Series again will pit league’s best at handling ball
is using his dribble to get you on your heels while he’s coming at you as fast as he can. He’s coming at you with speed and pace, and he’s maneuvering the ball at the same pace.”
Curry has elevated his game during Golden State’s 12-0 postseason stampede. He’s averaging 28.6 points on 50.2 percent shooting from the field ( 43.1 percent on threes), all improvements on his regularseason numbers.
His signature play came in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against Utah. Curry baffled Gobert with a dynamic crossover dribble, spinning him around before darting into the lane and finishing with a nifty reverse layup.
Irving’s numbers are down slightly in the playoffs, but he’s still averaging 24.5 points on 46.6 percent shooting. He memorably deked Boston’s Crowder in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, cleverly faking a behind-theback pass and scoring on a left-handed layup.
This is typically the outcome — two or three points — but it all begins with their handle, the entertaining and incomparable way Curry and Irving manipulate the basketball to their advantage.
“They’re the two most dangerous guys in the world when they have a live dribble,” said Warriors assistant coach Bruce Fraser, who regularly works with Curry. “They’re really impossible to guard.”
Worth noting here: Klay Thompson, not Curry, figures to defend Irving more frequently in the Finals. That’s a logical strategy, putting your best perimeter defender on Irving. Cleveland shooting guard J.R. Smith is not Thompson-like defensively, so Irving probably will guard Curry.
Their paths intersected in the final minute of Game 7 last year, with the score tied at 89-89 and the championship in doubt. Irving jabbed and juked and made a three-point shot over Curry’s outstretched arm, propelling Cleveland to the city’s first major sports title in 52 years.
Irving clearly outplayed Curry in those Finals, averaging 27.1 points per game. Curry scored 22.6 while dealing with lingering knee pain, even if he declined to use the injury as an excuse.
He doesn’t really view Irving as a rival, more as a dan“Kyrie gerous obstacle standing between the Warriors and their goal of reclaiming the NBA championship.
“Kyrie’s kind of unpredictable, which is a key trait for great scorers and playmakers,” Curry said. “Obviously, his ballhandling skills are tops in the league; he’s so shifty in finding ways to create space. He’s tough to guard.”
One parallel to point out is the way both Curry and Irving use their left hand. They take outside shots right-handed, but they dribble and finish with the left hand as if it’s completely second nature.
“I would say neither one of them has an ‘off ’ hand, especially off the dribble,” Fraser said. “So you can’t say, ‘Make him use his weak hand,’ because there really is none.”
Curry and Irving connect their ballhandling and shooting in contrasting ways. That’s how Smith sees it: Curry uses his virtually unlimited shooting range to lure defenders beyond the three-point arc, then dribbles past them.
Irving, conversely, makes defenders back off him because they’re preoccupied with stopping his crazy-fast drives to the basket. Then he uses that cushion to launch his outside shot.
And neither is an old-school point guard, seeking to set up his teammates. They’re good passers, but that’s not the priority.
“They’re scorers first, without question,” Smith said. “They’re not setup guys, they’re breakdown guys — guys who break down the defense.”
For the last word, we turn to Hall of Famer Jerry West, who has seen more than a few skilled ball handlers over the years. West, 79, was reluctant to anoint Curry and Irving as the best ever; he contends that today’s players get away with palming the ball (and he’s right).
Even so, West completely understands the fascination with Curry and Irving.
“Steph and Kyrie are just so much fun to watch,” West said, “and the way they do it really captures the imagination.” Chronicle columnist Bruce Jenkins contributed to this report.