Kevin Durant’s Instagram handle is @EasyMoneySniper. It’s an appropriate nickname for one of the greatest scorers in basketball.

Durant is one of the smoothest operators when it comes to putting the ball in the basket. He’s got every shot in the book. He makes things look easy money. His career 27.2 points-per-game average puts him in the top 10. He makes 39% of his 3-point shots and 50% of his shots from the field; mostly from his favorite spot on the court — the midrange. And he is a career 88% shooter from the free throw line.

Durant — who was traded to the Houston Rockets as part of a historic seven-team deal — moved into fifth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, jumping ahead of Michael Jordan. Only Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and LeBron James are ahead of Durant.

OMFB pulled together a list of the most efficient scorers in modern NBA history, with the following stipulations: 1) a player must have a career points-per-game average of at least 20 (PPG); 2) minimum 400 games played; 3) above the line in field goal percentage (47%), 3-point shooting (35%), and free throws (80%). Note: Because the 3-point line wasn’t introduced in the league until 1979, players such as Jerry West and Oscar Robertson were not included on the list.

Kevin Durant
PPG: 27.2 FG pct: 50.3 3PT pct: 39.1 FT pct: 88.2
KD is listed at 6-10 but with a 7-5 wingspan. Because of his remarkable length and above-average ball-handling skills, he is able to shoot over any defender.

Stephen Curry
PPG: 24.8 FG pct: 47.1 3PT pct: 42.2 FT pct: 91.2
The four-time NBA champion and 3-point king is regarded by many as the greatest shooter in basketball. Steph is the all-time leader in 3-point makes, with an accuracy of 42%.

Larry Bird
PPG: 24.3 FG pct: 49.6 3PT pct: 37.6 FT pct: 88.6
Larry Legend won three consecutive MVPs from 1984-86 and arguably one of the 10 most influential players. The three-time NBA champ would be the ideal stretch-4 in the modern NBA.

Dirk Nowitzki
PPG: 20.7 FG pct: 47.1 3PT pct: 38.0 FT pct: 87.9
Dirk helped revolutionize the game by moving the traditional low-post game to the high post. The elbow was his operating room, and he carved up defenders with his signature one-legged fadeaway.

Kyrie Irving
PPG: 23.7 FG pct: 47.4 3PT pct: 39.4 FT pct: 88.8
Kyrie is one of most gifted scorers the game has ever seen. Armed with an insanely tight handle and creative mind, Kyrie is a spectacular bucket-getter who plays his best in the clutch.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
PPG: 25.0 FG pct: 50.8 3PT pct: 36.0 FT pct: 86.5
SGA won an MVP, NBA championship and NBA scoring title before the age of 27. As a 6-6 point guard, he is a physical mismatch against the vast majority of guards. He plays with remarkable consistency.

Karl-Anthony Towns
PPG: 23.0 FG pct: 52.1 3PT pct: 39.7 FT pct: 83.9
Big KAT proclaimed himself “the greatest big man shooter of all time.” Based on statistical evidence, Towns might be right. His career combination of volume and efficiency is unmatched.

Nikola Jokic
PPG: 22.2 FG pct: 56.1 3PT pct: 36.3 FT pct: 82.4
Former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone said the secret to Joker’s efficient is that he doesn’t fight it. The big man from Serbian makes the game look easy because he doesn’t force things.

Zach LaVine
PPG: 20.8 FG pct: 47.0 3PT pct: 39.1 FT pct: 83.5
LaVine entered the league mainly known as a spectacular dunker, winning the NBA Slam Dunk contest twice. He became a prolific scorer after he was traded from Minnesota to Chicago.

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. He hosts a sports podcast on YouTube @onemanfastbreak1.

Stephen Curry was the seventh-overall selection in the 2009 NBA draft. (GETTY IMAGES)

When it comes to basketball savants, few can compare to Jerry West. The “logo” won a championship as a player and executive, building two dynasties in Los Angeles.

The 77-year-old Hall-of-Famer is without peer in terms of player evaluations. It took him just 20 minutes in a pre-draft workout in L.A. to figure out that an 18-year-old kid from Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia named Kobe Bryant was the best player in the 1996 NBA draft.

These days, West is no longer in charge of day-to-day operations but he still commands plenty of respect around the NBA.

“The way the game has evolved people in the front office, the way they are building teams, they need to look at trend in this league. The 3-point shooting is here forever,” West, now an executive board member with the Golden State Warriors, told radio host Colin Cowherd.

The 3-point shot has become such a weapon that teams are building their game plans around them. The Warriors built their foundation on a 3-point shooter, Stephen Curry. Golden State selected the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 draft. Six years later, Curry is the MVP of the NBA. He also ended the 40-year title drought in the Bay Area.

“I think Stephen Curry, for sure, is going to change what we see in players coming into this league,” West said.

“All those little kids would want to look like him [and] play like him,” West continued. “He doesn’t have a big body, he’s not the most incredible athlete we have, and he plays the game with finesse. We see a lot of players in this league that are big, strong guys that play with force. To me, so far, finesse has won out over force. It’s a game I like to watch. I love to watch him play.”

West is not the only one who loves to watch Curry play. He was the top vote-getter in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game and his highlights are viral hits on YouTube. Not bad for a guy who was thought of as an undersized shooting guard from tiny Davidson College in North Carolina.

“In the locker room, he’s the most unassuming kid,” West said. “I’ve always said humility is the greatest word in the world, and he’s beyond humble. He’s just a normal, incredible kid to be around.

“His parents have done a great job with the whole family. And he’s just an extension of his family. He’s beloved by the people who watch him play. He’s so much fun to watch. He’s got a routine and he’s an unbelievably hard-worker. Behind that little baby face is a real killer there, too.”

In Golden State’s historic run to the championship in 2015, Curry knocked off three of the five first-team All-NBA studs and then brought down King James in the NBA Finals.

Curry beat the man many consider as the best player in the world. It was an unofficial passing of the torch from one basketball ruler to the next. It wasn’t quite like Joffrey Baratheon relinquishing the iron throne to his brother, Tommen, but it was symbolic.

Steph’s Warriors have not slowed down since winning the ‘chip. Golden State is off to one of the best starts in NBA history, and Curry has a league-leading 33 points per game. He’s also making 5.1 3-pointers a game, which is two more than Portland’s Damian Lillard (second best) and three more than the next 10 guys on the list.

Former Warriors coach Mark Jackson explains what sets Curry apart from his peers.

“We haven’t seen anybody else with his ability to be a great shooter across the board,” Jackson told ESPN.com. “Meaning, stop and pop. Meaning, off motion. Meaning, pick-and-roll. Meaning, split the pick-and-roll and shoot off one leg. Meaning, step back and shoot over two guys trapping. Meaning, any way you can name how to shoot a basketball, Steph Curry is a great shooter. We have never seen anybody on that level. Steve Nash played at a high level, a two-time MVP and an incredible shooter — this is a different level. Reggie Miller, incredible shooter. Chris Mullin, incredible shooter. Guys I played with, Dale Ellis, Dell Curry, incredible shooters. But they didn’t have the total package. They aren’t coming off a trap and lifting from 30. This guy just has no limits.”

Curry’s basketball journey is not your typical narrative. He wasn’t a big-time high school recruit. There were many questions about his ability to make the adjustment from college to the pros. And even after he had proven himself that he can hang in the NBA, he was thought of as an injury-plagued player who lacked the physical stature to compete at the highest level.

Curry not only proved the doubters wrong, but he is also reshaping what an NBA player should look like. Remember those old Michael Jordan Gatorade commercials with the cool “Be Like Mike” jingle? Well, we should update that slogan and tweak it to “Be Like Steph.”

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are struggling against the Cavs in the NBA Finals. (GETTY IMAGES)

You can analyze or overanalyze basketball games with all types of fancy analytics and metrics, but teams that win championships follow two basic formulas: score easy baskets and don’t give up easy baskets.

Basically, to speak in the language so millennials can understand, you want to score in the paint and protect the paint (if your hardwood court has a painted area, of course).

Conventional basketball has always been built on scoring inside, meaning dump the ball inside your biggest or tallest player. Aside from getting an easy hoop, this serves two purposes: 1) collapse the defense and open shots for other players, and 2) rewards big men for all the hard work they do inside. Remember the old Shaquille O’Neal line: “Feed the big dog if you want the big dog to protect the yard.”

It’s a proven fact that big men will work harder if they get their touches on offense, and it will inspire them to protect the basket on the other end of the court.

Shaq subscribes to the inside-out theory because that’s the way NBA championships were won. George Mikan’s Minneapolis Lakers played that way. Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics played that way. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s L.A. Lakers played that way. Hakeem Olajuwon’s Houston Rockets played that way.

In the post-Michael Jordan era, the NBA Finals have been dominated by two big men: Shaq and Tim Duncan.

O’Neal and Duncan have been a part of The Finals in 11 of the last 16 seasons, winning a combined nine titles.

There were a few exceptions to the rule. Jordan’s Chicago Bulls teams were mainly a jump-shooting team. But in the triangle offense, otherwise known as the triple post, Jordan was the post-up player. He didn’t post up in the traditional way, as in planting himself on the low block, but he posted up on the elbows or the pinch post. Dirk Nowitzki’s Dallas Mavericks 2011 championship team used the same concept. When the Mavs needed a bucket, they went to Dirk on the pinch post. And LeBron James didn’t start winning titles until he developed a post-up game when he was in Miami.

This bring us to the Golden State Warriors, the 2014-15 NBA champions.

The Warriors are a basketball anomaly. They are bucking the conventional thinking that you can’t win a NBA title primarily by shooting jump shots. Charles Barkley has repeated said on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” that jump shooting teams don’t win titles. Barkley should know this because his high-octane, 3-shooting teams in Phoenix lived and died by the jump shot in the playoffs.

Golden State’s offense is very similar to Barkley’s Suns. They’re built around the long-range shooting skills of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson — also known as The Splash Brothers. They don’t even have a pinch-post player. Everything flows through Curry and Thompson out in the perimeter.

But these Warriors are a different breed. Sure, they win games by shooting lights out from behind the 3-point line and running teams out of the gym. But what made them a 67-win juggernaut during the regular season was defense.

“I know there’s been all this talk this year, especially about the 3-point shot. Can you win shooting it?” Warriors first-year head coach Steve Kerr said. “There’s a lot of different styles that can work. You have to base it on your own personnel.”

Kerr added: “What really wins is a combination of great offense and great defense. We have the No. 1 defense in the league. We had the highest scoring team in the league. We were No. 1 in assists. We were No. 1 in field-goal percentage defense. When you get that combination then you’re going to be pretty good. Whether you’re shooting threes or twos it’s about the balance. To win a title you have to be able to make stops. You’ve got to string together stops at crucial times and you gotta find ways to score. With our depth and our talent we were able to do that and it turned into a special season as a result.”

Golden State arguably has three of the 10 best defensive players in the league. Thompson is an elite perimeter defender, Andrew Bogut is a beast in front of the rim, and Draymond Green finished second to Kawhi Leonard as the defensive player of the year. Add Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala into the mix and you can see why teams struggle to score against them.

Kerr has taken what Mark Jackson built and improved it. The Warriors have largely used a predominantly perimeter attack on offense and a switching defense on their way to the 2015 NBA Finals, using the same concepts installed by Jackson. Kerr has modified a few things here and there, but the Warriors have stayed true to form. They share the ball on offense and they use their speed and quickness to recover on defense. It’s a similar approach that powered the San Antonio Spurs to their fifth NBA title in 2014 with one huge difference. The Warriors don’t have a Tim Duncan controlling the paint on both ends.

Bogut starts at center but he rarely plays more than 20 minutes a game, and Kerr likes to play a smaller lineup down the stretch with Iguodala, Barnes and Green in the frontcourt to go along with Curry and Thompson in the backcourt. This makes the Warriors unique. It’s a style of basketball that court influence a whole generation of coaches and players. It’s comparable to the European League in which the focus is on dribble handoffs and pick-and-pops, and frontcourt players spend most of their time above the free throw line.

Before we crown Golden State as the next NBA dynasty, it needs to sustain this historic run. The Warriors were able to avoid the San Antonio Spurs and L.A. Clippers in the Western Conference, and they ran into a short-handed Cleveland team in The Finals.

The Cavs are a no-nonsense, gritty team that plays defense as if their lives depended on it. If they had Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, it would have been a totally different series.

Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov punished the Warriors on the boards whenever Kerr went to his small lineup. And then there is LeBron. The four-time MVP averaged nearly 40 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in The Finals, and he did all this while playing nearly 48 minutes a game.

The Warriors were able to end the Bay Area’s 40-year championship drought. Now, it’s about keeping that No. 1 ranking.

The Golden State Warriors will throw different defenders at LeBron James, including Draymond Green. (GETTY IMAGES)

LeBron James won’t guarantee an NBA championship in Cleveland this year, but he did make one proclamation. “I guarantee that we will play our asses off,” he said about the Cavaliers’ showdown with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

James and his Cavaliers have been playing their butts off this postseason, especially on the defensive end. The Cavs own the top-ranked defense in the playoffs, holding teams to 92.6 points and 28.1 percent from the 3-point line. But now comes the true test. the Cavs are facing the most explosive and efficient scoring machine in the NBA Finals. The Warriors led the NBA in points per game (110), 3-point field-goal percentage (39.8) and assists (27.4). They have the best shooting backcourt in the world in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who combined to make 525 threes; far and away the most by any duo in the league.

Curry and Thompson present a whole different animal for the Cavaliers. You may be able to slow down one but not both. The Cavaliers need to hold the line and keep the Splash Brothers from going trey crazy.

This series could boil down to how well the Cavs play on the defensive end. They need to disrupt the Warriors’ ball movement and make the game stagnant because they won’t be able to win in a shootout. This will require paying attention to detail: running shooters off the the 3-point line, making them drive to the basket, and putting a body on Steph and Klay at all times. Cleveland must turn this into a scrum and make Golden State uncomfortable.

The Warriors love to run floppy sets for Steph and Klay. They start on the block and run off screens from Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green. The Cavaliers must stay attached to Steph and Klay, and force them to drive instead of stopping and popping for threes. They will make their share of threes, but try to limit their attempts by making them put the ball on the deck.

When Curry has the ball at the top and calls for a ball screen from Bogut or Green, Cleveland has the option of blitzing Curry or switching the screen. The better option would be to switch on the screen even though it will likely expose Cleveland’s big men. Switching the ball screen forces Curry to keep the ball in his hands and stops the ball from moving. If Curry gets cooking, the Cavs can always switch LeBron on him to try to cool him down.

Here are other key matchups to watch in the NBA Finals:

LeBron vs. Barnes, Iguodala, and Draymond

The Warriors are a basketball anomaly. They are bucking the conventional thinking that you can’t win a title shooting jump shots. But these Warriors are a different breed. Sure, they win games by shooting lights out from behind the 3-point line and running teams out of the gym. But what made them a 67-win juggernaut during the regular season was defense.

GSW arguably has three of the 10 best defensive players in the league. Klay Thompson is an elite perimeter defender, Andrew Bogut is a beast in front of the rim, and Draymond Green finished second to Kawhi Leonard as the defensive player of the year. Add Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala into the mix and you can see why teams struggle to score against Golden State.

In The Finals, the Warriors will face their greatest test. They’ll be going up against the most powerful force in basketball. The last time Golden State and Cleveland met, LeBron dropped 42 points in a 110-99 Cavaliers rout on Feb. 26.

LeBron poses matchup problems on the perimeter and in the paint. He’s capable of ruining any defensive game plan Warriors coach Steve Kerr will draw up. The book on Bron is to deny him driving lanes and force him into shooting jumpers. That’s what the San Antonio Spurs did the last two seasons, so expect Kerr, who played under coach Gregg Popovich, to copy that plan. Kerr will likely start Barnes on LeBron first then rotate different bodies on him. Iguodala is physically strong enough and athletic enough to stay with LeBron, so he could spend the most time on him. Green should also see No. 23, but he may have his hands full with Tristan Thompson. We’ll get to the Draymond-Tristan matchup later.

Steph vs. Kyrie

It is unfortunate Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving is running only at 75 percent because this would have a delicious point guard matchup.

Curry and Irving are not only the two most complete point guards in the NBA but they also possess some of the best handles in the biz. Kyrie better stretch his sore knees because Curry will surely test them.

Despite being hobbled in the Eastern Conference finals against the Atlanta Hawks, Irving still managed to make an impact in Game 4. In The Finals, he’ll go up against the MVP. No disrespect to Hawks point guard Jeff Teague but he’s not even close to being in Curry’s league. Few players are in Curry’s league.

Steph and Kyrie know each other well. They were both on the U.S. men’s national squad coached by Mike Krzyzewski that took home the gold medal at the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Irving served as Team USA’s point guard, while Curry was the shooting guard. Even though they started in the backcourt, you know they went at each other in practice.

Irving doesn’t need to match Curry point for point, but if he can give the Cavs anything close to his regular-season numbers (21.7 points and 5.2 assists) then Cleveland has a great shot a winning the title.

Bogut and Draymond vs. Mozgov and Tristan

The Warriors have mainly stayed with a conventional center-power forward frontline for most of the playoffs, but if Kerr decides to go small he probably use a lineup of Curry and Klay Thompson in the backcourt and Iguodala, Barnes and Green in the frontcourt. If Golden State goes with that lineup, Cleveland coach David Blatt will likely counter with Irving and Iman Shumpert in the backcourt and LeBron, J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson in the frontcourt.

We already broke down the Curry-Irving matchup and the LeBron vs. the Warriors matchup. The Cavs will most likely stick Shumpert on Klay, and Iguodala or Barnes will take on Smith. That leaves us with the battle in the paint between two power forwards playing center, Draymond and Tristan.

The NBA championship may rest of the shoulders of two lunchpail guys who could command major dollars during the offseason when they become free agents.

Draymond is arguably the reason why the Warriors own the best record in the NBA, and the Cavs could argue that they wouldn’t be in The Finals without Tristan, who replaced the injured Kevin Love in the starting lineup. Golden State and Cleveland switch most pick-and-rolls because they both feel they have the players who can guard multiple positions. Another reason why both teams don’t like to switch on screens is because they are confident in the abilities of Draymond and Tristan to guard perimeter players. What could decide this matchup is the battle under the basket. Tristan has been a beast on the offensive boards, and he’ll have a height advantage over Draymond.

Kerr could throw a wrench into the mix by sticking with Bogut and Draymond in the frontcourt. That could force the Cavs to go with Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson in the frontcourt. However, if you’ve been paying attention to the Cavs throughout the playoffs they’ve been consistently going with LeBron at power forward and Tristan at center, and those two have been punishing teams on the boards.

Whichever team wins the rebounding battle could be the one hoisting the gold trophy at the end.

Stephen Curry ranks in the top 10 in five statistical categories. (GETTY IMAGES)

The race for the most valuable player in the NBA is too close to call. You can’t go wrong with LeBron James, James Harden, Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook. But when it comes to Fantasy hoops, there is no contest.

Steph Curry doesn’t look anything like an assassin, but he has become one of the most feared players in basketball and is the favorite to claim the NBA MVP award. Curry, known as the Baby Face Assassin, is posting video game-type numbers. Statistically speaking, he’s the best player on the league’s best squad. An absolute deadly combination.

The 27-year-old All-Star for the Golden State Warriors is the new breed of point guard. He’s a scorer as well as a playmaker, cut from the same cloth as former NBA greats Mark Price and Steve Nash. The scouting report on Curry coming out of Davidson was “he’ll  likely to do a lot of his damage in spot-up situations, and he’s not going to be used a lot in one-on-one possessions.” Someone’s scouting department missed the boat on Curry.

To Curry’s credit, he diligently worked on his ball-handling skills and made himself into a triple-threat. When he’s rolling, he is nearly unguardable.

If you back off him, he’ll pull up from 25-feet and drill a 3-pointer from anywhere on the floor. If you charge at him and make him put the ball on the deck, he’s quick enough to take the ball all the way to the basket. And forget about fouling him because he shoots 91% from the free throw line.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr paid Steph a huge compliment when he compared him to future Hall-of-Famer Steve Nash. Kerr should know because he was the general manager with the Phoenix Suns when Nash played there.

“I first saw it when I was in Phoenix and I scouted Steph when he was at Davidson. I think he was a sophomore. We walked away going, ‘That’s the next Nash,’ ” Kerr told the Contra Costa Times.

“The combination of the ball-handling, the shooting, anticipation, feel — very similar skill set,” Kerr said. “Very different approach, though. Steve was really a pass-first point guard, a reluctant shooter in some ways. Steph is just an assassin out there with his shot. He’s looking to shoot first and set the game up with his passing and moving the ball and creating offense for others.”

Curry is the only player in the Association who ranks in the top 10 in points (23.4), assists (7.9), free-throw percentage (91.4%), 3-point field goals (3.4), and steals (2.1). He is an absolute beast in most nine-category Fantasy leagues. He can fill up all the boxes on a stat sheet with the exception of blocks. Only New Orleans Pelicans star forward Anthony Davis — ranked No. 1 in Yahoo Fantasy hoops — is the closest player in terms of Fantasy numbers. But the biggest difference is Curry, currently ranked No. 2 in Yahoo, has stayed relatively healthy for the last three seasons, while Davis has yet to play more than 70 games in his first three years.

And when it comes to shooting 3-pointers (considered Fantasy gold), no one has been more prolific than Steph. He set the NBA record for 3-pointers made in the season with 272 in the 2012-13 season. He followed that up with 261 in 2013-14, and he is on pace to get close to those marks this season.

If you are one of the lucky ones to own Curry, there is no reason you shouldn’t be playing for a Fantasy League championship.

Tony Parker and Chris Paul are the MVPs of their respective teams. (GETTY IMAGES)

The two hardest positions to find in basketball are center and point guard. The game has evolved so much that the point guard’s role has expanded and the position has become more complex and more valuable than ever. There are five basic skill sets you must own in order to be play the position. First, you must take care of the ball and avoid turnovers. Second, you must be able to make all the passes. Third, you must execute the game plan and run the offense. Fourth, you must be able to create shots for teammates. Fifth, when all things break down and the shot clock is winding down, you must be able to score either with the drive or jump shot to bail your team out. The players on this list possess all these fundamental skills, and have set themselves apart from their peers.

OneManFastBreak.net rates the top points guards in the Association:

10) TY LAWSON, Denver Nuggets: Former Nuggets coach George Karl says the key to his fast-break offense was Ty Lawson. The former University of North Carolina star has gotten better and better each season, and in 2013 he averaged 17 points and seven assists. Despite his lack of size (listed at 5-11) Lawson is one of the league leaders in points in the paint because he’s a handful in the open court, with his incredible foot speed, he can beat any defender to the basket.

Denver Nuggets’ lightning-quick point guard Ty Lawson. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

9) MIKE CONLEY, Memphis Grizzlies: Conley is the son of Olympic track star Mike Conley Sr. He may not have daddy’s jumping skills but he’s definitely the better ballhandler and playmaker in the family. The former Ohio State standout is a tremendous two-way player. He takes care of the ball (6-to-2 assist-to-turnover ratio) and is a very good on-ball defender. He averages 2.2 steals per game and had 174 thefts in the 2012-13 season. When Rudy Gay was traded, the Grizzlies basically gave the keys to the car to Conley and let him drive the offense. Conley raised his profile in the 2013 playoffs when he played Chris Paul to a draw in the Grizzlies-Clippers playoff battle, won by the Grizzlies.

8) DERON WILLIAMS, Brooklyn Nets: Deron Williams is Jason Kidd with range. Much like Chris Paul, D-Will can play fast or slow. He can be a playmaker or a scorer. D-Will has the entire package. He can drive, he can hit the 3 and get his teammates easy shots. And he’s built like a tank (6-3, 209). He’s one of the few PGs who can score 20 points and get 10 assists. The only knock on Williams — and the same can be said about CP3 — is that he hasn’t been able to lift his teams past the conference semifinals, and some also question his work ethic. He came into the 2012-13 season a little out of shape, and it took nearly the whole season for him to get his conditioning up to speed.

When he’s healthy and in shape, Deron Williams is a matchup nightmare. (GETTY IMAGES)

7) KYRIE IRVING, Cleveland Cavaliers: You know you’ve arrived when you have a soda commercial. Irving is the star of the “Uncle Drew” Pepsi Max campaign, and his needle is pointing way, way up on the star-o-meter. Irving has the total package: sick handles, smooth jumper, and athletically gifted. He’s still learning to make his teammates better, and once he has figured out that aspect of the game the sky is the limit. It’s hard to erase the memories of King James in Cleveland, but Uncle Drew is slowly helping the healing process.

6) RAJON RONDO, Boston Celtics: The 6-1 guard from Kentucky was arguably the Celtics’ best player during the 2010 NBA playoffs, turning the Celtics’ Big Three into the Fantastic Four. Rondo is a unique player because he rebounds extremely well for his size, has an array of circus shots when he gets close to the basket. He can also impact the game on both ends. He’s one of the best off-the-ball defenders in the league (leading the league in steals in 2009-10), and plays the passing lanes extremely well. And when you look up the definition of “tough” in the dictionary, you may see Rondo’s name next to it. If Rondo has a weakness, it is his inability to master the mid-range jump shot. If he ever develops a consistent jumper, he’ll be unstoppable.

5) STEPHEN CURRY, Golden State Warriors: The son of Dell Curry came into the league with one of the purest jumpers you will ever see. Steph’s stroke is pure genius, and even his misses are a thing of beauty. Once he was able to overcome his ankle problems, Curry has elevated his game into superstar status. After an injury-plagued 2011-12 season in which his average dipped to 14 points, the Golden State sniper raised his scoring average to 22.9 in 2012-13. Curry had a game for the ages on Feb. 28, 2013, when he electrified the Madison Square Garden crowd by dropping 54 points on the New York Knicks. Curry knocked down 11 threes and was 18-for-28 from the field. Mark Jackson called it one of the best performances he has ever seen at the Garden. That’s high praise coming from Jackson, who grew up in New York City and was drafted by the Knicks out of St. John’s.

Stephen Curry’s 54 points electrified the Madison Square Garden crowd. (GETTY IMAGES)

4) DERRICK ROSE, Chicago Bulls: D-Rose became a star during the first round of the 2009 NBA playoffs in an epic series against the Boston Celtics. In his first NBA postseason game, Rose scored 36 points at the new Boston Garden, and his career has been on a fast track to Springfield ever since. Rose is a freakish athlete. He has tremendous handles, amazing body control, and a fearless attitude. He has improved his mid-range game and 3-point shot the last two seasons, and his hard work was rewarded when he was named NBA MVP in 2011 — the first Bulls player to win the award since Michael Jordan. Few can match Rose’s ability to maneuver around a defense. Now, the big question is, can he regain that ability after ACL surgery?

3) RUSSELL WESTBROOK, Oklahoma City Thunder: Westbrook’s coming out party occurred in the 2010 NBA playoffs when he lit up the L.A. Lakers in the first round. Phil Jackson paid Westbrook the highest respect when he assigned Kobe Bryant to guard him for much of the series. Westbrook is one of the best finishers in the game, and he attacks the rim like a Navy SEAL team storming a compound in Pakistan. The scary part about Westbrook — who was a shooting guard when he played at UCLA — is that he’s still learning the point guard position. Many pundits slam Westbrook for being too much of a gunner, saying he doesn’t have the patience nor the fundamentals to run a traditional NBA offense. Westbrook is a unique talent who thrives on raw emotion. It’s his biggest strength, so curbing Westbrook’s special skills would be like leaving a Ferrari parked in a garage and not taking it for a spin.

Russell Westbrook shoots over Chris Bosh during the second half of Game 1of the NBA Finals. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

2) CHRIS PAUL, Los Angeles Clippers: CP3 is an absolute witch with a basketball in his hands. He is capable of posting a 20-5-11-2 stat line, and few point guards can match his intensity and will to win. But Paul’s greatest strength is his the ability to change the tempo of a game. He can play fast or slow. One minute he’s pushing the ball up the court, then one minute he’s walking it up and milking the clock. Paul is the quarterback of the Greatest Show on Hardwood, aka Lob City. Whenever you see Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan on SportsCenter, they’re usually beneficiaries of a CP3 feed. Paul led the Clippers to a Pacific Division title in 2012-13 and was named to the All-NBA first team for the third time in his career. The only thing missing in Paul’s resume is a NBA championship.

1) TONY PARKER, San Antonio Spurs: In the last 20 years, only two point guards have been named MVP of the NBA Finals: Chauncey Billups and Tony Parker. Parker, the MVP of the 2007 Finals, consistently puts up superb offensive numbers, and is the only point guard on this list who shoots over 50% from the field. Few can match Parker’s speed and energy. He seems like he never gets tired and has one of the most devastating offensive weapons in basketball: the floater. The Spurs guard may not have invented the floater, or teardrop, but he certainly has perfected it. Now, almost every guard in basketball — from high school to college to the pro level — uses the one-handed push shot that drives big men absolutely crazy. With future Hall-of-Famers Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili slowing down with age, Parker has become the engine that drives the Spurs.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Stephen Curry’s 54 points electrified the Madison Square Garden crowd. (GETTY IMAGES)

Without All-Star forward David Lee, Stephen Curry had to crank it up a notch when his Golden State Warriors visited Madison Square Garden Wednesday night. And did Curry crank it up.

By the time the second half rolled in the basketball-savvy New York fans were cheering for Curry each time the ball left his hand.

Curry was 18 of 28 from the field, finishing one shy of the NBA record with 11 3-pointers in 13 attempts, in a performance that had the Garden crowd going bananas. He finished with a career-high 54 points, and two more than the season’s previous high of 52 points set by Kevin Durant against the Dallas Mavericks. It didn’t matter that Curry’s Warriors lost 109-105. It was one of those magical performances that will be relived in Garden lore.

”He put on a clinic. Knocked down shots. Made plays. Carried us,” Golden State coach Mark Jackson, a New York native, told the Associated Press. ”He did it all. I’ve seen a lot of great performances in this building and his goes up there. I’ve seen a lot. I’ve seen a lot, but that shooting performance was a thing of beauty.”

There have been many electrifying performances at the Garden. There was Bernard King’s 60-point outburst on Christmas Day, Michael Jordan’s double-nickel game in 1995, LeBron James’ 52-point night in 2009, and Kobe Bryant’s record-setting 61-point game in 2009. For Jackson — who is a native New Yorker and former Knick player — to say Curry’s shooting exhibition ranks up there holds a lot of weight.

Playing all 48 minutes, Curry finished with seven assists and six rebounds while passing his previous career best of 42 points. Snubbed during the All-Star selection, Curry now has plenty of ammunition to prove to the rest of the league that he’s a rising star and should have been playing in the main event instead of being a participant on All-Star Saturday night.

The Knicks, who hadn’t played since Sunday, looked ready to blow the Warriors out early, taking a 25-11 lead that the Warriors trimmed to 27-18 at the end of the first period before surging ahead behind Curry.

Curry scored 12 straight Golden State points, cutting it to 35-34 with his third 3-pointer of the second quarter. He followed Richard Jefferson’s 3 with another one, giving the Warriors a 40-37 advantage. The Knicks recovered and went back ahead by nine late in the period before Curry answered with six consecutive points, and New York’s lead was 58-55 at the break.

”He’s a special young player with a very unique talent,” Chandler said. ”We ran everything at him. He just got hot. There was some shots that he couldn’t have seen the rim.”

The Golden State Warriors need a full season from point guard Stephen Curry. (GETTY IMAGES)

Bringing in Jerry West as an adviser, as well as minority owner, to the Golden State Warriors was a very smart decision. The legendary executive has helped remake the team in a short amount of time.

Golden State started the purge last year when they traded volume scorer Monta Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks in return for oft-injured center Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson. Bogut is a legit 15-point and 10-rebound player, but he has averaged just 58 games in his seven-year career. It’s a good thing they have Andris Biedrins available to come off the bench.

But if Bogut can remain healthy, he is a solid upgrade over Biedrins at the center position. He is a better rebounder and defender. Plus, he can score more effectively in the low post. Biedrins has battled injuries the last three seasons and never come close to the potential he flashed in 2008-09 when he averaged 11.9 points and 11.2 rebounds.

In my opinion, Harrison Barnes was the most NBA-ready player in the draft. I was shocked the Cleveland Cavaliers passed on him and took Dion Waiters. Barnes is a solid player that should start for the Warriors from Day 1. He will give point guard Stephen Curry a player to dish the ball to on the wing.

David Lee is an efficient power forward and should help Bogut’s transition a little smoother.

Klay Thompson is a young 3-point shooter who should benefit from Bogut’s presence. Expect an even bigger year out of him with a better center getting him even better looks at the basket.

The Warriors upgraded the bench big time. One of the smarter decisions was adding veteran point guard Jarrett Jack. Curry is constantly battling injuries and Jack gives them insurance in case Curry keeps that history going. Jack played pretty well in a bad situation last year with the New Orleans Hornets. He averaged 15.6 points and 6.3 assists.

They also added Carl Landry, an undersized frontcourt player who should help the bench. His energy, rebounding and second-chance points are a nice addition to any team.

Brandon Rush gives them a nice backup to Thompson, and he could see some time at small forward as well if Richard Jefferson continues to decline.

Jeremy Tyler may be running out of time to show he can play with the big boys, but he’s going to be buried on the depth chart this season. He’ll need injuries to occur for him to see much playing time.

West has helped turn around a moribund franchise. He is hoping to help the team make a playoff appearance, something that has happened just twice since 1994. The only question is can they stay healthy enough to compete in a vastly improved Pacific Division?

Projected finish in Pacific Division: Third (fighting for a playoff spot, most likely the eighth seed)

Darren Jacks is a regular contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at: djroxalot@hotmail.com

Led offensively by the explosive trio of Baron Davis, Jason Richardson and Stephen Jackson, the 2007 Warriors embraced the “We Believe” mantra and treated the fanatic Bay Area faithful with a playoff performance for the ages. Davis, Richardson and Jackson never saw a 3-point shot they didn’t like, and that fearless attitude spread like wildfire on the entire roster. Also on that underdog team were the well-traveled Al Harrington and Matt Barnes, and two young players in second-year guard Monta Ellis and third-year center Andris Biedrins.

The architect of the “We Believe” Warriors was Don Nelson, the “Mad Scientist” who was known for his free-wheeling offense and wacky game plans. Nelson had a leg up on the Mavericks because he knows their personnel very well, having drafted the core of the ’07 Dallas team.

Forward Matt Barnes, who now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, enjoyed his finest hour when he was with the Golden State Warriors in 2007. (GETTY IMAGES)

Golden State won the season series against Dallas during 2006-07, and that template fueled the Warriors to the biggest playoff upset since the 1994 Denver Nuggets shocked the Seattle SuperSonics.

Bay Area sports fans have not been excited about its Warriors since ’07, a magical moment frozen in time it seems in the minds of Warriors fans. There is real optimism this upcoming season – once the lockout ends – because the new-school Warriors have the pieces to push for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

On Saturday, Nov. 5, at the San Jose Event Center the “We Believe” 2007 Warriors will play in an exhibition game against the current crop of Warriors, featuring young “Dubs” Stephen Curry, David Lee and Dorell Wright and one holdover  from the 2007 squad – Ellis. The game tips off at 6:30 p.m. PST.

Scheduled to participate in the exhibition game and play for the “We Believe” Warriors are Richardson, Harrington and Bay Area native Barnes, the game’s host. A few former Warriors who weren’t on the 2007 team (Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Anthony Morrow and C.J. Watson) are also tentatively on the program.

Jackson and Davis, the two leaders of the ’07 squad, are not scheduled to appear, although there is still a chance that Davis could make a surprise appearance.

“With the lockout, we’re all thirsty to do something,” Barnes told the San Francisco Examiner. “I got the idea from a friend of mine who’s a promoter in the Bay Area. He approached me about doing an old vs. new Warriors game, and then I thought how it’d be cool to do it with 2007 team. That team is pretty legendary.”

A portion of the proceeds will go to Matt Barnes’ Athletes vs. Cancer Foundation.

Ray Allen broke Reggie Miller’s NBA record for most 3-pointers in a career. Allen now has more than 2,800 3-pointers in his illustrious and soon-to-be Hall-of-Fame career. However, despite having the distinction of being the NBA’s all-time 3-point king, is Ray Allen the best pure shooter in the game today? Moreover, where does Allen rank among the all-time great pure shooters in NBA history? There’s sniper from the Bay Area who may have an argument. Let the debate begin.

OneManFastBreak.net examines the 10 best pure shooters in NBA history. Editor’s note: As much as we’d like to include Michael Jordan, Jerry West, Pete Maravich, Kobe Bryant or even Dirk Nowitzki on this list, they’re more great scorers than pure shooters. A pure shooter is someone who is more about quality than quantity. They don’t need to dominate the ball to have a major effect on the game. They often rely on screens and excels in an offense that highlights ball and player movement. Pure shooters can also stretch a defense with their ability to make jump shots from beyond 23 feet. And they can go for long stretches without touching the basketball, yet when given the opportunity they rarely miss. #snipers

10. Drazen Petrovic
It is unfortunate that Petrovic died at 28. The basketball world only saw a short trailer of the Croatian sensation’s made-for-TV career. Petrovic was a natural-born shooter and his impact in the NBA, even though it was shortlived, was undeniable. His game blossomed after he was traded from Portland to New Jersey, instantly becoming the Nets best scorer. His range was unlimited, and he oozed with remarkable confidence for someone who was totally out of his element. During the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Petrovic was the only player who stood up to Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the rest of the U.S. Dream Team.

9. Glen Rice
You want “Minute Rice” or “Instant Rice?” That was the question posed by Glen Rice to teammate John Salley before the start of the 2000 NBA Finals. It’s not boasting when you own one of the sport’s deadliest jump shots. The man used to be known as G-Money was a pure gunner who never took a shot he didn’t like. Once Rice got off the team bus, he was open. He was an absolute sniper. His range was unlimited and his form was almost perfect. It was a stunner whenever he missed because it seemed like every shot he took looked good coming out of his fingertips. Rice averaged more than 20 points per game six times during his career, and drained 1,559 3-pointers.

8. Peja Stojakovic
Stojakovic was drafted in the first round in the 1996 draft by the Sacramento Kings, one of Geoff Petrie’s major draft gems. His 1,760 3-pointers ranks in the top five all-time and is a 40% shooter from behind the arc for his career. Peja’s incredible shooting was one of the reasons the Kings were one of the best scoring teams in the NBA from 2001-05. He’s made more than 100 threes 10 times in his career – 240 in 2003-04 with the Kings, 231 in 2007-08 with the Hornets. He’s currently a key contributor to the Dallas Mavericks as a sniper off the bench. At 6-foot-9, Stojakovic is a shooting guard in a forward’s body, which allowed him to shoot over any defender. He loved to drift to his left side to set up his jump shot, a step-back move that became his signature shot.

7. Kyle Korver
There are only three players in the NBA’s top-10 list who shot the 3-ball better than 40 percent: Steph Curry (43%), Ray Allen (40%), and Kyle Korver (43%). Korver has made more than 2,200 threes in his 15-plus NBA career. Korver’s best years came with the Atlanta Hawks. He set a then-NBA record by hitting a 3-ball in 127 consecutive games until Curry obliterated that mark. Korver doesn’t need a lot of space to get his shot off, and he is nearly automatic on the free-throw line. Korver led the NBA in 3-point percentage four times and holds the record for highest 3-point percentage (53% in 2009-10).

6. Chris Mullin
The former collegiate star from St. John’s University wasn’t fast nor flashy and wasn’t blessed with great athleticism. But he made his living by perfecting a deadly baseline jump shot, a smooth left-handed stroke that would enable him to last 16 years in the NBA and amassed almost 18,00 points. A member of Golden State’s formidable trio “Run TMC,” Mullin averaged more than 20 points six times in his career and shot 86% from the free throw line. When the 1992 Dream Team was being constructed, Mullin was called to provide the greatest team in basketball history some much-needed outside shooting. He averaged 12.9 points, which was fourth on the Dream Team.

5. Klay Thompson
Anyone who doubts the son of former Los Angeles Lakers standout Mychal Thompson belongs on this list should watch Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference playoff series between Golden State and Oklahoma City. That was the night when Klay almost single-handedly kept the Warriors’ season alive with a shooting exhibition for the ages. Klay swished an NBA playoff record 11 treys and scored 41 points in an elimination game on the road. The out-of-this-world performance cemented Thompson’s place as one of the game’s best long-range shooters. Chris Webber said it best: “All heart and will.” In December 2016, Thompson did something that may never be duplicated. He scored 61 points on just 11 dribbles and held the ball for just 90 seconds. Talk about efficient.

4. Reggie Miller
Most Indiana Pacers fans were scratching their heads when Miller was chosen by the team in the 1987 NBA draft, especially when Indiana’s favorite son, Steve Alford, was still on the board. Well, more than 25,000 points and 2,560 3-point shots later, the Pacers were left satisfied with their pick. Miller basically invented the art of running off defenders on screens. To do so, you had to be in tremendous physical condition, which he was. Miller worked extremely hard at his craft. He was always one of the first players in the gym shooting jump shots. He also was one of the league’s best trash talkers, and he backed up his big talk more often than not (see Reggie Miller v. Spike Lee at Madison Square Garden, 1994 NBA playoffs).

3. Ray Allen
In terms off work ethic, very few in the game has worked harder than Ray Allen. Even during the twilight of his career, Allen remained one of the best-conditioned athletes and never seemed to run out of gas. Allen had incredible endurance and leg strength. Reggie Miller and Richard Hamilton were extremely fit during their primes, but Ray Allen blows both of them away. Allen has taken the art of running off screens from Miller and enhanced it with his own style. Allen also has a unique shooting stroke because his release is uncanny and hard to teach. He may have one of the quickest shots in the sport, a shot so smooth and compact that it is almost perfect. The defining moment of Allen’s NBA career came in the closing moments of Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals as a member of the Miami Heat. Allen sent the game into overtime by knocking down a corner 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds left in regulation. That 3-pointer changed the course of history. It propelled the Heat to their second straight championship, while denying Tim Duncan and the Spurs a title.

2. Larry Bird
In terms of technique or statistical achievement, Bird is not on par with his constituents. For his career, Bird was only a 37% shooter from 3-pointer range and never made more than 98 in one season. His career total of 649 doesn’t even crack the NBA’s top 100. Heck, J.R. Rider (667), Rodney Rogers (690) and George McCloud (920) made more threes than Bird. However, when the stakes are at its highest and the lights are at its brightest, very few can compare with Bird. Larry Legend saved some of his best shots during the postseason, helping the Celtics win three titles in 1980s. Adding to his legendary legacy, Bird was also legendary during All-Star Weekend. He won the 3-point contest three straight years. One time he didn’t bother to take off his warm-up jacket. That’s Larry Bird for you. He won’t wow you with stats or amazing highlight plays, but he is a pure assassin when it’s money time.

1. Stephen Curry
Wardell Stephen Curry is redefining shooting guard position. Yes, folks. He’s really a shooting guard masking as a point guard. The son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry could very well be the greatest basketball sniper we’ve ever seen. His resume speaks for itself. He holds the record for most 3-pointers made in a single season (402), and he has led the NBA in 3-pointers made five times. He also has remarkable range and accuracy. He can pull up from 25-feet or beyond with relative ease. He has never shot below 42% in a season from behind the arc and he shot 45% during his record-breaking season in 2015-16 when he shattered his own mark by hitting 116 more threes. NBA legend Jerry West said Curry is changing the way we look at the game. Throughout the history of basketball, the game was played inside-out. Winning the battle under the basket usually translates into championships. But Curry and the Golden State Warriors are shattering that mold. The 3-point shot has gone from a desperation move to a powerful weapon. Today’s basketball analytics say 3 beats 2 every time, and more and more teams are subscribing to that strategy. Steph has not only become the face of the NBA but he is setting the bar for a new generation of ballers.