“Stephen Curry Shines as a Point Guard in Warriors’ Playoff Match Against Lakers”

The position of Stephen Curry, who leads the Golden State Warriors of the American Professional Basketball (NBA), is a point guard. Now, it is an era where the division of positions in basketball has become meaningless, but the main task of a point guard is to assemble a team offense. Point guard is a position that plays a role in determining the direction of the team’s attack, even if you don’t necessarily score points or kill passes that lead to assists. Overshadowed by some of the greatest 3-pointers of all time, Curry is a great point guard and passer.

In the 2nd round of the 2nd round of the 2022-2023 NBA Western Conference Playoff (PO) between Golden State and Los Angeles (LA) Lakers held at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California on the 5th (Korean time), Curry’s role as a point guard was a brilliant match. .

In the first game of the second round of PO between the two teams, the LA Lakers’ paint zone defense stood out. The Lakers’ Anthony Davis, considered one of the best big men ever, spoke harshly and threw a mace at Golden State players entering the paint. Davis’s blocked shots counted as an official record were 4, but his presence was more than that. As a result, the Lakers won 117-112 as the Lakers overwhelmed the Lakers 54-28 in scoring in the paint zone in Game 1. In Game 1, Davis bombarded the Warriors paint zone with 30 points and 23 rebounds.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who reviewed the first game, came up with a new strategy in the second game. Instead of starting center Kevon Rooney, Jamaikal Green, a stretch-type big man with the ability to shoot 3 points, was put in as the starting pitcher in order to get Davis to come out to defend outside the goal. Rooney is a housekeeper-type big man who grabbed a total of 23 rebounds, including 7 offensive rebounds in the first game. Reducing Rooney’s playing time meant that he would show loopholes in the rebound control, but Kerr put more importance on Jamaica Green’s spacing ability.

Here’s another of Kerr’s strategies. In the first game, Curry, who was blocked by the Lakers’ Jared Vanderbilt’s shadow defense, was used as a bait and passer for teammates’ attacks, not as a main scorer. Curry scored 27 points, including six 3-pointers, in Game 1, but had just three assists and six turnovers. The Lakers’ strategy of attaching Vanderbilt, a power forward with outstanding athletic ability, to Curry seemed to have worked.

Curry faithfully played the role of ball handler, developing a two-on-two attack near or above the 3-point line with Draymond Green, which Davis blocked. As a result, Davis could not keep the bottom of the goal and was continuously dragged out. Green, who received Curry’s pass, rolled short and watched his teammates cut in under the goal where Davis was away, or passed to teammates who were no-marks on the 3-point line. Curry, who was screened by Green and sold under the net, also focused on giving his teammates a chance to score rather than scoring himself.

As a result, Curry distributed 12 assists, and Green also delivered 9 assists. With 21 assists from the backcourt and frontcourt main ballhandlers, there was no way the Warriors’ offense wouldn’t go well. Klay Thompson, who formed the ‘splash duo’ with Curry, served as the main scorer instead of Curry and broke the Lakers’ 3-point line by exploding 30 points, including 8 3-point shots. Jamaica Green, who was included in the starting lineup instead of Rooney, also contributed to the team’s victory by scoring 15 points, including three 3-pointers, in 12 minutes of travel.

Curry, the greatest shooter of all time, didn’t just focus on the passer role. He scored 20 points, including three 3-pointers. Recorded a double-double with 20 points and 12 assists. Draymond Green performed at the level of a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists, proving that he is a player who can perform at his best if he just kills his temper.

On this day, Golden State threw 42 three-pointers and hit 21 of them. If the 3-point shooting success rate is 50%, it becomes a game that cannot be lost. In terms of scoring in the paint zone, the Warriors led 48-42, so it was a game that couldn’t be lost. In the end, the game went to garbage in the 4th quarter, and the Warriors won 127-100, making the series 1-1.

For the Lakers, star LeBron James did his part with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, and Six-Man Ace Rui Hachimura struggled with 21 points, including 4 3-pointers, but Davis, the core of the team’s defense, was shaken and lost. . On this day, Davis only scored 11 points in offense. He also had just 7 rebounds. With Davis, the main gun, sluggish, the Lakers had to raise the white flag early.

The Lakers and Warriors’ PO round 2 confrontation is drawing attention as LeBron and Curry meet on the playoff stage for the first time in five years since the 2018 Finals. Until Game 2, LeBron and Curry were exchanging blows as General Meng. Which team will be the first to win 3 out of the remaining 5 games?

Reporter Nam Jeong-hoon [email protected]

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