Stephen Curry Broke NBA Fans

[E-Balla]

Last night we all watched Lebron James, a 6'8, 260+ pound, super athletic all time leader in points that is 68% on layups and the most dangerous player in the history of the sport with a runway take a 3 in a tied game with none of his teammates in position to rebound and more than enough time on the clock to finish a drive and punch it and people are calling it a good shot.

I think we've officially hit the point where the average NBA fan knows absolutely nothing about actually playing basketball. Like I don't mean knowing sets and defensive coverages but just something as basic as knowing a layup > a 3 when you need 1 point to win.

And we have Wardell Stephen Curry Jr to thank for this. Before he came around nobody on earth thought an open corner 3 was a better look than even a contested Lebron layup. Now we got fans thinking an open Bron shot from the top of the key is a better look than a LeBron James layup with a full head of steam nobody but Jamal Murray in the paint between Lebron and the basket. I had someone I know tell me Jamal Murray was coming to take the charge to justify this. Jamal Murray has drawn 1 charge all season and less than 30 in his whole career going back to Kentucky.

Darvin Ham gotta teach these guys situational basketball that **** was inexcusable.

[Calvin Klein]

The general board is really on one today.

[Chuck Everett]

I don't totally agree, however, I will agree that Lebron had been killing the Nuggets driving to the rim in the 4th quarter. They couldn't keep him from driving hard with his left. Then again, he did look gassed at the end as well. I think fatigue played a factor in his decision to settle for the three. Even if he had stopped and taken a midrange jumper as opposed to the 3, no one would be upset that you gave a man who had hit 3 threes up until that point an open look with the potential to break the tie.

[E-Balla]

I don't totally agree, however, I will agree that Lebron had been killing the Nuggets driving to the rim in the 4th quarter. They couldn't keep him from driving hard with his left. Then again, he did look gassed at the end as well. I think fatigue played a factor in his decision to settle for the three. Even if he had stopped and taken a midrange jumper as opposed to the 3, no one would be upset that you gave a man who had hit 3 threes up until that point an open look with the potential to break the tie.

When the man is Lebron James with a runway you should be upset. I'd be sick if I didn't already think they'd lose.

[TheGeneral99]

Dude Lebron had a wide open 3 with nobody within 10 feet of him. That is the most wide open shot you will get in crunch time in an NBA game.

[KembaWalker]

I don't totally agree, however, I will agree that Lebron had been killing the Nuggets driving to the rim in the 4th quarter. They couldn't keep him from driving hard with his left. Then again, he did look gassed at the end as well. I think fatigue played a factor in his decision to settle for the three. Even if he had stopped and taken a midrange jumper as opposed to the 3, no one would be upset that you gave a man who had hit 3 threes up until that point an open look with the potential to break the tie.

You see these guys get absolutely gassed every game and you start wondering if the next big advancement in strategy doesn’t involve getting some mid range back in the game for energy management. It might not win in a math contest but maybe Tim Duncan was right to take some 15 foot bankers every now and then. Keep some energy in the tank throughout the game at the cost of some %. And it’s more reliable, longer shots and drives drop off the most during fatigue. Mid range is a bit more reliable especially when the refs are letting stuff go more in the playoffs

[Marrrcuss]

I dont agree with this BUT i do think some of the 3s lebron takes are Curry motivated. Bro does almost nothing else on the court and gets thrown in the GOAT conversation. I dare say LeBron gets jealous of the media hype from time to time.

[Statlanta]

I would usually buy the he was gassed part if he was walking around in that 4th quarter. But he was dunking on Jamal Murray and going to the rim for the Lakers last successful FG.

A stepback 3 even with your opponent on the ground is lazy offense(especially since everyone including the Nuggets was ball-watching after the KCP flop).

[lambchop]

It has nothing to do with Steph. The Nuggets probably simply foul bron on that last play, if he attempts to drive. He has avoided those last possession drives pretty much his whole career cause of the free throws and possibility of going 1 for 2. Anyway, the 100% cerebral play would actually have been to give D-LO the ball, given that LBJ picked his dribble up, and then get it back and make a decision from there. That also would have significantly limited the amount of time the Nuggets had.

[EmpireFalls]

I mean, it isn’t that deep, he had hit 2 triples earlier that quarter and trusted his 3 ball. Probably didn’t expect to be that wide open but the idea is to go for the kill (even if the 2 was a guaranteed make, Denver could’ve sent it to OT as there was time remaining… as Murray showed)

Just missed it. It’s a make or miss league really. If it goes in we hear 3 days of Bron GOAT and how clutch and ballsy it was to take it. There are a large variety of acceptable shots to take on an NBA court and I think people lose sight of this.

[KembaWalker]

Imagining MJ pushing off Russell into a stumble and following it up with a Harden double step back into a 3 and clanking it that’s modern bball

[Forbes]

Eh I disagree with the premise.

Either
Lebron shoots a wide open 3 as a 41% shooter after already hitting a couple 3s already

Or

Drive into the crowded paint with 3 nuggets players literally right there after a long game of trying to keep Denver from catching up

The choice is obvious

[blueNorange]

lebron took a wide open three

even in 1995 that’s the right shot to take

[E-Balla]

Eh I disagree with the premise.

Either
Lebron shoots a wide open 3 as a 41% shooter after already hitting a couple 3s already

Or

Drive into the crowded paint with 3 nuggets players literally right there after a long game of trying to keep Denver from catching up

The choice is obvious

Lebron is 44% on wide open 3s this year and it's his career high. At best he's under 50% on that look, no way in hell is that an obvious choice with nobody in position to rebound you're more likely to miss (which he did) than to not miss.

And there were 3 players in the paint, two would've had to come off of an Anthony Davis screen to contest (AD gets an easy chance at a putback) not to mention those two players were Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon, and the third player was Jamal Murray, a player with 1 charge drawn all year at the bottom of the key. That drive is either a contested layup (a shot more likely to go in or get rebounded) or a foul.

This is what I mean, before Curry nobody would contest the idea that Lebron made a poor decision there.

[E-Balla]

lebron took a wide open three

even in 1995 that’s the right shot to take

A 40-44% shot for game when there's an open layup available and 16 seconds on the clock is never a good look.

[hauntedcomputer]

Bron was exhausted from the push off.

[EmpireFalls]

lebron took a wide open three

even in 1995 that’s the right shot to take

A 40-44% shot for game when there's an open layup available and 16 seconds on the clock is never a good look.

Where was the open layup? I don’t see it. In fact I see 3 players standing directly in the lane in position to contest an open layup.

[YogurtProducer]

lebron took a wide open three

even in 1995 that’s the right shot to take

A 40-44% shot for game when there's an open layup available and 16 seconds on the clock is never a good look.

Where was the open layup

[UcanUwill]

lebron took a wide open three

even in 1995 that’s the right shot to take

A 40-44% shot for game when there's an open layup available and 16 seconds on the clock is never a good look.

You make it sound like Lebron was on fastbreak all alone, the paint was still guarded. I need to look back, but I dont remember being outraged he took a 3, and I really would have if a wide open lay up was an option.

EDIT: Ok, I watched the tape, and literally 3 Nuggets and 1 Laker was inside the paint when it happened. Someone on PC will no doubt provide a screenshot. Even tho a chance at a lay up was possible, where was the open part?

[DOT]

Sounds like Steph definitely broke someone.