Curry's scoring prowess complements James' playmaking. James' inside game pairs perfectly with Curry's outside shooting. Their basketball IQs would create an unstoppable pick-and-roll.
The Hall of Fame trio of Stephen Curry , LeBron James and Kevin Durant brought a stacked Team USA home with an Olympic Gold Medal . Curry went vintage Curry in the semifinal and Gold Medal Game, scoring 60 points and hitting 17 threes over the final two contests, just when the United States needed it most. It's not the first time the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history has gone on a spectacular spree like that—but it is the first time he's done it with James orchestrating the offense.
Durant and Devin Booker were spacing the floor around the duo. Anthony Davis was manning the paint, gobbling up offensive rebounds and swatting shots. But the pair of Curry and James, something fans have dreamed of seeing for over a decade, wove in and out of defenses like they had been playing together since their rookie year.
There's no reason to believe they couldn't do the same in the NBA. In fact, there are three reasons to believe they would do exactly the same thing in the NBA. James' and Curry's Games Intertwine Perfectly James is one of, if not the most dangerous and effective, downhill attackers in basketball history.
In his first few NBA seasons, he relied almost solely on quickness, athleticism and a 6-foot-9 frame. When he added about 30 pounds to reach a 6-9, 250-pound frame and had the brute force and strength to go along with the same athleticism, he became nearly impossible to stop when he was determined to get to the basket. Even at age 39, he's a freight train coming downhill that few players can get in the way of, let alone stop.
If you want proof, James is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and is a career 34.8 percent three-point shooter. He's only shot over 40 percent from deep in one of his 21 seasons.
He's racked up 40,474 points without being a knockdown shooter from distance in an era full of shooters. Curry, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. He's the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history.
By the time he retires, he'll be more than 1,000 threes made clear of the man in second place, Ray Allen. He's attempted the most three-pointers and made the most three-pointers, but has also done so at a 42.5 percent clip, 12th best all-time.
James shot 66 percent from the field at the Olympics. Curry shot 47.8 percent from three after going 5-for-20 through the first four games.
Their games are synergistic; while Curry spaces the floor for James to drive, James drives into the lane, collapsing the defense to leave space for Curry. If these two had an 82-game season together, LeBron's efficiency inside the arc and Steph's efficiency beyond it would almost certainly carry over from Paris. A James-Curry Pick-and-Roll Curry's head coach with the Golden State Warriors , Steve Kerr, was the lead man on the bench for Team USA, and he repeatedly called for an identical play when the team needed a bucket.
Curry would force his way up to set a screen for James and pop behind the arc, which left opposing defenses with two options: Help on James' drive to the basket and leave Curry open or double Curry and leave James with a one-on-one path to the basket. Good luck with that. The pick-and-roll could be flipped, too, with James setting a screen for Curry and rolling to the rim, putting the defense in the same conundrum, just in reverse.
NBA defenses would start to pick up on some of these actions over the course of a full season, but that doesn't mean they'd be able to stop them every time down the floor. The Highest of Basketball IQs Had LeBron's career gone in a different direction, he could have been the next Magic Johnson—a brilliant and skilled passer who can see over defenses and understand what's happening on the floor at all times. Things didn't work out so badly for James, but putting him in a lineup with Curry would allow him to be that version of himself.
He's seen and done it all and could orchestrate an offense masterfully, picking apart defenses before they even know what's coming. A LeBron whose primary concern is dissecting opponents, coupled with the greatest shooter ever who's become that by understanding where, how and when to fly around screens, would be beautiful basketball. We just saw it .
With time (and probably not a lot of it), James would learn where and when Curry wants the ball, and Steph would learn where and how James would give it to him. Will this pairing ever actually happen? Could James be traded to Golden State or Curry to the L.A.
Lakers ? The chances are slim. But boy, would it be incredible to watch it if it did. Team USA defeated France 98-87 in the gold medal game.
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