Warriors Steal Game 1 vs. Timberwolves Despite Steph Curry’s Injury | Inside the NBA

Warriors Steal Game 1 vs. Timberwolves Despite Steph Curry’s Injury | Inside the NBA

They’re 16-1 allowing 100 points this year, including four times this postseason. They win it by 11. And um Chris Finch short time ago. It starts with Anthony, you know, he I thought he’s was uh you know, his he struggled early. Um, and then you could just kind of see the light go out a little bit for a while and then, uh, you know, obviously we had to try to get him going in the second half. But, um, you know, I think, um, I think, you know, it was one of those games where he kind of came out with a predetermined mindset of what he was trying to do and just rather than just playing the game that was in front of him. You mentioned kind of the energy, the the spirit starts with Ant. Is that something that you and he talk about maybe ahead of game two now? is is no I mean what what is there to talk about? I mean, you’re this you’re the leader of the team and you got to come out and set the tone, you know, in all ways that that happens. And if it’s if your shots not going, like you you still have to carry the energy, you know. So, um, you know, I I don’t I don’t think there’s, you know, if I got to talk to guys about having the right energy coming into opening round game, opening second round game, then, you know, we’re not, you know, we’re not on the same page. So, uh, any general update on Steph, uh, any prognosis at all? Just day dayto day. He’ll get an MRI tomorrow. Did you talk to him? just what was Yeah, I talked to him at halftime just, you know, he’s obviously crushed, but um you know, the guys picked him up and played a great game and um obviously we’re all, you know, concerned about stuff, but it’s part of part of the game. You just uh guys get hurt and you you move on. Our guys did a great job of moving on and um getting a great win, you know, 48 hours after a game seven road win. Uh it’s an amazing group of guys. These guys are they’re they compete and they’re together. We’ve been the best defense in the league since the Jimmy trade and that’s what’s keeping us afloat right now. What’s the message to the group when you find out Steph’s off? I didn’t say anything. They you know by the time we got into to uh halftime into the locker room, Steph was already in there with an ice bag on his on his hamstring and the guys already knew and we just we didn’t say anything. We just I just told told Gary he’d start um first half and um you know we talked about the plan for the second half. What can you say just about Buddy Heield’s full court two-way defensive stopper shooting whatever you want to call him. Yeah. How would you describe that game by Buddy? Uh Buddy was u following up that that amazing game seven. He was uh just crucial for us tonight. I think he started out the game 0 for seven and uh we needed every one of his 24 points. Um with Steph out, you know, we had very very few options offensively and the guys did a really good job of of just uh defending and and you know, trying to run off misses so we could, you know, get get the offense going before they could set up their defense. Um not that it was a great transition game for us. I mean, we only had six fast break points, but you when you’re defending like that, you always have a chance. And um some guys hit some some big shots. you know, um Buddy’s three, Gary’s three, uh Jimmy had a um a bucket in that stretch where they cut it to I think eight or so. Um so we did what we had to do. Great defense and you know, just kind of hang on um that in that fourth quarter. What was Draymond doing? Eight games in the postseason now for the Golden State Warriors. They’re minus 98 in the paint. They’re plus 141 from deep. Uh and they’re up one- nothing over Minnesota. interesting to hear from both coaches here and obviously it was more interesting hear from coach Fence. Yeah. But let’s start with Steph. Um and you guys I look we don’t know the severity of the of the injury to the hamstring that again they’re going to do an MRI but where do you go if he’s not going to be able to go? Well it’s chess not checkers. Uh we won tonight so we did what we were not supposed to do. However we got it done so we’re probably going to sit them out game two. no matter what until we get, you know, all the all the details. Hopefully, it’s just a a little sprain, but you know, uh Steve Kerr said it best. It’s part of the game. Uh and somebody has to step up. Buddy Hill is probably going to be that guy. He didn’t shoot well in the first half, but he picked up in the second half. So, you know, if you don’t have Steph, it’ll definitely be a different different game. Jimmy’s going to have to take more of the offensive load. He went seven for 20 tonight. But without Steph, they’re just a regular team. But, you know, I say rest them this next game and then if we win that game, rest them again. So, you know, cuz again, it’s chess, not checkers. I I Okay, go ahead. Go ahead, Kevin. I I would say definitely, you know, if you’re Golden State, you would let the team know prior to. I wouldn’t wait up until game time decision and all of those things. I’m like, “No, Steph’s not playing.” The reason I would say that I wouldn’t want Jimmy Butler to be in the mind frame of I’m going to be super aggressive the night before saying so he comes to the arena to shoot around he comes to the game before the game he comes to at the game he’s got a mindset to be the guy he already like he said in his interview oh we it’s easier when we have our best player I want you to know know you’re the best player right now and this is we’re going through you and who’s not to say that he doesn’t already know that I mean that that could have been already relayed to him that look, we’re not going to play stuff in game two. Well, no, that’s what I’m saying. I would do it early. There’s zero chance there still plays in game two. Yeah. Zero chance cuz that’s going to give him like games three and four. Like he going to probably be off like four or five days. Game three would be Saturday. Yeah. So, definitely not playing in game two since they won today. But I was really impressed with Coach Finch uh in that press conference like he called Anthony out. You know, when you’re a great player and first of all, you bought all this smoke. You say you wanted to smoke. You said you wanted to smoke. I want the Warriors and you got him. You had one point at halftime and his energy level was down. So that to me is what coaching is about. I mean Shaq’s been in this situation. I’ve been in this situation. When you’re the man, you get all the credit, but you get all the blame. That that’s that’s the way it works. And I like what he did. He said, “Hey, Anony’s got to play better.” He you can’t come out and talk all that and have one point. Plain and simple. O of eight and then O of three from three because that game was really pretty much especially when Steph went out. You’re like this is when like that that was no way a 10-point game at that point. Yeah, but they shouldn’t have been down 10. They were down 10 because he was 0 for seven for eight. That’s what I’m saying. That that game at that point was not out of hand. It was it was just a 10-point game, but they were in the middle of a run. But not only did they maintain the lead, they built on it up to 23. And Golden State takes game one 99- 88.

Inside the NBA crew Shaq, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson react to Steph Curry’s injury and the Golden State Warriors Game 1 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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