Stephen Curry has been playing the best basketball of his career and teams, so far, could not find any answer on how to slow down the reigning MVP. But according to a report, there could be a way to slow down the league's best shooter.
Scott Davis of the Business Insider suggested that "Hack-a-Curry" could be the answer to contain Curry's game-changing abilities and put him out cold during crunch times.
Hacking or intentionally fouling a player usually works for big men who are bad at shooting on the charity stripes. But does that work for a 92.3 percent free-throw shooter?
According to Davis, the strategy would not prevent Curry from scoring, but would rather potentially disrupt the Warriors' offense and Curry's rhythm.
"One idea that's been casually mentioned, but never implemented (to our knowledge) is the Hack-A-Curry, where defenses could intentionally foul Curry, put him on the free-throw line, and get the ball back," Davis wrote.
In the Warriors' victory against the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this month, Curry propelled Golden State to a fourth quarter rally from a late deficit by scoring 13 points in just five minutes. This points that Curry's hot streaks are game-changers, especially during crucial moments.
Curry's streaky scoring also fires up his teammates and the home crowd, which most likely is the reason for the Warriors' franchise record of 25 straight home games win.
Moreover, Sportsnet's Donnovan Bennett also noted that Curry's three-point attempts are breaking normal defensive rules of opposing teams, making big men chase all the way to the three-point territory to contest Curry's long-range attempts.
"The problem with that strategy against Curry is that his comfortable shooting range extends to about 30 feet," Bennett disclosed.
It is hard to imagine a shooter like Curry would be hacked because getting him on the line is an almost automatic two points for the Warriors.
But if teams could not figure out how to contain the Human Torch, Hack-a-Curry may work, although there is a huge chance it would only prevent the inevitable of Curry piling up points.
Curry has picked up where he left last season and another amazing season for the "Baby-faced Assassin" has just started.