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The warriors have returned to their roots without Kevin Durant. Since he's put his calf to the test, they won 4-0, closed the Rockets in the sixth game of their second-round series and took a 3-0 lead over the Blazers at the final of the Western Conference. It's not that they are better without Durant, it's just that the synergy between Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green is still enough to beat teams whose best players do not match well. The original Big Three of Golden State is the perfect plan for building a pick-and-roll type protector such as Curry. Neither Houston nor Portland have been able to reproduce it in the last four seasons. They will not beat Golden State until they succeed.
The Warriors have returned to the Curry-and-Green pick-and-roll as the basis of their offense in the last four games. They represent the 21st century version of John Stockton and Karl Malone, forcing defenders to choose their poison every time. Curry's ability to shoot dribble points 3 prevents him from playing the most traditional defense style, bringing a tall man into the painting against him. Portland tried his luck in the first match and Curry killed him alone, with 36 points on 12 shots out of 23 and seven assists. They spread a little further to protect him in games 2 and 3, which opened the way for Green, who averaged 18 points, 11.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists in both games. games.
Golden State wants the defenses to put two defenders on Curry, as this creates opportunities 4 to 3 for Green. He can bring the ball back to the edge or find the man open if the defense collapses, whether it's a lob at the edge or a direct pass for the 3-point line. He is an elite smuggler who can make decisions in a split second and attack the defenses of the defense before it recovers. The Warriors essentially move the ball from one point guard (Curry) to another (Green) without losing sight of or any ability. Both are better than what they might be alone. Playing next to a forward dot like Green means that Curry is not trapped as often in the pick-and-roll, while Green has more opportunities to play in the space as he places the screens for a sniper like Curry.
Lillard never had a pick-and-roll partner like Green. His starting area includes a heavy striker (Enes Kanter) and two strikers 3-D (Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless) with trembling jumpers. Portland traded Kanter against Meyers Leonard in Game 3 to allow a more dangerous shooter to take advantage of the Warriors traps. He finished with 16 points on 6 out of 12 shots and four assists, but that was not enough to change Golden State's defensive strategy. Lillard was still facing several defenders when he came out of the screen. His only options in these situations are either to give the ball to a less talented passer, or to beat the double team himself. He beat Steven Adams, a big, less mobile man, in a first-round win over Oklahoma City, but that does not work against faster defensemen like Green. Lillard did his job when he forced two defenders to keep him, if only for a second. He just needs someone to throw the ball on.
Harden has the same problem in Houston. The only constant in all his losses after the playoff season against Golden State is the lack of fictitious players by his side. It's more than just having an answer for the defenses that block the pick-and-roll. Rockets do not have a lot of offensive flexibility because their training zone is made up of players who are better able to finish the matches than to start them. The Warriors direct Curry and Thompson into a labyrinth of screens, because Green has the assets to pass to hit them on the fly. It would not work with defense specialists like P.J. Tucker and Clint Capela doing the same reading.
The difference between Golden State and the two teams they beat last week is that Curry plays with stars that complement it. Harden (Chris Paul) and Lillard (C.J. McCollum) have co-stars who reproduce them. Instead of sharing a backyard with a longer and more athletic shooting guard like Thompson, they play next to a smaller version of themselves. The biggest advantage of playing with another elite goalkeeper is that his teams can execute the same offense when they are absent. But that always means that Harden and Paul, as well as Lillard and McCollum have to take turns in attacking. Curry and Thompson do not do it. They can be the best possible versions of themselves at the same time.
The Splash Brothers go perfectly together. With 6 feet 7 inches and 215 pounds, Thompson is an excellent shooter who can score without the need to hold the ball, while having the size, speed and tenacity to chase the opposing guards in defense. His defensive versatility allows Curry to hide from weaker offensive players. Thompson shut out Paul in the second round, placing him 8 times out of 19 in 165 possessions while he was the main defender. He did the same thing to Lillard during the conference finale and maintained it at 7 out of 21 shots in 113 possessions.
The partnership works both ways. Curry takes advantage of Thompson's cross-match with him in defense, while Thompson benefits from his cross-attacks. Most defenses attempt to place a longer and sportier wing on Curry, leaving the opposing guards on Thompson. McCollum, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound combo, was Klay's main defender in the final phase of the conference. Thompson can take smaller defenders into the pole and shoot over him as if they are not even there, or scroll through screens and use his size to create the split. The NBA is a thumb game, and the four inches between Thompson and McCollum make all the difference in the world.
Curry, Thompson and Green are better than the sum of their parts. Most Big Threes have at least one star to stand in, whether Kevin Love with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland or Chris Bosh with LeBron and Dwyane Wade in Miami. This does not happen in Golden State. Neither Thompson nor Green would be so effective if they were the main option for an offense instead of playing against a superstar leader like Curry. This dynamic is also true in the opposite direction. Curry needs them as much as they need him.
He would have a lot more trouble if he changed places with Harden or Lillard. In either case, Curry would play in a small backyard that would struggle to defend larger guards, and he would not have a big man able to let him pass openly. Who would he keep if Lillard or Harden were running the Golden State offense and pursuing him to defend themselves? Curry could trap and protect with impunity against Harden, as none of the Houston strikers could play in four-on-three situations. He could not do that if he played against the Warriors for them.
This hypothesis should guide both Portland and Houston. Golden State is not going anywhere, even though Durant is leaving. A pick-and-roll guard who does not have the same kind of support cast as Curry is hopelessly overwhelmed in a playoff series against him. Of course, it's not easy to find players like Thompson and Green. Difficult decisions will have to be made. I think the Blazers should trade McCollum against a player like Aaron Gordon, a young game striker who could make a huge leap if he was paired with an All-Star leader. And for as good as Paul and Capela are against the rest of the league, the Rockets will probably have to move at least one to find the players who make better match with the Warriors.
These playoff battles should be a lesson for teams around the NBA. The next generation of great players will feature more pick-and-roll guards like Curry, Harden and Lillard. The question is not whether some will be as good as Curry, but they will be in as good a position as him. Curry may have the best combination of passes, shooting and ball handling ability of any player in NBA history, and he would remain a huge underdog if he led Portland or Houston in a series against a team as well built as Golden State. The key to success in the playoffs with a player like him is to pair him with a pointer and a long and athletic shotgun. There is a ceiling for a team that does not have this type of players and instead tries to build around two selection guards.
It's probably not a coincidence that the only team that copied the most important parts of the Warriors model is headed by one of their former leaders. Atlanta Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk suggested Trae Young be his version of Curry and started looking for players who could be his versions of Thompson and Green. This can be Kevin Huerter and John Collins, or the players he selects with the no. 8 and no. 10 choices in total in this year's project. The Hawks build their team around the synergy that exists between players with specific skills. This is perhaps the best way to take advantage of the project, given how the NBA has wiped out the odds of the lottery to make it more difficult to build up superstars. The Warriors did not need to be among the first five picks to form their first championship team. The league can still learn a lot from them. Maybe they're really light-years ahead.
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