You can only hope to contain elite offensive talents. Good offense beats good defense every day of the week. Steph Curry isn't just good. He's a problem for the Rockets in the playoffs, but Houston has their own problem, too.
With the Warriors snapping their three-game losing streak in the play-in, another playoff series against the Houston Rockets is upon us.
These squads have deep-rooted playoff history, but the cast is vastly different on the Rockets' side this time around. Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Steve Kerr aim to squish the Rockets again. Houston native Jimmy Butler has joined the circus on Golden State's side. He's been a trustworthy defender all of his career, but he's no Amen Thompson standing here today.
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Amen Thompson is Houston's one hope to end this recurring nightmare
Steph Curry hasn't been his usual shoot-em-dead self against the Rockets in the postseason. He's 3-0 in series where he's played the full series (even in 2016, when he got hurt in the Rockets series, the Warriors still crushed them). But he's only shot 37 percent from three on 212 attempts in the matchups.
That's electrifying for other shooters but not for the GOAT. It's even more scary that the Warriors have left every series victorious with Curry not shooting at his playoff level or even playing in every game. Even with the James Harden and Chris Paul Rockets getting Curry and company on the ropes, he'd still step on every attempt to dethrone the Warriors.
The defensive game plan to blitz and trap Curry worked until it didn't. Ime Udoka and the Rockets will probably deploy a similar game plan, but Thompson is a different level of on-ball defender the Rockets have assigned to be the primary on Curry.
From a size and athleticism standpoint, few rival Thompson (his brother comes close). Despite his wiry frame, Thompson is strong as an ox and uses physicality when guarding the ball.
Thompson has had success versus Curry in the regular season. Earlier in April, Curry was on another one of his unreal 3-point barrages. He had a week of 52, 37, and 36 points. The next game against the Rockets was a different scene. Thompson hounded Curry, picking him up full court, sliding his feet, and constantly being present in Curry's airspace. Curry was held to just three points.
The ability to chase Curry off the ball is more than half the battle when attempting to slow him down. Thompson is a world-class athlete in every sense of the saying.
He wasn't gassed tracking Curry, and his strength aids his ability to fight through all the stagger, down, and back screens the Warriors set for Curry.
Thompson's strength and wiry frame allow him to slither past screens, staying attached to the lethal sharpshooter. The Rockets organization knows firsthand that you won't shut Curry's water off completely, but slowing him down is all you can hope for.
Ime Udoka is the polar opposite of Mike D'Antoni, who led those Harden and Paul teams into battle. Udoka emphasizes defensive intensity and has no problem benching stars when they fail to meet expectations. That's never a problem for Thompson.
Not only is he one of the elite options to guard stellar point guards, but his versatility stretches from 1-4. We've even seen Thompson matchup with 6-foot-11 bigs and send their shot back into their faces.
Curry is with another big star in Playoff Jimmy who's already showing how valuable he can be in these spots. The Warriors are more experienced than Thompson and the young crew around him. There's a world where Golden State pulls off the 7-seed over 2-seed "upset." If they do, it won't be because Amen Thompson didn't give his all and failed to show why he's getting first-place Defensive Player of the Year votes.