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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS v WARRIORSJune 10, 2016Stephen CurryKlay ThompsonCleveland, Ohio: Game Four Golden State 108, Cleveland 97 Q. Steph, I've got two questions for you: You've been talking all season about being in the moment, what was that moment like for you especially having such a struggle in Game 3? STEPHEN CURRY: I mean, it's business as usual. Obviously it's a big game, and one we needed to bounce back individually as a team to figure out how to get a win on the road and put ourselves in pretty good position. So, you know, we answered the bell, especially in the first quarter, controlling the pace of the game and not losing it like we did in Game 3. And for 48 minutes we executed a lot better, and I think we got back to enjoying the process and the challenge of winning playoff games, especially in The Finals. Q. Secondly, did you see all the talk about your Curry 2 release? Did any part of you want to wear them tonight? STEPHEN CURRY: Yeah, if I had them in the road bag I would have definitely worn them and showed you how fire they are. I love the nicknames, though, they came up with, but I like them. Q. After Game 3, Coach Kerr called the team "soft" many times, and I assume that includes you. He did. He used the term a lot. "We were soft." How did you go from being soft to not soft in one game? And the second question I have, are you sore at LeBron James? STEPHEN CURRY: Am I what? Q. Sore, angry at LeBron James. STEPHEN CURRY: Why would I be angry at him? Q. Well, we saw you having words with him. STEPHEN CURRY: That's just normal basketball talk. I wanted a foul. He didn't think he fouled, and we were just jabbering. There was nothing to that at all. And we as a team had to understand that, yeah, we were a little lackadaisical, didn't really show up, and myself included in that. Today is a new day, a new opportunity for a fresh start to come out and get back to who we are as a team on both ends of the floor and play with aggression and assertiveness and confidence. Like I said, we did that in the first quarter, took their first punch and handled it well and then came right back at them. So we did what we were supposed to do. Q. Steph, early in the game before your outside shot started falling, you started penetrating and it seemed like you had some success and Klay did a bit of that, too. What did that do for your rhythm? And do you think that helped open things up for you later? STEPHEN CURRY: Just took what the defense gave us in that situation, not pressing or trying to force something that's not there. And the way that they were defending and have been for most of the series, they're trying to take away our perimeter shot. We found it a little bit tonight, but like you said, early in the game there were driving lanes, and instead of settling, just tried to attack and be on the downhill as opposed to allowing them to get into us. Q. Klay, when you saw Steph make that first stepback three, obviously you guys have been feeding off each other so well this season, in particular tonight how much did that three really get your energy going and in particular really set it up where you guys were feeding off each other so well from three-point range? KLAY THOMPSON: I'm not really sure what three you were talking about. There were a lot of them. Q. The first one in particular. KLAY THOMPSON: The first one? Yeah, I've seen him doing it for five years now. No one can really -- that's a bad shot for everyone else in this league, but when you have Steph's range and handle, we'll take that shot every day. I mean, he's our MVP. He makes us go, so we follow. He was sure with the ball tonight and just made the right decisions and let the game come to him. He played an amazing game. I'm proud of the way he competed and everyone else fed off that. Got to give a lot of credit to Anderson Varejao and James McAdoo. Those guys haven't been getting in a good rhythm lately because they haven't been getting minutes, but they came out and played with great poise and played their hardest, and that's what we need out of everybody. Q. Steph, last year when you guys got the third win I think it was just one off-day between Game 5 and Game 6. I think there was just the one off-day. How long did those 48 hours seem when you're that close to winning your first title? How long do you think these next two-and-a-half, three days will seem with you guys on the cusp of doing it again? STEPHEN CURRY: I honestly don't remember much about last year. It was a huge win in Game 5 at home and then you're going on the road, so you have to kind of understand and get your travel mindset ready. But we need some rest and need to take advantage of being at home and getting back into our routine and be ready to go on Monday. It's going to be our biggest game of the year, obviously. We always talk about just because we're going home doesn't mean you can relax or take things for granted. You work all regular season to have home-court advantage, and this is a great opportunity for us, and we need to play with a sense of urgency and a sense of aggression like we did tonight. So it will be a fun 48 hours to wrap our minds around the opportunity we have in front of us. Q. Klay, how would you describe the intensity out there tonight as compared to the previous few games and just getting yourself right for that type of game? KLAY THOMPSON: Obviously, a pivotal game, and you've got to respect they didn't want to go down 3-1, and we didn't want to have to come back to Cleveland. So I mean, it's going to get chippy. There are going to be elbows. There's going to be bad fouls. It's The Finals. Guys are going to lay everything on the line for this moment. You don't take it personal, obviously. We know what's at stake. But it's probably going to be even more intense on Monday, so we're prepared for it, and it's going to be a fun night. Q. Steph, you almost doubled your field-goal attempts tonight from Game 3. Was that just you, your own aggressive mindset or is that something you guys did team-wise to get cleaner looks at the bucket? STEPHEN CURRY: A little bit of both, but more so when I had the ball in my hands, I had to be assertive and decisive with what I was doing. I was in between in Game 3. I obviously didn't have to deal with foul trouble, so I was on the floor a lot more. And my teammates set great screens. We got the ball moving from side to side, so I got some better looks off the ball as well. When you have obviously Klay knocking down threes on the wing, H.B. [Harrison Barnes] the way he stepped up and made some timely buckets for us, it kind of softens the defense because they've got to be aware of everybody, and then lanes open up and that's when we're at our best. So just kind of feeding off of that rhythm. Q. Early in the fourth quarter you guys are down two points. You rip off a 12-1 run. Klay, you're grabbing rebounds; Steph, you're moving the ball. Harrison Barnes bookends it with a couple of big threes. What are you sort of feeling in that situation? Do you smell blood and feel an opportunity to go in for the kill? And what changed there to really let you rip that run off? STEPHEN CURRY: Getting stops. When we have the lineup we had out there, we were obviously really small with Draymond at the center and going down the line. So if you get rebounds, you can push in transition. And Andre, when he gets the ball in open lanes, he's able to play-make and either look for a shot or find guys on the wing. He found, I think H.B. twice, like you said, and just that's when we get our rhythm. And in that moment, our endurance and our depth shows because I think we have fresher legs, and that's the time when everybody's locked in. Q. Having won the title here last year, going home, obviously nothing's guaranteed. But being up 3-1 with an opportunity to clinch the championship on your floor at home, how much of a motivator is that for either one of you? How much of a motivating factor is it? KLAY THOMPSON: I mean, if you don't get up for that, there's something wrong with you. We can't wait to get to Oracle on Monday. I've been fortunate to play there for five years and we really do have the best fans in the league. They probably won't have ever seemed as excited before as when we get to Monday. But we've just got to stay in the moment though. We can't relax just because we're going home and we've got a two-game cushion. That team's hungry over there, and they've got some all-time great players. So, like I said before, it's no time to relax. Realize that it could be the end, so everyone give it their all and just trust each other and do it with nine, ten guys like we do every night. If we do that, we'll be successful. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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