

Both head coaches stuck to their lineups from the first two games. The Rockets’ plan to attack Stephen Curry also remained – and was successful at first. With simple points after pick-and-rolls, the guests took their first lead. An early Kerr time-out brought the Dubs into the track: A fast 9:0 run turned the score. Curry tried to find his rhythm, but started at 1/6 from downtown. Thanks to good defense his team was still in front after the first quarter: 31:22.

Houston had problems in the final, went through a dry spell of 2/14 from the field. On the other hand, the Warriors came to simple points on the board and kept the lead in two digits, but their triple only fell in sporadically. This was also the reason why the Rockets remained halfway within reach despite underground quotas from the field. On the home stretch of the first half, Kevin Durant unpacked his one-on-one skills again: 54:43.

Led by Curry, the champion started a 10-0 run after the break – their advantage was 21 points in no time. There was an answer in the form of a 10:2 run by Houston, also because of the lack of concentration in Golden State (ball losses and layups). Kerr managed to get his team back on track in a time-out. Curry was on the spot with more points and finally hit his second threesome – followed by the difficult third in Harden’s face. In the third quarter he managed practically everything (18 points, 7/7 FG), with which he also enthralled the rest of the team: 88:67!

In the final section Curry met another threesome, Shaun Livingston let Harden off with a great crossover and climbed up to the Dunk. When Klay Thompson sunk a triple and Curry followed with his fifth, the fair was read with a lead of 29 points. In the end, the Warriors won 126:85, their 16th consecutive play-off home win – NBA record!

Curry finished the evening with 35 points (13/23 FG, 5/12 3FG), 26 of them in the second half. Durant scored 25 points, Thompson scored 13 and Harden was disappointed with a meager 20 points (7/16 FG), Chris Paul (13 points, 5/16 FG).

Golden State Warriors – Houston Rockets 126:85, Series 2:1 (BOXSCORE)

Stephen Curry (Warriors): “I don’t overestimate weak games and I don’t go crazy even after strong games. Not even now. Sure, I hit my shots today, but more importantly, our defense. If we stay that focused, we’re hard to beat.”

Steve Kerr (Warriors coach, about Curry): “None of us were surprised by what he did today.”

In the first half (9 points, 3/11 FG) it looked as if he would continue his weak performance from game 2. After the change of sides, however, he was out of control: With numerous successful drives, he gained his self-confidence and finally met his signature threesomes again. With curry in this form it’s hard to get to the dubs – especially since he more than properly defended.

The Rockets need their superstar power to have a chance. But that wasn’t something you could count on that evening: Harden and Paul only played 33 points and scored 12/32 from the field and 4/14 threesome. Harden was also defensively a total loss and lost 4 balls. If the supporting cast does not deliver such a devastating result against the champion.

It was to be expected that Steve Kerr would come up with something regarding the many insulations against curry. The supposedly most sensible solution was obvious: Curry, when his opponent (often Ariza) put a block against Harden out the hedge defense. The Rockets were perfectly adjusted to this by slipping the ball screens – resulting in simple layups. So Kerr ended the experiment after an early time-out and let Curry work his way back into isolation after switches. And you have to hold on: The chef looked much better this time than in game 2.