Curry: 'This isn't how we're going to go out'
OKLAHOMA CITY — Golden State Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green vowed that their record-setting team won’t go out meekly after their poor performances in Tuesday’s Game 4 played prominent roles in the Oklahoma City Thunder taking a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference finals.
“The series isn’t over,” Curry said after the Thunder rolled to a 118-94 rout at Chesapeake Energy Arena. “We’ve got to believe in ourselves. There’s obviously frustration. It’s a terrible feeling once again not stepping up and being ourselves and playing our game.
“But I think we’re a special team. This isn’t how we’re going to go out.”
Green echoed Curry’s message.
“This is all or nothing,” he said. “We’ve put in too much work to go out like this. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself all summer going out like this. I’m not sure what it is, but whatever it is, gotta do it.”
Green and Curry both accepted much of the blame for Tuesday’s lopsided loss, which marked the first time all season that the Warriors lost consecutive games.
Curry scored 19 points on 6-of-20 shooting and committed six turnovers. He missed nine of his first 10 shots and finished 2-of-7 on uncontested shots, including 0-of-5 on uncontested 3-point attempts, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Curry blamed himself for not “controlling the situation” as the Thunder made their surge in the second quarter that all but buried the Warriors.
Meanwhile, Thunder All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook had his second consecutive dominant outing, with 36 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
“I’ll be better and understand the moment in those situations where the momentum can swing either way,” said Curry, who was the NBA’s first unanimous MVP after leading the league in scoring and helping the Warriors set a record with 73 regular-season wins. “The last two games, it’s gotten away from us. A lot of that falls on my shoulders and playing better.”
Curry dismissed a question about injuries affecting his performance, saying he felt “fine” physically.
The Warriors were outscored by 73 points with Green on the floor during the two losses in Oklahoma City, a startling statistic considering that Green had the NBA’s best plus-minus this season at plus-1,070.
“I bring the energy to this team, and I have not been that,” said Green, who had six points on 1-of-7 shooting with six turnovers in Game 4, although he grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. “I think our energy goes as my energy goes, and I’ve been awful. … At the end of the day, I know I’ve got to be better in Game 5.”
It was a strange trip to Oklahoma City for Green, who found himself in a harsh spotlight after his kick to Steven Adams‘ groin area in Game 3. The NBA opted not to suspend Green for Game 4 after deliberating all day Monday, but the league upgraded the foul from a flagrant 1 to a flagrant 2. That puts Green on the precipice of a suspension if he picks up another flagrant foul during the playoffs.
However, Green said the drama and stress of the previous two days wasn’t a factor in his poor performance during Game 4.
“I looked like I looked Sunday,” Green said. “I don’t think the last 48 hours affected me, but I think it’s the first time in my life that I didn’t respond to critics. That’s what’s kind of been my story, and I haven’t done that, so I’ve got to do that.”
