Famous FC Barcelona Tactic Influenced Warriors, Says Steph Curry
The Golden State Warriors have established themselves as a dominant force in modern basketball, led by star player Stephen Curry. The team secured NBA championships in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022, showcasing near-unstoppable play when at their peak.
Steve Kerr's Coaching Inspired by Tiki-Taka
Stephen Curry revealed that head coach Steve Kerr’s strategy was influenced by FC Barcelona’s tiki-taka style. Kerr taught the Warriors to let the ball control the game, encouraging constant movement to create open shots and force the defense into difficult choices.
Adoption of Barcelona's Philosophy
Since Kerr took over in 2014, he introduced subtle adjustments to the team’s offense, urging a playing style centered on quick ball movement and fluid positioning, inspired by Pep Guardiola’s FC Barcelona football team.
“He was like, 'I just wanna make a couple of tweaks to the way that we're creating shots,'” Curry said in the Mind the Game podcast with LeBron James and Steve Nash. “So, once we got in training camp, he showed a clip of Barcelona tiki-taka, and he was talking about that as a philosophy of how we're gonna create shots, how we're gonna keep things simple, make the defense have to make a million decisions in a possession, so that you can find the right shot.”
Curry added that it took time for the team to adjust to not calling specific plays, instead allowing the ball to dictate player movement on the court.
Success Through Simplicity
This approach simplified the offense, increasing opponents’ difficulty in anticipating plays and making defensive adjustments, which contributed to the Warriors’ multiple championships.
Author's summary: Steve Kerr’s adaptation of FC Barcelona’s tiki-taka style revolutionized the Warriors’ offense by emphasizing fluid ball movement and creating scoring chances through player movement rather than set plays.