For the folks who think Curry is a better player than KD and Westbrook...

[konex]

Through 3 games, is your belief shaken at all? GS will still win this series if they get it 2-2 but are you ready to admit that great handles and insane long-range shooting on a stacked team doesn't make you a complete player?

Are you surprised at how much of a non-factor Curry is defensively? Even Waiters was taking it to him tonight when they tried to hide him there :roll:

[KingPush]

Dude got ****ing lit up by Andre Roberson :roll:

[ScalsFan21]

Curry is not AS complete as some of the other great players in NBA history, but I still believe he is significantly better than Westbrook, and also a good amount better than Durant. The sample size (as demonstrative as tonight was) is STILL too small to reasonably doubt this.

Curry struggles to contain decent to good offensive players on defense, but he's a serviceable defender who I believe strategically picks his spots to ramp up to being an "above average" defender, but he was obviously not great tonight, and neither were Dray (obviously) or Klay.

This is the first time in the insane MVP Steph/Kerr era that any team has taken a lead over GS, lost it, and regained it. I predicted Spurs in 5, I still feel it could've easily happened, I predicted GS in 5 and that was wrong too, this is the first night where I've ever questioned whether or not Golden State will represent the West because it really does seem that Russ has grown a brain before our eyes. They're doing this without any real floor spacing either. Role players like Adams and Waiters are contributing big time. They're hot and clicking on all cylinders right now... but it's still 2-1, and with a win in G4 GS will steal back HCA and hopefully FINALLY put their foot down.

This team really hasn't been in a spot where they've faced a team this loaded with good, healthy players and been down, but I still think they have near-unshakeable confidence, and as fired up as OKC will be in Game 4, I think much like Cleveland in last year's finals, they will drop a home game 4.

Not having Draymond for that game would be massive, and I guess if there's any team that can come back from 3-1 it's this one, but envisioning this Thunder team dropping three consecutive close-out games with the way they're playing... doesn't seem likely. So yeah Game 4 is a must win, and I do think the Dubs will win it.

[dabigbaws]

curry can NOT impact the game if his shot in not falling, and sadly for warrior fans, this happens way too often in the playoffs

OKC have the best and second best players in the WORLD baby

GREAT time to be a thunder fan.

[Prime_Shaq]

Curry is better than Westbrook.

[ClipperRevival]

WB's game is more suited for the playoffs. He's bigger, stronger, more explosive and therefore, can impose his elite athleticism on the game while Curry needs to outskill players and can't just impose his athleticism on the game. But as the guy above said, the sample size is too small. We have to see how the series plays out. And even if OKC does advance, we have to see what level WB maintains. Having a great series or two is not enough for all time great talents. At some point, you need rings.

[BlakFrankWhite]

Curry is better than Westbrook.

It definitely ain't showing in this series, bruh

GOATbrook torching that twink ass

[3ball]

Curry is better than Westbrook.
He isn't because he's never shown he can be devastating in the playoffs, whereas Westbrook has (i.e. tonight, 2012 NBA Finals when he had 43 points against a great perimeter defense, and many more).

Westbrook had proven time and again that he can be devastating against the BEST competition.

Otoh, Curry's drop-off in these playoffs has been revealing, but not unexpected - his offense is VERY one-dimensional.. Even Steven Adams knew he was going to pull-up from 3 AGAIN and blocked it - in the lower-intensity regular season, Adams would've just let Curry go

[Prime_Shaq]

It definitely ain't showing in this series, bruh

GOATbrook torching that twink ass
GOATbrook aint a good matchup for Steph. Its like CP3 and DWill. DWill lights CP3 up everytime but CP3 is clearly the superior player.

[Fire Colangelo]

WB's game is more suited for the playoffs. He's bigger, stronger, more explosive and therefore, can impose his elite athleticism on the game while Curry needs to outskill players and can't just impose his athleticism on the game. But as the guy above said, the sample size is too small. We have to see how the series plays out. And even if OKC does advance, we have to see what level WB maintains. Having a great series or two is not enough for all time great talents. At some point, you need rings.

WB and Durant are ATG talents for sure even if they don't win a ring for the rest of their careers. Just like Barkley and Malone are considered ATGs without rings.

[ClipperRevival]

WB and Durant are ATG talents for sure even if they don't win a ring for the rest of their careers. Just like Barkley and Malone are considered ATGs without rings.

True but it's not like Barkley/Malone didn't have chances. They both had HCA in the finals against MJ and came up short. They didn't exactly raise their game when it mattered most. It's not like they were stuck in a hopeless situation. Malone had some terrible playoff moments and Barkley wasn't exactly the most clutch when it mattered most. You have to elevate greats who actually did raise their level when it mattered most and got rings.

[imdaman99]

GOATbrook aint a good matchup for Steph. Its like CP3 and DWill. DWill lights CP3 up everytime but CP3 is clearly the superior player.
It's not anything like that. Westbrook is a playoff beast, he is proven and has always raised his level come playoffs. I don't remember the last series he lost the PG matchup in, and he has played good PGs. Curry just has less responsibilities since he plays in a well oiled offensive system.

Westbrook is hardly Deron in this comparison :facepalm

[konex]

Curry is not AS complete as some of the other great players in NBA history, but I still believe he is significantly better than Westbrook, and also a good amount better than Durant. The sample size (as demonstrative as tonight was) is STILL too small to reasonably doubt this.

Curry struggles to contain decent to good offensive players on defense, but he's a serviceable defender who I believe strategically picks his spots to ramp up to being an "above average" defender.

Curious to see if folks still think this.....

[Young X]

He's better than both of them.

[bdreason]

Westbrook can't win you a championship as a first option, and he isn't a good 2nd or 3rd option because he can't play off the ball.

I wouldn't choose Curry as my 1st option either, but he's immensely better suited at playing a 2nd or 3rd option.

Same argument goes for Harden vs. Klay. Harden is a better 1st option, but you'll never win a title with him. That's why I would take Klay over Harden, because he's much better suited as a 2nd or 3rd option.

Basketball is a team sport, and part of developing a great team is getting players to play their role.

[JohnMax]

Head to head (http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/h2h_finder.cgi)

Curry 4-5 against Lebron in regular season
Curry 7-6 against Lebron in playoffs

Westbrook 2-12 against Lebron in regular season
Westbrook 1-4 against Lebron in playoffs

[ScalsFan21]

Curious to see if folks still think this.....

I still think Curry is top 2 despite being one of the worst two or three defensive players in the entire top 15 or so. He certainly has shaken at least some of his fragile "GAC" image, though clearly in these playoffs we saw that injuries still held him back at least a bit. It is based on his size to an extent, but I feel like he's the kind of guy who really needs to be damn close to 100% in order to have the elite, "UMVP" Curry type impact he's capable of having.

Whether or not that's a flaw in his actual basketball game is up for debate, but that's something that does certainly matter over the course of an 82+ game season. Generally speaking, guys like LeBron, KD, Westy etc are going to give you pretty close to what they're capable of when they're physically able to be on the court, while Curry was thrown off physically and as a result, maybe mentally a bit too. MCL injuries are nothing to sneeze at, but I think the point still stands.

I do still believe that healthy Steph Curry is a top 2 player in the world in terms of individual imapct, and if I were a GM entering a one-season NBA fantasy draft needing to win a championship, he's the guy I'd take right after LeBron.