A list of all Explain One Play articles and videos is at The new Explain One Play index. Plus visit the 2020-21 Season Reviews Guide.
To get us in the mood for next season, I’m going to run some Explain One Play highlights of 2020-21. Many of these previously were subs-only articles, but are now free as a present to our faithful off-season readers.
Explain One Play: Steph Curry burns Luka Doncic with a Klay Thompson End Of Quarter Play
We're going to talk about one of the Warriors' most common plays that they run at the end of a quarter. Probably you could give it a fancy name like Fake Ghost PNR into Weak Pindown Curl. But I just call it the Klay End of Quarter Play because for many years, it would basically be Klay who would run the play. Since Klay is not with us for another year, they've run it for various people, but recently it's been more Steph.
So the Warriors has started to realize they need a little bit of variation in that play because it's completely scouted out. They've run it the same way for years. And it's always at the end of quarters. Just cause it's not for Klay, people have still figured it out. Here is the base play and the recent variations the Warriors have run.
Co-starring Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Damion Lee, Kent Bazemore, a cameo by Kevin Durant, and an annoyed Luka Doncic.
2021.02.06.DAL-GSW.
Explain One Play: Steph Curry turns 80s movie bullying into backscreens
Every time Stephen Curry walks by, the Nuggets stick out an elbow, stick out a butt, get in his way. It's like one of those eighties movies where there's someone getting bullied in the cafeteria and, all the bullies just trip the protagonist as they walk by. Now, Steph decides to use it against them.
Co-starring the all-seeing Draymond Green, the alert sidekick Andrew Wiggins, the YOLO friend Kelly Oubre and a Greek chorus of goggle flashing bench players. Also with the devious European Facundo Campazzo and a very weary Nikola Jokic.
2021.04.24. DEN-GSW
Explain One Play: Stephen Curry Family Feud with Austin Rivers
In the 2021.04.24 DEN-GSW game, Austin Rivers tries a little mixed martial arts on his brother-in-law Stephen Curry, but Steph gets the last laugh. Co-starring Draymond Green as the sensei, Juan Toscano-Anderson as the young samurai bodyguard, Nikola Jokic as daimyo of the crumbling House of Nuggets, and Facundo Campazzo as a tricky ninja.
Explain One Play: Stephen Curry and Draymond Green Chin Loop to Blind Pig
I want to talk about this play that the Warriors run, most notably for Andrew Wiggins and Stephen Curry.
I'm going to call it Chin Loop, because it begins with a dribble hand-off on one wing and then the ball immediately swings across to the other side, which is an action I associate with the Chin Offense. When the defense wants to deny Steph the ball, GSW has a built-in pressure release called Blind Pig, a famous little action that the Triangle Offense runs.
With examples of Draymond Green running it with Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole and Stephen Curry, and even a blurry video of Luke Walton running it for Phil Jackson. Co-starring Joel Embiid and Nikolai Jokic as victims.
2021.05.03. GSW-NOP
Just one minuscule correction, Facundo Compazzo is Argentine so he is South American, not European
Three minutes of Steph being holy shitballs amazing in practice today.
(Teaser: I guess Steph’s gonna be the primary lob target until Wiseman’s back.)
https://youtu.be/dpBrqINgjP0