The Warriors have obviously had to adjust their game plan with Kevin Durant out of the lineup.
Durant has not played since straining his calf in Golden State's Game 5 win over the Rockets last week and he’s still "not close" to returning, according to a report from ESPN. Golden State guard Stephen Curry was asked during an interview with “The Jump” how the team’s offensive strategy has changed without Durant on the floor.
“Without KD, we have to play differently,” Curry said. “We have to highlight what everybody’s strengths are and do it by committee. You hear the noise, ‘KD goes out, nobody, it’s weird to say gave us a shot or said we shouldn’t have won the Houston series’ or whatever the case is. Again, confidence and trust in each other to be able to make that adjustment on the fly.”
Sat down with @StephenCurry30 and we talked about allllll the stuff: What it's like playing without KD, which style he likes better, what it meant to beat the Rockets ("you saw how we celebrated"), plus facing his baby brother in this series with Portland. pic.twitter.com/1VqcygQfPR
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) May 16, 2019
The Warriors eliminated the Rockets in Game 6 of their series and have since taken a 1-0 lead over the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals. Durant is not expected to be on the floor in Game 2 against Portland on Thursday.
“It’s fun to win. I don’t care what the narrative is,” Curry said. “When (Durant) goes out, when he’s not in the lineup, we have the ability to shift. … Again, I like winning. Whoever is on the floor, we know how to get that done.”
Curry scored 36 points and hit nine 3-pointers in Golden State’s Game 1 win over the Trail Blazers. His brother, Seth, is a backup guard for Portland.
“Let’s just put it this way, when he’s on defense, I could care less, because I need to get my buckets, I need to score,” the Warriors star said. “But, when I was guarding him, he had a corner 3 in front of our bench and it’s such a mixed feeling. I can’t really turn it off, to be honest. … It’s just weird.”
Game 2 between the Warriors and Trail Blazers will tip off Thursday at 9 p.m. ET at Oracle Arena.