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The Golden State Warriors may have been eliminated in the Western Conference semi-finals at the hands of the LA Lakers. However, as we inch closer to the NBA Finals, their star backcourt is still leading the NBA in total 3-pointers in the 2023 NBA playoffs.
Warriors superstar point guard Steph Curry is first with 57 3-pointers followed by his teammate Klay Thompson with 50. Curry and Thompson each played 13 games in the playoffs.
In addition to being the playoff leader in 3-pointers, Curry is also still the playoff leader in total fourth-quarter points. This comes as Curry scored a whopping 124 fourth-quarter points as he carried the Warriors throughout the playoffs.
Overall, Curry averaged 30.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 4.4 3-pointers per game on 46.6% shooting over 13 playoff games.
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Steve Kerr on the Warriors’ short-lived run in the 2023 NBA playoffs
Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors weren’t able to defend their 2022 NBA title. However, Warriors coach Steve Kerr was still pleased to see his team’s defensive improvement throughout the playoffs.
During a recent interview with The Athletic, Kerr said that it’s normal for title teams to experience setbacks:
“I think there’s always sort of a little bit of a natural tendency for championship teams to let their guard down a little bit. It’s just human nature,” Kerr said.
Kerr then spoke about the Warriors’ impressive playoff defense. This comes as Golden State went from ranking 14th in team defensive rating in the regular season (113.4) to seventh in the playoffs (111.1).
“Oh yeah. I mean, defensively, I guess we played what, 13 playoff games, we were one of the best defensive teams in the playoffs when you factor in the quality of your opponent and the offensive rating that you keep your opponent to compared to their normal average,” Kerr said.
“I think we were second in the playoffs when our series with the Lakers ended. I thought our defense was great; clearly getting Gary back and Wigs back changed everything. And that’s what it takes. You have to be a two-way team to win a championship. We all know that. We’ve watched it with our team for years.
“I just thought defensively, that was our biggest issue most of the season. And the way we finished, winning (five of) our last six games, beating Sacramento, taking the Lakers to six — our defense was there.”
Kerr added that his team’s improved defense has him looking forward to next season:
“That’s what I’m most encouraged about going into next season. I think we’ve got a lot of things to clean up offensively. I’m really encouraged by the defense".
