Why no one guards Steph Curry this way | NBA Finals Game 4 analysis

Why has Steph Curry put up such huge scoring numbers in the NBA Finals against the Celtics? How has this series differed from his previous appearances in the NBA Finals? This film room study details Boston's defensive coverage against Curry pick-and-rolls, and how Curry was able to explode for 43 points and 7 3-pointers in Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals, along with a crucial offense-defense substation strategy from Steve Kerr down the stretch.

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Twitter: @elgee35

Ben Taylor is the author of Thinking Basketball, a Nylon Calculus contributor, creator of the Backpicks Top 40 series & host of the Thinking Basketball podcast.

Stats courtesy:
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Footage in this video is owned by the NBA and its partners. It is intended for critique and education.

Music by csus (instrumental)

#ThinkingBasketball

[MrPlow-jccr]

It's remarkable how many "analysts" see Curry getting doubled and passing to the open roller and then assume his lower scoring numbers are a result of choking, lack of aggressiveness, etc. And now that he's facing the kind of drop defenses that he eviscerated in the 2015 and 2016 seasons, suddenly he's worthy of being "the man".

So many of these people make millions of dollars and don't even realize why a guy is passing vs. scoring. Thanks as always for your expert breakdowns, Ben!

[LEGO-futc]

So basically the Celtics took the "shut everyone else down and make Curry try to beat you single-handedly" route, and Curry actually did it

[pipolchamp]

no cap, your breakdowns are the most detailed and easiest to understand out of all breakdown channels.

[kevinandrewsphoto]

Wow I feel so stupid when I watch your breakdowns because it makes so much sense. Draymond isn’t “choking” necessarily. But Celtics playing drop coverage removes 90% of Drays offensive game. Being the roll man looking for the open guy. So a team can either trap Steph and risk Draymond dishing the ball all over the court and get the whole team going. Or play drop coverage and hope Steph can’t beat you alone.

[armin]

game 4 off the 2022 finals is one off the best games I've ever watched and I've watched about 90 % off all the playoffs games since 2013

[donaldpriola]

Thanks for giving Wiggins the love. He really deserves credit for his hard work, which didn't show up in stats, but made all the difference.

[cousin_chet]

I just want to give Steve Kerr some love. That man should be considered among the ranks of coaching elite.

[Jon.A.Scholt]

As awesome as Curry was last night I thought Wiggins did a ton to keep them in the game in the late 3rd and early 4th when they were chasing Boston's lead. His rebounding and scoring kept them in striking range

[backback]

last year when Trae was going off against Drop Coverages, I was telling people any good guard in the league who can shoot would go off against the way Trae was being defended. I said a guy like Steph would average 30+ on way higher efficiency, and kids would be like "Nuh Uh!" Well, we see what he's doing against the best defense in the league, against the DPOY, on the biggest stage.

[imkurisuchan]

That Steph Curry Game 4 masterclass is an iconic statement for all the media and his haters that he can play well and carry his team in the NBA Finals, and on the hostile road. A legendary performance on his entire career given the situation imo.

[Johnny-xjqu]

When people point to Currys assist totals as evidence he’s not a complete PG, I laugh at their lack of understanding. When trapped at 30 ft, you don’t get the assist, you get the hockey assist. Also, he many times isn’t the primary ball handler bringing it up court every time. These factors shave off assist numbers, but his overall impact is far greater than a John Stockton could ever dream of being…it’s not even close. Steph is complete, he is a PG, and he’s a human nightmare for defenses

[cameronsmith]

Boston's problem is chucking up 3's when they get down in the 4th. Game 1 was crazy but no one will replicate that again.

[maklyram]

It’s easy to overlook Klay, because of that iconic performance from Curry, but Klay’s clutch defensive plays in the 4th was simply AMAZING. His contribution in the defensive end was crucial to this W.

[binary]

I feel bad for people who can't appreciate the greatness of Steph Curry.

[greyklopstock]

What's crazy about Steph is, if you try to just play ball denial, it almost makes him harder to defend. Cause Curry is probably his most dangerous off ball, and denying him the ball is essentially saying you're okay chasing him around a million screens all game and letting his gravity bend your defense. Steph is such a unique player, cause we've never seen a guy who can have these effects on a defense even when he doesn't touch the ball

[-blitz]

I love that comment, regarding Horford picking up Steph at the 3pt line..."Still, not high enough!"

[audiocalls]

Have to give props to Steve Kerr for taking Draymond out. You highlighted the drop coverage perfectly and I now understand why Draymond has been a nonfactor for these past 3 games for offence. They either do the drop, or make the handoff to dray for easy buckets on the pick and roll

[Metalovichinkov]

Great video, just don't forget that "way too much space" for Curry is something like a hair-thin space. You're 0.2s late and he suddenly has all the time he needs.

[Nick_A_Bacher]

The sequence at 6:31 was beautiful. I love it when Steph passes it and keeps running to get it back.

[Willy]

These breakdowns are sometimes more fun than the actual game lmao. Great job on these they’re so much more in depth than other basketball content and help me understand what both teams are trying to do while watching 😁✌️