SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry will begin his ninth profession playoff look when the Warriors tackle the Kings Saturday in Sacramento. It begins his quest for a fifth championship — one thing solely a handful of gamers in NBA historical past have achieved — with Klay Thompson and Draymond Inexperienced.
The 35-year-old celebrity is 16 wins away from rarified air. However over his 14-season profession, he’s discovered the one option to get there's to remain grounded.
“Can’t quick ahead to the tip of the race,” Curry stated on Wednesday. “That’s a part of human nature when you have got experiences of attending to the mountaintop and ending the job. You perceive how onerous it's to try this and the quantity of effort it takes to undergo 82 video games and 4 rounds of a playoff, the one approach you'll be able to repeat that's to remain proper right here.
“Fairly comfy simply locking in on Recreation 1. Sounds boring and cliche however it's how we accomplish greatness. It’ll cheapen the journey or lower corners realizing you are taking issues as a right. It’s extraordinarily onerous to do what we’ve finished and attempt to do going ahead.”
Locking in means embracing the chess match to come back. As Curry’s star ascended within the playoffs, opposing groups have thrown each form of junk protection and double workforce at him to quell his flurries.
The Sacramento Kings come into the sequence with the worst-ranked protection within the league. And Curry is averaging 33 factors on 50 p.c taking pictures in 4 video games towards the Kings this yr. However Curry is aware of to count on the surprising with out overthinking.
Kings head coach Mike Brown, a former longtime Warriors assistant, is particularly accustomed to Curry and, maybe, has some tips up his sleeve.
“It's a must to assume they’re going to remain true to their DNA that made them profitable going right into a playoff sequence. Make these changes occur primarily based on how these video games unfolds. In-game changes primarily based on momentum waves,” he stated. “There’s an concept that you're who you're and also you attempt to be the perfect model of that going right into a sequence and hope you have got the IQ and skill to make changes essential.
We love the playoff ambiance of that however you don’t attempt to outsmart your self going into the sequence. Simply be ready. Be knowledgable about what they do properly and what the sport plan is and execute it. There’s a component of, your not going to play your A+ sport each night time.”
Heading into each postseason sport the expectation for Curry and the Warriors looms. Will this be the core’s remaining yr collectively? Draymond Inexperienced’s potential opt-out within the offseason and a cumbersome luxurious tax invoice for the group may spell a couple of onerous choices for the entrance workplace. Particularly if Golden State makes an early exit from the playoffs.
Curry is conscious of the speak, however hasn’t been anxious in regards to the potential implosion.
“We perceive the implication,” Curry stated. “Draymond stated we’re measured by how we play within the playoffs — so the actual fact we received by 82 and all that, it was an emotional curler coaster all yr however the implications on how our season finishes we all know dictates the dialog round is and all the time has.
“We’ve had large success after we’ve had our play communicate for what ought to occur round right here. In order that’s how we method this playoff run. This enterprise is what it's and rather a lot is thrown at you emotionally. What might be or what may occur, the hypotheticals. After we win, everybody will get rewarded and that’s what our purpose is. Attempting to make that occur.”