Tag: Stephen Curry (Page 1 of 3)

Andy Liu: “More Mature” Warriors “Come at You Without Shooting 3s”

May 22, 2022 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Now the veteran leaders on the team, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have led Golden State back to the Western Conference finals with a different approach than years past (@Warriors/Instagram).

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After two seasons of missing the playoffs, the Golden State Warriors are back on the main stage, making their sixth Western Conference finals appearance in the last eight years. Ahead of Sunday night’s Game 3, they find themselves with a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Dallas Mavericks and are poised to make their return to the NBA Finals. Joining us for a record fifth episode is Andy Liu of the Light Years podcast, who never fails to bring both knowledge and passion when talking about the Warriors.

2:37-3:58: “In those comebacks, it was the defense that was great, but the Warriors rained 3s. It would just be left, right, Steph, Klay, Steph, Klay. And they would just do it repeatedly until they beat the other team into submission, and that’s not what it was last night. It really wasn’t. It was a lot of defense, of course…but it was just getting to the bucket. And I think a lot of that is Steph, Klay and (Jordan) Poole figuring out, like, ‘Hey, we’re great shooters, but that’s not our first option anymore.’ That’s different from what we’ve seen with the Warriors. Is it better? Maybe. It’s not as fun. The comeback is great, but everybody always wants to see Steph go dribble, dribble, dribble, step-back 3, but I think those are less sustainable in the postseason. It’s pretty cool to see a more experienced championship pedigree Warriors team kind of come back this way. It felt like more classic basketball versus the Warriors basketball that we’ve seen for a long time.”

6:13-6:38: “Luka Doncic is a traffic cone. Luka Doncic is amazing. He was damn near LeBron-like on offense Friday night with the way that he was making 3s and getting to the hole. But he doesn’t hold LeBron’s jock on defense. And he’s absolutely terrible. Andrew Wiggins was going at him, Steph was driving right by him, and this Dallas team is exhausted. They go seven guys, they have like two, three good defenders – none of them great – and the Warriors know that.” Continue reading

Parish: Desmond Bane Is “Absolutely Key for the Grizzlies”

May 7, 2022 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Ja Morant, just 22, has been incredible through the series’ first two games, but will he get more help on the offensive end (@JaMorant/Instagram)?

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With the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors tied through two games of an intense Western Conference semifinal series, we’re joined by Keith Parish, host of Grind City Media‘s Fastbreak Breakfast and Grits and Grinds podcasts, who provides insight from the Grizzlies’ perspective.

3:47-4:17: “These Ja Morant highlights, 140 million people saw them, and that’s by far the most of any NBA player. So he’s becoming an absolute superstar. What he did in Game 2 was a little bit different. … The Warriors are probably kicking themselves with the way they covered him. They didn’t seem to understand that he wants to drive left every time. They didn’t seem to understand that the Grizzlies were really, really short-handed and had not their normal closing lineup out there, but they didn’t force the ball out of his hands.”

12:32-14:11: “A healthy [Desmond] Bane I think could do incredibly against Klay Thompson. I’m not that confident in Klay Thompson’s ability to defend, and the Warriors keep playing these lineups where if [Jordan] Poole and Thompson are both out there, those are two things that the Grizzlies can attack if Bane is healthy. Continue reading

Andy Liu on Warriors: “It’s Safe Now to Love Steph” Curry

November 3, 2021 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Stephen Curry leads the league in points per game and 3-point field goals. Could a third MVP award be in his future (Instagram/@warriors)?

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The Golden State Warriors have made their triumphant return to the upper echelon of the Western Conference behind an MVP-caliber start to the season from their star, Steph Curry. On this episode, Andy Liu of the Light Years podcast has made a similarly triumphant return to this podcast to discuss his expectations for the team this season.

2:55-4:16: “I think they could make the Western Conference finals. I think that’s their upside, and, you know, when you’re in that one series to get into the NBA Finals, anything can happen, especially if you have Steph Curry. … I think the worst-case scenario is just Steph Curry being hurt and if that happens, I mean, all right, here comes another lottery pick, right? But other than that, I think this team is bare minimum what that team was last season. They’re an eighth seed, seventh seed at the very least.”

5:06-4:30: “The amount of love Steph got when the Warriors went 15-5 at the end of last season with no chance of actually winning anything, it was incredible. It felt like everybody loved him, and he never got that same love when he was winning titles. … Steph is not a different player than he was in 2018 when they beat the Cavs. … He’s the same guy, but because the Warriors in the last few seasons, especially the last one, didn’t have a chance to win a championship, I think people are coming out the woodwork and saying, ‘All right, it’s safe now to love Steph.'”

Charlotte Gets Its All-Star Game, Joe Harris Wins 3-Point

February 25, 2019 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Our Joshua Fischman spoke with Nets guard Joe Harris one day before he took down Stephen Curry, Seth Curry, Devin Booker and the rest of the 3-point shooting field in Charlotte (Tdorante10/Creative Commons).

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Two years ago, the NBA moved the All-Star game away from Charlotte due to the passage of North Carolina’s discriminatory House Bill 2. Within months, HB2 was repealed, and although many in the LGBTQ community are presently unsatisfied with the status quo, the league opted to allow Charlotte to host this season’s festivities. Joshua Fischman interviewed Reggie Bullock, Stefanie Dolson, Jason Collins and others about that. He also got the chance to question Nets shooting guard Joe Harris, one day before the big event where he stunned the oddsmakers by taking down the Curry brothers, Devin Booker and the rest of the field. Right here, Josh shares the most interesting takeaways from his Charlotte experience.
Continue reading

Coral Lu: Consuming NBA Now “Part of Daily Life” in China

January 14, 2019 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Coral Lu speaking with Blazers guard Damian Lillard, her favorite NBA player to interview (Corallulu/Instagram).

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From David Stern’s visits to China in the ’80s to every NBA Finals game being broadcast there live in 1994 to Yao Ming’s thrilling rookie season with the Rockets in 2002 to LinSanity 10 years later to the explosion of social media and the league’s recent rights deals (worth hundreds of millions of dollars) with Chinese tech giants, the NBA’s influence in China has skyrocketed. The one and only Coral Lu of ESPN China brings her unique perspective to help break it all down for us.

Here are some highlights (*Due to dynamic advertising, time stamps may vary per listener):

13:39-14:12: “I would say 90 percent or at least 85 percent of NBA fans from China are aged from 16 to 35 or late 30s, so that’s a really specific demographic. A lot of older Chinese people, they might like soccer, but they did not watch basketball [growing up]. But all the younger generation or the people around my age, we all kind of grew up with basketball, so it becomes part of our daily life.”

19:11-19:50: “I think it [Jeremy Lin’s massive popularity in China] is more about his story. So, Jeremy, we all know he is an underdog. We all know that he got cut by the Warriors, got waived by other teams, then you know he finally landed with the Knicks; he was about to get cut again. But he was coming from nowhere. An Asian kid, really, nobody knew him, and he was able to play at Madison Square [Garden], playing super-well, so that’s kind of leading to another hero type. The Chinese people, Chinese fans, they like underdogs. So, if you took a look right now, Steph Curry, he was an underdog too.”

Randy Harvey: “Which Rockets Team Will We See?”

May 18, 2018 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Through two games, James Harden & Kevin Durant are isolating frequently to great individual success. But does that hurt either team’s flow? Randy Harvey weighs in (GameFace-Photos/Creative Commons).

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We’ve brought back Randy Harvey, former sports editor of the Houston Chronicle, to discuss the Houston Rockets’ Western Conference finals run. Since retiring on March 1st, Randy and his wife moved to Pasadena where he’s continued to follow the Rockets from afar. With the series tied at one, the Rockets stand three wins away from their first NBA Finals berth in 23 years. Standing in their way, the mighty Warriors who have won two of the past three titles. This season’s Rockets won a league-best 65 games after adding superstar point guard Chris Paul, who had never appeared in a conference final, along with 3-and-D wings P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute. Of course, the team is centered around James Harden, whose MVP-caliber season has vaulted his team into this position. As the Western Conference finals has effectively turned into a best-of-five series, without further ado, let’s check in with Mr. Harvey for more on this heavyweight matchup. Continue reading

Dave Zirin: “There Is No Stay in Your Lane…All the Rules Are Gone”

October 11, 2017 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has become one of the league’s most vocal advocates on various social issues (Zereshk/Creative Commons).

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In these unprecedented times in which sports is constantly intersecting with politics and society, Dave Zirin of The Nation and the Edge of Sports podcast joins the show for an important conversation. Below, you can find some highlights from the interview:

6:31-7:18: “There is no stay in your lane at this point. All the rules are gone, and I think the very existence of Donald Trump should remove this idea, even as a debate. But the reason you’ve heard it step up in recent years is precisely because we have this Donald Trump[-led] racist backlash taking place in this country. And part of this racist backlash involves squelching voices of dissent. I would argue there’s been no cultural sphere quite like the world of sports in terms of being a center of anti-racist activism. It has been the voice, the clarion call, the moral conscience about racism in the United States over the last five years, dating back to, I would argue, the killing of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman.”

12:49-13:18: “This has always been part of his [LeBron James’] DNA. This has always been a part of the kind of legacy he wanted to leave. So while LeBron James, I would argue, has been strongly affected by the Black Lives Matter movement, by social media, he’s also somebody who came into the league with this idea of thinking to himself, ‘I want to be a global icon like [Muhammad] Ali. I don’t want to be defined just by my bank account but [by] the kind of political contribution that I can leave behind.’” Continue reading

The Golden State Warriors’ Pursuit of Playoff Perfection

June 9, 2017 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

LeBron James’ otherworldly series has not translated into a Cleveland win thus far (Erik Drost/Flickr).

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With just over three minutes left in a thrilling Game 3, the Cleveland Cavaliers held a three-point lead and looked to be on their way to handing the Golden State Warriors their first loss since April 10. Not to be deterred, the Warriors finished the game with 11 straight points, sealing the victory and continuing their quest for an undefeated 16-0 playoff run. Aaron and Loren team up to discuss that heartbreaking Cavaliers loss, what’s gone right and wrong for each team in the series and what the Warriors’ dominance means for the future of the NBA.

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Music: “Who Likes to Party” by Kevin MacLeod

2017 NBA Finals Preview With Brendan Bowers, Andy Liu

June 1, 2017 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Despite having just surpassed Michael Jordan to become the all-time leader in playoff points, LeBron James may be facing the largest challenge of his career against the Golden State Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals. (Keith Allison/Flickr)

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The 2017 NBA Finals are finally here. And no surprise…the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are set to face off an NBA-record third straight time. These behemoths come in a combined 24-1 this postseason. The Warriors have won at least 67 games each of the last three regular seasons, whereas the defending champion Cavaliers boast a league-leading 120.7 Offensive Rating these playoffs. As if that weren’t enough, the second LeBron James-Kevin Durant Finals meeting will also be a key component, among a slew of fascinating storylines. To help us preview this highly anticipated rubber series, New York Times bestselling author Brendan Bowers and Warriors World’s Andy Liu team up to provide elite insight on these historic teams.

Brendan Bowers 5:57-7:14: “I think LeBron’s in his prime right now. And I’m not saying that prime’s gonna last X number of years. I don’t know how long it’s gonna last…If I was to guess one thing [as to] why is it the prime now: I think part of [it is] getting that championship for Cleveland, breaking the six-decade streak of no championships, doing it for his hometown, completing the redemption story. I think now that that whole thing is off his back, he’s just playing basketball, and he is, I think, playing it better than he ever has despite the athleticism that he had at 22, at 23, at 24. Continue reading

Jim Park: If Warriors Fall Short, Disappointment Would Be the “Understatement of the Century”

May 26, 2017 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Jim Park most looks forward to Stephen Curry proving he can perform at his best on the grandest stage of all (Keith Allison/Creative Commons).

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In advance of the NBA Finals, Aaron catches up with former Sheridan Hoops writer Jim Park about the Golden State Warriors’ dominance, Steve Kerr’s health-related absence and what, if anything, can slow down these rolling Warriors.

A season after winning an NBA-record 73 games and falling one win shy of their second straight championship, the Golden State Warriors are back to the Finals with a vengeance. There, they’ll be meeting a familiar foe in the form of the Cleveland Cavaliers, setting the stage for the third consecutive NBA Finals matchup between the teams. Storylines abound, including Kevin Durant’s long-awaited rematch with LeBron James on the biggest stage imaginable, but these teams’ recent dominance makes it all even more intriguing. Carrying over from the regular season, the Dubs have won 27 of their last 28 games, including a perfect 12 for 12 this postseason. For their part, the Cavaliers are enjoying a league-best 120.7 Offensive Rating these playoffs and, of course, have only been defeated once, a three-point loss to the Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. Each team’s 2017 playoff Net Rating tops +16 points per 100 possessions.

Golden excerpts can be found below:

Jim Park 3:55-4:03: “Curry really found himself [basketball-wise] while KD was gone, and he really hasn’t looked back even when KD did come back.”

12:20-13:04: “They don’t let teams come back. It’s set up in such a way where other teams have trouble coming back, because, to start the fourth quarter, they have Curry sitting and they’ll have KD starting the game in the fourth quarter, and usually he’s eating. The second-unit guys can’t stop KD, let alone first guys usually, so that’s a tall order for most teams to try to overcome, especially when they’re down. So you really have to play perfectly and try to get out ahead of the Warriors in order to have any kind of chance. Because if you get down, forget it. No chance.” Continue reading

Tag: Stephen Curry (Page 1 of 3)

Andy Liu: “More Mature” Warriors “Come at You Without Shooting 3s”

Parish: Desmond Bane Is “Absolutely Key for the Grizzlies”

Andy Liu on Warriors: “It’s Safe Now to Love Steph” Curry

Charlotte Gets Its All-Star Game, Joe Harris Wins 3-Point

Coral Lu: Consuming NBA Now “Part of Daily Life” in China

Randy Harvey: “Which Rockets Team Will We See?”

Dave Zirin: “There Is No Stay in Your Lane…All the Rules Are Gone”

The Golden State Warriors’ Pursuit of Playoff Perfection

2017 NBA Finals Preview With Brendan Bowers, Andy Liu

Jim Park: If Warriors Fall Short, Disappointment Would Be the “Understatement of the Century”

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