Golden State Warriors: Western Conference Finals Preview
Slowing Stephen Curry
Role players are important, but let’s be honest: what we really care about is how the two MVP frontrunners stack up in a head-to-head series. Unfortunately, we may not see them match up all that often, but it’s still important to understand how each defense will try to slow the other one down.
For the Rockets, they have very little hope of containing Curry. Hell, that statement applies to pretty much every team after we’ve watched Curry completely douse opponents with a barrage of threes, but it especially applies to a Houston backcourt that employs Jason Terry and James Harden.
No offense to the Jet, but at age 37 there’s no way in hell he’s sticking with Curry for an entire series. If Curry was able to do what he did against Mike Conley and the gritty Memphis Grizzlies defense, he’s going to light up Houston’s D, much like he did during the regular season.
If Patrick Beverley can't play in the Western Conference Finals, Steph Curry may have a field day against Jason Terry and Pablo Prigioni.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) May 17, 2015
Getting Patrick Beverley back would be a huge help in this regard, but no one’s sure if he’s ready to return. Prigioni can be a pest, and Terry will try his best to hound Curry wherever he goes.
But let’s be clear about this: Curry is going to look like the rightful MVP in this series (which he completely is) against the mediocre defense of Terry/Harden/Prigioni.
Next: The Answer For Harden?