Golden State

In the past decade, popularity of the 3-point shot has grown rapidly. Year after year the players drafted to the NBA partake in the fast-paced style of play, opposed to the traditional half-court offense.  I asked my brother whether or not he noticed the trend, and he reported the following. “The NBA has  definitely moved away from drawing out plays, and towards more of a run-and-gun mindset,” said Eric. With the rise of Steph Curry and The Golden State Warriors, basketball has moved into a new era.

During Warriors’ games, I constantly thought to myself, “How are the Warriors outperforming so many dominant teams?” From watching ESPN I’ve seen highlights of Warriors games and their style of play, but I’d never actually seen a full game from start to finish. And because most of the research around this upcoming 3 point shooting trend revolves around the Warriors, I felt the need to tune in Wednesday night. The Warriors faced the San Antonio Spurs, the second place team in the league. Prior to Wednesday night the Warriors had not beat the Spurs in San Antonio in nearly twenty years, but right off the bat it was clear that this streak was coming to an end. Whenever the Spurs would make a 2 point shot, the Warriors would counter it with a 3 pointer. The teams traded baskets all night, but before you know it the Warriors had run away with the game because of their efficiency from beyond the 3 point line.

Last year the Warriors’ 3 Point shooting proved to be the real deal rather than a series of lucky shots. On April 14^th, the Golden State Warriors broke the record for the most single season wins in NBA history, and surpassing Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. The Warriors trampled the Bulls and set a new record of 73 wins with only 9 losses. Prior to do so, critics doubted whether or not the modern day dream team would be able to carry that performance into the playoffs. But, of course, the Warriors were able to silence the non-believers, including myself.

Steph Curry headed the Golden State powerhouse and also broke a record that night. Curry set the new NBA record for most 3 point field goals made in a single season at 402. From examining the 3 point shooting of Curry, as well as his teammates, a clear correlation between efficient 3 point shooting and winning is present.

The Warriors have constantly proven over the last two seasons that if you shoot a lot of 3 pointers and actually make them, your team is headed towards success. This is the case because 3 point shooting is becoming a trend, but not all teams are shooting these shots efficiently. Although the Warriors lost in the NBA Finals last year, it was the second consecutive year they have been. More teams have started to adopt their style of play, seeing how effective it has been for them. The only team that has not is the San Antonio Spurs, and although they are a great team, their superstars are on the brink of retirement. So, it will be interesting to see if the Spurs’ style of play changes once their superstars retire.