【Highlights】Warriors 102-100 Pacers
Madison Square Garden, finally waiting for you, is finally you.
The Warriors narrowly beat the Pacers 102-100 on the road, curry made 5-of-15 three-pointers, and he will leave the moment to break the all-time three-point record for New York.
Before the Warriors' wave of five consecutive moves in the East began, there was a rumor that the Warriors were studying whether to let Curry take a break in the game against the Pacers and leave the all-time three-point record in regular season history to play the Knicks on the road.
This rumor has a certain rationality, because the Knicks' home stadium Madison Square Garden is a venue with historical significance and legend, and Jordan, Kobe Bryant and James, who are epoch-making superstars, have all written miracles in this arena, and Curry has also done so.
On February 28, 2013, Curry scored 54 points at Madison Square Garden, shooting 11-of-13 from three-point range, including 23 points in the second quarter, the first 50+ of Curry's NBA career.
With a big market background in New York and a charm bonus for Madison Square Garden, Curry gets the glory of the three-point king of history on such a stage, and he himself, the league and sponsors, can achieve a win-win situation.
Just after the End of the Warriors' game with the Pacers, the Warriors' away game with the Knicks, the ticket price has soared, has quadrupled, bringing the already expensive New York tickets close to the sky-high price, and the front row seats on the sidelines are selling for more than $14,700 (about 93,571 yuan).
Of course, Curry may not pursue such a record-breaking environment in his heart, because doing so is likely to be self-defeating, and when you do something too deliberately, it will form a psychological baggage, so Curry said that he does not pick a location, and any game can bring a story, such as for the Pacers, the great shooter Reggie Miller is not the iconic figure of this team, playing the Pacers to break the record, there is also a historical connection.
Curry said it well, the three-point king is certainly a brilliant glory, but the attention of the outside world on this matter has put pressure on the Warriors and their opponents. The Warriors, from coaches to players, have been asked about their three-point records in interviews in recent days, and so have their opponents, even away fans, from Philadelphia to Indianapolis, who have seen a fan base cheering for Curry's milestone.
For the Warriors, this record was quickly broken, and then everyone was at ease. For the opponent of the Eastern Five Consecutive Guests, it does not want to be the background board for Curry to create history, you go somewhere else to break, don't be here.
Therefore, the Warriors are actively using cover, hand-to-hand and other cooperation to create three-point opportunities for Curry, and the opponent is fully blocked, the defensive force is piled up on Curry, every time the block is dismantled and the cover is chased, the big man is delayed, and the Warriors player who prefers to cover down to the basket, or misses the Fire Point of the Warriors' outside line, in short, it is to prevent Curry from breaking the record at any cost.
The 76ers and pacers are played like this, the slight difference is that the 76ers equipped Sable, a defensive tip, followed Curry throughout the game, and the Pacers did not have such a good defensive strength, but they also did their best to avoid becoming a foil for Curry to accept the record, although the Pacers lost the game.
Now the situation is clear, Curry entered another three-point record to tie the record, into two three-point surpass, the birth of the new record is left to Madison Square Garden, the league is happy, the sponsors are happy, the fans are happy, other teams are relieved, anyway, New York is also used to setting up a stage for the brilliant moment of the superstar, complete Curry.
Most importantly, Curry and the Warriors are about to get rid of this psychological burden, and what they need to focus on is not the three-point record, but the team's recent struggles. After 18-2 in the first 20 games of the season, the Warriors have won 4-3 in their last 7 games. No matter how good a team is, it will suffer a low period during the long regular season, so the Warriors' recent lack of performance (relative to their previous performances) may only be temporary, but it is also worth thinking about.
The Warriors are the league's first defensive efficiency and fourth in offensive efficiency this season, and during this wave of 4 wins and 3 losses, their defensive efficiency ranks third, offensive efficiency is 21st, in short, the defense is still online, but the offensive drop is too serious.
There's Curry's problem, who shot just 34 percent of the way during his 4-3 shooting. We can't go into Curry's heart and explore whether his psychological state has been affected by the imminent record-breaking, although from the perspective of Curry's career, he is not a player who is extremely greedy for data, but the three-point king, which has the significance of the times for Curry, may touch his heartstrings.
If Curry's mentality is not affected, it is the opponent's defensive pertinence and personal feel problems, Curry has the second worst shooting percentage in the near basket area (0-3 feet from the basket) this season, only better than the 2011-12 season, which was prematurely scrapped due to an ankle injury, he is more dependent on three-pointers than ever, and once the long-range shot is inaccurate, the offensive firepower output is greatly reduced.
Curry's problem, the media and fans can see, the opponent has naturally already found, which also poses a challenge to the Warriors, once Curry's three-point failure, can the Warriors share the pressure on Curry through the deputy attacker, especially at the key moment of the game?
For now, the answer is still being found. Because, the best secondary attacker expected by the Warriors is still playing in the development league, and only when he returns with "full blood" can the Warriors really stabilize the attack.
Before that, Curry broke the record. On December 15, Madison Square Garden, witness a brilliant moment in the history of basketball.