"There is no more Kevin Durant to save you" - Skip Bayless believes the Golden State Warriors' success will depend on Steph Curry's shooting
The Golden State Warriors lost their last game against the Denver Nuggets, and Steph Curry had a poor shooting night. They managed to score only 86 points throughout the entire game, with Steph adding 23 points.
The Warriors have been credited for having guys that step up in Steph's absence, but that was not the case in their last outing. It is worth noting that they were missing some offensive firepower on the night.
Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe got together to discuss the Warriors' loss against the Nuggets and analyzed Steph Curry's performance. For Skip, the bottom line is that the Warriors' success is heavily dependent on Steph's shooting as there is no Kevin Durant to save them.
"You said he had an off night, he's actually having an off year so far from three. He's plummeted down to 39.7% from three.
"Obviously, he's been under huge pressure to break Ray Allen's record. Even some pressure he felt last night to get to three thousand. I give you all the above, but this team is going to go as far as Steph shoots this team. I don't care what you say, it will come down to that. There is no more Kevin Durant to save you," Skip Bayless said.
After commending their efforts so far, and speaking on the improvements that will come with Klay Thompson and James Wiseman's return, he again reiterated their success is hugely dependent on Steph Curry's shooting.
"They will go as far as Steph shoots them. He has not lived up to his regular-season MVPs in the postseason. He's never had, obviously, a Finals MVP. This is his year, and I do think there is huge pressure on Steph Curry to come through at the highest level this year," Bayless added.
Steph Curry becomes first NBA player to make 3,000 career 3-pointers, despite home loss to the Nuggets
"There is huge pressure on Steph Curry to live up to the 3-point record with playoff success this year." — @RealSkipBayless https://t.co/i2bj3Puads
As things stand, Steph Curry is the best player on the team and will be called upon to lead them to success. The return of Klay will be a major boost as there will be less attention on Steph. Nonetheless, he needs to knock down three-pointers at an efficient clip if this Warriors team hopes to win a championship.
Can Steph Curry and the Warriors win another championship without Kevin Durant?
The start of the Steph Curry-LeBron James Finals duel ended in a victory for the Warriors in 2015, a team that did not have Kevin Durant. Andre Iguodala was the standout performer, as he was able to successfully limit LeBron's production and made significant shots on the other end of the floor.
Congratulations to Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) of the @warriors for becoming the first player in NBA history to reach 3,000 career 3-pointers! https://t.co/xl0xprt8U2
Things were different in 2016, as James and the Cleveland Cavaliers overturned a 3-1 deficit to defeat the 73-9 Warriors. Since KD joined the team in the 2016 offseason, they won both the 2017 and 2018 Finals over LeBron and the Cavs.
Although there is no chance that Steph Curry will meet LeBron in the Finals, they might play against a formidable Brooklyn Nets team. Although they have the core of the 2015 team who won the Finals, including Iguodala, most are past their prime as they have gotten older.
Their defense has been the best in the league, and that might play a huge role in their success. Wiseman and Thompson are also elite two-way players who will improve their chances of winning. So far this season, Steph Curry is averaging 27.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.6 steals.