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Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, and the surging Golden State Warriors finally faced a real test—two of them, actually.
Road wins over the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Lakers will go a long way toward the Warriors’ hopes of not only avoiding the play-in tournament but also earning home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. More broadly, just as significant is Golden State proving its newfound mettle as a bonafide contender in the West against worthy foes when that long-awaited chance came.
Curry won’t drop 52 every night in the playoffs, just like Podziemski and Kuminga won’t scrape their current peaks on a game-by-game basis. The Grizzlies are still reeling from an abrupt change on the sidelines, and JJ Redick will surely have the Lakers more locked in defensively in what could be an epic potential postseason clash. Impressive as they stand, the Warriors’ wins in Memphis and Los Angeles are no fool-proof blueprint for success when it matters most.
What Golden State can definitely count on throughout the playoffs, though, is a mental edge provided by the unparalleled intelligence and experience brought by Curry, Green, and Butler whenever they're on the floor together.
Warriors' stars thrive in controlled chaos
Curry still has a case as the most additive offensive player in basketball, a monumental feat considering he just turned 37 years old and the mere presence of Nikola Jokic. Even so, only certain players possess the processing speed and overall feel needed to make the absolute most out of being his teammate. Green has long headlined that esteemed list of championship-winning Warriors, which includes the likes of Gary Payton II, Andre Iguodala, and Andrew Bogut. Less than two months into his time playing with Curry, it's already clear Butler deserves to be on it.
Curry, Green, and Butler each paved a path toward the Hall of Fame by relying more on the mental side of the game than their peers, even during their physical primes. A decade or so removed from those glory days, the Dubs' veteran trio is mitigating the effects of Father Time with an offensive mind meld that's increasingly involved the three of them working in concert.
Until the trade deadline, Green never had a co-star as committed as he is to creating quality looks for the greatest shooter ever. There's a chance Butler pulls out his playoff cape in the coming months when Golden State needs another superhero. For now, Butler is fully comfortable playing hoops tic-tac-toe as a passer and screener with Green and Curry. He's always thinking that way with the ball in his hands, even if finding Curry clean beyond the arc requires the additional step of a pick or hand-off from Green—exactly the kind of on-the-fly foresight Butler's new teammates have used since the mid-2010s to produce the league's most vaunted two-man game.
The Warriors “short” this Curry-Butler ball screen against the Grizzlies by stationing Green on the opposite wing, making him the passer for Butler's roll after an anticipated switch by the defense. Santi Aldama peels off Green to help Ja Morant corral Butler on the catch as two other defenders converge to the paint. Butler knows the attention he's drawn has left Green wide open, just like he knows what's coming next—a quick-hitting DHO with Curry, maybe the most unstoppable unscripted action in the league.
Watch Curry creep toward the elbow while Butler drives on Austin Reaves Thursday night in Los Angeles. His random interaction with Green goes nowhere near as smoothly as normal, but it doesn't matter. Butler understands how much defenses fear Curry, especially with a streaky-at-best long-range shooter like Green one pass away.
Any open look on goal is a good one with the shot clock winding down, too, and Green plays off Curry's presence and pays off Butler's pass with a key fourth-quarter triple.
Who executes better than Golden State's Big Three?
Comfort making advanced reads in the real-time run of play, when almost nothing goes according to exact plan, is a separator for Curry, Green, and Butler individually and collectively. The first read was taken away on both possessions above, but they easily improvised with another step-ahead move that exploited Curry's brilliance. What a joy it must be for Steve Kerr to watch Golden State's pet offensive sets unfold to perfection with his three best players at the controls.
On this third-quarter trip in Memphis, you can see Green calling for Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody to clear the strong side of the floor as Butler dribbles toward halfcourt. The Warriors go back to another screening action with Curry and Butler on the left wing, but this time with an inverted pick-and-roll that forces Jaren Jackson Jr. to hedge and leaves Jalen Wells on the top side of Curry above the three-point line. But the ever-egalitarian Butler, shocker, isn't driving to shoot.
He lasers a chest pass from the top of the paint to the strong corner instead, where Green catches on the move and immediately initiates another dribble hand-off with Curry. Between the late close-out of Jackson and frantic recovery from Wells is all the space Curry needs to splash another three.
Golden State's Big Three executed with the same nuanced precision 48 hours later in Southern California.
Curry's first pick from Butler is quickly followed by another from Kuminga heading the opposite direction, drawing the Dubs' intended switch of Luka Doncic. Butler continues through the lane as Green completes his strong-side cut from the weak corner, now in position for “get” hand-off action with Curry. LeBron James, guarding Green, diagnoses the play a split second late, giving Butler the opportunity to ensure Curry comes off Green's pitch clean by hitting the Lakers superstar with a flare screen.
Splash.
Dubs' mental edge looms largest in playoffs
Golden State may need Butler to flip the switch sometimes just to get past the first round of the playoffs, let alone a juggernaut like the Oklahoma City Thunder. Green's 31.5% shooting on wide-open threes, per NBA.com/stats, probably won't be good enough for the Warriors to make a deep run. Defenses will be even more physical with Curry, and the stakes of the postseason could yield an even tougher whistle from officials.
The Dubs' supporting cast is rife with question marks in the starting lineup and down the bench. Is this team really big enough to win in the playoffs? Can Golden State defend at close to a championship level without Payton? What if everyone but Curry goes cold from deep? Who will Kerr trust in the clutch? Then there's this eyebrow-raiser: The Warriors' net rating with Curry, Green, and Butler on the floor together is just +4.5, low for the core of a team with legitimate title aspirations.
Throw all that skepticism aside until Golden State's back hits the wall come playoff time. At 20-5, this team boasts the best record in the Western Conference since Butler's debut and ranks top-five in both offensive and defensive rating. The Warriors are coming off their two best wins of the regular season, with three more games remaining that feature major seeding implications. Finishing third in the standings remains a realistic possibility.
No matter how they enter the postseason, the on-court synergy between Curry, Green, and Butler looms as a trump card no other team can match. Don't be surprised if it proves the ultimate difference for Golden State in any tightly contested playoff series.
