5 Key Points that prove GSW are mortal without Curry

Steph Curry, not Kevin Durant, is the face of the Golden State Warriors. Ever since Kevin Durant joined the Warriors, the majority of NBA fans have thought that it was Durant pulling the Warriors up, and leading them to championships. Since Curry has been out, though, with an injured groin, the Warriors have finally looked like a mortal team again, one that can be beaten, despite Durant playing a high number of minutes.

Just over a few days ago, the Warriors were 11-2, torching the West, and Steph was MVP favorite, averaging around 30 points a game. Stunningly, Durant was averaging near 30 points a game too, playing his best. Now, 5 games later, the Warriors are 12-7, and some conflicts have come up in the Warriors organization.

There's no doubting that Durant is an absolutely incredible player; he has a body that lets him tower above the competition, and never take a contested shot, he has an insane vertical, he's great on defense, he's a high IQ player - he's as good as anyone in the world. But he's not the most important player to the Warriors.

Stephen Curry, easily, is the most important part of the Warriors offense. As a skilled basketball player, with an incredible shooting prowess, an efficient net rating, great passing ability, and being a great teammate, he is integral to Warriors' victories, and the mess that the KD-led Warriors are making right now is a clear indication of the same.

More than how Curry scores himself, the way he allows his teammates to score is a work of art. Scoring, and shooting beyond the arc is just a shadow of what he really does for the Warriors - dismantling defenses with his incredible driving and ball-handling ability, setting his teammates up with pretty passes, and just being a great teammate are few things that he excels at.

#1 Warriors wins/losses with and without Curry

Wins are the best measure of a team's success, an apt indicator of how well they are doing against the competition. Kevin Durant joined the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in 2016, making them one of the most feared teams in NBA history.

KD was expected to take over the team, and push them to new heights; he was expected by some to be a better playmaker than Steph Curry, causing a lot of people to doubt Curry's contribution to the team after KD joined.

Well, in just over two seasons since KD joined the Warriors, the team is 21-20 when Durant has played, and Curry has not. In 41 games where Curry sits, but KD is on the court, the team is a mere 51%, a shadow of what it is with Steph on the court. In contrast, though, when Durant is off the court, and Curry plays, the team is a solid 25-9, which is around 73%.

Roughly calculating, the Warriors would be 60-22 with Curry on the court, but Durant sitting through an entire season. A Warriors team without KD, but with Curry, would've won one more game than the 2017-18 Raptors, at the top of the Eastern Conference with 59 wins, and two more games than the 2017-18 Warriors.

Obviously, this isn't an accurate depiction, but still, when you look at the flip side, it is troubling. With Curry sitting, and Durant playing every game, the warriors would be a mere 42-40, not even good enough to make the playoffs, in either conference, by the 2017-18 standings.

#2 Warriors plus/minus rating with and without Curry

The plus-minus, or PM, is a statistic used to measure a player's impact on the game, represented by the difference in the team's total scoring versus their opponent's when the player is on the court. PM is a very accurate depiction of how well a player impacts his team's scoring, and how much he really contributes on offense, accounting for the possible losses in defense.

This season, Curry has played 399 minutes, during which Golden State are +118 in this statistic, fairly decent. In the 470 minutes that Golden State have played without Curry, however, they are -8. This effectively shows us the difference that Curry being on the floor makes.

With Curry on the floor, the Warriors' offense just clicks; they make the extra passes needed, they get open looks, and they make their shots off beautiful assists. Without Curry, though, their offense is stagnant - more isolation plays, less passing, more turnovers, faulty handling, and other hazards to the team.

The numbers show us how the Warriors' offense turns into an ineffective mess without Curry, something that Durant accepts: "I mean, we're just trying to get good looks. I know Warriors basketball is 5, 6, 7 passes in a possession, but we're not going to get that at this point. We throw it 5 or 6 times and it's going to end up in a guy's hands who is trying to give it back to someone else."

#3 Warriors passing and offensive flow with and without Curry

Passing is an integral part of the Warriors' offense. Without the extra pass, without perfectly timed cuts, the Warriors offense becomes a shadow of what it is. A significant amount of the Warriors' points come off assists, of which there are plenty - the Warriors have consistently been at the top of assists/game over the last few years.

A big part of this is Curry; even though he is primarily praised for being a shooter, he is an incredible ball-handler and a beautiful passer. Curry works hard to make sure the ball ends up with the guy that has the best shot, to ensure that the ball goes through the hoop.

This often comes off drives that shatter the defense, and a quick outlet pass to someone on the perimeter. Having Thompson and KD, two of the most lethal three point shooters the NBA has to offer helps a lot.

A huge part of the Warriors' game plan is to get Curry to dismember his defender on the perimeter, fake into a shot, and drive into the paint. You've probably seen this happen in their games - this results in two or more defenders rushing in to the paint to stop Curry from getting the easy layup, at which point Curry simply has to toss it back out to either KD or Thompson at the perimeter, giving them plenty of time to get a shot off.

Without Curry on the court this season, Durant has been 3-21 from three-point range, just 12.5%, with Thompson at 15-55 (21%). Curry's assisting, ball movement, and pretty passes are crucial to these two getting open shots at the three, boosting their shooting percentage up significantly.

The Warriors, as a complete offense, have been making five three-pointers less with Curry out, which causes a huge dent in an offense that is centered around the three-point shot.

#4 Defense's reaction to Warriors' offense with and without Curry

Another significant reason that the Warriors need Curry to be on the floor is his 'gravity'. When Steph Curry is on the floor, you gotta pay attention to him. Defenders' sole focus, knowing how easily Curry can bury a trey, is to keep him locked down, keep him from getting an open look, and to keep him from driving. As impossible of a task as that already is, the presence of three other All-Stars on the floor makes it all the better for the Warriors.

Defenders often have to stay on, sometimes even beyond the three-point line to guard Curry, since they're aware of how easily he can get a shot off from deep. His quick release, coupled with his insane range and accuracy, keep defenders on their feet, looking for a shot. Not only Curry's defender, but the entire team has an eye out for him, since he can get past a defender with ease.

Curry's trademark move is to get fancy at the three-point line, displaying his incredible prowess at dribbling the basketball, boggling the defender. Depending on how the defender reacts, Curry can either get an open shot off from the three-point or, he can fake the shot and drive in for a layup. More often than not, that's going to result in three points, especially with Curry being an excellent shooter off the dribble.

This makes the entire team keep an eye out for Curry's drive, in case they need to go in and help get a defensive stop. But, if you're looking at somebody else's man, the other teammates aren't going to stand around. Draymond, Klay, and Durant all go nuts when Curry has the ball, showcasing some incredible off-ball movement.

With half their attention drawn to Curry, the defenders are bound to lose track of their own man, getting the others an easy, open look. Without Curry, opponents have one less All-Star to look out for, and can give much more attention to their own men.

#5 Curry as something more than a player - a great teammate

Lastly, something that can't be measured with numbers - Curry being a great teammate. There's no doubt that Steph Curry is an incredible teammate. He's always cheerful, he brings an aspect of fun and childishness to a game that everyone relishes, and he's a pleasant sight in the locker room or while training.

Everyone loves playing with Curry, since not only is he a great player, but he always has an eye out to better his teammates, offering advice, showing incredible hustle, in addition to being a motivation to his team.

Without a doubt, Curry has been responsible for resolving plenty of conflicts in the Warriors' franchise. By the admission of his own teammates, who've seen this firsthand, Curry is great at calming his teammates down, offering inspiration, advice, and often, putting a stop to arguments or fights before they get big.

He can joke, he can get others to laugh, and get everyone to have fun while playing games. His warmups and pregame shootaround are ample evidence for this - everyone's seen his childish joy while shooting the basketball. His eccentricity and electricity on the court are incredible, allowing his teammates to relax, and take a well-earned break, knowing that he'll cover up.

The argument between KD and Green is just one example of how in disarray the Warriors can be without Curry - in just few games that Curry has been gone, we've already seen one of the biggest altercation of the Warriors' era.

Overall, Steph is an incredible player, he makes the Warriors' offense better, and he's a great teammate. Without Steph Curry on the floor, the Warriors are just another team in the NBA; they're not dominant, they're messy, and their offense gets stagnant. Curry is the most valuable player to the Warriors, without a doubt, and an integral piece of the team's offense.