Stephen Curry Reacts To Warriors GM5 vs Lakers | May 10, 2023

Steph, how much emphasis was it to play as fast as you possibly can to just kind of run it at them as much as possible, maybe not just for this game, but knowing that they've got a couple of guys that they really rely on and maybe to get them running too? I think it's up to, you know, mostly me, Draymond, JP, when he's out there to do that, to push the base. It's important just because they're at times a big team with AD, he puts a lot of pressure on you on the offensive end, so you try to create whatever advantage you can. That's a big thing and part of that is just trying to keep them off the foul line as much as possible, just because that slows the game down and gives them free points and they get to set their defense. So you want to get stops, but even if they do score, that is our advantage in the series is our speed and the fact that, you know, I can push, Draymond can push, JP can push. We got guys running the lane in transition, space in the floor, so it's hard to do, but it helps us counter what they do well. Steph, apart from the conversations that you guys are going to have as a team that you're going to have with the coach, what are you going to do to prepare yourself to take this momentum following to game six in LA and be able to bring it back home on Sunday? I think just kind of take stock of what's happened game three, four and tonight, what we've done well, like even the mental preparation is, you know, understanding that we've played well enough down there to have won both of those games. I know game three was a blowout, but the first half, like there was a lot of good that we showed and then obviously game four, knowing how that went, so accepting, you know, our shortcomings there, but also understanding, you know, we can make the necessary adjustments to hopefully get off to a good start in game six, give ourselves some momentum, put some pressure on them and bring the effort and the competitiveness and the same fire we had tonight. So, I mean, that's the game plan and again, just get lost in the game down there because it's going to be a fun atmosphere. Do you like it when a playoff series dictates you guys run more pick and roll? I mean, obviously we know, you know, traditionally what you guys like to do, but is it fun when it kind of demands it more? It's more the narrative of just how hard it is to win four games in any series and the different adjustments that you have to make, like we've been in however many, 29, 30, whatever series it's been since this run started, whether we've swept a team or gone to seven or lost, like it's always that game to game kind of adjustment that you love the most, whether, whatever the answer is, doesn't really matter. So and we're also capable of playing a lot of different ways because of our personnel and the way that we do things. So yeah, I like it all, to be honest, just try to figure it out. Steph, Steve over here, Steve said that at this point in your career, you really feel what needs to happen, what's required of you, whether that's 38 shots in game seven in Sacramento, 22 assists these last two games. How much better do you feel that than you did earlier in your career, maybe in 2015 at the start of this run? And how's the different kind of satisfaction when you are setting up your teammates as opposed to making seven or eight threes? Yeah, just the body of work that you can kind of tap into to, again, know how many different scenarios and situations that you've been in that I can tap into that confidence, that I can do whatever the game requires. I just love this stage so much and not afraid of anything that's going to happen and the outcome is just, again, getting lost in the game and understanding the versatility of being able to play a lot of different ways and the confidence that I've been able to do it for a long time. And the trust that I have in my teammates to be along that journey with me. It's nice and blessed to be able to keep doing it, even at this stage in your career. I don't want it to stop anytime soon. Steph, with A.D. and his defensive impact, I don't remember seeing a guy that has created this kind of hesitation for your whole group around the rim. If you look at the series before tonight, were there times when maybe all of you look at the film and were there overcorrections, were there just a lot of times when you see opportunities where because of the impact he's having, there's second-guessing happening and then why was tonight different? He's a great defensive player. He's smart, he's got size, he can move his feet. They have a certain system that tries to funnel everything to the paint where he's usually standing and disrupting a lot. After game one, you just had to feel it for 48 minutes just to understand it was totally different than the Sacramento series. They didn't have anybody with that type of presence. But there's also counters to it, and you've got to trust that you can create a good shot even with his abilities out there. You still get kind of lulled into it from time to time. That's how basketball goes, and he makes some amazing plays. When we're decisive and we're organized in terms of our spacing and understanding you might not get all the way to the basket because he's down there, but somebody's going to be open and there's going to be another option, when we're locked in like that, good things happen. You look at the last three minutes of game four, we kind of abandoned the things that were helping us, and you see the results. It's just a matter of being mindful of what you're trying to do at all times, knowing that he is a great enough defender that it requires it. Quickly to that point, did you find something tonight? Does it feel like you found something with him? No, it was more of the same as what we've done through the good parts of game three and four, mostly four. You have to make him work. Again, he's going to make plays, whether it's in the pick and roll or whether it's off the ball, but when we're organized, good things happen. Back in game five against the Kings, Draymond scored 20 points tonight. He scored 20 points. Besides just giving you another score, what does it do for the team when he's just being aggressive and attacking like that? It just keeps everything balanced in terms of countering what teams try to do to take away our threes, our clean looks at the three-point line, driving lanes, where help defense is usually coming from. I told him every play he made tonight, I love that aggressive nature because it just keeps the defense honest, and he's capable of making plays. The first three was big to get everybody's morale up, the emotions high, but then he was assertive, getting into the paint, finishing at the rim, hit a big shot in the fourth off of a late second broken play. Timely baskets, and you have to keep the defense honest so they can't load up other places. How much do you like Andrew Wiggins, the aggressive, he shoots three and tether in a lot? It's the best version of who he is and how he can impact games. He played great defense all night on Bron, even though he made some tough shots. The rebounds, the offensive aggressiveness, him getting up 18 shots is huge. We need that every night. It's on us as a team to feature him too at certain points in the game because he is such an athlete and he can create his own shot. We've got to feed it to him and let him do what he does. Steph, at the start of the series, you guys were throwing flowers at each other. LeBron, Steph, you guys, your longevity, everything else, and now it seems like Steve is talking a little bit about how the Lakers play, Darvin is talking a little bit about how you guys play. Do you feel like it's getting a little chippy? Does it feel like a chippy, more physical playoff series to this point? I've seen it way worse. The more you play a team, the more stuff comes out. The power of this microphone and the gamesmanship back and forth, it's all a part of it. Nothing that is surprising, even from game to game. There's respect with this competition. Everything is catered to just trying to win four games. That's what you expect. As a quick follow-up, do you anticipate A.D. will play game six? I have no idea what happened to him or what his situation is. I would say yes, but I have no idea.