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NBA FINALS: WARRIORS VS. RAPTORS

June 1, 2019

Stephen Curry

Toronto, Ontario - Practice Day

Q. When Nick Nurse was in here about an hour ago he said that he thinks of you as a transformational player, in that there are kids now working on 40-footers and their handles and trying to mimic the things you do in your pregame routine, things of that nature. Do you ever think of that effect that you have? How kids see literally everything you do on the court whether it's before the game, during the game, after?
STEPHEN CURRY: Yeah, I think about it, especially as of late where you have those kind of run-ins with parents or kids or coaches who are developing the next generation of talent. They kind of have some of the same sentiments around what kids are interested in in the game of basketball, and what they see on TV and what they try to mimic and stuff like that. So it's kind of a cool experience. I always talk about the work that goes into -- everybody sees the finished product these days on social media whenever you see the glitz and glam and what happens out there on the floor, but hopefully they understand and appreciate the countless hours that go into pretty much anybody on this level that is putting on an NBA jersey and the hard work that goes into it.

So hopefully they're inspired and motivated that they can feel like they can do some of the stuff that I do or that anybody else does in this league. Like Draymond said, you don't just wake up and accidentally or coincidentally be great at something. You got to put the time in.

Q. The other day Steve mentioned that being in a situation down a game in The Finals on the road is fun because there's a challenge involved, and you can test yourself in this kind of environment. How do you view this situation?
STEPHEN CURRY: It would have been way more fun being up 1-0. But it's definitely fun in terms of the challenge of being on this stage and understanding one game doesn't define a series. It's an opportunity for us tomorrow to come out and get one, be 1-1 going back home, which any road team would love that opportunity.

The things that we need to do differently as a team in order to win is the stuff that is the special part about the challenge -- energy, effort, focus for 48 minutes. Being on this stage again, no matter what the experience is, we're playing in the NBA Finals and we're chasing a championship and everything that comes with it is what wakes us up in the morning, puts a smile on our face. We have had a lot of great experiences and had a lot of battles and a lot of challenges, and we have done well with them. So hopefully this is more of the same.

Q. Even though you guys obviously want Kevin on the floor, the fact that he's been with you guys on this trip, what kind of presence, if any, has he been able to have behind the scenes with you guys?
STEPHEN CURRY: Like he always does, he's chiming in when he sees something in the locker room, pointing out some X's and O's type of stuff, but more so when you see him putting time in trying to get healthy, trying to get back out on the floor as soon as possible, that's motivation for sure.

We're all in this together. We've said it for the entire year. He's exemplifying that with his presence in the locker room here, and again when he gets back on the floor being able to transition pretty smoothly, waiting on that.

Q. What's jumped out to you as far as he's been holding up with just being out for this long?
STEPHEN CURRY: I know it's tough. Anybody who goes through an injury like that, you kind of feel alienated because your schedule is a little different. Most of the time you're on kind of iso with our athletic training staff, putting extra hours in. Stuff starts to feel monotonous, especially with the big stage of The Finals here and now.

So I think he's handled that well, understanding his time is coming sooner than later and he's doing whatever he can on a daily basis to get healthy. That's what you expect.

Q. Coach talked about film that you guys saw now and learned from, but when you guys have the experience that you have, do you by the time you're leaving the court the other night do you feel like, we saw this, we know this?
STEPHEN CURRY: No. It helps to see it, for sure. I would say the majority of guys out there, you may feel a certain way, but it's even more glaring when you can kind of see the flow from offense to defense in transition or the missed rotations or sloppy turnovers, where there's a more simple pass that you could have made and stuff like that. You can actually freeze frame it and take that picture in so that you can adjust for Game 2.

Film never lies, as every coach has said. You can't argue with what you see on there, and we learned a lot.

Q. When people talk about the greatest shooters of all time, they often mention you and they mention your teammate Klay. Call you guys "the Splash Brothers." I'm wondering if you guys ever talk about that nickname, the Splash Brothers, and if you guys have a special bond since you guys are always mentioned as some of the best shooters in the history of the NBA?
STEPHEN CURRY: Not as much as you might think. I think we obviously appreciate each other's talent and skill, and we motivate each other every time we step on the floor. If he gets hot, I'm like, I want to do what Klay's doing, and kind vice versa. So probably the only thing is when people make up those random stats -- Mark Medina knows really well. This year something like the only teammates to make 200 threes in seven consecutive seasons. It's like, that's really specific, right? But we got a nice little cutout of a little billboard kind of vibe or poster that I can put on our wall and I make sure I got Klay one so he knows we're in this together. That type of vibe.

But other than that, when people call it out, we answer it. We're always just trying to be great, continue to get better. Probably the funniest thing is when we're getting shots up at practice, after practice, we're on the same court but on different goals. And out of the corner of our eye we're always looking at each other to see how many we made in a row or we get happy when each other misses. We get a good kick out of that. So that's probably the only kind of weird thing we do.

Q. After the Bash Brothers in Oakland in baseball, McGwire and Canseco, how much do you appreciate the term the Splash Brothers? Is that pretty cool for you?
STEPHEN CURRY: It will be something that we'll probably remember way down the line when we're done playing. But yeah, it's just the privilege to play with somebody who can shoot the ball as well as he can and can do it consistently and is always trying to find ways to get better. In the moment, that's what you appreciate the most. And even like Mark Jackson, calling us the greatest backcourt in the history of the game. When he did in trying to speak it into existence, we're trying to make him a prophet.

Q. One of the things that's so apparent about you and Klay and Draymond is your confidence. And it doesn't seem to matter what the series score is, what the game score is. Can you talk about each of you how that confidence plays in to the greatness that you guys have been able to achieve together?
STEPHEN CURRY: Yeah, that's part of the reason why we are here. Self-confidence is key in terms of anybody being successful with what they're trying to do. We have all brought that together. The biggest thing is we understand what we each bring to the table and how different we all are, but how much we all love winning. And the fact that I can look to my right and my left and see those two guys and a lot of our teammates and know that they believe we can win whatever game, we're going to have that edge. If I throw him the ball and he's going to shoot it, I know he believes it's going in. That confidence is contagious no matter what the situation is.

We have built that over time in terms of us being together as a core and a unit. We have to rely on that in this series, for sure.

Q. The new freedom of movement officiating in the league this year, how has that translated in the playoffs? Has that eased off at all? Is it the same in terms of you know freedom of movement?
STEPHEN CURRY: It's been pretty consistent in terms of how it's called in the regular season and in the playoffs. How the series have gone, this playoff run and all, it's hard to really compare in years past. I don't really remember. I would have to go back and look, but it's been pretty consistent overall, for sure.

Q. Draymond has a pretty distinct personality. From your perspective, what is his philosophical approach to basketball, to life? What makes him tick?
STEPHEN CURRY: He's just a dog. He's competitive at everything. He wants to be the best at everything, whether it's playing cards or dominoes or playing basketball, whatever it is. What he's doing off court in his business. He just wants to be great and he wants to learn and be around great people. That's what makes him tick, what makes him who he is. He's always trying to find that edge, and he's kind of ruthless at the same time. Whatever it takes to be great, he's going to get it done.

Q. Is it more stressful or fun to be around him?
STEPHEN CURRY: Oh, it's mad fun. I'm entertained every single day. The passion that he brings to literally everything is something I strive to have myself. Besides this media session. I'm just kidding.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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