Stephen Curry says he intends to maintain his strong start to Western Conference Finals throughout series
Wednesday 15 May 2019 15:16, UK
Stephen Curry said he intends to maintain his strong start to the Western Conference Finals after scoring 36 points in Golden State's Game 1 win over Portland.
Live NBA: Portland @ Golden State
The defending NBA champions impressed again despite the absence of the injured Kevin Durant as they powered to an emphatic 116-94 win at Oracle Arena.
Curry, who knocked down nine three-pointers and made 12 of his 23 shots overall, said: "It's nice to see the ball go in. I didn't shoot the ball well for four-and-a-half the last series and got off to a good start tonight. I want to maintain that. Every game is different, you have got to re-establish yourself. That's my perspective no matter how I play.
"The way that we play, we try to get our tempo. I have the ball in my hands and I have to be aggressive and try to make the right play every possession. It's nice to make shots. Just being aggressive every single possession, usually good things happen.
"It's fun when everyone's running around, cutting, and we're whipping the ball around. That's when we're at our best. I know what I'm capable of on the floor. The situation calls for me to be a little bit more aggressive and hopefully that'll continue."
Draymond Green backed his team-mate's hot start to the series to continue. "[Curry] came out from the gate aggressive and also understanding that Kevin (Durant) is out and he is going to be even more important in our offense. He came out with that mindset and it was good to see Steph have a game like that at a time we needed him most. I expect him to continue to play that way."
The Warriors made 17-of-33 from three-point range, outscoring the Blazers 51-21 from beyond the arc. Blazers All-Star guard Damian Lillard was critical of his team's perimeter defense.
"Practice shots," Lillard said of Curry's wide-open chances. "That was very poor execution on our part defensively. The team we're playing against are not going to shoot mid-range jumpers. If they see an opportunity to shoot a three they are going to take it. They shoot [threes] at a high clip.
"They were setting solid screens and coming off shooting practice shots. That's the last thing we need if we want to have any chance to beat this team."
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr praised Curry's super night and the performance of his reserves. "Steph got free and had a big night. He carried us at times and that was a big part of the game," he said.
"[Portland] had to go to a tough Game 7 in Denver [on Sunday] and a quick turnaround, so the schedule favoured us. I thought we took advantage of the situation.
"The key stretch for us was the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. Our bench came in, did a fantastic job getting the lead back up to about 12 or so before we went back to our starters. So great job by our bench."
Curry said he expects a response from the beaten Blazers in Game 2, live on Sky Sports Arena in the early hours of Friday morning (2am).
"Having been through so many of these series, we understand what the drill is," Curry said.
"They are going to make adjustments and be assertive in the first half of Game 2. We've got to be ready for that punch and keep playing hard."
Game 2 takes place in Oakland in the early hours of Friday morning (2am), live on Sky Sports Arena.
