Stephen Curry is arguably the best offensive player in NBA history. He is a four-time champion, two-time MVP, and an all-time stylistic innovator. He just destroyed the Sacramento Kings for seven games in one of his career’s greatest playoff series, and he’s been just as good in the last four games against the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite his numerous gifts, Curry has one obvious flaw. Stephen Curry is little.
He’s not as little as Muggsy Bogues, and he’s grown significantly in recent years. He is hardly a defensive liability in a vacuum. Most of the time, he’s quite good on that end of the court, especially in a defense like Golden State’s, which is intended to compensate for his weaknesses. But at that stature, he has obvious limitations. Curry is solely responsible for creating shots in Golden State’s attack. According to NBA.com tracking data, he runs about a mile and a half every game only on offense. If you stick
A 6-foot-2 guard expending that much energy on one side of the floor between the rim and a 6-foot-8 weapon of mass devastation on the other end of it in the fourth quarter is going to look feeble most of the time.
At his height, LeBron James lived by this idea. The best version of James was an apex predator, aggressively seeking out the most advantageous matchups late in games and turning them into roadkill. At this point in his twentieth season, he just cannot be that player on a
night by night anymore. However, when the Lakers need him the most, James can summon a younger version of himself for brief periods. And wow, did the fourth quarter of Game 4 qualify.
The Lakers trailed by seven points with 12 minutes left. A victory was very necessary. Not only would it give the Lakers a 3-1 series lead, but it would also eliminate the requirement for them to win another game in San Francisco, where the Warriors went 33-8 during the regular season, to win the series. By his standards, James was having a fairly quiet series. He averaged only 22 points a game in the first three and was at 21 after three quarters in Game 4.
And then he became the aggressor, repeatedly using the same tactic to get good shots for the Lakers: he employed basic ball screens to compel Curry to defend him.
We’ll start with the first play of the fourth quarter. D’Angelo Russell carries the ball up the floor and swiftly passes it to James. Lonnie Walker IV then moves away from the painting to screen for James. This is the cornerstone to the entire strategy. Curry is protecting Walker. Setting that screen, he forces
Wiggins moves away from James, prompting Curry to pick him up. This is a basic “swap” on defense, meant for two players of similar size. Curry and Wiggins do not qualify, and the prospect of James driving on Curry frightens Wiggins so much that he is hesitant to trail Walker off the screen in case he needs to assist with the larger threat. That was his error, as Walker sunk an open three-pointer.
