SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen Curry has seen the Golden State Warriors return many times this season and are confident they will do so again in Sunday’s NBA Finals game.
Referring to how the Warriors recovered from their 39-point loss in Game 5 of the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round and after a 10-point defeat by the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals before closing both teams in the next game, Curry said he has seen proof of resilience this season.
“Even moments in the regular season where things start to drift away from time to time,” Curry said after training on Saturday. “And somehow have your moment, ‘come to Jesus,’ as if we should play right.
“How are we going to turn the script around and get things back on track? We’ve usually reacted pretty well.”
2 Related
After crashing in the fourth quarter and missing out on Game 1 of the Boston Celtics NBA Finals at home on Thursday, the Warriors lost the opening game of the series for only the third time in the Steve Kerr era. But for this current Warriors collection, this is the first time they have lost 0-1 in a series of the top seven.
“This is the first time for many things with this particular group,” Curry said of a team that includes players like Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole, who are making their NBA debut finals. “We’re here in the finals for some reason, because we understood it along the way. If we want to go back to this series, we have to understand it again.”
Asked if this qualifies as one of those moments of truth, Curry said emphatically, “Absolutely.”
The Warriors will strive to defend the Celtics’ 3-point scorers much better after conceding 21 trays in Game 1, including nine in the fourth quarter.
“We have to play harder in defense,” said Draymond Green, who was held accountable for not playing by his standards in Game 1. when you play against a great team at this level at this point in the season, they need to feel every possession you have.
“We just have to make sure they feel every possession of us.”
The Warriors could use defender Gary Peyton II in Game 2. Peyton did not play in Game 1, although he was available after being out with a broken elbow after Game 2 of the second round against Memphis. Kerr, who played Andre Iguodala for 12 minutes in Game 1 after the veteran failed to play in Game 4 of the Denver Nuggets’ first round due to a neck injury, said Peyton is feeling better and expects to use him more.
Golden State striker Otto Porter Jr. called Match 2 a “must-win” three times after training. Warriors will strive for their core experience in the championship to lead the way. Curry, Green and Clay Thompson expressed confidence in the Warriors’ ability to come back with the championship title.
“Draymond and Steph have been to the finals six times already,” Kerr said. “It simply came to our notice then. They have seen everything. They have won championships. They lost championships. Their hearts are broken. They had parades. It’s all part of him. So this is the right mental approach, and this is one that is born of experience. “
Thompson said he was excited about Game 2.
“I need to make more shots,” said Thompson, who made 6 of 14 shots in Game 1. I need to make more shots. I need to make more stops. I just have to be myself. Yes, that would be one of the greatest to ever shoot it, so I’ll count on it.
“We will play in despair tomorrow and I think then we are at our best.”
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