Beat the Warriors by making them take twos instead of threes. I've been saying this ALL year to anybody who will listen. However, this is easier said than done. The problem is that teams try to do this and inevitably fukk up by turning the ball over on two or three consecutive offensive possessions leading to transition threes then they get rattled and abandon their plans and principles. The Spurs tonight did not abandon their principles at any point, even when pressure was put on them. And it worked.
One thing the Spurs did tonight that no other team has done against GS is that they switched everything away from the ball as well, negating what is actually Golden State's biggest weapon (their ability to use multiple screens away from the ball to create confusion). This works because GS effectively plays with four guards and a power forward, so switching doesn't confer a disadvantage to the defense--it turns one of GS's strengths into a weakness.
The thing that stood out for me the most was...It was shocking to see that Curry couldn't beat big men off the dribble when he didn't have the help of a screen...[/QUOTE] The Spurs have not done anything new in defense . They were fortunate to have success last night. The Thunder defended Curry the same way as the Spurs but Curry shooting skills burnt OKC defense. I seriously doubt that the Spurs can contain Curry as much as they did last night. Great players have the IQ and skills to adapt to any defense that is thrown at them. Curry is going to make the adjustment they get through the Spurs' defense in the next matchup.