	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE: CLIPPERS vs WARRIORS

April 24, 2019

Steph Curry

Oakland, California: Game Five

Clippers - 129, Warriors - 121

Q. How do you feel about the way your team defended Lou? Was it just him hitting points?
STEPH CURRY: Defending Lou? Numbers don't lie. So the matter of our intensity or our lack of intensity to start the game kind of came back to bite us. They had confidence all throughout their rotation early. And they fed off that in the second half.

He's obviously an X factor for them and the main catalyst in terms of momentum swings because he can get going really quick. So just gotta do a better job to start the game on Friday. And we know we can do it.

Q. What do you think was the reason for the lack of intensity?
STEPH CURRY: I don't know. I mean, we understand it's a closeout game and they're always difficult no matter who you're playing.

And I think they threw the first punch in the first quarter. Everybody seemed like they had nothing to lose and they were just firing up from all over the place. We had breakdowns in transition.

Didn't box out well, so they had plenty of extra possessions. And that gives anybody confidence, when you see the ball going in early in the game. So it's one of those nights that we've got to erase from our memory quick.

Q. How much of this do you put on yourself, just the urgency, the intensity, the focus as a leader of this team? Draymond was saying it's his fault for the defense. Do you feel generally there's some responsibility on your shoulders?
STEPH CURRY: For sure. Take the good with the bad. When we're playing well and winning, the light shines bright. The same thing on the opposite end; you kind of take it on the chin and keep it moving.

So I know we had high hopes to end the series tonight and kind of turn the page to the next one. But this journey is going to be a little different. And we've got to understand, like I said, individually all throughout the roster, when you have -- when you're stepping on the floor, lay it all out there.

And understand, again, this is a very difficult thing to do is to win a playoff game. And it takes 48 minutes of intense focus, for sure.

Q. After the game, after the last game, Klay sort of talked about the Rockets and Kavon touched on it today, did you maybe overlook this Game 5 with this team?
STEPH CURRY: No, not at all. The Clippers played well tonight. We understand, we've been in this situation plenty of times. We know how hard it is to close a series out.

At the end of the day, as bad as we played in the first half, we were up one with two and a half minutes left. So we clawed our way back and gave ourselves a chance to win. They just made shots down the stretch.

And you gotta, I think at the end of the day, look yourself in the mirror and hold our team accountable for how we started the game and gotta do a better job of that.

Q. You just mentioned about the dynamics of the journey. What type of playoff team is the Clippers to you? You guys play 1 and 8 or 2 and 7s before, but this particular A.C. team, how would you describe them?
STEPH CURRY: They have talent all over the floor. They've got guys that can knock down shots. And their bench, it's been talked about all year with what Montrezl and Lou bring and that force they bring.

So night in, night out, just understanding what their strengths are and we have to take those away the best we can. And the games that we've won, we've done that. The games we've lost, we haven't.

If you think about it, it's pretty straightforward -- take those two guys out the best you can, fly around, make it difficult on the other guys. And on the offensive end -- turn that defensive intensity into offensive kind of force as well for us.

And the way this game started, again, offensive rebounds, extra possessions, there's no life in anything that we were doing and they took advantage of it.

Q. Last year you guys came into the postseason and the defense picked right up. I think you finished number one in defense in the postseason. This year, there were some intensity issues over the course of the regular season, maybe more at home. Now you've lost two or three at home to open the postseason. Are you surprised? How do you feel about the fact the way you guys are starting the postseason?
STEPH CURRY: Definitely surprised. Not what we're used to. But there's no panic at all. We have to realize that this year's different; there's different challenges. Whether it's human nature, whether it's talent or the competition we're playing, the way the league's changed with different lineups out there, like everything's different and you have to adapt.

So our message to each other going into Game 6 is, yeah, we would have loved to have come in win four straight or close it out tonight. Doesn't change what the goal is. The goal is to win four games, move on to the next series and start it all over again.

And as much as we hate this feeling we have of leaving the court tonight after Game 5, like the goal is still the same. So again resiliency, we talk about that all the time. It should be there on Friday.

Q. Steve, the minute count of the main guys, obviously Kevin played over 40. And you played 38, and you and Draymond again sat, what, four, four and a half in the fourth quarter. Could you up that minute count? Are you ready, prepared to go over 42, 44 minutes in a monumental game here?
STEPH CURRY: Definitely, if that's what we need to do. And the deeper you get into the series you have to adjust and understand what's necessary to get that W to close out a series. Whatever that means for Game 6 on Friday, however many minutes we need to play, we'll play and we'll get the win and keep it moving.

Q. Kevin has scored 38, 33 and 45 the last three games. When he has a game like that, do you see something in his eyes early? Is there anything about the way he plays that makes you feel early on he's going to have one of those games?
STEPH CURRY: Not really. He's obviously been extremely aggressive to score the ball and pick and choose his spots, take advantage of certain matchups. And he's been playing amazing. So try to balance that with....

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297