11-30-23See You in a Hundred Years! Warriors Celebrate Big Three Day Tactics Break Down How They Beat The Clippers

On November 30th, 23rd, the 100th anniversary of the Warriors, the Warriors made a special celebration for 11-30-23. These three numbers represent the Big Three of the "Warriors Dynasty": No. 11 Thompson, No. 30 Curry, and No. 23 Green. The trio teamed up to lead the warriors from the trough to the top of the mountain, and these are worth celebrating.

And in the game of "who loses and who is embarrassed" on the night, the "Big Three" led the Warriors to defeat the "Big Four" Clippers 120-114, which is also worth celebrating. Because this season, the Warriors have been subjected to unprecedented doubts, and even after the win, their 9-10 record is still less than 5 percent, and they can only finish 10th in the West.

Is the trio coming to an end? If 11-30-23 is the only indicator, the trio would give a clear "no" to these questions. Curry 26+7+8, shooting 68.6%, Thompson 22+6, shooting 55.7%, Green 13+5+5, the classic Big Three is back. Despite getting older and having to bow their heads over the years, the three of them played the Clippers in line with their identity.

Prior to the game against the Clippers, Thompson averaged 15.3 points per game, the lowest since his rookie season, and there were doubts about his status as a top-five shooter in the league. With a slow start, frequent strong shots, and an unbalanced mentality, his performance on and off the field this season has been questioned.

But playing the Clippers, Thompson is back in form and can also attract defenders in a variety of pick-and-roll moves, and if Thompson continues to attract two defenders on off-ball pick-and-rolls like he did on this offense, even when he is struggling, people can better understand his importance:

Another thing to praise Thompson for is his decision-making. He shot 2-of-7 from three-point range and missed two good shots from beyond the three-point line in a while. He could have used his hands as often as he used to to find his touch.

However, he chose to do this:

Thompson's status as a shooter allowed defenders to still block him, and it also provided him with an opportunity to show his worth, which he finally realized against the Clippers.

Curry is still the target of the opponent, but for the Warriors, this is the role that Curry has been playing in the tactical plan, Green's cover value to Curry may not be seen, but after the confrontation in the cover and the addition of attracting defenders, the rest of the Warriors usually face a situation of more play and less:

The Warriors also used Saric to spread out his position at power forward and target the most vulnerable targets on the court. Zubac was forced to get involved in the pick-and-roll defense against Curry — which in turn created opportunities for Green to cut in a 2-on-1 situation.

The other Curries attacked Zubac's pursuit, and Zubac was also passive:

Forcing Zubac to switch defenses when Curry redecided to attack — and as a result, he had to chase Curry, something Zubac was rather unaccustomed to — was simply unfair:

Another target for the Warriors is James Harden.

The Warriors make heavy use of guard-guard screens or guard-forward screen combinations—Harden's defensive players will cover Curry to force a switch—to create favorable heads-up opportunities for Curry:

When the Warriors attacked Harden with a guard-guard cover in the fourth quarter, the Clippers tried to double Curry by letting someone else come over after switching defenses, but Curry easily dribbled through the double and avoided being effectively trapped:

Although Green played Curry's role as a cover partner most of the time, he also hit some shots after the pick-and-roll. This season he shot 13-of-28 from three-point range (46.4 percent). While he didn't take many shots, any three-pointer Green hit was an added bonus considering the defender's choice of whether or not to defend him from the perimeter.

He can even score as a finisher in the corner, such as the one Curry created here:

Of course, defense is Green's value. With the Clippers fielding Leonard at the No. 4 position, Green was assigned to defend him one-on-one. The Clippers have tried several times to get rid of Green's defense against Leonard by forcing Curry's defenders to come over and switch defenses — but for the most part, the Warriors have been able to sabotage that attempt by getting Curry to shoot and quickly return to their defensive targets. That either forces Leonard to accept the alignment he doesn't want, or only switches defenses with seconds left on the shooting clock, forcing him to rush to the shot.

When Leonard was forced to go solo and try to play against Green, he found it difficult because Green's reach, physicality, and tenacity as a defender lay there:

At their best, the Warriors' Big Three showed that they can still create situations that opponents are difficult to defend by watching another Curry Green pick and roll.

Now back to the Clippers trying to solve the problem with a switch and a wrap-and-pack strategy when the Warriors attacked Harden, but they found it so difficult to do a two-man pack:

Curry sought out Harden by letting Green cover him, and Mann couldn't double up Curry after the switch because Green's cover lasted long enough to miss the opportunity. Mann is then forced to defend Green for fear of his empty threat. Since Curry didn't have an immediate double trap at this point of attack, the double trap had to be done by Paul George – but he came from the weak side, which made it easy for Curry to break down to the other side.

Curry's easy access to the basket was aided by Thompson in the tight corner, and his presence did not allow Willis to come back to help defend. This is the threat of the "Splash Brothers".

This isn't the first time we've seen the Big Three pull off such an attack. Despite their current troubled and declining abilities, and the countdown to the Warriors' dynasty led by the Big Three, the Warriors may have a chance to play again if they can all play like the Clippers.