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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS v WARRIORSJune 4, 2015Stephen CurryAndre IguodalaOAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: Game One Warriors – 108 Q. Andre, so often banging with LeBron for an extended period of time can take all your energy away at the offensive end. Somehow you seem to be energized by it. Can you explain what it was like, and how you even were able to make a one‑foot‑‑ one shoe off three‑pointer during the fourth quarter? ANDRE IGUODALA: Well, the adrenaline was flowing, but it was a nice flow. It wasn't too high, and it kind of stayed with me the whole night. But we have a lot of bodies. A lot of guys we threw at LeBron tonight. He made some tough shots, and that's what we're going to try to do throughout the whole series is make him take tough shots. Just try to wear teams down, and that's what we've done all year. When you get into a flow, as a kid, you play in socks. You play in socks all the time in your room, so you go back to those days and just playing ball. Q. After seeing the good things and the bad things you guys did as a team tonight, what type of adjustments do you have to do before Game 2, specifically on LeBron James? This question is for both of you. STEPHEN CURRY: We've got to start the game better, get settled into the game a lot quicker than we did tonight. We only had 12 turnovers, but it seemed like there were some timely ones that killed a little bit of momentum for us, and we'll look at that on film. But, I mean, over the course of the game I felt like we stuck to the game plan. LeBron's going to dominate the ball and make plays. We have to just make it hard on him every possession. Don't give him any easy buckets, and not let anybody else get a rhythm, and that's what we're going to try to do every game we play against them. Obviously, there are going to be adjustments here and there, and we'll figure that out, but you've got to compete, and that is the bottom line. Q. Steph, could you talk about when things go right what it was like in that overtime when things were just working for your team? I'm sure that's the way you wanted the overtime to go? STEPHEN CURRY: Yeah, they only scored two points, and it was at the very end. Andre, Draymond, Klay, Harrison, Festus, when he was in there in that overtime period, all competed. We were kind of small and we had to defend the glass and rebound the ball. Everybody sacrificed their body and made it work. I think we just forced them into tough shots the whole overtime, and we were able to get stops with that lineup that we had. We were able to push in transition, get to the free‑throw line, which got some momentum on our side. It was just a classic five minutes that we needed to get that win. Q. What's it mean to win this first game and get off to the good start? You're at home, and you want to win especially at home? STEPHEN CURRY: If we win every game at home we'll be all right in the series, so that is a start. You have to come in ready to compete and kind of just, especially in the first game, kind of feel it out because it's our fourth team we're playing in the playoffs, and they've got a different style, and you've got to adjust, and we need to be able to do that. Q. The first minute and a half in overtime nobody scored. You come down and twice draw fouls to get to the free‑throw line. I don't think you shot a free throw at that point. Was that a calculated thing on your part to try to get those plays, get those calls and get to the line? STEPHEN CURRY: Yeah, just reading the situation. They had switched a couple pick‑and‑rolls, and you just go into your move and make a read, and thankfully he bit on the pump fake and I was able to kind of slow the game down and get to the free‑throw line. Did it again right after that. But after that, it all doesn't work if we don't get stops, so that's what fuelled all of that. Q. Steph, most of the game you guys were going single coverage on LeBron. Late you came in and helped and got that steal and went the other way. Was that a tactical thing? Were you told to wait until later for that, or was it a defensive audible on your part? STEPHEN CURRY: It was just a read. Andre had him bodied up at the free‑throw line, and they had made a pass and kind of short distance, so I didn't have to run very far to get a hand in there. I got a deflection, but Andre chased it down. Used his length and speed to get to the ball, which I had no chance to get to it after I deflected it. He was the only one that had a chance to get it, and we were able to lock it down.  He gets fouled, and we have control of the game at that point. So just a read that thankfully worked out. Q. Could you talk about the last play of regulation when you had LeBron on the left post there and where he wound up shooting the ball? I would imagine that's exactly where you want him to be in that situation. ANDRE IGUODALA: You would like to think that, but last year he beat us on a shot similar to that at home in the regular season. So you kind of get a feel for guys, what they want to do, and you want to make them take tough jump shots, but you don't want to let them get into a good rhythm. I kind of knew what play he wanted to get into. Just going left, step back, and I was right there on him, and he was still able to get off the shot. So at that point you just want percentages to kick in and help you out. Q. Is there an extra sense of anticipation, maybe even excitement when you go into a series knowing that the opponent's best player is probably going to be your match‑up? ANDRE IGUODALA: I don't know if it's excitement. I've been in the league 11 years, and it's always something interesting. My years in Philly, I always had to guard the best players, and then I had to try to create on offense as well. But it was always those nights when it was kind of‑‑ I shouldn't say second‑tier, but those second‑tier guys that gave me problems because I'm so used to having so much energy on the defensive end guarding the elite guys. You play against other guys who are right underneath them and they seem to bite me a little bit. So pause. But it was just playing in the league a long time. Playing against a great player for a long time, you look forward to the match‑up. Not just because you're in The Finals, but you're playing against a great player. Q. Follow‑up on that question, how do you prevent yourself from becoming depressed when he gets in that beast mode and just goes to the basket every single time? ANDRE IGUODALA: Well, I had a really good vet. I'll never forget the information my vets gave me. Aaron McKie, when I was a rookie, he was walking me through it, because I was starting and guarding a lot of those guys. He always said make it hard for them. NBA is about scoring. You've got a lot of talented players, guys are going to score the points. You've got to get stops. The thing to do is make it hard for them. Don't foul them. Make them take tough shots and the routes hard. He kind of just gave me the ins and outs of how to be a good defender in this league. Q. During the overtime you guys caught on fire. Did Kyrie's absence help that? STEPHEN CURRY: If I remember correctly he went out later in the overtime, so it was about three minutes where you were just out there playing and you have to adjust to his play making that he was doing all game. But at that point I felt like we had control of the overtime, and just about finishing out. So I don't know if it had a huge impact or not. Q. Where's Riley? STEPHEN CURRY: She's here. Don't worry. She's here. Q. Will we see her again in The Finals press conferences? ANDRE IGUODALA: You nosy. STEPHEN CURRY: I know. Probably, but who knows. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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