Golden State Warriors: How Their Historic Season Slipped Away
4. Missing Open Shots
These Golden State Warriors were the greatest shooting team in NBA history. For a team that obliterated the league record for made threes (1,077), led the league in three-point percentage (41.6 percent) and boasted perhaps the two greatest shooters of all time who just recorded the first (402) and third (276) most individual threes made in one season, it’s not a matter of opinion. It’s a statement of fact.
Yet in the Finals, the Warriors were a shell of their former selves in this respect, bricking open three after open three as they went cold at the worst times.
The Warriors didn't score in the final 4:30 of the game.
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) June 20, 2016
During the regular season, a staggering 80.2 percent of Golden State’s three-point attempts were what NBA.com classifies as “open” (nearest defender 4-6 feet away) or “wide open” (6+ feet way). The Warriors converted a whopping 42.8 percent of these looks that we’ll refer to as “uncontested.”
In the Finals, 75.7 percent of the Dubs’ three-point attempts were uncontested. Unfortunately for Golden State, they were only able to convert 39.5 percent of them. It may not seem like much, but that 3.3 percent drop was noticeable in this series, especially before a better shooting night in Game 7 skewed the averages.
The Warriors were 9-14 on uncontested 3-pointers in the 1st half. They were 3-8 on such shots in the 2nd half. pic.twitter.com/Akh6y6uHu3
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 20, 2016
For the Splash Brothers in particular, those open looks just didn’t fall. Curry missed 10 of his 13 “wide open” threes in the Finals and shot 4-of-14 from deep in Game 7. Thompson missed 20 of his 28 “open” three-pointers overall and struggled for his second straight Finals, averaging 19.6 points per game on .427/.350/.786 shooting splits.
For a player who had helped carry the Warriors without Curry — and even with Curry, when he brought Golden State back from the depths with 41 points in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals — Thompson’s Game 7 was disappointing.
In the decisive contest, the league MVP finished with only 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting while committing four turnovers. His Third Team All-NBA backcourt mate had 14 points on 6-of-17 shooting, including 2-for-10 from three-point range.
Harrison Barnes over the last 3 games. 5/32 shooting, 20.3 eFG%. Only 9 rebounds and 2 assists. 84 total minutes. pic.twitter.com/LhjppQ2J3M
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 20, 2016
We can only shake our heads at the mention of Harrison Barnes, who shot 5-for-32 from the field over the last three games, put up another 3-for-10 dud in Game 7 and missing 20 of his 29 uncontested three-pointers for the series.
It’s a make-or-miss league, even for a team known for constant makes. No one knows that better than the Golden State Warriors right now.
Next: No. 3