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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: TRAIL BLAZERS VS. WARRIORS

May 16, 2019

Steph Curry

Oakland, California - Postgame 2

Golden State 114, Portland 111

Q. How much did Draymond [Green] fuel that last few minutes, and you guys have been here before, he said we can erase eight points in four minutes if we need to, that experience factor. How much did that come into?
STEPH CURRY: Being down 15 at the half and like you said, starting the fourth quarter, I think it was tied and we were up eight at some point, never losing our composure. I understand we can get some stops, create some good open looks and get back into the game. Obviously we don't want to be in that position and every game is different and just got to find a way to win and that's what we did. Winning plays, everybody contributed. Like the last five that was out there, Klay [Thompson] playing great defense, [Kevon] Looney taking on the one-on-one challenge with CJ [McCollum], obviously Andre [Iguodala] at the end, Draymond, finding Looney for a lob and finishing at the rim. Everybody contributed. Very exciting way to win. We've got to play better in the first half for sure.

Q. That third quarter was really the turning point of the game, brought you guys back into it. As a team, you're no strangers to third quarter explosions like that. What makes you as a team so lethal in that third frame?
STEPH CURRY: I've never had a good answer for that, I don't know what it is. We obviously got challenged at halftime to play with more energy, more fight, more competitiveness and we obviously answered it, but I don't know what it is, finding that edge, you know, when our back's against the wall. Obviously you don't win every game but we competed and it was an exciting brand of basketball for that 12 minutes, and gave ourselves a chance to win down the stretch. You know, down 15, that's -- it was 13-0 run coming out at halftime, that's crazy. We done it before and we don't want to be in those situations.

Q. Given you and Klay have produced so well as a tandem over the years, what are your leadership approaches without Kevin Durant versus normal circumstances?
STEPH CURRY: It's pretty much the same. We don't change our personality or anything. It's just, again, when you're missing a guy like that that can produce 30 points, however many rebounds, and just creates so much attention, it changes the way you play a little bit but when we have those opportunities to be aggressive, do what we do, feed off the other guys that are out there, you know, moving without the ball, just taking shots that we know we can take and make, playing with that aggressiveness, that's normal for us. But it's leadership-wise in terms of what we are saying, how we are handling ourselves, and the energy that we play with, that never changes.

Q. Take us inside Curry versus Curry, especially in to night's game when it was so close and you both had so much to do with how the outcome went, and he was kind of really going at you, took the ball away from you a couple times and took the shot. What's that like for you guys?
STEPH CURRY: This was like the coolest experience I think I've ever had playing against him. We talked about the stage and he was -- he was amazing tonight. You know, every minute he was out there defensively, he was a pest. Made three big shots the fourth quarter that were very timely and for my parents, I know we talked about the whole series, and these last two games, it's probably nerve-wracking as heck for them, but it worked out perfectly tonight: He played well and we won (laughter).

Q. You're up 2-0 like you were last series. Going to Portland, it's [19] years last time they played a Western Conference Final. What are you expecting in that environment, and where does the mental have to be as you approach Game 3?
STEPH CURRY: If we can bottle up our performance in the second half tonight and carry that on the plane with us tomorrow and get off to a good start on Saturday, that obviously will be helpful. But they have an amazing atmosphere. It's loud. It's energetic. The fans really care. They are passionate. I know they are going to be excited. We got to do whatever we can to hopefully take them out of it early. Knowing Portland is going to feed off that energy, it's going to be tough to win up there, so we got to bring it.

Q. You faced Iguodala in a playoff series and know how great his hands are when he's guarding you. What's it like going up against somebody with those hands because he came up with a big steal tonight?
STEPH CURRY: He's been doing it for years. He's got a knack for it. He has strong hands and uses his wingspan really well and he's just smart, speaks so highly of a guy that can have a game like he had, where offensively, there weren't many opportunities, but he makes the biggest play of the game to help us win, and he's so excited about that part, his role for our team. We going to celebrate that. So he's unbelievable. Every time he does it, it's kind of -- I wouldn't say it's surprising but you're kind of in awe of it because not many guys can make plays like that consistently.

Q. Are you guys talking out there, you and Seth [Curry]? Is there trash talk? You're three years older, so you probably did that growing up, too, but probably what you say as men is probably different than what you said as boys?
STEPH CURRY: Yeah, it's not as much as you would think but there is some. The game is going so fast you don't really have that much time to go back and forth. Obviously, as much as I love him and we have history and all that, just playing basketball. He tried to distract me at the free throw line in the fourth quarter, and I knew how to kind of go back at him to stay focused on what I needed to do.

Yeah, it's just fun. I have to catch myself a couple times because I do want to go and just have little small talk, whatever, but the game, got to stay locked in.

Q. Teams like to post up Draymond and go at him on the perimeter. What are you thinking when you see teams like actively attack Draymond despite the low success rate?
STEPH CURRY: I'm pretty confident that's going to work out in our favor as a team. He loves those challenges whether he's oversized or whatever the case they want to target him, doesn't happen that often, but when it does and you see that, the fire in his eyes light up gets us all going.

His energy is contagious and when he's locked in and focused and playing like he did tonight, we're tough to beat.

Q. Do you kind of like live in the moment, understanding that you guys are the leaders of a potential dynasty?
STEPH CURRY: I don't think in those terms. It's just every opportunity we have to play, you know, these are big moments, big games, and the context of what this five-year run has been and all that stuff doesn't really dominate my mind when we're out there competing.

We know what's at stake and what we're chasing this year, this series, this game, and that's the only way that you can really get your -- put your best foot forward in terms of trying to get back to the mountaintop. You know, we'll have plenty of time when we lace -- you know, hang the sneakers up to really go back and think about all the different experiences and highs and lows, but right now, you know, we're two games away from another Finals appearance. It's pretty special.

Q. You guys certainly missed Kevin Durant and he may not be back for another week. Do you feel comfortable enough now that you have the cast of characters that you guys brought even Andrew [Bogut] back that you guys can get it done without KD?
STEPH CURRY: We're confident we can win but we would much rather have him playing. So we're going to hold the fort down till he gets back and go win another championship with our full squad. You know, him and DeMarcus [Cousins], as well. We understand how great of players they are and how they raise our ceiling even higher.

But to your point, yeah, we feel like we can still win games no matter who is out there on the floor and that's why we're in the position that we are and have won championships with all the injuries we had and all that type of stuff. We know what the mission is, and we're on it right now.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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