When Stephen Curry is in the zone, there may not be a more difficult player to guard in the NBA. The Warriors guard can beat you off the dribble with ease, but you have to respect his shooting range and pick him up starting at 30 feet. Dozens of NBA players have seen first hand just how big of a challenge trying to stop Curry is.
Stephen Curry was on fire and no Spurs defender was safe
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The Spurs, however, have the NBA's No. 1 scoring defense and No. 2 three-point defense. If any team could slow down Curry, it would surely be the Spurs, right? Wrong.
Not only did Curry have a good night, but he obliterated the Spurs defense, no matter what San Antonio tried. Different defenders, double teams, none of it worked.
Tony Parker thought he could go under a screen. Nope.
Parker didn't have much success guarding Curry off the dribble either. Danny Green was unable to help.
Patty Mills is a quick and tenacious defender. Those skills didn't help him at all here.
But the Spurs have the ultimate defensive weapon in Kawhi Leonard. Arguably the best defender in the NBA, Leonard has been in the MVP conversation because of his shutdown defense and improving offense. San Antonio moved Leonard on Curry and while he fared better than some of his teammates, Curry also did this to him.
Leonard and Parker were helpless here too.
Good job, good effort, Jonathon Simmons.
Tim Duncan may have been the only Spurs defender who was spared on Monday and that's only because he didn't play. Curry scored 26 points in the first 21 minutes. He went on to finish with 37 points on 12-of-20 shooting in only three quarters. On the bright side for San Antonio, the Spurs don't have to play the Warriors again until March 19. Maybe they will stop having Curry nightmares by then.
