Warriors' Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson still have knockout punch, but how long can erratic shooting hold up?
CBSN
The Splash Brothers will presumably have to be better no matter who they face in the Western Conference finals
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 59 points on 14 made 3-pointers in Golden State's series-clinching win over Memphis on Friday. Thompson carried the day, making eight of his 14 3s and 11-of-22 shots overall. Curry was 4-for-17 at one point before hitting two dagger triples as the Warriors finally put the Grizzlies away.
But numbers require context. Curry did not play well. He wound up with 29 points, and it's a testament to his all-time threat level that he was sloppy with the ball and couldn't make a shot for most of the night that he still wound up a plus-14 for the game, and indeed he hit the shots when they really counted, but looking ahead to either Dallas or Phoenix in the conference finals, he is going to have to be better.
The same goes for Thompson, who was terrific on Friday but has been forcing shots for a while now. It took an 11-for-22 showing in Game 6 for Thompson to finish the series above 40 percent from the field. He's not the defender he used to be, putting far more emphasis on his offensive contributions.