Mandizi
5-I-3 till I D-I-E
Giannis and Lillard will disprove this.
People always say Steph Curry changed the game…
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Superstar
D'Antoni & The Suns were taking it in that direction already, had the most prolific offence for years. Steph came along and took it to the next level with the range. It was inevitable.
KFBF
Superstar
If by change the game you mean tricking off on masseuses for his wife you're absolutely right.
If you're talking about every team chucking threes regardless of ability it certainly seems that way but I don't know if that's factually the case. A three pointer is more valuable than a long two. More detrimental to (my personal entertainment when watching) basketball were those rockets teams with Harden that refused to take any midrange shots.
I'm a Jordan fan so to see the midrange offensive game kind of be fall to the wayside was dissapointing. Likely my perception but it seems like it's making a comeback.
If you're talking about every team chucking threes regardless of ability it certainly seems that way but I don't know if that's factually the case. A three pointer is more valuable than a long two. More detrimental to (my personal entertainment when watching) basketball were those rockets teams with Harden that refused to take any midrange shots.
I'm a Jordan fan so to see the midrange offensive game kind of be fall to the wayside was dissapointing. Likely my perception but it seems like it's making a comeback.
I would say Harden and the 60 win Hawks changed the game more than Steph.
Steph changed how kids focus more on 3s but Harden and the 60 win Hawks changed everything. Teams didn't care about 4s and 5s shooting threes unless they were good at it like Dirk. Once the 60 win Hawks happened where non superstars were dominating, it changed how the NBA drafted players and how they developed bigs. Harden changed the NBA as players started fully focusing on skill development.
Steph is like LeBron. No one is running through a thousand screens other than him and Reggie Miller. People love him but it's hard for the average player to replicate him
Steph changed how kids focus more on 3s but Harden and the 60 win Hawks changed everything. Teams didn't care about 4s and 5s shooting threes unless they were good at it like Dirk. Once the 60 win Hawks happened where non superstars were dominating, it changed how the NBA drafted players and how they developed bigs. Harden changed the NBA as players started fully focusing on skill development.
Steph is like LeBron. No one is running through a thousand screens other than him and Reggie Miller. People love him but it's hard for the average player to replicate him
I keep saying that. Its the Harden Rockets and the 60 win Hawks that changed the game and created the modern NBA as we play since 2016.
mastermind
Rest In Power Kobe
The Warriors won the title in 14-15 playing this ball.
threattonature
Veteran
Teams knew they couldn’t replicate that though because no one was as great as Steph shooting off the dribble and just in general no team would be able to duplicate having two high volume shooters with that level of efficiency. It was the Rockets (and Hawks as @#1 pick) pointed out that showed you didn’t need great efficient three point shooters. Just volume at average efficiency and you could be a contender.
mastermind
Rest In Power Kobe
That’s how the Warriors changed the league. They couldn’t do what the Warriors did, so they created their own approach to match it.
The 14-15 team had Barnes, Barbosa and Iggy all shooting above League average and Draymond hovering just under it.
They made other teams change the style of play. There was a surge in three point shooting after that season.
Its like saying Michael Jordan didn’t change the two-guard position, it was the Cavs and others drafting tall and athletic two guards after him.
Hawks had 1-5 shooting threes, from Horford to Antic
threattonature
Veteran
The Rockets were shooting 5 more three pointers a game compared to the Warriors that same year shooting 35% to the Warriors 40% and won 56 games. Teams knew they couldn't shoot 40% on that type of volume but they damn sure could copy the Rockets strategy. That year the next closest team shot 5 less 3s per game than the Rockets.
Let's jump forward. The key year in the 3 point revolution is 2017. The Rockets shot 40 3s per game at 36%. Next closest being Cleveland with 34 per game. Nobody was shooting close to the amount of Houston. Look at that roster. James Harden and no other stars (closest being Eric Gordon). They had the 18th best defensive rating. Yet still won 55 games. That is what changed basketball and made them focus on jacking up 3s. It showed that even with a mediocre roster Houston had a competitive advantage due to them shooting so many 3s. Teams knew they couldn't copy Golden State cause they didn't have a Klay or Steph but they for sure could copy what Houston was doing. People confuse Warriors being great at shooting threes with them taking a ton of threes. They leveraged their great three point shooting to open up other aspects of the offense. The Rockets focused on volume of threes and removing the mid-range game. They focused on getting all their shots in the paint or 3 point line which the rest of the league copied. Warriors never went to that extreme as they had players like David West and Livingston and Durant when they got him who would still feast in the mid-range.
To your Jordan point that made no sense. Jordan birthed the next generation of ballers but he didn't change the way the rest of the league played basketball. Yes he lead to teams drafting bigger 2 guards and small forwards but that is absolutely not changing the style of play of those other teams. What was similar about the style of play between the Knicks/Magic/Sonics/Suns/Pacers/Jazz? You're confusing roster construction with style of play.
Overall it had nothing to do with beating the Warriors and more just showing that shooting a lot of 3s can make you competitive in general which is what the Rockets did.
No team even has the IDEA of potentially winning a title as a jump shooting team until the warriors won in 2015.
League history had proven that winning that way was literally impossible until the warriors won.
I don't know why you guys are hell bent on NOT giving Steph his props.
League history had proven that winning that way was literally impossible until the warriors won.
I don't know why you guys are hell bent on NOT giving Steph his props.
threattonature
Veteran
It's not about giving Steph props. He's my favorite player in the league. He's birthing an entire generation of ballers the same way MJ did and will change the way the game looks for the forseeable future. Steph changed the future game but it was the Rockets that caused the immediate change in the league. My whole point is no other player in the league can do what he does with his shooting off the dribble (outside of maybe Dame) so teams can't copy Golden State's style.
mastermind
Rest In Power Kobe
I didn’t say he changed the style of play. I said he made teams want to get bigger and more athletic two guards. I said it changed the position which your point didn’t address. The analogy was Jordan being the player he was made more teams want players like him, even though there was no match. Jordan’s true peers came in the mid to late 90s by the time he was finished.
You keep saying teams knew they couldn’t copy it so they did their own thing to match it. That’s the point I’m making. The Rockets had been a three point shooting team for years. Ryan Anderson’s bum ass got a big contract because he was a stretch four, but He couldn’t defend.
The three point shooters changed things, but what the Warriors really changed was making positions irrelevant. Every player has to be able to shoot, handle, pass the ball and defend several positions Because of what they did, unless you are Steph Curry where you are a nuclear warhead.
Forgive me. Not saying that they both gotta be able to shoot. I am saying at least one does.