Famous FC Barcelona Tactic Influenced Warriors, Steph Curry Says
The Golden State Warriors built a modern NBA dynasty under Stephen Curry, winning championships in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022. Their dominance often seemed unstoppable when they played at their peak.
Steve Kerr’s Coaching Philosophy
The foundation of this success began in 2014 with the arrival of head coach Steve Kerr. From the outset, he made subtle adjustments to the Warriors’ offense, encouraging a style influenced by Pep Guardiola’s FC Barcelona team. This approach highlighted constant ball movement and fluid player positioning, similar to the soccer tactic known as tiki-taka.
“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,” he added.
Curry noted that it took time for the team to grow comfortable with a more instinctive, free-flowing approach that allowed the ball movement itself to guide positioning and shot selection.
Author’s Summary
The Warriors’ fluid offensive system under Steve Kerr, inspired by FC Barcelona’s tiki-taka, transformed their play into a seamless, decision-driven rhythm that defined their championship era.