“That chemistry, it pays off in the biggest moments, and in the brightest lights” - Steph Curry praises the Warriors culture, says they believe in each other

After a two-year hiatus, Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors have punched another ticket to the NBA Finals. They eliminated the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Golden State has now reached the championship round in six of the last eight years.

When healthy, the Warriors are a dynasty that’s a rarity in NBA history. The Bay Area squad doesn't rely on individual physicality or dominance the way Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan did to some extent.

When asked by Inside the NBA co-host Kenny Smith how the Golden State Warriors are making it work, Curry said:

“All the pieces fit and we believe in each other. We work off each other. We have ten years plus of experience together. We can outsmart some teams, we can outwork some teams, we out think some teams and that chemistry, it pays off in the biggest moments and in the brightest lights."

Curry continued:

"What Klay brings, what I bring, what Draymond brings, that’s the culture, that’s the core and then everybody else around us buys into it.”

Steph Curry and Klay Thompson aren’t exactly the kind that bludgeons opponents to oblivion with physicality. Draymond Green isn’t the biggest big guy to man the paint and hardly posts up in the paint to generate offense.

Head coach Steve Kerr has built a system where the sum is greater than the parts. The Golden State Warriors can afford a bad Steph Curry or Klay Thompson game and still win on the biggest stage.

Game 5, which was a closeout match against the Dallas Mavericks, was one fine example. “Chef Curry” only had 15 points, but had a sizzling Thompson to keep the Mavericks at bay. The Warriors also had timely scoring from Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Green.

Before the Game 5 explosion, Klay Thompson was barely himself, struggling to make shots. Despite that, the Mavericks had all sorts of trouble dealing with the impact of Kevon Looney.

An argument could easily be made that Looney should get the inaugural Magic Johnson Western Conference finals MVP. His performance in the series against the Dallas Mavericks was exceptional.

The Warriors don’t have freakish athletes like LeBron James to build their dynasty around. They have a skinny shooter, a recently injured two-guard and a forward who can hardly make jump shots as their core.

They seamlessly combined their skills, experience and basketball IQ to carry the team to another NBA Finals appearance.

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Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are climbing the ladder of most playoff wins by a trio

The Golden State Warriors are playing for another NBA championship. [Photo: Sporting News]

Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green started playing together in Green’s rookie year during the 2012-13 season. After a five-year playoff drought, the Warriors returned to the postseason in the trio’s first year together.

Golden State was beaten by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round that year and was eliminated by the LA Clippers the following year. From there, they represented the West in five straight NBA Finals, winning the Larry O’Brien trophy three times.

Along the way, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have steadily climbed the list of playoff wins by a trio, with 21.

Following their win against the Dallas Mavericks, they’ve now moved past Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher (20). Only the Spurs’ legendary triumvirate of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker have won more, with 27.

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