The resurgence of Stephen Curry and the Warriors: will they add their fourth title this 2022?

See them play Golden State Warriors it’s a pleasure. For two reasons: with their own style, they understand that basketball is a team game, where the rotation of the ball and players is key to finding spaces and breaking defenses; in their ranks is one of the most spectacular players in the NBA, Stephen Curry.

If today (2:30 pm) they beat the Denver Nuggets for the fourth game of the 2022 Playoffs opening round series they will become the first team to advance to the Western Conference semifinals and only to do so 4-0. Thus, after two years without qualifying for the decisive phase of the NBA, the team led by multi-champion Steve Kerr is once again a candidate for the title when many already considered the end of the dynasty that reached five finals in a row between 2015 and 2019 (he won 3 and lost 2).

Durant’s departure and injuries

The 2019 final against the Raptors was tough not only because of the loss they suffered in six games. Obviously, there was pain for the dominance that Kawhi Leonard showed with Toronto, but there was also a lot of concern because it was known that it could be Kevin Durant’s last season and Klay Thompson’s injury was very serious. The worst happened for the Warriors: KD went to Brooklyn to play with Kyrie Irving, while Curry’s idea partner ruptured his Achilles tendon.

Things got even uglier when at the beginning of the 2019-2020 season, Curry suffered a hand injury that would take him away from the courts for another three months. This led the Warriors to finish as one of the worst teams in the League with a record of 15 wins and 50 losses. Just a few years ago they had signed the best season in the history of the league: 73 wins and 9 losses.

In 2020-21, Kerr’s Golden State started from scratch knowing that Klay Thompson was not going to return until early 2022. So they started a new reconstruction around Curry and Draymond Green. They already had young Jordan Poolewhich was on the rise and they gave a more important role to the experienced and number 1 of the 2014 Draft Andrew Wiggins. Steph was crowned champion of the scoring table, averaging 32 points per game and the Warriors were one game away from getting into the Playoffs.

Curry, Poole and the revival

If you have a ticket to see the Warriors you better go early. Curry’s show starts in warm-up. He takes shots (and holes) from unheard-of places, hits back-to-back 3-pointers from midcourt without fail and does wonders with the ball in his hands because he’s a great dribbler, too. But perhaps the best thing about Steph is that he just keeps getting better over the years. Already last season, and after a serious hand injury, he proved that his talent was still intact at 32.

At the beginning of 2021-2022, in the first fifteen games of the regular season made everyone forget that he is a 33-year-old veteran (today he is already 34 because he had his birthday in March). He averaged 29.5 points, 6.5 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, throwing 13.5 triples with 41.9% accuracy. Crazy. What does Curry do to be better each year? According to Warriors coach Steve Kerr, it’s the way he takes care of his body.

“Since I got here seven years ago, there’s been a big difference,” Kerr tells GQ magazine. “The way he’s transformed his body influences how he shoots, how he gets into the paint, how he gets around screens. And that has also helped him on defense. He is an excellent defender. The stigma that he is a weak defender has been with him since the beginning of his career, and to those who think so, I would tell them to watch him night after night.”, he added.

And if the Warriors lacked anything this year to take their game back to the top, it was Klay Thompson. Curry’s best teammate – they are known as the Splash Brothers – was completely healed from his Achilles tendon injury and there we see him, winning games with his 3-pointers, defensive plays and making history: he is very close to surpassing LeBron James and become the second highest three-point scorer in playoff history.

But Curry and Thompson aren’t the only ones who have enabled the Warriors’ resurgence. The Jordan Poole thing is remarkable. The 22-year-old, who almost failed to secure the third season of his contract, today seems to come from the same school as Curry and Thompson. He is a sniper capable of matching Stephen’s ranges, he is smart to move on the field, get open and look for spaces. And he’s also a threat in the paint because he penetrates and is a great finisher. Andrew Wiggins also found his position and role in the team. The small forward gives athleticism and physique to the starting lineup. He drops a lot of rebounds, marks the rival’s best offensive players and has become a very efficient player on 3-point range. Things that happen when you have a team that knows what it plays and has a defined style.

Last but not least, Dramond Green. He didn’t win defender of the year, but he clearly returned to that level. This season he was once again that player who dominates games without scoring, but with an amazing mental clarity.

Thus, the Warriors have once again become that team that is a pleasure (and envy for those who are from another team) to see play every night.