Golden State Warriors: Curry Playing With The Heart Of A Champion

The Golden State Warriors found themselves in unfamiliar territory on Monday night – two straight thumpings by Memphis, and staring down the barrel of a potential 3-1 hole in their second round series.

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It’s not the position Warriors’ fans expected to see their team in after a 67-win regular season, followed by a four game sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans in the opening round of the playoffs. For much of the season, the Warriors looked like a juggernaut and many were already breaking out the NBA Championship hats and t-shirts.

The Memphis Grizzlies and their tough, rugged style of play have seemingly brought DubNation back down to earth a bit.

Golden State entered the playoffs with a high flying, high octane offense that led the league in scoring, averaging 110 points a game. In their two straight losses to the Grizz though, the Warriors’ offense was grounded, managing just 90 points in game two, and 89 points in game three.

The Warriors have just seemed a little disjointed and off their game. Their shots haven’t been falling, leading many to believe that Memphis’ physical style of play, led by maulers Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, has knocked Golden State out of their rhythm.

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Heading into game four on Monday night, the Warriors found themselves staring at a 2-1 deficit and knowing that one more off shooting night could mean that becoming an almost insurmountable 3-1 series deficit. It was what Warriors’ HC Steve Kerr called, “a moment of truth.”

It was against this backdrop that the league’s reigning MVP, Stephen Curry, took charge and took over the game. With a few tweaks and adjustments to certain assignments on the floor, the Warriors rebounded and played with a renewed sense of confidence and purpose.

Golden State received invaluable contributions from Andre Iguodala, who hit a number of shots on his way to eleven points, and David Lee who was solid on both ends of the floor in place of Marreese Speights. Draymond Green, who held Grizzlies bruising center Gasol to 19 points in the contest. Center Andrew Bogut harassed Tony Allen 2-9 shooting, four point effort, and Harrison Barnes bodying up on Zach Randolph, holding him to just 12 points on 5-10 shooting. It was an unusual defensive look from Kerr, but it proved to be effective.

But it was Curry, this season’s league MVP, who stepped into the spotlight when it was the brightest and played like a champion.

Golden State Warriors /

Golden State Warriors

Early on, Curry played the role of facilitator and got his teammates involved in the offense. Curry didn’t take a shot until there were less than four minutes to go in the opening quarter. Golden State closed the first quarter on a 7-0 run, capped by a long Curry three-pointer, and a 28-20 lead.

But he was just getting started.

By the time the teams headed to the locker room at halftime, Curry had 21 points on 8-14 shooting, including 2-5 from three-point country. And the Warriors, looking as confident as they have at any point in this series, held a 61-44 lead at the half.

Though Golden State received contributions from a number of different players, it was the frenzied, frenetic energy of their leader, Curry, that ignited this Warriors team. He put the squad on his shoulders and was not going to let them lose again.

By the time the final horn sounded, the Warriors had reasserted the dominance they’d cruised through much of the regular season and first round of the playoffs with. They rediscovered their swagger and their confidence. They looked like a team destined for great things, rather than a team on a razor’s edge from going down three games to one and facing the very real prospect of elimination.

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Golden State’s resurgence in game four of their series with Memphis can be attributed to a number of different factors. But the one biggest factor of them all was Curry, who put 33 points on the Grizzlies and showed once again why is the league’s MVP.

Of course, the series is tied 2-2 right now. But momentum means a lot. And you can feel the momentum swinging back Golden State’s way. And Curry is going to do everything he can to keep it there.

Curry isn’t just playing like an MVP, he’s playing like a champion. And he has his team playing that way as well.

Next: Warriors Face Adversity With Confidence

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