The Warriors’ half-court offense is broken

But the Celtics’ offense is even worse

BY DAVID THORPE

ELSA/GETTY IMAGES

For years at TrueHoop, we have referred to the Warriors’ offense as the Cuisinart. It’s a totally brilliant method to exploit the reality that teams go to outlandish lengths to stop Stephen Curry from shooting 3s. Combine that with some killer player and ball movement—the Cuisinart—and from this team’s first trip to the Finals, it has led to things like wide open dunks for Draymond Green. 

Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, as we have been discussing on BRING IT IN throughout the Finals, has made a big bet that essentially says, “Never mind all that. We’ll pack the defense in the paint, give up none of those wide open dunks to Curry’s teammates, and see if Curry, guarded most of the time by Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, can hit a million 3s to beat us.”

Suddenly, the Cuisinart requires maintenance.

In the playoffs, the Warriors have averaged 115.1 points per 100 possessions. In the Finals, 110.8. The Warriors averaged 340 passes per game during the regular season, tops in the league. In this series, they’re averaging 262, which would have been fifth-worst in the regular season. Despite really struggling to score the ball against the Celtics, the Warriors are tied 2-2 in the series.

There are 100 examples from the first four games. Here’s one: If Draymond Green passes up on a contested shot from seven feet and throws the ball to Curry with 14 seconds on the shot clock, that’s almost always a good decision. 

When Draymond Green passes up a layup, as he does here, it puts more pressure on the Warriors’ shooters.

Curry hit a lot of those shots in Game 4, but that’s not the outcome you’re hunting. Plays like that show the Cuisinart on the fritz.

But we have discussed how defense is like blackjack. The Celtics are forcing Curry into the shots they want him to take; they’re dealing him 12s and 13s. It hasn’t mattered so far. Curry just keeps hitting, and he keeps drawing 2s and 3s. That’s Jordanesque. 

You know what else smacks of MJ? After Al Horford landed on his foot in a loose-ball scrum, Curry was pissed. He came out with more emotion and stuck it to the Celtics. Still, it seems unlikely the Warriors will be able to count on this Jordan version of Curry to show up for two of the next three games. There’s a lot the Celtics can do in Game 5.