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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: TRAIL BLAZERS VS. WARRIORS

May 13, 2019

Stephen Curry

Oakland, California: Practice Day

Q. Steph, how did you benefit most from the two days off this weekend?
STEPHEN CURRY: Spent a nice little Mothers Day with the fam, watched some basketball. Just kind of focused on the next series, understanding we didn't know who we were playing until yesterday, but just mentally reset and refresh. This is a grind, as we all know, going through these playoff runs. Any break that you can get, you want to take care of your body but also just relax a little bit. It always helps in the long run. So nice to take advantage of that and not have our own Game 7 yesterday.

Q. You said your finger after Game 6 was really hurting. Can you say just how much better it is just having a couple of days?
STEPHEN CURRY: It's definitely better. We'll see tomorrow, just in terms of, you can't simulate it with game-like contact and intensity and all that kind of stuff. But definitely better than it felt on Friday.

Q. Your sister tweeted something about staying neutral. Can you imagine what this will be like for your family?
STEPHEN CURRY: I can't actually because I just know watching Seth play, I get nervous watching him on TV and stuff. For them, it's family and parents that have supported us all the way through the ranks. Now to be in a situation like this where, I guess technically, it's a win-win for them. They're going to The Finals regardless (laughter). But, you know, it's kind of crazy to think we're on this stage and get to play in front of our family. And just the amount of happiness and joy that comes with that is crazy.

Q. What impresses you the most about the kind of player he's become?
STEPHEN CURRY: I mean, he's had a very interesting journey to get to where he's at. And dealt with some significant injuries and surgeries as well where he missed two entire years, basically, coming out of college and this past year. So for him to just grind and understand that he belongs on this level and it just took a different path.

His confidence in himself never wavered. He works hard. And you can tell why, having missed the entire year last year, Portland wanted him and why he's in the rotation. It's been fun to watch him just kind of defy the odds in that sense and be who he is.

Q. How many games as kids did you play in the driveway? Like what team were you, and what team was he?
STEPHEN CURRY: That's a good question. He always loved Tracy McGrady. That was his favorite player growing up. Mine was Reggie [Miller]. So it was kind of a little different era, but it was just back and forth, playing one-on-one, normal kind of stereotypical story you hear. That's all we used to do growing up. It got pretty heated at times, like it does with brothers. He always accused me of cheating when I didn't give him foul calls and all that type of stuff. So pretty standard relationship in that sense.

It's wild. We haven't really gotten to play in the summertime as much recently because of injuries and surgeries and different schedules and all that type of stuff. My mom and my parents probably have stories for days around what they used to watch when me and him were out there playing.

Q. Does he accuse you of cheating in actual games now?
STEPHEN CURRY: There was one game this past season where he sent me a picture of me defending him and I was reaching across his body. Still to this day, anyone call a foul, and he's assuming it's me. I guess that's not hard to believe at how much I foul in general anyway.

Q. Any kind of bet for this series like you had All-Star Weekend?
STEPHEN CURRY: No. It's just winner takes the Western Conference Championship, representing their team in The Finals. Don't need any extra kind of novelty bet for this one. The stakes are already high enough for sure.

Q. Does he ask you any parenting advice now that he has a baby?
STEPHEN CURRY: I think most of it is just from observing, just like we did with our parents growing up. He's definitely not calling and asking how to change a diaper or nothing like that. We all go through the experiences when you're around, and as every parent knows, there's no real preparation until you actually get into it yourself. It's been fun to watch that part of his life unfold too.

Q. Do you remember the first time he beat you?
STEPHEN CURRY: Actually, I don't.

Q. He's never beat you?
STEPHEN CURRY: He's beat me before. I just don't remember when the first one was. There wasn't like a mark this day on the calendar type of day.

Q. For you or for him?
STEPHEN CURRY: Maybe he has the answer. I probably would have blocked it out of my memory.

Q. Has it happened very often?
STEPHEN CURRY: He knows. He knows how to compete, like obviously, when I was growing up, size difference and all that, big brother used to win most of them, but he was nice. He was skilled when we were growing up, so it wasn't easy for sure.

Q. How is Portland's three-point game different or unique from Houston? How do their guards present a unique challenge?
STEPHEN CURRY: We know what Damian [Lillard] and CJ [McCollum] are capable of. They're amazing scorers, amazing playmakers. They have the ability to create space for the shot in most possessions and most matchups, but for the most part, it's a little bit more traditional in the sense of they run pick-and-rolls, they have some play sets where they can move bodies without the ball and try to create shots that way.

But at the end of the day, most of their offense is created through those two guys. You've got to be aware of where they are. You've got to send bodies. It's a full 48, so they can get hot at any time. Sometimes, like we kind of put out most good offense beats good defense, they make tough shots, you can't really get down. You've got to go right back at them.

And they have guys that can space the floor too -- obviously, Seth, Al-Farouq [Aminu], Mo Harkless. They've got guys that can hit timely shots, but the majority of what they do is through those two guys, and you've got to be ready for them.

Q. You've had some pretty memorable moments. I guess Portland and you were pretty demonstrative after those moments. If Seth is the victim this time, do you tone the celebration up or tone it down because it's your brother?
STEPHEN CURRY: That's great. Whatever happens, it's going to be because of the moment, yeah. It's never me looking across.

Q. You're never like, oh, I'm sorry, Seth?
STEPHEN CURRY: No sensitivity to that because I know, if he's the one getting the better end of the stick that night, he'll let me know too.

Q. Did he let you know when he had a good run against you?
STEPHEN CURRY: For sure he let me know.

Q. How does Kevin seem? Steve just talked to us and said it's still going to be a little bit of time. He hasn't been on the court, and everyone please don't rush him back. How do you sense he's dealing with all of this?
STEPHEN CURRY: I mean, it's obviously tough. Any time you're in the playoffs and you're missing games, nobody likes that vibe. I know he wants to support us, until he gets back, with positive energy and all that type of stuff. But it's just tough when you're going through rehab and missing games. Obviously, with his progress, it will come as it does, and I know he's giving himself every opportunity to get back as soon as possible. We'll be ready for him when he's ready. Our job is obviously to take advantage of the home court Game 1 and 2 and get off to a good start this series and continue to build momentum as the series goes.

Q. Steph, what have you seen with DeMarcus' [Cousins] work and just what his mindset might be and when he wants to be back?
STEPHEN CURRY: It's pretty much the same thing. I know when we were in Houston and we obviously advanced, it stretches the calendar. So the opportunity for him to come back becomes more real in that moment. I don't know what that means in terms of when he will be able to pass all his tests and all that type of stuff. But it's the same kind of vibes -- putting the work in, staying engaged -- so that when he is on the floor, that transition will hopefully be pretty smooth, and he'll be able to help us win basketball games.

Q. How are the Blazers better or more dangerous than when you faced them in the playoffs two years ago?
STEPHEN CURRY: I mean, I'm not sure. They have most of the same cast of characters. Enes Kanter and Seth, in terms of some additions they have, but they have run the same sets mostly. Damian and CJ are better players, so you've got to be prepared for that. And they're more confident, probably. They've been through some tough series, and they've obviously battled back to get to this point this year. So you've got to be ready for just a higher intensity.

Q. Has CJ taken his game to another level since then, or has he always been himself for a while?
STEPHEN CURRY: I mean, he's gotten better for sure. It's really only gauged by the moments that you get to showcase it in. A Game 7 in the Western Conference semis shows you what type of player he is. I mean, you play in these games that matter over and over again, it kind of speaks for itself. So he's obviously always been talented and always been able to put the ball in the basket and just doing it in big games.

Q. Steph, you know the hype of going back to your hometown to play games. For Damian, he's had some good showings in Oakland. Can you imagine what that's like for him to do it on this stage now?
STEPHEN CURRY: I'm sure it's definitely special for him. He obviously represents Oakland everywhere, any opportunity that he gets. Understand, obviously, this is the last year at Oracle too, so it will be special for him and his family, growing up right down the street from Oracle.

Unfortunately, I don't want it to be a happy ending for him. I want it to be for us. So that's our job.

Q. As someone who's kind of taken to Oakland, what do you think of his ambassadorship of the city? Do you like how he represents and what he stands for and how he kind of moves?
STEPHEN CURRY: For sure. He never forgets where he came from, and I think a lot of his personality and how he plays the game and how he talks about the game and the way he represents himself is a by-product of where he's from. That never changes. So a lot of people that I talk to that are from here and have followed him on his journey, they're nothing but proud of the way he represents the city and continues to put them on the map in terms of gotta rep Brookfield. It's part of who he is, and that's special for sure.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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