When the Golden State Warriors were in a 1-2 hole in the NBA Finals series, many critics pointed their fingers at Stephen Curry’s offensive struggles, believing that Matthew Dellavedova was containing the league’s MVP. 

Curry shot 5 of 23 in Golden State’s Game 2 loss and immediately people questioned his mental toughness. In Game 3, Curry got off to another slow start, and it ultimately cost his team another game. The Cleveland Cavaliers were suddenly known as the “Curry stoppers,” and became the favorites in the series.

But in Games 4 and 5 something happened, and it wasn’t necessarily the fact that Curry caught fire. Rather it was the “heart and soul of the team,” Draymond Green, and “The Black Falcon,” Harrison Barnes improving their all-around game the past two outings that has swung the momentum in favor of the Warriors again.

Surely, we cannot look past Curry’s 37 points on 13 of 23 shooting, including seven triples in Game 5, but there was a reason why he was incredibly efficient. With Green and Barnes being more assertive and effective, they have relieved most of the defensive pressure off Curry.

“So [Draymond] was able to get to the free-throw line and get us some easy points,” Curry said of his teammate. “And I was able to attack when they were kind of in between, not really knowing what they wanted to do in the pick-and-roll, and gave me some open looks from three too.”

In Game 3, Barnes had zero points on 0 for 8 shooting, while Green added seven points on 2 of 10 shooting. Both were inefficient, allowing the Cavaliers to double off them and crowd Curry like they did. Due to Green and Barnes not being threats, Curry was typically seeing two or three guys shadow him every turn he made on screen and rolls, which made life tougher on him.

However, now that Green and Barnes are making their open shots, the Cavaliers are second guessing on defense and ultimately paying the price.

“I love the chemistry I have with [Draymond] to be able to make those [screen and roll] plays,” Curry said after the Game 5 victory. “Because if he’s not a threat, then they can kind of go all out and sell out on the traps.”

Green saw plenty of open looks throughout Games 2 and 3 and missed most of them. It was unusual to watch him struggle since he typically made the correct plays on those screen and rolls during the regular season.

“If I come off and they trap, I’ve got faith in Draymond to make the right play,” Curry added. “He finds open guys or he’s able to finish.”

“Draymond is just doing what he does,” coach Steve Kerr chimed in. “He’s done this all year.”

Fortunately for the Warriors, Green gave them the punch they needed in Game 4, delivering 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals on 6 of 11 shooting. He was making better decisions on screen and rolls and finally regained his confidence.

Harrison Barnes also came to life in Game 4, scoring 14 points and nabbing eight boards on 4 of 9 shooting. The frontcourt duo finally played well enough to become threats offensively, which led to better floor spacing and balance for Curry to operate.

The Green and Barnes effect trickled over to Game 5. Green started the game with 10 first quarter points and finished with 16 to go along with nine rebounds and six assists. He was aggressively attacking the rim as well, collecting 10 free throw attempts. Barnes put in just eight points, but he made key plays down the stretch to aid his team.

“Can’t be said enough what H.B. was able to do in his minutes with putbacks, giving us extra possessions, being physical in the paint,” Curry said. “He really changed the game. Especially in the fourth quarter he got us three extra possessions that we needed.”

Barnes did in fact gather six offensive rebounds and had 10 total boards for the game, making a difference without having to score much.

As for Green, order was restored. He showed a lot of heart and tenacity in Game 5 which helped his team succeed on the defensive end and forced coach David Blatt and the Cavaliers to adjust to the small-ball unit the Warriors were playing.

At the end of the day, you want your opponents to be the ones having to adjust their game to matchup to you. That’s when you know you have done something right, and as Steve Kerr has gone to the small lineups, Barnes and Green have delivered.

“[Green’s] play the last two games is a big reason why we’ve been able to get this back in our favor,” Kerr said after Game 5.

Nevertheless, Curry’s latest success should be owed to Green and Barnes, the two guys who many believed to be the x-factors of this series coming in. 

“That’s how we’ve been effective all year,” said Curry. “Because we have the versatility and talent, all 1 through 5 on the floor, to be able to make those plays.”

Game 6 is scheduled for Tuesday, June 16th, as Green, Barnes, and the Warriors will look to close out the Cavaliers to earn their first championship since 1975.