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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: WARRIORS vs ROCKETS

May 16, 2018

Stephen Curry

Houston, Texas: Game Two

Rockets - 127, Warriors - 105

Q. I know you had good games before these last couple off shooting nights. But how are you feeling physically, and especially at the defensive end? I know you're working hard down there. How are you holding up physically?
STEPHEN CURRY: I'm feeling great. Tonight, I didn't find a rhythm early. I had some decent looks from three that could have changed the momentum of the game early in the first half. But for the most part it was just a frustrating night all the way around. They made some adjustments. They got other guys involved, and they made plays.

That's kind of how a series like this is going to be. Game after game, it's going to be a chess match. Tonight we just didn't make enough plays to stop the momentum in this building, and that was the difference in the game. P.J. Tucker, Trevor Ariza, Eric Gordon, they stepped up tonight. So we've got to be ready for that kind of aggressiveness from them in Game 3, and keep doing what we're doing.

Q. You mentioned the momentum. You guys had come back and gotten within 11 early in the fourth, and they went on a big 19-2 run. What happened at that point?
STEPHEN CURRY: They made shots. We were just a step slow on our rotations and our switches. Guys got into the paint. We know their M.O. is isolation, trying to get dribble drives, get the ball in the paint. The difference between Game 1 and Game 2 is they were finding guys on the wings and corners, and they were knocking down shots.

We'll look at the film, obviously, to figure out where the kinks in the armor were. But it's just one of those nights where they knew what they had to do and they did it. We've got to respond with some more aggressiveness and more discipline on the defensive end.

Q. When you look at the 15 turnovers and the seven in the first quarter, what do you think accounted for those overall?
STEPHEN CURRY: I think a couple of them in the first half were just rushed. They tried to play a little bit more physical in that first quarter, but it really shouldn't have bothered us the way it did. They were unforced turnovers. Thinking a guy was going to be in place, and he wasn't. Trying to thread the needle with a pass.

We knew that if we came out in the first six minutes and really made them work and got some good looks, whether we made them or missed them, it could have put ourselves in a much better position on the attack.

When you talk about it and you know what you've got to do and you don't do it, that's a frustrating feeling. So that set the tone for the game, pretty much. And then they ran with it.

Q. It seemed like somewhere in the game they decided to attack you a lot off of the dribble.
STEPHEN CURRY: Surprise, surprise.

Q. Is there a physical toll being in that one-on-one defensive situation repeatedly?
STEPHEN CURRY: Not if you are just, I guess, one step ahead of it. And tonight, I think that was the difference. We were trying to be too cute with our exchanges and our switches and all that stuff instead of just manning up and playing one-on-one defense. Whether they score or not, as hard as we're working on the defensive end, they're working as hard on the offensive end to get shots up.

That was the difference between Game 1 and Game 2. They made a concerted effort to turn those one-on-one situations into a little bit more ball movement, and we were just a step slow, myself included.

Q. I think at one time in the first half you guys were shooting 1-of-8 from three-point land. Does Coach Kerr tell you guys to keep shooting or were you willing to drive it in?
STEPHEN CURRY: You've just got to read the defense at every possession. Their game plan is to try to stay as close to that three-point line to make us drive. We had some decent looks. I'm thinking about my first four shots -- in transition, two off the pick-and-roll, pretty good looks.

Like I said, it's a make-or-miss league, obviously, and they made the shots and we didn't. But for the entirety of the game, we've just got to be a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more assertive on the offensive end. When the ball is in your hand, make a play for yourself or your teammate, and that will soften them up a little bit.

Q. You sound exactly like the Rockets did on Monday night. Talking about having the transition defense, having to do what you do. Is that going to be, as you said, a chess match for this series as we should expect?
STEPHEN CURRY: Yeah, they're two great teams. They're going to make adjustments. The little things for us that we know can feed right into the way they play -- turnovers, not communicating on the defensive end and giving them open looks from three -- that's what fuels their offense.

We always talk about what we do great and what they do great; something's gotta give. Tonight they executed a little bit better.

Obviously, now the cliche is we came here and we did what we're supposed to do, and it's 1-1, and yada, yada, yada. That's a good feeling, better than the alternative. Now we've got to go home and recalculate, figure out how to get the momentum back on our side. Get our home crowd into it and should be in good shape.

Q. With so many guys kind of struggling a bit tonight, what did you think of the way Kevin Durant tried to shoulder the load and sort of his overall play throughout the playoffs so far?
STEPHEN CURRY: He's been amazing. He's making plays. He's aggressive. I think we all need to feed off of that focus and that determination. I think our intentions were in the right place. Just the way that first quarter started, we really didn't deserve really to be in the game down the stretch in the fourth quarter. Obviously, he made a lot of tough shots and great plays to keep us close. If he can continue to do what he does -- I'll shoot the ball better and play better defense, other guys will get involved and we'll be in great shape.

Again, no panic. No houses-on-fire type of mentality in our locker room. We're in pretty good shape right now.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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