NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: WARRIORS vs KINGS

April 20, 2023

Steph Curry

Media Conference

Warriors 114, Kings 97

Q. I think you were plus 24 and maybe plus 39 or 38 for the series. Do you feel like when you're on the floor that you are the better team and you have the advantages that you need to have in the series?

STEPH CURRY: I mean, I can say that, but you've got to go out and execute and do it consistently and especially for us to get it back in the series.

Considering how the first two games went, on the road with our rode struggles all year we still had a chance to get Game 1, a possession here, a possession there. Game 2 is tied is four minutes left, five minutes left whatever it was.

We've shown that despite our self-inflicted wounds with turnovers, and giving up offensive rebounds, that we are capable of beating that team any night. It's just nice to have something to show for it now, so you know, the minutes that I'm out there, just try to be assertive, aggressive, take care of the basketball, control the pace, and then we all did that a lot better tonight and that helped our defense.

I know we can shoot the ball better as a whole. I like the momentum that we created tonight. We just have to take advantage of it.

Q. What was the reason for the multiple rests in the first half? I don't think we've seen that.

STEPH CURRY: The two what?

Q. The two sits.

STEPH CURRY: We just want to keep y'all guessing with my rotations and minutes, considering I got that question Game 1. I might, you know, switch it up again in Game 4, we'll see.

Q. You've always talked in the past about flipping the switch when your backs are against the wall. Do you feel like this was a vintage game tonight in light of the fact that you didn't have both Draymond and GP II out there?

STEPH CURRY: This is what we're supposed to do. I mean, being down those two guys who bring so much to our defensive side and just our identity as a whole, we had to have guys step up, so we obviously understand the consequences of if we lost tonight, and nobody wanted to feel that.

So it was a very focused effort, great energy from everybody who set foot on the floor. Even just like the defensive numbers were amazing tonight, and might be a surprise considering Draymond and GP II were out.

It's just a way that we are able to galvanize a great effort. Donte played amazing off the bench. Mo gave us great minutes. JK, the same. JaMychal, A-Lamb, everybody who set foot on the floor in the rotations understood their assignments and did it to the best of their ability.

When we get our two guys back, we have to continue to do that with whatever you're asked to do. We have a great opportunity to even the series on Sunday, and take it from there.

Q. You guys got 11 turnovers in this game. How much is taking care of the ball and making quick decisions?

STEPH CURRY: Like I was saying in the first two games, even 20-plus turnovers the first two games, we had a chance to win so if you can give ourselves a better chance than the possession game, we got eight more shots than they, five more offensive rebounds, and then like you said, the turnovers, that just allows to us control momentum and whether shots fall or not, you always have your defense set and you're not giving them easy points because they are extremely fast and athletic and that gives the momentum.

It's a good lesson for us of how to control each offensive possession, figure out how we can create space and create open looks and win the possession game which has historically been a good thing for us considering how highly potent we are offensively.

Q. Kevon just said that sometimes as a rebounder, you can get in the zone the way Steph can get in a zone or the way the three-point shooters can. He knows where the ball is going to be and the tips are going his way and it works. Do you see that with him, and especially now on the big playoff stage that he just has a knack for it?

STEPH CURRY: He's relentless. Like you say, I don't know what that probably feels like but it's just the way you see the ball, angles, your effort, knowing it's going to be physical and you're going to get knocked around. But he's ready to take all that physicality. Then he has to guard a tough matchup on the other side.

He knows how to be effective when he's out there. He's shown it plenty of times before, and it was a huge -- nine offensive rebounds is huge for us to give us extra possessions because we were getting pretty solid looks for most of the game. Just weren't hitting a lot of them but he was giving us extra possessions and that get the crowd into it and gets the momentum on our side and it's amazing to watch.

Q. Before halftime, led to the three for you that gave the double-digits --

STEPH CURRY: All that's big. Like I said, momentum. I thought I made the first one. It bounces right to him and he makes a split decision to kick it back out. We needed every bit of it and I know he relishes those opportunities to make his presence felt in a very unique way.

Q. You went 9-for-9 off Loon's passes. How big is that especially without Draymond to have Loon step up?

STEPH CURRY: It's huge because it's the pattern of basketball at any level. Offensive rebounds are usually, once you get the possession, there's going to be somebody open because everybody is kind of scattered.

It's just a great look for us to create good offense and then a second chance, everybody is kind of in rhythm and you're stepping in. It's like what the game kind of calls for, and you knock them down.

Q. I know you say that you hear everything, and there's been a lot of chatter the last couple days: You guys in the 0-2 hole; the Draymond firestorm; is the dynasty over; are you guys too old. Do you guys come out feeling like you had something to prove tonight?

STEPH CURRY: You bottle up all that noise and the potential distractions of Draymond being out, what the narrative is or whatever. You bottle it up and all it is a sense of pride of who we are capable of being, and coming in with the right energy to kind of prove that we can create some life for ourselves.

I mean, pretty bluntly, if we lost this game it's pretty much over. You've got to understand the moment and we gave ourselves life. Biggest thing is we've been in the situation where momentum doesn't necessarily carry over from game-to-game unless you execute at the same level, so it's just one game. But it was a big game for sure.

Q. So do we. Was that something that came to your mind spur of the moment or have you been thinking along those lines over the past 24, 48 hours?

STEPH CURRY: I mean, a little bit of both. Just understanding what the moment is, again, of how bad of a decision I think the league made on suspending him first and foremost. You're frustrated with that.

And I know Bob said it up here yesterday; we have a job to do and there's nothing we can do about it, so just lock in on what the task at hand is and understanding we have accomplished a lot on this stage. You have to dig into that identity a little bit and that comfort zone of who we know ourselves to be. When your back is up against the wall, you have a night like tonight. It definitely gave us a lot of life and it was a nice way to respond to these last 48 hours.

Q. You went down the roster and named a bunch of people who contributed tonight. How important is that and how significant is that and in the context of throughout these ten years, there's many examples, Ian Clark,; Livingston had big scoring games when you were hurt one postseason. You guys always seem to get clutch performances from pretty far down the bench. What is it about how Steve coaches or the way you guys operate that has allowed that to happen?

STEPH CURRY: It's one of the harder things of being on our team throughout the years for those guys who are kind of chomping at the bit to play big minutes throughout the season. Understanding we've had our core together for a long time, and you don't really know when your number is going to be called.

It kind of one of the harder things that coach has to handle with the amount of options that he can throw out there. It's tough on a lot of guys.

But it's also very rewarding when the message from training camp to now is: Be ready for your moment; continue to plug away; still have confidence in yourself and understand what we are trying to do so that when your number is called. Like you said, we have had a lot of guys that have helped us win championships, you can run through the games and you know that they have had a moment here, a moment there, and it's all mattered.

So that's the -- you have to remind yourself of that constantly because you don't know from game-to-game to regular season to playoff series, things change really quickly and the way that we play everybody who sets foot on the floor is involved in what we do. Credit to those guys for staying ready and we've got to keep doing it.

Q. Does it go through your mind -- knowing you haven't played a couple games and your chance will come?

STEPH CURRY: For sure. I don't know how consistently I do it but it definitely is a...