“Was Hell to Guard Stephen Curry!”: Austin Reaves Recalls 2023 Playoffs Battle Against Warriors Star

The Los Angeles Lakers had an unexpected run in this year’s postseason, making it to the Western Conference Finals. Lakers star Austin Reaves played a big part in the playoffs for the LA side. During an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast recently, Reaves talked about his experience playing against the Warriors in the playoffs, especially guarding Stephen Curry.

Reaves started all the games against the Dubs, and his primary defensive assignment was containing Curry. While it was Jarred Vanderbilt, who was credited as the ‘Stephen Curry stopper’, AR15 did an excellent job keeping up with the Warriors star as well.

Here’s what he had to say about the matchup,

“It’s honestly hell. The way he moves without the ball… You literally can’t ever relax. I remember Game 1 and 2, chasing him and Klay [Thompson] around and I couldn’t make a shot.”

 

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“Everyone’s like why can’t you make a shot! [Because] I ain’t got no legs!…His approach to the game is too special. Just the way he sees the game and goes about the game. It was a lot of fun to play them. Yeah, but nah, it was hell to guard him[Stephen Curry],” Reaves added.

The Lakers star’s testimony reminds us of Matthew Dellavedova’s experience guarding Curry in the NBA Finals. The then Cleveland Cavaliers star had to be taken to the hospital after the game due to the sheer exhaustion caused by guarding the Dubs guard.

Despite his 6ft 2″ frame, Curry is so deadly because of his off-the-ball movement. His rapidly changing positioning on the court along side his deep range makes him almost unguardable.

Steph has been giving defenders trouble for the good part of the last decade, and Reaves is the latest name on the list. It’ll be fun to see the next time the Lakers play the Warriors, with the 2022 Champs possibly looking to respond to a playoff elimination.