JJ Redick and Tyrese Haliburton Can't Believe How Boston Is Defending Stephen Curry 

I think the drop coverage against Steph is doing something very interesting - and I think it's the reason that Boston has been able to basically pull even against the Warriors. Instead of employing an obvious strategy of take Curry out of the game. The Celtics have committed to taking Draymond out of the (offensive) game. What drop coverage is doing - is forcing Curry into an alpha, on-ball position and beat you with his contested outside shooting. The alternative - when you trap Curry - he gets rid of the ball - finds Draymond - and becomes the playmaker (which is what the Warriors WANT more than anything) - a defense in scramble mode - Draymond with the ball - lob threats - Curry and Thompson coming off picks. This is where the Warriors are MOST dangerous. And that is what the Celtics have decided to take away. And strategically - it may not look smart when Curry is doing Curry things - but the alternative is so much more CONSISTANTLY or RELIABLY dangerous. ps. big fan of the show JJ

Is funny how now everyone knows how to “stop” Steph. But when they face him is the same thing. They get cooked. Stop it.

As a kings fan, I was watching this proud of tyrese’s smarts, IQ, the way he breaks down the game… then forgot he doesn’t play for us. Miss you Ty.

How to guard Steph: Jump him

If u stop the drop coverage, then draymond gets unlocked and at that point golden states offense becomes even more unstoppable.

tyrese is so smart. every day the kings trade makes less and less sense. he’s gonna make them pay

The series has been so close because the Celtics have done a number on the others, anything different will end up in blowouts. Celtics know if they stop the drop coverage guys like Klay and Poole will go off. Against Dallas, Steph didn't have a great series numbers wise because they blitzed him but Klay, Wiggins and Poole did, they won in five games.

Love the content and the crazy knowledgeable insights ya’ll provide. With that said, JJ you gotta let Tyrese (and others) finish talking without interrupting!

The Celtics are holding the Warriors to 105 points per game this series. Before the series started the warriors were averaging 116 per game in the post season. The idea that this defensive strategy is obviously not working seems crazy to me. The problem the Celtics are having are on offense, turnovers and poor decision making/shot selection. Edit: in the Dallas series Steph averaged only 23.8, he’s averaging 34.3 vs the Celtics. However, the Celtics are holding the warriors to a whopping 10 points per game less than Dallas did. To me, this is a complete endorsement of Udoka’s strategy. I’m sure he would rather have this scenario than Steph scoring less but the whole team going off.

As a kings fan i cant watch tyrese without my heart hurting 😫

Celtics aren’t trying to “stop” curry. They believe they have enough man power to drop and still provide enough coverage on Steph (or at least are willing to sacrifice Steph shooting). The drop coverage removes the 4-3 down hill skill of draymond which frankly might be the best offense the warriors have by ppp…

Im not defending Udoka but I think the idea is to protect the paint from the other Warriors pieces. When GSW has had 2 guys get 30 points I believe they are undefeated in the postseason, so Al & Robert dropping is really to protect the paint against Wiggins & to be in help against Klay & Poole.

The wild thing is, it's arguably still better to drop on Steph than to just concede the short-roll pass from Draymond that happens every single time Steph is doubled. No matter how good Steph's shot is working, open layups are more deadly.

I understand Boston's philosophy to drop to avoid Draymond's short roll passing forcing their defense to scramble, but with Steph getting crazier and more in rythym in this series I don't know if Ime Udoka can hold on to his current scheme with conviction. It clearly cracked last game in the final minutes, and Draymond generated some good looks for the other Warriors. Guess we'll have to see.

It's so weird going to school with Tyrese in Highschool and just to see how he hasn't changed. Dude's crazy smart and an incredible leader. He is going to take the Pacers to great things.

I agree but at the same time I don’t know if it would be the best time to let a role player beat you when the warriors are at home. Usually the role players play better at home so I think Boston would be better off waiting till game 6 to try that

A lot of people are saying Draymond is choking and him getting benched was cause he was awful, but they don't talk about how drop coverage takes away Draymonds chances of passing. Or how well Draymonds been playing on defense. Steve Kerr was using those timeouts to keep dray on the court during defensive possessions and poole during offensive possession which helped warriors to win

Cant wait to see game 5 at home

I think what JJ is saying is that the drop coverage works but you need to throw other defensive schemes at him to throw off how the Warriors counter each offensive possession

They wont stop drop coverage, they seen it before in 2019 WCF. Blitzing and focusing on Curry will only leave you on 4v3 situation

guarding steph sounds easy on paper, until you actually get in the game. Boston is probably doing the best job i’ve seen and it still is not enough

I’m 2nd big noti gang but dope vid.

In all honesty, I think Boston should play drop for the rest of the series. YES Steph is shooting lights out against it BUT the games are still close and winnable even though he is going off. I think the best way for the Celtics to win is to play the game they are familiar with on defence which is the drop. Maybe mix it up sometimes but still play mostly drop. What do you guys think? I still think the warriors are the better team and will take the series in 6

i don’t know the exact quote so don’t get mad at me but lebron was once asked how does one guard stephen curry and his response was something along the lines of “same way you guard me you can’t” and that statement has never been truer after game 4

If they double curry they essentially make draymond useful. I think the Celtics are doing the right. They won 2 games so it works let's not pretend like it never worked.

There was a stat going into this series that Celtics owned the Warriors for years and that Curry averaged the most points against them so to the Celtics that’s why they’re sticking to their game plan. The coach even said he thinks they should be up 3-1

Celtics don’t need to conserve energy in the tank defensively at this point with potentially 3 games left. They will probably implement more of a blitz plus scramble mode.

Never blitz Steph because that turns to short roll assists by Dray but the Celtics Bigs shouldn't drop to guard the 3. Sure Steph will drive past but it's not a 3 and it is more tiring on Steph to drive all game long for 2 point floaters and layups.

As a Celtics fan I have literally been preaching this to anyone who would listen since game 1. The only difference in opinion I have is that I feel like the Celtics have been dominant and look like the better team, but playing drop coverage on the best shooter ever is going to literally hand them a championship if we don’t adjust

I suggest to people to check the latest thinkings basketball podcast episode for better clarification on this , ben Taylor has some really interesting ideas about how the drop coverage is the right way to do it

It’s not always drop coverage it’s also they’re sagging so hard on draymond and looney that when they step out to set a screen they have too much ground to cover

Completely agree to at least mix it in there..been saying if they stop this drop coverage they'll win ez.

Keep tyrese on the pod

Why is everyone under the sun giving advice to Boston on how to defend Curry? Like what the actual F? Ppl want GS to lose it's crazy!

The Celtics playing defense on him the way the Trailblazers did in the conference finals against them

RDC WORLD ALREADY TOLD Y'ALL HOW TO DEFEND STEPH

I think the cumulative effect of Curry having to carry the load will take its toll by Game 6. I’m also expecting them to post Smart and Brown on Curry to tire him out. I can’t say it’ll be effective but the best athletes get tired of carrying the offensive load in 6 and 7 game series. I just hope Udoka doesn’t lose his nerve and start blitzing him….you can’t blitz him. Klay and Dray are too good at seeing that and running over as safety valves to cut that off and back door a layup. It just seems like the C’s have to work too hard for their looks and points. A lot of iso ball on the wings which I don’t think is sustainable.

Kerr is out coaching Ime (draymond benching, why are you goin under screens on Wardell) and Steph has been outplaying Tatum glaringly, 2-2 is crazy that G1 4thQ collapse was magical 😂

This is the same thing the Bucks did to KD last year. It wore him down after 7 games.

Tyrese is next up for sure. His numbers were incredible those last 26 games with Indy. I think they still need one more guy or a solid coach to get to that next level because they ended the session 25-57 losing their last ten in a row. One of those games Tyrese scored 30 shooting 10-11 from the field. I like hield, brogdan and Tyrese but one more guy could make the pacers a playoff team. Maybe a kawhi, Durant or LBJ type. A forward who can create their own shot.

I think the biggest reason to do something besides the drop is just to make Steph uncomfortable give him a split second of indecision. If he knows he's getting a good look every time he comes off the screen he's too comfortable and he'll knock em down. But if he gets blitzed sometimes he doesn't know what's going to happen and he'll just be that much out of his comfort zone

I cant wait for JJ to coach him and Draymond I believe have very unique minds suited for coaching

You forget the other important thing...coaching adjustments. These guys been thru it ALL. They know what's up. Kerr and Co. are every bit as important as the players....especially NOW.

I’m a warriors fan, but I think what the Celtics are doing is smart. Giannis had great games against the Celtics too, but they still managed to pull the Bucks’ series out. I think the Celtics’ strategy of letting superstars do superstar things always looks dumb in the short term (when they get torched) but smart in the long term (when they win the series).

yo can someone remind me how many all defensive teams jj redick has been on? how about how many championship teams? how about tyrese?

It's funny hearing non defenders talk about defense

Listening to nba podcasts is: real nba analysis vs media guys debating top 5 rankings

Tommy Alter smiling a lot since getting those veneers. 🤣

I wish my Pistons could have paired Tyrese with Cade.

I really appreciate how smart Tyrese is after watching this video. I would have traded Fox.

Shoutout Silent Trae Young in the hat

If you look at every shot steph took, every shot was contested. And three of his shots was from 30+ feet. Wtf can do about that? Its not about drop coverage. He just amazing man

C’s can let Steph go off and still win. Because if Klay and Poole are struggling then it’s fine. You can’t complete neutralize Steph, he’s always gonna impact. Neutralize his helpers and then you have a great game plan. This is a world class defense, I’m sure they know what they are doing. This is the finals after all.

Tyrese needs to buy some furniture

To win the series is make SC30 in early foul trouble who even SC30 guarding should attack the basket, i remember Celtics in early 3rd quarter of Game 5 was already in bonus but not take that advantage.

"Force Draymond to make decisions" He's an elite decision maker on offense bro 😭

Bad habits are hard to break. You see it in the big men on every team. Scared of giving up the drive and letting the 3 fly. Can’t do that with steph its not like we havent seen it before.

So they stopped the drop coverage last night and actually shut steph down but.... they couldn't stop anybody else.

Why does it feel like everyone is trying to help Boston beat the Warriors?

Boston should honestly continue to play this defense. If a guy is going to make seven semi-contested 3 pointers, you shake his hand and accept the results. Because Golden State wants you to blitz Steph, he runs off ball, Dray attacks the paint and passes for open layups and wide open 3s. The series is still tied 2-2. Yeah it’s not ideal but great players put coaches in conflict like this.

They been trying to figure this out for years. 🤣🤣🤣 Sign Dellavadova 😆😆

Tyrese Halliburton would have been a great Warrior. He was high up on their list in the Wiseman draft. He’s gonna be a great player

Whos 2nd on defence and by how much of a deferces?

Don't think there is much you can do against a guy who last year with no other reliable secondary option was seeing double and triple teams consistently, and still averaging 30 a night and leading the league in scoring. Now they have the best version of Wiggs and Poole and a healthy Klay, so with Draymond as the pick setter, I believe that you may slow Steph down a bit, but as the Celtics, can you afford to play 3v4 against that lineup with no guarantee of stopping Steph?

They've tried something else before, Taking out steph & klay with smart by ankle tackle & flying kick to the throat. Didn't work long enough.

In retrospect, as a warriors fan, I kinda love the dedication the Celtics had to the drop coverage on Stephen freaking Curry. Like, eventually somebody had to sit and think, "y'know, what happens if we just play drop? Like, is curry REALLY gonna go off that much that we can't keep the rest in check?" And the answer is a resounding YES lol You play drop on Steph, he's getting damn near 40 a game and you're probably going home. Now people know that's probably not gonna work

I wouldn’t blitz Steph - GS executes too well 4 on 3 and it gets others involved, but I would switch harder with the bigs playing up instead of dropping back

Wiggins is becoming a superstar.

Theyre pretty much letting Steph go off. It’s easier to handle vs Steph, Klay, and Poole going off at the same time.

Them and everybody else watching this series.

If the opposing star is getting off on how well they play you you need to adjust lmao

The defense is not the issue, it has been working to limit the warriors as a while, the issue is late game boston goes for too many 3s and become stagnate

If Jimmer Fredette ended up being drafted by the team you were on would you have been able to help him?

Nick Cannon is a pretty good basketball analyst 👀

Currys range is essentially what's keeping gsw in this series 😂

I think the Celtics are attacking the Warriors "Strength in Numbers" philosophy by forcing Curry to take over the game a la Jordan or Kobe. That sounds crazy, but the story of the Warriors this playoffs has always been getting that one superstar-level performance out of nowhere from a Poole or a Wiggins or a Looney or a GP2. Kerr has always recognized how important it is to get EVERYONE on offense to touch the ball so they feel involved, and how psychologically that translates to greater engagement on offense AND defense, so Udoka is like "OK, what if we let NO ONE other than Steph touch the ball?" It's easy to look at Steph's 43 and say the defense isn't working, but if at the beginning of the Finals the Celtics were told that drop coverage would result in a split of the first 4 games, I think the Celtics would take that. Now I do think JJ & Tyrese have a point that it's dangerous to run that same coverage repeatedly, as the Warriors have too high an IQ to just to take the drop and exploit it repeatedly. If the drop is indeed making Steph's teammates turn cold, then the Celtics should want to force the ball out of Steph's hands just enough to force his teammates to make those cold, out-of-rhythm shots (just not so much that they start to feel involved). It's a difficult balancing act the Celtics are playing, but so far it seems more effective than anything the Warriors faced in the West.

I think the Celtics should at least throw different looks. Playing drop is fine as a base strategy but if he’s cooking throw a trap or hard hedge and at least make him think about it and react differently

Curry out there balling no matter what coverage you put on him only Curry can stop Curry

The drop Coverage is to stop Draymond from facilitating to the other players. Their gambling on Steph beating them by himself to an extent. And for the most part it's been working. the Celtics problems comes from their inconsistent offense. Celtics should have won game 4, but the missed free throws and turnovers did them in.

Thought this was Danny Green lol

Drop coverage just gives Steph enough space if your inside the 3 and he start pulling from 30+ that's a wide open shot

I respect Ime’s decision. There are no good options, only less bad ones. If he sticks to his guns it might work. We can’t act like teams haven’t been blitzing Steph for the last 8 years in route to all their playoff series wins. There isn’t some huge track record for it being the defensive answer.

This strategy suggested by folks in this clip didn't work AT ALL. The Celtics listened to the media instead of sticking to their game plan and now have lost all control of the series. The drop coverage was keeping everyone at bay...the entire Warriors team ate last night just off of Steph's pull. Smh

why dont warriors run low post split as much, or even a inverted pnr with dray and steph? just anything other than steph 3 bombs, not sure if its sustainable

Looney is the unsung hero in this Finals..hes so important to warriors. Wiggins as well

If they keep up the drop coverage a big game from Klay or Poole will become a blowout.

The thing about Boston’s defense against stuff is that they fall asleep. Their defense looked great against KD and kyrie because they stay still after having to give the ball up. Steph keeps moving around the court to get the ball back, gotta credit his conditioning.

For the ones who reads this just know this is only the beginning keep pushing, grinding, and fighting. Whatever it is in life you want to do to go after it life is to short. Life is a marathon not a sprint so go out there and live it up I hope all is well and goes well for you peace and one love!

Embiid said it months ago that it would be stupid to play Drop coverage on Steph Curry

How Golden State is on defence?

game 5 they finally blitzed them, but Wiggins, and Klay became very wide open. the odds of Curry having an off night is higher than 4 of GS havng an off night, and if Celtics were playing drop coverage when Curry was missing open looks like in game 5 then they most likely would've won that game

I dont get why these dudes have this take. Literally no one on GS is playing well due to this defense Bruh if they sell out on Steph the rest of the Warriors will GO OFF. Its very obvious so theses usually smart dudes are trippin hard Watch tonight. Bos is going to cave into pressure and blitz Steph so GS is bout to win bout 30 especially at home where I predict if Bos switches their coverage, Wiggins is gonna have another all time poster on Flop Master Smart

Talk that talk!!! Drop coverage is dumb against Curry. I say the same thing either you blitz Curry & someone else beats you (seems ideal) or you let Curry get near 50 & hope no one else get rhythm cuz he’s taking all the shots. The later sounds good but Wiggins is a No 1 overall and showing why even as a ROLE PLAYER. Poole he streaky so not really countin on him. And we all know Klay is Johnny Storm and can flame on after seeing one go in. Boston gotta make Steph play D which they have been trying but also they need to get Williams or Horford need to get his goofy looking tail back on the block and cook. JT & Brown will have better shots instead of iso ball that’s so prevalent today. 🙄

The drop coverage has annoyed me because Boston has such an elite defense, and the Golden State players not named Curry have been so disappointing offensively, that it should just make sense for Horford/Williams to step up on Curry. Boston's defense can handle the tough task of rotating to whoever Curry kicks the ball out to. EDIT: Should've waited the entire video, looks like Tyrese just said what I said, which makes my comment useless, lol.

Tyrese is just a great young dude. What a coup for Indy.

Celtics probably doing drop coverage to keep draymond out of the action. They’re probably okay with Steph dropping 40points. Celtics value what Draymond can do for the team higher than Steph.

NO one is talking now about Marcus Smart and his 29 percent guarding the Baby Face Assassin.

Tommy’s lips for the first 1:30 😍

Tyrese is such an awesome guest, blows my mind that he is still that young and seems already like such a humble smart cool dude. Definetly has a future in media, if he wants to...

To be honest, the drop coverage is working. The series is 2-2. This is the most successful any team has been against the Golden State Warriors as a team. Steph is going off, yeah. But it's only Steph aside from the boards.