"I can't believe the kind of shape he must be in" - Nick Nurse outlines how hard it is to guard Steph Curry, complements his conditioning
Whenever the topic of tough players to gameplan against comes up, it is hard to leave out Steph Curry's name. Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse appeared on The Old Man and the Three podcast with JJ Redick and discussed his journey as head coach in the NBA. Redick, being a premier sharpshooter himself, always asks his guests about their views on Steph Curry.
Nick Nurse had the misfortune of coaching against the baby-faced assassin during the 2019 NBA Finals. Curry averaged 30.5 points per game during that Finals series and made the Raptors defense work hard on every possession. JJ Redick asked coach Nurse if there was any player harder to gameplan against than Steph Curry. Nurse replied, saying:
"There is quite a few of them actually but Steph's unbelievable. I can't believe the kind of shape he must be in, as fast as he runs, the whole game, every game. That's what amazed me playing him in the Finals."
"One thing I said over and over in that series was like 'I know they're running fast but you got to run fast too. We gotta run fast too. Keep chasing him. Like play tag and keep chasing him' because its like nonstop."
The question arose after the box-and-1 defense was brought up in the interview. The Toronto Raptors deployed that defensive strategy against Steph Curry and did everything they could to try and stop him from going off. The box-and-1 defense is when one player is dedicatedly stuck to one player and the rest of the four players form a "box" zone in the middle that stops that one offensive player from all sides of the halfcourt.
Here’s the first possession of the Raptors going box-and-1 on Curry. Look at Nick Nurse jumping around on the sideline. Haha. It worked here for sure but how is this a foul on Curry? VanVleet stops and pushes Curry... https://t.co/ytjrIC7HTV
The Toronto Raptors were able to slow down Steph Curry and win the 2019 NBA Finals. But the mere fact that the entire team was required to stop one player speaks volumes about Curry.
Steph Curry might win his third NBA MVP trophy
Steph Curry now leads every major sportsbook and publication in the NBA MVP race. The Golden State Warriors currently have the best record in the NBA at 28-7 and Curry is at the forefront of that. He is averaging 27.7 points per game, the third-highest in the NBA, and is breaking records every night.
Steph Curry has had the NBA's most 40 and 50-point games this season and has put up video game-like numbers on several occasions. The Golden State Warriors have won games despite missing key players and it is getting harder to deny Curry's NBA MVP case.
The Warriors in the past week:
— Beat the fully healthy Suns on the road without Wiggins and Poole
— Beat the fully healthy Jazz on the road without Draymond
And they’re still missing this guy 👇 https://t.co/6sTfghEXu5
Steph Curry is getting MVP chants in road arenas, from Los Angeles to Brooklyn and even Cleveland. The two-time MVP is the best show in sports right now and the Warriors are the current championship favorites because of him.