newyorker4ever wrote:I see a lot of the teams with good/great defenders but not the 3 point shooting needed to beat GSW. You need what they have which is shooting and defense.
That's not how you beat the Warriors.
Curry runs that offense. Without him, it's an entirely different team. They are still elite when he's not on the floor, but just extremely efficient instead of psychotically efficient.
The only way to stop Curry
A) He's injured and simply can't play
B) You manhandle him and the refs let it happen
The blueprint for how the Cavs, courtesy of Nike, jobbed the Warriors for three games straight, after being down 3-1, wasn't that complex. Just have someone basically batter Curry over and over again so he can't shoot.
To beat the Warriors, in a 7 game series, you need pretty much all these things to happen
1) Draymond Green is hurt. He's the most irreplaceable part on their defense.
2) Every Warrior has a historically bad shooting streak at the same time
3) The refs ( aka Disciples Of Nike/ESPN/Ghost Of David Stern) decide to let any defender basically maul Curry all series long and turn the other way
4) Your team needs to shoot at a historic rate for 7 games straight
In a clean called series, with the Warriors fully healthy, they can only beat themselves. It's been a long time since a team has had this much total firepower period.
Guys under the Nike banner
- Paul George
- Rudy Gobert
- Jae Crowder
- DeMarcus Cousins
Russell Westbrook is not, but he's the MVP and the Westy versus Durant narrative is too much juicy marketing for the league to ignore.
Nike paid LBJ a FIVE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLAR PLUS ENDORSEMENT CONTRACT
Do you think they want a return on that investment? They scream at the networks, who pay billions to the NBA who broadcast games and air their commercials. The networks scream at some Rod Thorn-type in the league. He screams at the refs. The refs just want to keep their jobs. So the Warriors get jobbed. And Curry gets basically beaten down game after game because God forbid LBJ doesn't get his ring in Cleveland.
LBJ does not work for the NBA. He works for Nike, and happens to just have a contract with the NBA. If Nike says, do this, he's doing it. Do you think he cares what the NBA has to say about it? He's making more from Nike (plus all the other opportunities being with them creates for him) than he ever will from the NBA.
Rudy Gobert
Paul George
Russell Westbrook
Jae Crowder
DMC
And like 7 homeless dudes. As long as Nike and the league gets it's "narrative" ( i.e. the storyline they think is the most compelling to drive their marketing), they'll job anyone. Once the Heat beat the Kings in the Finals, that was it, it was clear then that the NBA won't even try anymore to make things look on the level. This is basically pro wrestling at heart here.
The Warriors did everything the right way. But no one can dunk over a car. No one is banging Rihanna and beating her while dropping an album every year. No one there is hanging out with Jay Z and Will Smith at the Oscars.
I remember being courtside at a game years and years ago. And Iverson charged into a defender. Wasn't even a doubt in anyone's mind. Iverson got his two gimme free throws. The first thing the defender screamed out was - "Do I have to have my own pair of shoes too?!?"
When Stephen Curry turned down a huge Nike deal, they just went bulls eye on him. Their biggest hurdle is you can't really job a player who can his threeballs at a historic rate.
Look at the shoes a player is wearing. That will tell you if he can help at team against the Warriors in the Finals. There are times the NBA is no better than American Idol. Why don't they just get fat to slim Randy to show up and "Dawg" everyone on the sidelines in cheap interviews while wearing the biggest Swoosh hat ever made.
