Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant find Stephen Curry’s defense funny
When you’re the unanimous MVP and the greatest shooter in history, everything about your game gets glorified, which is probably why Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry picked up three First Team All-Defensive votes, even though backcourt mate Klay Thompson generally draws the tougher guard.
And when Curry came up with a clutch steal against Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant that all but iced ” target=”_self”>a 120-111 victory in the waning moments of Game 5, Durant and teammate Russell Westbrook were asked by ESPN reporter Michelle Steele whether the NBA’s steals leader was “underrated as a defender.”
The question was a good one, because it drew a glorious response from both Westbrook and Durant.
Westbrook simply giggled, if only because complimenting opposing players isn’t really his thing, although he did offer this assessment of Curry before Game 1: “He’s a shooter. He’s nothing I haven’t seen.”
The Thunder point guard ranked second behind Curry in steals this season and picked up nine more First Team All-Defensive votes than the two-time MVP, so he probably understands that the steals stat isn’t necessarily a reflection of solid man-to-man defense. Besides, a few plays after Curry’s steal put the Warriors up 111-101 with a minute to play, Westbrook picked Curry’s pocket and sliced the lead to six.
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Meanwhile, Durant, who isn’t much of a giggler, offered a response that was the verbal equivalent.
“I mean, getting steals, I don’t know if that’s — that’s a part of playing defense. He’s pretty good, but he doesn’t guard the best point guards. I think they do a good job of putting a couple of guys on Russell, from Thompson to [Andre] Iguodala — and Steph, they throw him in there sometimes. He moves his feet pretty well. He’s good with his hands.
“But, you know, I like our matchup with him guarding Russ.”
For the record, Westbrook finished with 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in defeat, adjusting his averages for the series to 28 points, 11 assists and 6.6 boards, regardless of who’s defending him.
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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
