Steph Curry and Anthony Edwards’ Coaches Believe 90s Physical Basketball is Back in Playoffs

Steph Curry and Anthony Edwards and their respective teammates have noticed the physicality in the NBA playoffs.

Steph Curry and Anthony Edwards’ Coaches Believe 90s Physical Basketball is Back in Playoffs

Steve Kerr and Chris Finch lamented about physical play and missed calls (Image via Firstsportz)

Steph Curry and his Golden State Warriors endured what many would believe to be one of the most physical battles when they faced the Houston Rockets. Now, as they play against Anthony Edwards and his Minnesota Timberwolves, there is a chance that physicality continues.

In that series, the Rockets bear-hugged Curry even when he was nowhere near the ball. They crashed into the other players, one of whom, Jimmy Butler, ended up in the medical room. They defended by throwing bodies in the paint, all to try and make it difficult for the Warriors to score easily.

That physical play nearly threw Draymond Green over the edge. Thankfully, for the Warriors, he stopped at a few technical fouls and some flagrant ones. Heading into the second round, both the Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves were aware that officials were allowing physical play.

Anthony Edwards talked about the Los Angeles Lakers pushing and shoving them around, which they eventually overcame. But in the first game in the second round, their head coach, Chris Finch, was not happy. He believed the Warriors were taking physical play a bit too literally.

They do a lot of fouling, holding, shoving, pushing, and tackling Rudy. We’ve sent a bunch of those clips to the league. In fact, I’m not sure I know another player in the league with Rudy’s pedigree that is allowed to be physically beaten on the way he is. We’ve got to address that one way or another.

Chris Finch said

Chris Finch believes the Golden State Warriors are taking cheap shots. He wants the league to address it. If not, they will have to up the ante on their physicality. If the officials are not going to call those fouls, they might have to take care of it on their own.

Steve Kerr Believes League is Allowing ’90s Physical Basketball

Steve Kerr has played in the 80s and 90s. He knows firsthand how physical that era was. Now that his players are facing a similar style of basketball in the playoffs, he knows the league is allowing it. When asked about Chris Finch’s comments, Kerr said this.

I was the upset the first ten minutes of the game, it was just like Houston all over again. They were bear-hugging Steph. The league has established the physicality in the playoffs. Everybody’s fouling each other. I’ve got my complaints, too. We all do. I’m getting ready to send my own clips into the league.

Steve Kerr said

The Golden State Warriors’ head coach believes this physical style is a throwback to 80s and 90s basketball. He revealed that if one reviews the game tape, it is evident that multiple fouls are not being called.

That shows that the league is allowing physicality to come back and influence games. It might not have been allowed in the regular season, but in the playoffs, common fouls are not called. Now they will see if their complaints have an impact on the rest of the series.

80s and 90s Physical Basketball is Becoming a Fan Favorite

The first-round series between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors was physical basketball at its best. Officials allowed bear-hugging, hits near the rim, and the usual pushing and shoving as players tried to gain separation.

Physical basketball is helping NBA viewership ratings
Physical basketball is helping NBA viewership ratings (Image via Open Source/X)

All of that has helped to bring back the excitement. TNT Sports’ PR department revealed that Game 7 of the Rockets vs Warriors series saw 6.6 million viewers on an average tune-in. That is the most in a round 1 series they have seen since 2009.

They also revealed that the NBA playoffs in general has seen a 4% increase in viewership. Their statistics ranked the NBA playoffs as the most popular sports programs for people under 35. That is a remarkable achievement, considering TNT is also showcasing the NHL playoffs.

Considering the buzz surrounding the NHL after the extremely popular USA vs Canada three-game series in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship, many expected ice hockey to be more popular. But thanks to these tweaks, Adam Silver’s NBA reigns supreme.

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