Stephen Curry Broke NBA Fans

[dhsilv2]

He could’ve taken a step forward for sure, I’ve seen this happen a few times as well and it blows my mind. In a tie game the only thing that matters is fg% not efg% but some players/teams seem to forget that

It's just not as natural a shot for these guys.

[dhsilv2]

This really comes down to Lebron and Eballer have completely different views on Jokic's defensive position here. He's not gonna block a shot but kicking the ball and/or deflecting it are much more likely than being given credit for here.

[bledredwine]

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

Yep.

Anyway, my sig has been getting much worse this year for the player featured

[Handlez]

Since when is a lower percentage shot the right one?

LeBron had a wide open lane and there were better shots available.

[E-Balla]

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.

Gordon was face guarding AD with his back to the play he's technically in the paint but effectively out of the play. Jokic is shading AD at the other end of the paint . The third defender is Jamal **** Murray. LeBron gets a full head of steam and what happens? Murray who never draws charges draws one on LeBron? Jokic makes a spectacular play to go around both AD and Gordon to meet Lebron at the rim and packs it? Doubt it.

Most likely scenario? He gets fouled and shoots 2 at the line. 75% fT shooter 50% chance of making both. Percentage wise not that different from the 3 ball, no?

The game was tied. They need 1 point to take the lead so there's a 6.25% chance he misses both freethrows. Also there's a 56.25% chance he makes both, still better than 44% (which is again, the highest of his career, his career average is closer to 39%).

[E-Balla]

This really comes down to Lebron and Eballer have completely different views on Jokic's defensive position here. He's not gonna block a shot but kicking the ball and/or deflecting it are much more likely than being given credit for here.

Honestly if he tried to drive and ultimately kicked it for another open shot I'd like that more too. Now you got Bron and AD in position to crash, an open 3 is still available, and there's more time off the clock for Denver to go score for game.

[HadAnEffectHere]

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.

LeBron had struggled badly driving to the rim and was completely out of gas, what are you talking about.

[dhsilv2]

This really comes down to Lebron and Eballer have completely different views on Jokic's defensive position here. He's not gonna block a shot but kicking the ball and/or deflecting it are much more likely than being given credit for here.

Honestly if he tried to drive and ultimately kicked it for another open shot I'd like that more too. Now you got Bron and AD in position to crash, an open 3 is still available, and there's more time off the clock for Denver to go score for game.

Jokic isn't much of a rim stopper, but dude is top 10 every year in deflections and those types of passes are his bread and butter deflections...plus he loves kicking the ball on drivers. I think lebron driving here is the better play, but this isn't 5 or 10 years ago when Lebron was a worse shooter. Lebron's shot is very solid these days and a lot can go wrong driving before that 65%+ shot gets taken and that's the math you're leaving out.

[madskillz8]

When you clearly push your defender with an arm to the ground and not called for an offensive foul, at that very moment you might easily think you are someone special or the chosen one.

Then, it is an easy decision to take this wide open three especially when you already hit two of them from the same spot in the last few minutes.

[E-Balla]

This really comes down to Lebron and Eballer have completely different views on Jokic's defensive position here. He's not gonna block a shot but kicking the ball and/or deflecting it are much more likely than being given credit for here.

Honestly if he tried to drive and ultimately kicked it for another open shot I'd like that more too. Now you got Bron and AD in position to crash, an open 3 is still available, and there's more time off the clock for Denver to go score for game.

Jokic isn't much of a rim stopper, but dude is top 10 every year in deflections and those types of passes are his bread and butter deflections...plus he loves kicking the ball on drivers. I think lebron driving here is the better play, but this isn't 5 or 10 years ago when Lebron was a worse shooter. Lebron's shot is very solid these days and a lot can go wrong driving before that 65%+ shot gets taken and that's the math you're leaving out.

Well again I don't think he should've or would've had to pass and in that case he let Jokic scare him out of of the best look possible. If I'm Ham that's a problem.

[whatisacenter]

Opened this thread thinking it was about broke NBA fans hating on Curry smh

I thought it was about Steph "breaking" fans hearts, due to his early exit or smth. Steph being so liked and all.

I thought it was going to be about fans expecting all superstars to not blame the refs when they come up short like Steph.

[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.

LeBron had struggled badly driving to the rim and was completely out of gas, what are you talking about.

At the 47 second mark of the 4th quarter, Lebron made a driving layup that put the Lakers up 2 (99-97). He actually had the Nuggets struggling to contain his drives a lot. He was fouled two other times, even though they didn't lead to free throws.

[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

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.

This has nothing to do with Curry.

Lebron is best known for making the “right decision” in these situations. I normally torch him for driving and kicking and leaving the win in the hands of others.

Your answer is based on a bunch of what ifs. A contested lay up or a foul. Lebron watched DLO get slap in face and the call get overturned.

No guarantees the refs call a foul.
Even with 1 charge all year there’s no guarantee that Murray doesn’t draw a charge
Theres no guarantee that Gordon doesn’t make a great defensive stop
No guarantee a teammate gets the rebound if he misses a layup, especially AD who was invisible all quarter.

It becomes a game of percentages. You have these 4 variables that are totally out of Lebrons control.

The one thing Lebron knows FOR SURE… he shoots 40+% from 3 and his WIDE open. Thats the only option Lebron had slight control with no interference.

So yes a wide open 3 is the very obvious option. Anything else is just chatter.

[CS707]

So OP is blaming Steph for the supposed mistake of a guy that gets GOAT consideration? Ok.

[E-Balla]

This has nothing to do with Curry.

Lebron is best known for making the “right decision” in these situations. I normally torch him for driving and kicking and leaving the win in the hands of others.

Your answer is based on a bunch of what ifs. A contested lay up or a foul. Lebron watched DLO get slap in face and the call get overturned.

No guarantees the refs call a foul.
Even with 1 charge all year there’s no guarantee that Murray doesn’t draw a charge
Theres no guarantee that Gordon doesn’t make a great defensive stop
No guarantee a teammate gets the rebound if he misses a layup, especially AD who was invisible all quarter.

It becomes a game of percentages. You have these 4 variables that are totally out of Lebrons control.

The one thing Lebron knows FOR SURE… he shoots 40+% from 3 and his WIDE open. Thats the only option Lebron had slight control with no interference.

So yes a wide open 3 is the very obvious option. Anything else is just chatter.

The thread is called "Stephen Curry broke NBA FANS". Now tell me where I said or implied LeBron's decision had to do with Curry?

[E-Balla]

So OP is blaming Steph for the supposed mistake of a guy that gets GOAT consideration? Ok.

LeBron is an NBA player, not a fan.

[CS707]

So OP is blaming Steph for the supposed mistake of a guy that gets GOAT consideration? Ok.

LeBron is an NBA player, not a fan.

The point remains the same. *IF* LeBron made a mistake in the situation, it's his mistake. Nobody else to blame.

[Prince187]

I’d place most of the blame on Steve Kerr but I agree overall

[E-Balla]

So OP is blaming Steph for the supposed mistake of a guy that gets GOAT consideration? Ok.

LeBron is an NBA player, not a fan.

The point remains the same. *IF* LeBron made a mistake in the situation, it's his mistake. Nobody else to blame.

I think your comprehension is off... I'm not blaming Steph for LeBron taking that shot. I'm saying because of Steph more fans than ever think that wasn't a bad shot.

[FeatheryTouch]

LeBron is an NBA player, not a fan.

The point remains the same. *IF* LeBron made a mistake in the situation, it's his mistake. Nobody else to blame.

I think your comprehension is off... I'm not blaming Steph for LeBron taking that shot. I'm saying because of Steph more fans than ever think that wasn't a bad shot.

Except that it wasn't a bad shot.

If the choice was a contested 3 versus a contested 2 then maybe you would have an argument, but that isn't what happened.

The choice was actually between a wide-open 3 and driving into defensive traffic for a contested 2 point shot.

Lebron's decision making was solid on the play, and he had just hit two big 3s minutes before that and had reason to feel confident in taking it. He just missed the shot...and it's a make-or-miss league.

(in fairness sometimes players do lose composure and take awful shots in crunch-time, but that just isn't the case here)