SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors’ shooting has reached historic new heights.
In a league that has wholeheartedly embraced the long-range shot, no team in NBA history has shot the 3-ball as prolifically as Golden State has over the past week.
Yes, that includes the dynastic Warriors teams with Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson all in their late-20s primes.
In Saturday’s demolition of the Charlotte Hornets, the Warriors became the first team in league history to make at least 20 3-pointers in three consecutive games, and also became the only franchise to have at least 10 players make a triple in three straight games.
Having the greatest shooter of all time in Steph Curry — named an All-Star starter on Monday — doesn’t hurt, but homecourt advantage has also been one factor.
The team is in the midst of an eight-game homestand, the longest of the season, which means the players have not had to deal with the trials and tribulations that come with playing road games.
“We’re in a good groove and we needed this homestand,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “This is the most momentum we’ve had since we started 4-1.”
There are several other reasons for this unprecedented level of proficiency from behind the arc. Here are just a few:
Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton’s presence
The Warriors’ offensive explosion has coincided with two veterans rounding into form. First is De’Anthony Melton, who has averaged 14.0 points per game over his last 11 appearances off the bench. He will not play against Miami as the team has elected not to play him in back-to-backs, and the Warriors face Toronto on Tuesday.
Though still limited to around 25 minutes per game as the team slowly ramps him back up to a starter’s load after last season’s ACL tear, he has become the team’s most threatening driver.
His forays into the paint often force the defense to collapse, creating openings on the perimeter. It also does not hurt that after a slow start, he has found his shot, making 10 triples over the last three games.
“I’m just feeling more comfortable with my body, with my shot and my ability to attack,” Melton said.
Meanwhile, Horford has found a rhythm as of late, playing in each of the last seven games after missing much of the first part of the season with sciatica. He made five 3-pointers last week, but his impact goes beyond his own makes or misses.
By being a threat to make open shots, his mere presence creates openings for other teammates.
Deep roster
Those two veterans have given a shot in the arm to a roster that Kerr already praised for its depth before they were consistently available.
Even if most players are not incredible creators, a team needs a bevy of shooting talent to have at least 10 players hit a 3-pointer in a game.
The Warriors’ reserves have scored at least 60 points in eight different games, and are third in the league in bench scoring at 43.7 points per game.
One of the recent standouts has been Brandin Podziemski, who is quietly shooting 40.9% from behind the arc while wholeheartedly embracing an off-the-ball role.
Gimmick defenses
Both Curry and Draymond Green sneered at the Hornets’ unconventional defensive philosophy after the 20-point victory.
The Hornets threw two or three players at Curry multiple times when he had the ball, and made sure Collin Sexton or whoever was guarding Curry completely ignored help defense while his Hornet teammates were being torched.
“There’s a part of you that fights it, just because it’s not real basketball,” Curry said. “But there also a part of it that’s flattering, knowing you demand that much attention, and knowing what it does to create shots for other guys on the floor.”
Meanwhile, Green scored 20 points and made 4 of 8 from behind the line on wide-open attempts. Whoever was “defending” Green rarely ventured out of the paint. The Hornets were instead content to watch Green make shot after shot.
“We were able to make them pay for playing a gimmicky defense,” Green said of the Hornets’ plan with rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner. “They put the big kid in the middle of the paint, so I wanted that big kid to know when you guard me like that, I’m going to shoot your face off … I had to make them pay, and I’ve seen coaches get fired for playing that defense.”
Shooting variance
All of those are good reasons for the team’s great shooting, but old-fashioned shooting variance has also played a large part in their success. As Kerr often says, it’s a make-or-miss league.
In the loss to Atlanta that immediately preceded this torrid stretch, the Warriors created open shot after open shot against the Hawks, but only made 10 of 42.
The Warriors have been at the top of the league for both 3-point attempts (44.4) and makes (16.4) for most of the year, so the volume of attempts has always been there.
Golden State will cool off at some point, but this recent shooting barrage has reminded opponents that at their best, the Warriors’ offense can win a shootout with anyone.
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