Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 3 vs. Rockets

3. Curry need not shot hunt

A friend of mine once told me that Curry was not an elite finisher at the room. His argument — I kid you not — was that he can’t be the best shooter in the league and and one of the game’s best finishers. To claim him as both was unfair.

It is unfair, to be sure. It is also true, and it is what makes Curry one of the most transcendent offensive talents the NBA has ever seen.

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That was true two years ago. Now, Curry is better. He has added strength, confidence and a willingness to seek contact to his inside game. He has replaced raindrop floaters and high-off-the-glass scoop shots with hard-nosed takes to the rim, and he has not allowed his sprained knee to change that mentality like he did in 2016.

After Game 2, I wrote about how a smarter post-injury version of Curry was finding ways to counteract his reduced shooting ability. In the first half of Game 3, this was not the case. Curry began taking more and more difficult 3-pointers, trying desperately to ignite himself and the Oracle crowd.

In the second half, he went back to his Game 1 and early Game 2 mindset: Get to the bucket.

It worked. Curry went 4-for-4 at the rim, including an and-1, to start the third. He did not need to shoot a single 3 to be the best player on the floor. His next deep attempt came in rhythm: a run-of-the-mill catch-and-shoot attempt from about 30 feet out. He connected, and the human torch was lit.

The best offensive player on the planet is a confident Curry. We saw that guy go 73-9 as a unanimous MVP, and we’ve seen him end games within the span of a few minutes like no one ever has.

Short of that, a Curry who simply drives and spaces the floor is still dominant. Therefore, the only bad version of Curry — the one who forces shots to get himself going — need never exist.