The Golden State Warriors became a Cinderella of sorts in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs when they took on the third-seeded Denver Nuggets and shot them out of the postseason. Now, they are tied with the San Antonio Spurs 2-2 in the second round, and loom as a legitimate threat, rather than a nice story.
The main catalyst of it all has been Stephen Curry, who has handled the ball more and more in the wake of power forward David Lee's hip injury and dominated both series. Curry is leading all postseason participants in 3-pointers made (39) and assists (89). He is second in assists per game (8.3), fourth in points per game (25), and fifth in free throw percentage (92 percent).
He sprained his ankle in Game 3 of the series, however, and had a similar scare in Round 1 against Denver. Curry's ankle issues, which have persisted since he entered the league in 2009, could prevent Golden State from reaching their ceiling, however high it may be. Without Curry, the Warriors' engine stalls. With him, they have proven they possess the firepower to usher out the old guard of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.
Another key factor in Golden State's success has been their small ball approach without Lee, featuring rookie Harrison Barnes coming into his own as a stretch power forward. Barnes is averaging 16 points per game this postseason, and 6.6 rebounds, while shooting a respectable 36 percent from 3-point range. That mark is not stellar, but it is enough to force San Antonio to respect the threat, and creates spacing on the floor for Golden State's offense.
The final piece of Golden State's puzzle is Klay Thompson, who is connecting from deep at an unreal 55 percent clip. He is averaging 20 points a night and 7.8 rebounds; if Thompson and Curry continue to sizzle at their current rates, their shooting will be too much for the traditionally powerful Spurs to overcome.
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