NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 5, 2022

Stephen Curry

Golden State Warriors

Game 2: Postgame

Warriors 107, Celtics 88

Q. Steph, both Steve Kerr and Draymond Green talked about how you do not get enough credit for what you do on the defensive end and how you've grown in that area throughout your career. When did things really start clicking for you on that side of the ball?

STEPHEN CURRY: It's always been a point of emphasis in terms of trying to win basketball games and do your job. Over the course of my career, it's been a physical development that's happened over time that obviously helps, a lot of work that's gone into that.

But at the end of the day, from my rookie year to now, it's always been about effort and just a care factor, overcoming physical limitations with matchups or whatever it is. If you try hard, good things will happen. And you'll continue to get better.

So it's always been a point of emphasis. Just better at it now.

Q. The first time you guys won a championship, it was the Strength in Numbers team, but you had a lot of Klay scoring back then, and the next couple you had Klay and Durant here. Does this one feel a little different so far? Do you feel like you're carrying more of a scoring load than you're used to at this stage?

STEPHEN CURRY: I think it's different just because of the way the team is constructed. There's always the need for me to be aggressive, try to play-make, try to score. Understand how the defense is going to guard me and guard us as a team and be able to counter that when you have -- I guess you compare it to years past with the depth that we had, with the heavy load of scoring me, KD, Klay had, obviously looks a little different and the game flows a little different.

I think this year, there's definitely a need for me to be aggressive throughout the game, to create, draw attention, get shots up and just continue to apply pressure. Obviously the first two games, it's gone well. I don't know what it will look like on the road, rest of the series. It's just always about being confident with the ball in my hands and make plays.

Q. What was it like seeing Jordan Poole hit that shot, the three at the end of the third quarter? He had been struggling. The whole team celebrated. It seemed like that gave you guys a real boost going into the fourth.

STEPHEN CURRY: Well, it's kind of funny, we talk about how we finish quarters and how that momentum can carry over. That was obviously a big shot to get the crowd into it. Put kind of a dagger on that great third quarter that we had.

I think he was a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more under control tonight. Didn't go his way much early, but then he had that flurry. I think he had the two threes in the last two minutes of the third quarter. So just continue to find rhythm. He's capable of that. We shoot half court shots every practice, shoot around. We have a little competition going.

So we count -- if you make one during the game, we count it. So he took the lead tonight.

Q. Draymond was talking about how you were patient to start the game, and then obviously you took over in the third quarter. Does your Finals experience and all the playoff games you've played, would you say you're better at sensing those moments and when to step off the gas and when to go?

STEPHEN CURRY: Yeah, that's an accumulation of the last two years of trying to figure that out and balance -- to the question earlier, the scoring load, the play-making load and everything that you try to accomplish throughout the game, so I try to be under control, composed, see the game, feel the flow and the rhythm and know where I can get to my spots.

There's definitely a lot of composure there, based on the experience of 15 to 19 in these last two years.

Q. Al Horford doesn't get up a three, and Marcus Smart went 0-for-3. What did you guys do defensively to shut off some of those?

STEPHEN CURRY: Just the level of focus to start the game. We look back at Game 1, and there were -- between Marcus, Al Horford and Derrick White, there for four or five shots they got in the first half that were just uncontested. And they are professionals, they play this game just like we do, and you understand if the shoe is on the other foot and we're getting those type of shots, that carries over through the rest of the game, and you start searching a little bit more. You start feeling a little bit more comfortable.

So for us to come out in the first quarter with the level of intensity and focus, obviously Jaylen and Jayson, what they do in the ball in their hand, it's a tough cover. It's more obvious what you need to do on those guys.

But then certain possessions, we took -- kept a body on Al. Tried to force Marcus into a crowd. I think that carried over to the rest of the game. So we have to continue to try to do that because they are liable to get hot at any moment.

Q. What's the work that you do in the summer and in the season that enables you not to just keep your conditioning sharp but also to be able to be constantly running around when you're on the court?

STEPHEN CURRY: I've always had that since high school. But again, it's not like one thing you do in the summer. It's an accumulation of every year, all the work that you put in that continues to show itself throughout your career, throughout the season, playoffs and every year that I get an opportunity to play on this level.

So I do pride myself on trying to be the hardest worker, the most consistent worker. Maybe the last two or three years, you work a lot smarter than harder. Just a little bit more often, especially in the off-season. But it's that old saying, like what you do in the summer shows up at moments like these.

So, doing my job.

Q. You know Draymond as well as anyone. He said tonight he needed to send a message to you guys about holding himself accountable and bringing the energy and the attitude. When did you know tonight was going to be extra-amped Draymond?

STEPHEN CURRY: About five minutes after Game 1. That's all I needed to see and hear from him just in terms of he knew what he needed to do.

I think we talk about it, some of that stuff doesn't necessarily -- or doesn't always show up in the stat sheet in terms of points, rebounds, assists, just that wow factor, but you feel him in his presence and the other team feels his presence and his intensity, and that is contagious for all of us. It was great to see.

Q. You always run the high pick-and-roll, but it seems like even heavier doses. Is that because you had it going a little bit and you were feeling good at that spot or was it called more? What was the going heavy pick-and-roll there?

STEPHEN CURRY: Just feel and matchups and you understand how the series is going to continue to go. There are going to be adjustments and different looks. If I can get in those one-on-one matchups and be able to play-make out of that and read the defense well, we can create a lot of good shots.

Thankfully those type of possessions, either we got a good shot or ball started moving and we weren't turning the ball over, which helped our offense kind of settle in a little bit. Then when we have good offense and good shots, that helps our defense a lot. So we'll see how it goes the rest of the series, but it's been working.

Q. How much did having Draymond on Brown more tonight trickle down to the rest of the defense? How much did that have a ripple effect in the way you guys played defense?

STEPHEN CURRY: You could have put Draymond on Coach Udoka, and it would have been a different ballgame from yesterday just based on the way he approached the game. Matchups are matchups. But everybody has to bring the right intensity and Draymond did that from the jump.