Warriors-OKC postgame: Stephen Curry “functioning at a level very few human beings have ever functioned”
Plus small-ball ball movement and Gary Payton II’s reputation/steals
Here are notes & quotes from postgame Warriors-Thunder with Steve Kerr, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, Jordan Poole and Stephen Curry. This article will be free, as Golden State easily took care of one of the least-talented lineups in the league in a rebuilding, draft-pick-hoarding OKC team looking to finish as low in the standings this year as possible.
The first video is atop this article and clickable and has Kerr with a couple quotables, as well as Draymond, Looney and Curry himself talking about his hot streak. More videos will be uploaded from postgame onto our YouTube channel later tonight and tomorrow.
KERR:
- recap: “our defense got a lot better in the 2nd quarter…they were on the second night of a back to back…pushing the tempo and breaking the game open.”
- Steph surprising scoring? “Nothing surprises me with Steph…he’s so capable of this and when you play small it spreads the floor and he gets more opportunities…comfortable game for Steph and Draymond when we play this way.”
- 10 threes then 11 threes: “I told him he was going back in (and he didn’t get the joke)…I’m still in awe of the shot making…stunning…beautiful to watch…a man at the peak of his powers…lifetime of work…functioning at a level very few human beings have ever functioned at.”
- 24 threes: “ball movement…we’re gonna get open looks…Baze has been fantastic for us…when he’s on that weak side…knocking down the shot or just quickly moving the ball.”
- GP four steals: “he was fantastic, my assistant coaches have been telling me that when we put him in we’re not gonna want to take him out…who knows what’s gonna happen rotation-wise.”
- three-game win streak, CLE: “really important, we’re in the midst of a playoff race and we’re searching for momentum…something is clicking…locker room, everybody’s excited….right here for us to go on a little run.”
- small ball: “the ball is just going to move more with a small lineup, it just is…shooters everywhere…whether it’s Draymond or Loon in the pick and roll.”
Warriors PR: last question, as they have a plane to catch at 330a (!).
- sense something clicking: “everybody’s engaged, we got a good chunk of the season left.”
DRAY:
- describe Steph play this month: “I can kinda tell…the look in his eyes…what type of night it’s gonna be…he’s had that a lot lately.”
- GP: “always had a defensive reputable…four steals and one block in nine minutes of play…he took total advantage of it…anytime you got dawg like he got…incredible to watch.”
- feeling good? “Important that we play the same brand of basketball…ball was flying around…second unit…picked it up defensively…put up some force defensively…Juan T came in and changed the game with his ball pressure.”
- Wiseman: “tough road ahead…idk anymore than you know…what’s next…anytime you’re faced with rehab and not basketball it’s tough…as a rookie he had some ups and downs and that’s quite common for a rookie…most important thing is that you’re learning…still able to be around the team…important for his growth.”
- momentum: “staple…ball movement on the offensive end…defensively…we kinda let go of the rope…”
- chemistry: “when you know what spots guys are supposed to be in…as long as we improve that’s what matters…reads and next pass…”
LOON:
- momentum: “Coach has been talking about…putting a run together…good time for us…real winnable games…as long as we have health on our side…our best basketball…know where each other is gonna be at…riding on him (Steph).”
- keys? “Whenever we play defense at a high level…offense usually takes care of itself…we kinda know what to expect…comfortable in their roles.”
- late in the season figuring out roles? “I don’t think it’s too late…a lot of injuries…not like a typical season that we’re used to…doing a good job of staying alive…get into a groove…when you lose and face adversity you have to look yourself in the mirror…a lot of season left.”
- Steph like this, harder to get offensive rebounds? “Sometimes you don’t even go in there, just get back on defense…try to get my screen assists up.”
JP:
- defense Q2: “Draymond came to the bench and told us as soon as we string together stops…we kinda be able to blow open the lead a little bit.”
- 17p4a, staying aggressive while keeping other guys involved: “comes with the role I have…looking to get my teammates involved…but go out there and play my game…it’s my role so you gotta figure it out.”
STEPH:
- hottest streak in career? “Uhhh, the context is the arson’s are always different…arguably the best I’ve felt physically in rhythm, shooting the ball, just seeing the game…”
- tailbone: “might’ve made me focus a little more because it made me more alert in the beginning…try not to fall…just find a really good rhythm…the work that goes in behind the scenes (physically and mentally)…never too high, never too low but I feel really good right now.”
- most important aspect of shooting: “it’s all balance, everybody gets to it differently…doesn’t necessarily mean you’re square to the basket…that’s the most important thing, usually when my shot goes haywire it’s when my feet aren’t under me…biggest consistent thing you need to shoot the ball at a high level.”
- how to sustain ball movement? “Being intentional about it…search for that great shot…force of cuts…moving to find that open guy…trust that you’re gonna get to that…everybody feeds off of that energy…it’s contagious the joy that you play with like that.”
- chemistry: “that comes with just the reps…we didn’t start off blazing hot hit we were creating good shots…flying around trying to make multiple efforts…playing with force…the trust comes because everybody feels involved.”
- small ball: “we have to based on our lineup…what’s our biggest strong, you got Loon at the 5 and DG at the 4…DHOs and hand backs…Juan…find the open guy, on time on target, his energy is contagious…that’s how we have to play if we’re gonna compete.”
- scoring title past and present: “I haven’t (thought about it), so thanks for bringing that up…that was cool for sure, you wanna check that off the box (scoring title in 2015-16)…that’s not anything you press for, really.”
- GP: “he has a reputation of being a pest on the ball and making his presence felt immediately…he was everywhere…and then you get nine minutes and on us he showed it (reputation)…great to watch.”
- 3pt record back from Klay? “Absolutely!…I remember Chicago and he did it in three quarters…one, his 37-point quarter is even crazier because I had 25 tonight…invincible…this dude had twelve more points…I think it’s get-able but we’ll see.”
/end