Stephen Curry, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, finds himself in uncharted territory after his Golden State Warriors fell behind 2-0 in their first-round playoff series against the Sacramento Kings. This is the first time in his 27 playoff series that he has been in such a situation, and Curry knows that he and his teammates must rise to the challenge.
Steph Curry has never been down 2-0 in a playoff series….until now pic.twitter.com/S9KDs6pflH
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 18, 2023
“Gotta embrace it,” Curry said. “You do this as long as we have… 28 series or whatever and we’ve never been in this situation so we gotta stay together, stay locked in on things we need to do better.”
Curry is right. The Warriors have struggled in their first two games, committing a total of 37 turnovers, including 22 in Monday’s loss. They have also allowed the Kings to take 61 free throws, which is 16 more than Golden State in this series. The Warriors must clean up their game and play smarter if they hope to turn this series around.
“We just got to play with a little bit more IQ in terms of what we’re trying to do on both ends of the floor,” Curry said.
Despite their struggles, the Warriors are not panicking. Klay Thompson believes that they can bounce back in a great way.
“The beautiful part is we have an opportunity Thursday,” Thompson said. “While it’s been ugly the first couple of games as far as fouling and turnovers, we can bounce back in a great way and I know we will.”
The Warriors have a much better track record at home, especially in the playoffs. They won 33 games at home this season and boast an 11-1 postseason record at Chase Center. They are hoping that the home-court advantage will help them turn the tide in this series.
What did Stephen Curry say regarding playing away from their home?
“At the end of the day, we gotta win one win here [in Sacramento], somehow, someway, whatever game it is,” Curry said. “There’s an old saying, the series doesn’t start until somebody wins on the other team’s home floor.”
“We want to get ourselves back into it, it’s gonna start with a focused effort on Game 3 at home, get our crowd into it early, and trying to throw the first punch in terms of how we come out with the right intentions,” Stephen added.
Curry and his teammates know what they need to do to get back in this series. It won’t be easy, but they are ready for the challenge.
Can the Dubs Bounce Back?
The highly-anticipated series between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings took an unexpected turn in Game 2. While the previous game had been a nail-biter, the Kings seized control early on in this match, taking the lead and maintaining their dominance throughout.
The Warriors tried various strategies, including resting star player Stephen Curry, but to no avail. The Kings took full advantage of Curry’s absence, going on a 16-4 run and putting up an impressive 19 points in just five minutes.
However, the Dubs didn’t give up without a fight, deploying a new tactic that saw Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and Gary Payton II in the front. This resulted in a 14-4 run and a tied game at 52, but the Kings rallied back and finished the half with a six-point lead.
The third quarter saw the Warriors struggling with fouls, with Green and Kevon Looney both getting into foul trouble, forcing the team to dig deep into their bench. Although they came close to catching up, the Warriors ultimately fell behind in the fourth quarter, unable to regain control of the game.
The question now is whether the Warriors can bounce back in Game 3. With their star player back in the mix and the knowledge of what went wrong in Game 2, the Dubs will be looking to even the series and prove that they are still contenders.
