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NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE: WARRIORS v CLIPPERSMay 1, 2014Stephen CurryDraymond GreenOAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: Game Six Warriors – 100 Q. Steph, what was your message to your teammates going into a must‑win game? STEPHEN CURRY: You know, this is what it's all about. If we take care of business playing where we're supposed to play, we'll be looking forward to a Game 7. It was just about fighting and being the most aggressive team tonight, and that's what we did. Obviously it was tough to see J.O. go down, but guys stepped up. This guy right here, Andre made huge plays, everybody had to step up and do whatever it took to get this win. So we got it done. Q. You talked about how the team was able to score 103 last game and you only took ten shots. Do you feel like in the second half the offense got going because you started acting more as a play maker? STEPHEN CURRY: I just knew I came out aggressive in the first quarter, but you want to try to be assertive and be the one throwing the punches out there with what you're doing on the floor and not being passive. Whether that's giving up a lot of shots or just trying to pick and choose where you're going to be able to get your looks and get other guys open. The biggest thing Draymond just mentioned was we only had eight turnovers, which is about as many as I had myself in the whole of Game 5. So we'll take that and try to carry that over to Game 7. Q. Draymond and Steph, what has it been like to play in this series? Because it just seems like with all that's going on the court and off the court, at times tonight it seemed that you were playing on fumes, both teams were. What was it like playing in that game tonight? Because the shooting was not very good but the effort was so intense. DRAYMOND GREEN: You know, it's a battle. We knew that coming into this series. For the last two years, as long as I've been here, it's been a battle every time we played this team, and it's grown into a rivalry. So we knew coming in that it would be an all‑out battle. It's not going to be about who shoots the best, who can get the rebounds, who can have the least amount of turnovers. It's who is good to battle to make all they got to make those winning plays when it comes down to it. Tonight was that type of night. They shot 36%; we shot 39. Those are numbers that either team usually shoots. But at the end of the day both teams battled, and we were able to make the necessary plays to win the game. Q. Steph, is it a decision for you early in a game to get going, get shots up, or is it just what the defense gives you on any given night? STEPHEN CURRY: I try not to force things, and tonight I was able to get downhill a lot more. It seemed they were trying to trap, and I had a better first step getting around. Obviously my guys have set great screens all series, and if they're going to continue to try to be aggressive and trap, I'll try to do a better job of making that right pass out of it. But early in the game I was able to get downhill and try to keep them honest and not let them go all out above the key to trap and take us out of our offense. So got to do that in Game 7 and just stick with the program when it comes to how to run our offense. Q. Draymond, how much pride are you able to take in knowing when the chips are down and when you guys have to come to battle, especially to force a Game 7 in this case? That is the identity this team is building. DRAYMOND GREEN: Absolutely. We knew coming into this game that we have to battle. Our backs were against the wall, so trying to force a Game 7. Everyone was ready. You had Mo Speights come off the bench, gave great minutes. Jordan Crawford came off the bench, gave great minutes. H.B. came off the bench and gave great minutes. J.O., his couple minutes, he had to keep bugging for a couple key offensive rebounds. So we knew everyone coming off the bench had to be ready for their time. It's going to take a great effort from everybody. It's not going to be the starting five or it's not going to be‑‑ though we know Steph can win a game by himself, we know everyone has to come to help him. And Klay can shoot us to a win in the game, them two guys, but everybody has to bring what they're able to bring to the table. We were able to do that tonight, and now we have to try to take that same effort to L.A. Q. Both of you guys have been through big college games going other deep into that and now this is your second playoff run. How is the experience different that you're facing the same team six or seven games in a row as opposed to the one off in the college system? STEPHEN CURRY: I think it's that much tougher. You know that team inside and out, and obviously, adjustments from game to game. It's tough to win four games against an opponent. That's why you value each opportunity you have to go at a seven‑game series and get it done. We learned a lot last year in the playoffs about what that means and how important each possession is. Those lessons are pretty evident in this series. We haven't been in a Game 7, or a lot of the guys in the locker room haven't been to Game 7. So you understand it's even more, each possession is even more precious, and we have to just fight. It's about who wants it more at this point, going out and executing and just being that team that is the most aggressive come Saturday night. Q. Draymond, usually when you're at home, the MVP chants are for the guys sitting next to you. What's it like when you're at the foul line getting that kind of response? Do you feel like you're having that kind of impact? DRAYMOND GREEN: That was amazing. I felt like Steph Curry up there. No, it caught me by surprise. I know we have the greatest fans in the NBA, but I don't know if I can take those chances when I have this man out there on the court. But it was great. At the end of the day I just have to continue doing what I'm doing for this team, and that is coming out and playing hard. I'm not coming out to try to be a scorer, do this, do that, if the ball comes back on the trap, I'll try to make the right play. But at the end of the day, I'll come out and bring energy to the floor, setting good screens, so we can get the best shooter in the world open and just doing my job. So it was great. I embrace my moment. Q. You talk about battle, working hard, just doing your job, but is there any specific thing that you're doing to Blake Griffin that is spoiling his night? DRAYMOND GREEN: I mean, at the end of the night Blake is a great player. That is why he is who he is. And I don't go into the game saying I'm going to hold Blake to this hold him to that, because he can make them all. That is the thing when you're playing great players. I can't take all that credit for myself. I got great digs from the guards. I got great digs.  I was able to kind of take him out of rhythm a little bit. Yes, you still have to battle and fight for position, but I couldn't do the job that I did without the help of my guards. Q. Steph, as a member of the Executive Committee for the Players Association, can you touch on the leadership that Kevin Johnson provided you guys this week with all the stuff going off the court? STEPHEN CURRY: Yeah, he was big. Obviously, it was such a circus for those 72 hours. Obviously, his initial job when he came on to help us was to be a part of the executive director search. It just so happened the timing of all of that that his voice was pretty powerful at that moment to navigate us through that and kind of unified all the players with one voice. That was the mission we wanted was to get our message out that we were going to stand strong and hopefully Adam Silver was going to be able to make the right call, and he did. But for Mayor Johnson to be able to speak on our behalf and get us through that crazy weekend was huge. Hopefully he can continue to do that as we try to get an executive director in there and move forward. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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