NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: WARRIORS vs KINGS

April 23, 2023

Steph Curry

Media Conference

Golden State Warriors 126, Sacramento Kings 125.

Q. Can you walk us through what happened with 40 seconds left when you tried to call time-out, didn't have a time-out to call?

STEPH CURRY: I knew we challenged but I didn't realize when we lost the challenge that we didn't have any time-outs left. I know Coach mentioned, he took the blame for it, as I ain't going to lie, I thought it was the smartest play in the world when I got the ball, turnaround and saw the trap, realized there was no real outlets instead of turning it over.

It's kind of the heady play but it turned out not to be other than throw at the bench and everybody was shaking their head. It was an unfortunate situation in that respect but good learning lesson. Thankfully we came away with the win but a good learning lesson on how important all those details are. We know it. But knowing time-outs, knowing the situation, it was just an unfortunate sequence right there.

Q. What did you think about the two decisions involving Draymond today, him coming off the bench and in the second half, starting on Fox?

STEPH CURRY: We talk a lot around here about doing whatever it takes to win, and everybody being flexible on what their role is and what they are asked to do from the top all the way to the bottom. It's well-documented. We have all, most of us have been in situations where that's become a decision, last year in the decision with me, Wiggs coming back at the beginning of this year's playoffs, Draymond from Game 2 to Game 4.

It's just being ready to play no matter what the situation calls for, the versatility of our team, and the fact that we know each other so well that he doesn't start the first half, starts the second half, you know, matchup change, and we kind of pick up right where we left off. So it's just a credit to him, obviously, accepting the role. It's a credit to our 1 through 15 being able to keep the identity of how we play no matter who is starting or who is out there.

Q. The last possession when you guys were on offense, four-second differential, you took the shot with 12 left. Can you take us through that position?

STEPH CURRY: It's always a balance of playing the clock and trying to find the best shots because obviously if I make the floater, we are up three with ten seconds left and you like that kind of position, to have one more stop. Obviously I missed, and was a little fight for the rebound and called time-out with ten seconds left.

I live with that decision, knowing D-Fox went for the steal, I had the lane wide open, I made the decision, live with it. Wish would I have made it obviously but we were able to get one last stop. That's the nature of the playoffs where I analyze that possession and figure out what I could do different. Had they made the shot it would be a different context but you play to the buzzer.

Q. Can you describe the desperation you have in a Game 5 swing game, knowing the winner has a chance to win the series on Friday?

STEPH CURRY: We understand how we bounce back these last two games, the things that we have done differently and the physicality we have played with. Bottle that up, take it to Sacramento. The biggest thing that we've noticed is the possession game is everything in this series because of the pace and the way that they play.

If you give them turnovers, they had 18 points off turnovers tonight, last game was a little bit better, night and day different than Game 1 and Game 2. We have to maintain our composure on that front, turnovers and offensive rebounds, Game 5.

Like you said, it's a great opportunity. We know we have to win one in that build to go get out of this series. Might as well be Game 5.

Q. Can you kind of take us through the final stop, getting Fox to give up the ball and the communication that you and Dray had to have together in that moment?

STEPH CURRY: I think it's just about being one step ahead. They knew based on where I was, they were going to try to bring me to the pick-and-roll and all you want to do is just keep a body in front of Fox. You know that down one, they are in the bonus and you can't foul. They are probably going to get a shot off. You just want to make it as tough as possible.

So he came off, was kind of able to make him change directions. He blocked the ball a little bit and I felt Draymond on my right side and he was right there in the right position, and right there is just a read of knowing he picked the ball up, knowing Draymond has him squared up, I'm not doing anything at that point, so go chase HB off the line. He got a clean look but it was a late contest that I tried to get up there and bother as much as possible. Make him miss. You want to make him think as much as possible that ten seconds before the shot gets up because we just needed one stop.

Q. Draymond said after Game 3 he talked to you and thanked you for having his back and as you noted, he just, by coming off the bench, it's part of a long Warriors history during this run of people going back to Iguodala, being able to sacrifice their ego. Does, although you obviously don't want him to be suspended, but that culture, has it been a force, reminding you guys of who you are, or maybe you don't need a reminder?

STEPH CURRY: The reminder is being down 0-2. But definitely you up the ante without him in Game 3, understanding how important that game was, because we talked about it, you lose that game, the series is pretty much over. No team has come back from 0-3.

So gave ourselves an opportunity to win a big game tonight and he was a monster on defense. You know, just kind of plugging holes, being the disruptor that he is, and to your point, that's exactly how we need to play. Everybody just being ready to take advantage of their minutes and do what they are asked to do when they are called to do it. That's the only way we get out of this series and do anything special this year in the playoffs, just the way that we are built and the way that we are constructed and the history of how we have done things over the years.

Q. You played 43 minutes tonight. Is this a case where you're telling Steve, hey, it's okay, press the minutes, press the minutes? Is he communicating with you? Do you have to approach the time-outs differently? He mentioned that you're closing your eyes and almost meditating through some of your left. Is there A different thing you're feeling when you know you might be playing 40, 41, 43 a night?

STEPH CURRY: It's the whole routine and process how you get ready for games and how you take care of yourself from a recovery standpoint between games and in the game when you come out, whether it's time-out and you're going back out there, your break is coming, being really intentional about maximizing the rest while you're over there.

I know my rotation and when I'm most likely coming out, quarters one through three and based on how the game is, being prepared to play the whole fourth, like I would have done tonight, closer in Game 3. I felt fine. There has not been any conversations of if I need to come out or I'm playing too much because you understand how important this moment is.

Q. In the fourth quarter, they erased your 10-point lead and ended up taking the lead and after that you scored seven of the next eight points for your team. Is that an active decision to start looking for your own shot a little bit more?

STEPH CURRY: It might not look like it but I'm always looking for my shot just because there's always going to be a double-team or a trap or a lot of attention, so me not shooting does no mean I'm being passive. Just means you're reading the defense to make the right plays and get the ball moving, welcome the attention or the double teams and finding open shots for other guys.

But the more you do that over the course of 48, the hard it is to defend and the more likely I'll find some openings, and then you've always got to be ready and confident as you knock those shots down.

Klay hit some timely ones in the third quarter. He hit a big one in the fourth. I was able to hit a couple. Doesn't really matter when it comes. It's just always staying aggressive even though it might not be always with me ending up with a shot.

Q. The Kings made 11-of-27 shots in three-point territory in that first half and looked like they was ready to roll because you know they haven't been shooting particularly well in that area but in the third quarter, they only had one attempt and they made that, Keegan Murray made that. What were the Warriors doing to prevent them from getting off like that, because one attempt, that's remarkable.

STEPH CURRY: I mean, regular season, they have played a certain style that De'Aaron Fox can drive lanes and kick out to guys. He's obviously super fast, super talented. He had 38. He was pretty efficient all night.

Keegan got off first time all series and we need to figure out how to slow that down because he changed the dynamic of how they play when he's a threat from three. But for the most part, we've done a really good job of just trying to make them work for those type of looks. You know, sticking to our game plan. So I think obviously the way that they shot the ball kept them in it, kept the momentum, or they gained momentum at certain points of the game because they got hot from threes.

And we know in their building if that happens, their crowd gets into. So we have to try to figure out what that third quarter really looked like and try to do it for all four in Game 5.

Q. For so much of this championship era, you are the team that's making the plays down the stretch and closing. What does it feel like when things feel like they are not going your way, which has happened a lot this year but what's it like? Is it about surviving it or just you're in position where you're up and the game is pretty much over and then things go wrong?

STEPH CURRY: Every game is just a different challenge. You know, the regular season playoffs, you know teams are coming at you, especially like this year, this whole year, as defending champs, everybody getting their best shot, and whether it's self-inflicted wounds or teams getting hot, there were games we let go for a lot of different reasons.

We have learned from that in the sense of being able to stay -- maintain our composure and not get too rattled by those runs that happen because they are -- Sacramento is a really good team, and the way that they started the fourth quarter earlier in the year might have wrecked us a little bit because we didn't really respond well.

Trying to learn our lessons and stay composed and understand it's a long game, and the biggest thing for us is when we settle down and don't turn the ball over, usually good things happen. I think that's the one thing that was our Achilles' heel, not just the turnovers that we always have but the untimely ones that allow the game to get out of hand. We have done a better job of that these last two games, and I think that's a big difference.

Q. When you were down at the half, come out in the third quarter and you dominate the third quarter, defense better, deep rebounding better. What was behind the energy that came out in that third quarter?

STEPH CURRY: Just the focus of executing on both ends, and understanding, like the pace of this series, is crazy. But when you get stops, you can run, and when you keep them off the free throw line, they can't set their defense and we can kind of play to our strengths a little bit better. And a lot of that was Klay. Klay made amazing that third quarter. He hit some big shots for us.

And the way that we finished the quarter was huge, which has been another part of our struggles, in terms of six-point lead turning into two, or a two-point lead turning into a four-point lead for them. Certain things like that, we went from -- to close out the way we did the last possession, allowed us to have a little bit of breathing room even though they made that run to start the fourth. So all those details matter.

Q. So Wiggins got four blocks, including one blocked first shot. What is it about his defense?

STEPH CURRY: Playoff Wiggs, Two-Way Wiggs, all different nicknames he's established since he's been here. He's a huge part of our success and the way we win games, not just scoring the basketball.

It's easy to forget, this is only his fourth game back, since, whatever, February. Starting to find his legs and find his confidence and his endurance to play 38 minutes and chase D-Fox around all game. So you love to see it.

Q. With Klay driving and dishing out the last half of Game 3 and then again today, how much has that opened up the floor? It seemed like you guys were making so many snappy, quick passes that just led to good things?

STEPH CURRY: They turned up the pressure on us to start this game. Seemed like everybody was getting pressured out to halfcourt it felt like. They were trying to disrupt our patterns. So the lane was relatively wide open but doesn't mean you can always get all the way to the basket.

So being able to see those lanes drive, like you said, find the open guy on the weak side, the domino effect that happens, we love to play that way because usually the ball is going to find the right guy for an open shot and the easy shot, and so Klay, knowing he's such a threat to shoot the ball from the perimeter, when he's decisive when he gets into the lane, it's just another way for us to create good offense.

Usually that means we're getting good shots up instead of rushing or turning it over or settling. So just got to -- we trust him with the ball in his hands to keep doing it.