NBA Playoffs: 5 Pelicans Keys Against the Warriors
By Mike Delayo
Dec 4, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the ball against New Orleans Pelicans center Omer Asik (3) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
5. Contain Curry
In case you have not heard, Stephen Curry can play basketball. He is the key to most of the Warriors success, and that is an accolade in and of itself.
Shutting down Curry will be nearly impossible. Whether you want to look at his 286 made threes (which surpasses the old NBA record of 272, which was set by Curry himself in 2013) or his recent supernova of a practice performance, it is clear that his shooting will not disappear any time soon.
However, forcing a few misses will not stop Curry from having an impact. When Golden State beat the Pelicans on March 20th, Curry shot 4-17 but the Pels still never really came close. That is because even when the shot is not falling, the offense is not stalling. The Warriors lead the league in assists because of the quick, efficient ball movement that starts in the hands of Curry.
Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Justin Holiday, Andre Iguodala and pretty much everyone else on the Golden State roster is capable of knocking down shots. Using too many resources just to shut down Curry would lead to a swift death yet again for this New Orleans team.
If the Pelicans can disrupt the flow of this well oiled machine ever so slightly, they may create an opportunity for themselves to go on a few runs. In that overtime game back in December Curry and Klay Thompson were lights out, scoring 63 points between the two of them. However, Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans went off for 64 of their own.
The point totals are what stands out for Curry most of the time, but he means so much more than that to this Warriors team. He is going to show that he is an MVP-caliber player regardless, but it is up to the Pelicans to withstand that power.
Defeating the Golden State Warriors in one game will be a challenge. Winning the series will be nearly impossible. Then again, so was making the playoffs in the first place. If the Pelicans can do these five things (and a bit more), they will at least have a fighting chance to pull off the upset….