The first round series of the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors is chippy and physical, and Dwyane Wade loves it.
In the NBA playoffs, physicality is accepted even in the first round. In the regular season, even the most tikkie contacts are called, but the postseason is another beast.
There have been some hard fouls, including Goga Bitadze accidentally opening a massive gouache on Kristaps Porzingis’ forehead, but Amen Thompson is covering Jimmy Butler for a rebound, but additional contact is usually welcome.
However, Stephen Curry, who averaged 4.3 free throw attempts per game this season, has only been made six times in two games, with the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets being plenty of chippies.
After Jimmy Butler went out with a pelvic injury thanks to physical play in the first quarter, the Rockets were able to commit 1.6 defenders per owner at Stephen Curry, according to ESPN’s Monica McNutt.
Not only did Curry become double-teamed for most of the game, but he was also restrained when he didn’t have the ball, slapped when he drove to the rim and closed aggressively when he went up for a shot.
Players tend to enjoy the extra physicality that the playoffs bring, but curry does not whine fair whine.
“From a playoff perspective, I loved the fact that the whistle stayed in my pocket,” Dwyane Wade said. “I love it. We’re in the playoffs, not the regular season. I love Refs watching players like “Playthrough Through.” ”
Still, Curry appears to be hosted in an unfair way, and Wade quickly admits that.
“As for Steph, it’s crazy to get away (but) I love it, this is playoff basketball, you don’t want to see anyone film a free throw in the playoffs.
Of course, Curry is one of the greatest bucket getters of all time, and he doesn’t have to prove his scoring skills to anyone.
Curry combines the first two games to get six free throws, indicating the lack of favor that he had from his staff and his reluctance to put himself in the situation.
Golden State is optimistic that Butler will be able to return to Game 3 on Saturday, or at least return later in the series, but everything is speculative until the MRI results come.
Here’s what we know: Without a Butler on the floor, the Warriors attack usually doesn’t have any important pieces to open the floor for curry. Without him, the Rockets can defend Sharpshooters with more aggressiveness than usual, limiting the best players on the court.
Of course, Curry’s off-ball movements seem to allow him to always open, regardless of how many defenders there are on him, but as the referees look differently, slow defenders like Fred Vanvleet, Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green can link arms or grab Curry.
Without Butler on the floor, the Warriors were outscored with 8 points, with Curry shooting only 4-11 from the floor in the last three quarters. Butler could return before the weekend, but that’s not a precursor to the warriors.