Dub Nation HQ

Share this post
Curry's ability to create easy buckets ALMOST stole a Warriors victory from a dominant Raptors team
dubnationhq.com

Curry's ability to create easy buckets ALMOST stole a Warriors victory from a dominant Raptors team

Damion Lee may be blamed for missing at the end, but the Dubs overall were especially bricktastic on wide open shots last night. Also, the Raptors are the champs for a reason.

Daniel Hardee
Mar 6, 2020
Comment45
Share

Last night was Stephen Curry’s first game back in several months and a certain sense of normalcy returned to Dub Nation. The energy in Chase Center was humming at near Oracle levels…

Twitter avatar for @957thegame95.7 The Game @957thegame
“BOOOOOOOOO!” Chase Center crowd after Patrick McCaw checked in 😬

March 6th 2020

2 Retweets82 Likes

Curry was back to drilling impossible three-pointers…

Twitter avatar for @warriorsGolden State Warriors @warriors
you can foul him but you can't stop him 📺 @NBAonTNTw
Image

March 6th 2020

2,400 Retweets9,940 Likes

Annnd the Toronto Raptors did the same thing they did last NBA Finals, physically punishing a depleted Warriors team to win on Golden State’s floor 121-113. They are so good at spoiling home games for the Warriors; it’s truly annoying.

There was a lot to chew on from the most exciting game of the Warriors season, so let’s get to it!

Steph is the cure

Curry’s first game back after a 58-game layoff was a rollicking adventure. His 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists in 27 minutes were a welcome sight for a team desperate for scoring and playmaking.

Twitter avatar for @WolstatSunRyan Wolstat @WolstatSun
Nick Nurse on Steph Curry being great right away after such a long absence. “Incredible. How do you do that? It was actually fun to watch.”

March 6th 2020

3 Retweets29 Likes

The greatest shooter of all time wasn’t his most accurate self, shooting 6-of-16 from the field (3-of-12 from three-point range). Part of that was perhaps some good ol’ fashioned rust, but another part of that was definitely the Raptors #2 rated defense.
The two-time MVP spent most of the evening running full speed around a seemingly endless sea of alert Toronto defenders.

You know how sometimes great players get other players involved early so that they can rely on them late? Curry was forced into this by default as the Raptors were pressing, doubling, and running him off of the three-point line with vigor.

Twitter avatar for @crstianlorenz0Lemill!an @crstianlorenz0
First game back and Raptors are playing anybody but steph Defense

March 6th 2020

“Unanimous” buzzed through in constant traffic, spamming wild left-handed behind-the-back passes with an arrogant nonchalance that told me three things:

1.) That surgically repaired left-hand is doing JUST FINE.

Twitter avatar for @SamHustisSam Hustis @SamHustis
Stephen Curry said he was practicing behind-the-back passes this week and his shooting coach Bruce "Q" Fraser shut him down. "He was like, 'We're not going to have any of those the first game." Stephen Curry's first real pass Thursday night ⬇️😂N
Image

March 6th 2020

3 Retweets14 Likes

2.) He was unfazed by the Raptors shadowing him like the Secret Service. Instead of turtling up and slowing down, he ratcheted up the pace and flung audacious passes that would impress even the Harlem Globetrotters.

Twitter avatar for @NBCSWarriorsWarriors on NBCS @NBCSWarriors
This angle is just ridiculous 👀 z
Image

March 6th 2020

49 Retweets524 Likes

3.) He wanted his teammates to get in on the fun of executing against a lockdown defense. Golden State’s hero was repeatedly stuck by double-teams 30 feet from the basket and his cartoonishly slick passes sent the message that he trusted his Warriors brethren to make good things happen.

Twitter avatar for @NBCSWarriorsWarriors on NBCS @NBCSWarriors
"He's like the most unselfish superstar." - Wiggins on Steph
Image

March 6th 2020

272 Retweets2,284 Likes
Twitter avatar for @ToneDesh8T-Desh 🕹 @ToneDesh8
You can never duplicate the gravity of a great player. Look at all of these open looks the Warriors players are getting because the Raptors defense is focusing on Steph..

March 6th 2020

1 Like

Now, the question is, exactly what happened when the Raptors swarmed Curry and pressured the 6-foot-3 assassin to give the rock up?

Warriors missed hella open shots

This season’s Warriors haven’t manufactured a lot of easy looks from three-point range. Per NBA.com, the Dubs average 4.8 makes on 13.9 attempts (38.8%) on deep shots classified as “wide open” (no defender within six feet).

Last night Golden State shot 7-of-28 (25%) beyond the arc on wide open treys, a ghastly stat that effectively ended their opportunity to fend off Toronto. Here’s the individual numbers from last night’s game on such shots:

  • Damion Lee - 4/8

  • Andrew Wiggins - 2/7

  • Mychal Mulder - 1/3

  • Dragan Bender - 0/3

  • Eric Paschall - 0/2

  • Stephen Curry - 0/2

  • Jordan Poole - 0/1

  • Juan Toscano-Anderson - 0/1

  • Marquese Chriss - 0/1

    The most sought after shot in the modern NBA is a wide open three-pointer. Is it a coincidence that those shot opportunities for the Warriors DOUBLED when Curry returned? He kickstarted their pace to Usain Bolt levels while leveraging a gravitational pull so strong that he was chased d by at least two Raptors every time he had the ball.

    Twitter avatar for @fnf2017Fairways & Freeways @fnf2017
    The pace difference with #Curry on the floor is palpable for the #warriors.

    March 6th 2020

    1 Like

    Lee was a primary beneficiary of the speedy pace of the game, scoring 23 points with 3 assists and leading the Warriors with 5 made three-pointers. And yet it was his frustrating end-of-game sequence that underscored the Warriors’ agonizing shooting night.

    Twitter avatar for @loganmmurdockLogan Murdock @loganmmurdock
    Damion Lee bricked two free throws then bricked a 3-point attempt that would’ve gotten the Warriors within a point then committed a clear path foul that may have iced the game. Tough sequence.

    March 6th 2020

    65 Retweets426 Likes
    Twitter avatar for @PubSportsRadioPub Sports Radio @PubSportsRadio
    Damion Lee knows it’s all about the tank. #Warriors #Raptors
    Image

    March 6th 2020

    55 Retweets183 Likes

    Nauseating end of game gaffes aside, Lee scored well alongside his brother-in-law Curry. These young Warriors are going to learn that Curry’s presence will allow them to get the ball in juicy spots, but it’s on them to do something positive with it.

    Twitter avatar for @GrantLiffmannGrant Liffmann @GrantLiffmann
    Warriors players, not named Lee, missed a combined 33 three’s tonight... but yeah, focus on that last sequence and say that’s the reason the Warriors lost 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

    March 6th 2020

    3 Retweets58 Likes

Getting a better feel for Wiggins

The talented Mr. Wiggins tallied up 21 points on 9-of-20 shooting, 3-of-9 from 3PT range, with 9 rebounds.

But let’s go back to that “wide open shots from deep” stat. Last night, Wiggins was Golden State’s worst offender, only making 2-of-7 wide open three-point opportunities.

Wiggins is a very conscientious basketball player: he rarely gets in anyone’s way or stands in one place dribbling forever. He’s happy to keep the ball moving and float to a corner spot to space the floor.

While a positive overall, that style can become problematic when his outside shot isn’t falling. As a lifetime 33% 3PT shooter, it should come as no surprise the Raptors gambled on leaving him open last night.

Wiggins is certainly capable of hitting the shot:

Twitter avatar for @gswchrisChris Montano @gswchris
Wiggins in the clutch, YESSIR
Image

March 6th 2020

49 Retweets340 Likes

But he’s so athletic and smooth around the basket, sometimes I’m looking for a little more of this:

Twitter avatar for @_eddiesunEddie Sun @_eddiesun
Wiggins jumping off two feet is a different beast
Image

March 6th 2020

1 Retweet6 Likes

Keep an eye on Wiggins toggling between shooting and driving for the rest of the season, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before he finds the proper calibration.

(Also, if he hits two more three-pointers last night then I’m up this morning giddily writing a column about how Wiggins is the next Splash Cousin. Please take all of this 20/20 hindsight conjecture with a grain of salt.)

Raptors show why they’re the reigning champs

You need no salt for my next take: TORONTO IS HELLA GOOD.

That Raptors defense, oh my. They swarmed the Warriors with calculated intensity and preternatural connectedness. They harassed Golden State into 15 turnovers, 7 in the decisive final period. That is crazy! In that fourth quarter the Dubs committed more turnovers than they made free throws (5) or three-pointers (4).

And they have so many scoring weapons. Their All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry had a double-double with 26 points and 10 assists. Norman Powell (averaging 16.4 PPG) suddenly tapped into his highest potential, dominating the Warriors with a career high 37 points.

Twitter avatar for @NBANBA @NBA
🦖 Norman Powell career-high 🦖 The @Raptors win in San Francisco and clinch an #NBAPlayoffs spot behind @npowell2404's 37 PTS! #WeTheNorthMc
Image

March 6th 2020

42 Retweets403 Likes

Young All-Star Raptor Pascal Siakim struggled offensively for most of this game (thanks in part to some stellar defense by Paschall). And yet there he was late in the fourth quarter with a champion’s shovel, burying the Dubs with the eurostep and-1 finish.

Twitter avatar for @RaptorsToronto Raptors @Raptors
ALL-STAR PLAYER MAKING ALL-STAR PLAYS
Image

March 6th 2020

399 Retweets3,016 Likes

The defending champions didn’t even have two of their best weapons in Fred Van Vleet and Marc Gasol. This team is a drive-and-kick machine that constantly puts pressure on both sides of the ball and will be a nightmare matchup for several teams in the East.

And yet, these ragtag Warriors still battled blow for blow with them in Curry’s first game back. Kudos to young Dubs Paschall (16 points, 8 assists) and Marquese Chriss (17 points, 12 rebounds) for pushing their weight around against that imposing Raptors frontline.

I can’t wait for the rematch in a week and a half.

Comment45
ShareShare

Create your profile

0 subscriptions will be displayed on your profile (edit)

Skip for now

Only paid subscribers can comment on this post

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

Check your email

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.

Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.

_Unanimous_
Mar 7, 2020

glad to see steph back on the court. 58 games?! it felt long but not that long. a bit curious why he would come back with only a few weeks remaining.

Expand full comment
ReplyGive gift
2 replies
storytellinsabrina
Mar 7, 2020

SF Health Officials: We advise you to avoid large gatherings.

Warriors: Nawww we'll wipe everything down real nice. Please come to the game!

Expand full comment
Reply
43 more comments…
TopNewCommunity

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2022 Let's Go Dubs, LLC
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Publish on Substack Get the app
Substack is the home for great writing