Podziemski: Steph Curry “super-cognizant” of Houston’s adjustments, praise for Kerr’s staff

[G4-HOU-GSW videos/transcripts]

Xs-and-Os-wise, two of Brandin Podziemski’s answers on the podium summarized how the Warriors beat the Rockets in Game 4:

As the series has gone on, they've tried a bunch of different things with their defense and so I think having high-IQ players on our side, being able to recognize that kind of thing and make adjustments throughout the game, within the game, it's been huge. I think our coaching staff's done a good job in-game, adjustment-wise. Obviously, the starting lineup with Buddy kind of put Sengun on me, which is fine with me and so they made an adjustment by playing Adams and going zone most of the night and that's how you saw me and Buddy get a lot of our threes…

…I think that's what makes a team. You wanna commit two players for one and leave your guys kind of in zones to help off, I think that's what a team's about. And I think we did a good job of — or Steph did a good job of getting off the ball. When they're doing that for 48 minutes, there can be a, "Hey, I need to get a shot up," or, "Hey, I need to do this." And I think he was just super-cognizant, especially in the second half, of just getting off the ball. I think we had one turnover as a team in the second half, so we were just taking what the defense gave us. A lot of times, me, Jimmy, were on the baseline, around the corners when Sengun and Adams closing out to us and so getting the ball there and driving a closeout, making a play.

So the formula was the high IQ of Golden State, but also stars stepping up in clutch moments, exemplified by Draymond Green’s stop of Alperen Sengun and Jimmy Butler skying for the rebound.

Incidentally, on that final defensive sequence, don’t forget to credit Kevon Looney for absorbing the force of Steven Adams on the boards, which enabled Butler to grab the ball high off the rim.

Seconds before that, credit Gary Payton II’s wily ability and physical strength to prevent Fred Van Vleet from setting the inverted screen on Draymond, that might have yielded a less desirable Sengun-v-GP2 final duel or Van Vleet launching another three (8/12 this game) with his feet set.

“I gave a little ground and Stack (Jerry Stackhouse) always tell us it's a time that you have to get serious,” Green said postgame. “You just try to pick that point. I don't want to pick it too early where he's facing me and now I pick up a cheap one, so just try to find that sweet spot and where to get serious, as Stack says, and thought I found a good spot. He took a deep jump hook.”

I’m curious to see how Sengun responds in Game 5. Will the young talented All-Star big be filled with doubt in pivotal situations down the stretch or will he “shake” it off — pun intended: Hakeem Olajuwon reference — and get one back on the Hall-of-Famer DPOY guy?

For the 30-somethings on the Dubs, let’s hope it’s the former. Should they close out tonight in Game 5, DubNation will want to root for the Timberwolves to do the same, asap, with the Lakers. That shouldn’t be hard to cheer on.

NBA Playoff scheduling is all about that Sunday national TV spot. My guess is, if GSW and MIN can close out no later than Friday, you’ll see a Sunday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday setup for the Western Conference Semifinals. Obviously, that would mean more rest for one Wardell Stephen Curry, as well as Dray and Jimmy in between Games 1 and 2.

After that, games tend to become every-other-day. Games 1 and 2 were spread out to start this opening round with HOU because of the sheer amount of other playoff games launching. But Games 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 all have occurred or will occur every other day.

In 2023, the Warriors eliminated the Sacramento Kings in seven games, ending on a Sunday. They then embarked on an every-other-day series with the Lakers. Like, every game of that six-game series was 48 hours or so after the previous one. The NBA Finals dates are fixed, so you can see how the “slinky” of NBA Playoff scheduling works. The rest really comes in-between series.

Of course, I could be wrong about all this, just as I was wrong in-game about Trayce Jackson-Davis (thought it would be Looney) plugging up minutes for the the foul-troubled Draymond in Game 4, although I did mention Trayce as my preference for more rebounding after the Game 2 loss. So, take the above scheduling stuff with a grain of salt.

Here’s some really great courtside footage of the Dray and Jimmy going to work on the final stop, followed by the podium visits of, in chronological order this time: Steve Kerr pregame, then postgame Q&As of Steve, Jimmy, Podz (+ bonus interview from practice), Dray and Steph.

Gotta credit my guy Anthony Schlander for the clips from his courtside seats:

Btw, I haven’t started editing the podcast yet, but I believe I’ll get it done before tonight’s 4:30PM tipoff and Watch Party. As always, it’ll be an edited version of the long 5.5-hour Game 4 livestream and often times my co-host Dean “of Positivity” Chambers and I delve into evergreen topics, so please come check us out!

I’ll unlock the entire transcripts behind the paywall down below after I post the next article, as is the new routine, but you can read the transcripts by visiting the Comments section of each video interview…

00:00 Hey Steve, Steph won the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. In the past that's gone to Mike Conley, Jrue Holiday, great players, but not in the same tier of superstars. Steph, what is it about his leadership style, how he's as a teammate that's a little different from other superstar superstars in this league?

00:18 Well, what makes Steph unique is just his blend of humility and humor and confidence. He just sets a great tone every day, loves practice, loves the work, so you come in and the vibe is where it should be, day after day after day, because of Steph.

00:39 Can you, give an update on what Jimmy's status is for this game?

00:42 Well, we're hopeful that he'll play, but he's gotta warm up first and we'll see. Did he go through the shootaround and everything?

00:48 Yeah, with everyone else. Yeah, I mean, it was very light. We just walked through stuff.

00:52 What — I know you said you talked to Rick (Celebrini) maybe about how many minutes he might be able to play. What did that conversation go like and do you expect him to be on a minutes restriction?

01:00 If he can go, he's not on a minutes restriction. It'll just be based on how he's feeling.

01:05 Coach, Houston obviously down 2-1, you'd think they're gonna come out with a lot of desperation. How do you guys match that tonight?

01:13 A lot of desperation of our own. I mean that's what these playoffs are all about. It's just how hard teams are playing. You can see how physical the games are around the league and when a team is down, you saw Denver the other night, down 2-1 and how hard they played and this is what it's about, responding to the circumstances, and if you're up, like we are, if you're coming off a win like we are, you have to respond to those circumstances, too. And so it's about the force and the effort level and getting every loose ball, every rebound and bringing the fight.

01:58 Hi, Steve over here. As you probably noticed, the Lakers played Luka and LeBron heavy minutes yesterday. I'm just curious, philosophically, sort of how you balance the urgency of these games with the reality of Steph being 37 and Jimmy, how you sort of tip those scales.

02:18 Yeah, I mean, every coach has to coach his own team based on circumstances, based on what that coach knows and how he feels about his team and how his players are doing and all that stuff, so we all have very difficult decisions to make every game and I have no doubt that, if a coach played his bench and lost, then the narrative would be, how could you not play your starters more? So I know how you guys work, Ron (Kroichick). I know how this game works, so but that's the game, that's the way this all plays out, we all have to base our decisions on our gut and you get judged on the results and that's perfectly fair, but we all have to decide what that means.

03:10 I guess what I'm asking, last game you had — thanks Tim (Kawakami) — last game you had Steph at, I think 40, right?

03:16 At 40? Yeah.

03:17 What's sort of your ideal target for him, given his age, but given the importance of these games?

03:22 Well, with Jimmy out, we knew we were gonna have to play Steph more, so if Jimmy plays tonight and looks like himself, then hopefully we can get Steph down closer to 35.

03:35 Obviously, always want Jimmy to play and you did, but winning without him, getting guys other minutes, maybe expand the rotation a little bit like you did last game, is there a good thing on that that can you carry some of that from some of these guys who hadn't been playing as much into the rest of the series and the rest of the playoffs?

03:52 Yeah, I think guys gain confidence from playoff success and they gain it individually. They also gain it as a team and I think one of the things that happens in the playoffs, too, is you settle in after the first couple games and It becomes more normalized playoff basketball. You get used to the vibe and the feel and the intensity and when guys have a little success early on, I think it bodes well for them to continue playing with confidence.

04:24 How do you feel about your offense facing that double-big lineup from Houston and when Adams is on the floor, do you think you'll go to a Hack-a-Adams kind of situation?

04:34 Well, we did last game based on what was happening. I think we scored one point in — or one basket — in about seven or eight minutes, so we were really doing it just to change the flow of the game and see if we could disrupt things a little bit and it didn't really work, but it's a tactic we always have in our back pocket, so their big lineup has been good for them, especially defensively. And obviously they rebound well, so we have to be prepared for that.

05:10 Coach, what's the difference between what you've seen from Jimmy Saturday versus today and also what did you see that made you even comfortable considering him coming back after such a hard fall?

05:26 Tonight or the other night?

05:28 Tonight.

05:29 Before Game 3, you mean, or — ?

05:30 Yeah. Or did you even really consider him before Game 3?

05:33 I mean, it was a possibility up until game time, but yeah, I mean, I just, I listened to Rick on all this stuff. That's his area. He and Jimmy have been working together every day since the injury and so I trust those guys. I trust Jimmy and we'll see if he can go tonight, and we'll play it ear as he plays, as we see how he feels, but it's always the performance team's decision on these things.

06:07 Did Rick see something two days later that makes them feel more comfortable that you could share?

06:11 Yeah, for sure. That's why his status has been, I would say, upgraded, even though he is still questionable. I think there's a much more reasonable chance for him to play tonight than there was in Game 3.

06:23 Steve, your closing lineup was really effective in Game 3. What worked for that lineup and how might that change if Jimmy can play?

06:31 We'll see. Every game's different and we have to read the game. Gary was working. Getting him the ball in the pocket against their blitz was very effective. I imagine they'll have a counter to that tonight and so that may necessitate a different tactic, different lineup. We have to read it.

06:53 So we are in a more physical series this season. So how do you prepare your team? How do you motivate your team to get ready for a physical game like this one?

07:01 Just punch 'em a couple times, wrap 'em up, hug 'em a lot, remind them that you're gonna feel a lot of that tonight. No, it's film work and it's playoff basketball. I mean, it's just, it is physical and the guys know that and they're ready. They're ready to go.

07:23 Steve, Saturday was your 101st win in the playoffs as a head coach in this league. What would you tell yourself 10 years ago about what it takes to be successful in the playoffs and just the experience that you've had maybe just these last 10 years?

07:38 What would I tell myself 10 years ago? I hope Steph Curry is healthy for the next 11 years. I mean, when you start out, you don't really know what to expect, but what became apparent pretty quickly was that I was coaching a group of incredible players who were not only talented, but really competitive and that's the key, this last, really, 13 years, I would say. The two years prior to me being here were playoff runs and just a lot of great talented players and there's been some continuity that's helped us quite a bit based on Steph and Dray and, before that, Andre, Klay. Doesn't happen very often anymore. If you follow the league, people move around all the time, so it's pretty remarkable that this group has stayed together for as long as it has. Thank you.

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00:00 Coach, interested to know your thoughts on Brandin Podziemski going on a tear tonight to kind of keep you guys in it and, of course, Jimmy Butler waking up at the end and really solidified some baskets that you needed.

00:09 STEVE KERR, POSTGAME G4-HOU-GSW: Both guys were amazing. Brandin's a big-time second year player, but plays like a 10th year guy. I mean, he's just got so much poise and confidence and he was, obviously, a key to to everything and then Jimmy getting to the line 12 times really carried us, especially in that fourth quarter. It was just an incredible performance by our guys against a great team that gave us everything we could handle tonight, so it's a big time win.

00:42 A little specifically on Jimmy, he definitely looked like he was not a hundred percent at times, limping even out there. Did you notice that? And what do you think he went through? And you played him 40 minutes, you just couldn't resist you. You just had to have him on the court.

00:56 Yeah. Yeah, we had to have him. I mean, if this were the regular season, he'd probably miss another week or two, but it's the playoffs and he's Jimmy Butler, so this is what he does. The rebound at the end was just incredible, the elevation, the force. Then, of course, knocking down the free throws to clinch it. Jimmy was just amazing.

01:22 What was going through your head when you saw that, the final defensive stop, unfold with Sengun verse Draymond and then the Jimmy rebound?

01:31 Well, what was going through my head was call a timeout either way, made or miss. We wanted to get the timeout so we'd get Steph back in and I just thought Dray played phenomenal defense with five fouls. Most of the fourth quarter he's out there and so he did a brilliant job and we're able to get Sengun forced out a little bit further than he'd been for most of the fourth, so it made it a tougher shot and then, as I said, Jimmy made an amazing rebound.

02:07 And I know you don't like to use the word "solved," but to take a 3-1 lead with everything they've thrown at you guys, do you feel like you have all the answers at this point?

02:17 No. No, we don't have any answers. Every game's different. Tonight, they just hammered us with Adams' 26 minutes. I bet that's a season high for him. I don't know, but Raymond (Ridder) would know if he actually did his job as PR director, but — yes, correct. Okay, thank you. Stepping into playoff mode. Playoff Raymond, the first game of the season. But no, I just think every game's different and they made big adjustments tonight playing that double-big lineup more, playing Green less, but next game could be entirely different, as well, so all these things unfold differently each game and you have to adapt and adjust while it's going on.

03:10 Not to kind of overdramatize that rebound that you're talking about, but how difficult is that come baseline, I think it was, Adams that he had to leap over, but yeah, what type of play is that?

03:22 Just looked like he was coming in slow motion and just the elevation. I mean, he was — looked to me like he was just head and shoulders above everybody and that's a massive team they have out there, so yeah, that's kind of what makes Jimmy who he is. It's like he just does so many things. He makes so many big plays and that was — he gets fouled by Brooks on the corner, on the push, makes the three free throws, gets the stop, makes two more free throws. He's playoff Jimmy for a reason.

04:01 Steve, you've talked about how Jimmy Butler's kind of clarified roles and especially how Brandin has benefited from Jimmy's presence tonight. Was there a way that you could tell that Brandin was, I guess, benefiting from Jimmy being out there and helping him, I guess, score 26?

04:17 We got off to a great start, Brandin did. I thought we played really fast early in the game and that allowed us to get some openings against their defense and Brandin knocked down a couple shots. Felt really good about his game and really took off from there.

04:39 Steve, after the game on TNT, Jimmy said he'd die for these guys and he got his joy back. From what you know of Jimmy, what does that mean, that he died for his team and he got the joy, and how does he bring joy maybe differently than any other player that you've coached?

04:54 We have a great vibe here. Steph sets an amazing tone and when Jimmy arrived, he was instantly welcomed by Steph and the group and vice-versa. I mean, Jimmy really wanted to be here and it's just a great match. He was exactly what we needed and we've given him a group of guys to play with that I think he really enjoys. And it's, yeah, it's been fun to watch it all unfold.

05:29 Hey, Steve, over here. What can you say about just Draymond's night? He picks up the early fouls and, like you said, he doesn't foul out, but also your guys' ability to survive without him for a long stretch of time there in the second half?

05:40 Yeah, I mean, this is, again, this is what the playoffs are about, injuries, foul trouble, guys have to step up. I thought Quinten Post gave us really good minutes. We just had to survive some minutes. Loon, Trayce gave us almost six minutes to help us survive and buy Draymond some time on the bench, so everybody just did what they had to do to, to keep us going.

06:07 Just temperamentally, does it seem like Draymond has not taken the bait so far, this series? It seems like they've referred to him by name in the press and, even tonight, obviously attacking him after he gets the job.

06:17 Well, Draymond always walks the line. He always teeters on that line. He's an emotional force, a physical force, and he just can't cross the line and he knows that. And he's just done a great job of playing through the frustration. This is a tough series for him, just the way the game is being played. They've kind of taken the ball out of his hands a little bit and I just think he's done a really good job of dealing with the frustration and competing. And the last two games his fourth quarter defense, key to everything.

06:53 Steve, over here. You said Brandin, for a second year player, plays like a 10th year guy. What about him allows him to do that? And when you think back to his first couple months of the season, he clearly wasn't playing the way he played last year, right? Did you ever have a doubt that he could take this next step forward, as he clearly did tonight?

07:12 No, we saw last year what he could do and then we fully expected him to round into form, but Jimmy's arrival was huge for him and, again, it just, everything — the pieces fell into place for BP, for Moses. They were able to play off of Jimmy. The thing with Brandin, we know he's at his best when he was a secondary playmaker playing off the weak side, running through the catch, creating shots in the paint for himself, for others. And so once we got Jimmy, we were running a lot of offense through Jimmy and that allowed BP to play off that other side and I think he's at his best when he can do that.

07:56 Steve, what did you make of Buddy's game and just his addition to the starting lineup? How'd you feel like that unit clicked?

08:02 Unit was great. I mean, great start to the first quarter, great start to the third quarter, so I think that that unit gave us more speed, more shooting and it forced some matchups for them to make the game a little more difficult for them. And then of course, they counter by bringing in their monsters together and we have to deal with that, so there's a lot going on in this series, for sure.

08:28 And then closeout situation now coming in a couple days. What challenges or do closeout games in inherently present?

08:35 They're always the hardest one. I mean, every team that's in the playoffs, especially a team like Houston, a 2-seed, 52 wins, big-time team, they got a lot of pride, great coach. They're gonna be ready and it's, we got a long way to go, so we know that Game 5 will be the toughest one yet.

08:58 Steve, with all you've seen and as you feel out these situations when a team in the game on the line decides to post up Draymond and you're watching it, how — on a scale of one to 100 — how good do you feel about your chances in that situation?

09:14 One being great or a hundred being great?

09:16 A hundred being great.

09:18 A hundred. And that's — I feel like a hundred. Yeah, I mean, he's the best defender I've ever seen in my life and he rises to the occasion, on top of being a great defender. He is an incredible competitor and so anytime, and we've seen it — I've seen it for 11 years. Get him on the line, Draymond making a stop. It's like having Steph Curry take the shot. Thank you.

—

00:00 Jimmy, when Dray came in, he said that quarters one through three, you couldn't move, but something clicked in the fourth quarter and you just showed up. What was it that clicked? Did the pain go away? Did you just lock in? What was it?

00:12 JIMMY BUTLER, POSTGAME G4-HOU-GSW: I just, I thought it was winning time, doing certain things that the team needed me to do to go out there and help win. Finally, I started moving a little bit better and happy to be able to go out there and compete with my guys.

00:27 Is that Playoff Jimmy?

00:30 We're not going do this. It's just part of the game now. Your body starts to warm up. You start to move a little bit better. You gain confidence. People start talking to you and then good things happen.

00:43 You said people start talking to you. You're talking about Dillon Brooks?

00:46 Yeah. Yes.

00:49 Anything you wanna share that he said?

00:51 Nah, I mean, I like it. I think we all like when people start chirping. It is been this way this entire series. I don't think it's gonna change and we're gonna go out there, we gonna compete and we're gonna go do what we're supposed to do in Houston.

01:06 Could you describe the final rebound that you got? Steve really kind of pumped that up as one of like the biggest plays of the night. What'd you see there?

01:14 I saw that I wasn't battling with Steven Adams the last play, so I was able to go up there and be a semi-athlete, but I wanted to rebound. I told Dray, if you get a stop, I will get the rebound. And he got the stop and I got the rebound.

01:30 Jimmy, what were the past four or five days like for you just after the fall? And how close did you feel on, on Saturday? What was the ultimate difference the last couple days?

01:40 A lot of pain, I'm not gonna lie to you. My dog, Armando's been working every minute and hour, off of the hour, to make sure that I was able to play and he's been doing it since I went down. The training staff here has been incredible. My teammates, incredible and making sure that I was okay, checking in on me. And then today I woke up and I was good enough, so I was able to go out there and compete.

02:06 Kerr said that if this was the regular season, you might maybe out for a week or more. Is that essentially true and — ?

02:13 Yeah, I would like to think so. I'm not gonna say that I'm not hurting, but it's a good pain whenever it's all towards winning. I feel like they got me here to help do something special and if I'm out there on the floor, I'm expected to produce and help win, so I'm glad that I was able to do that tonight.

02:33 And did it hurt more like with a bump or a fall ? You definitely hit the floor a couple times.

02:37 A couple times, but I'm a big boy. I'm like 35 years of age now, so I know how to handle those type of things, get some more treatment, get some rest, dominoes, coffee, kids. That's the formula to success.

02:53 Jimmy, on Saturday, Steve Kerr compared you to Andre Iguodala in terms of being on the bench and coaching and helping. What was it like to watch them win without you? And just how proud were you and what was your role? And that fur coat too. Tell us about that fur coat, please.

03:12 You like that? Yeah, that's Alo for you right there. Y'all go to Alo, get y'all some of that stuff. No, no, no, no, no. I think it's a crazy comparison 'cause I was able to play with Dray back in my Miami days and just to get to know him and know how he goes about everything. It's all towards winning and it's all towards doing the right things, but to see my guys go out there and get a dub, it doesn't surprise me because I see the way that everybody works on their game every single day and how they do the right things and they're just putting the same winning stuff into like this bucket and that, when it's time to tip that bucket over, all that winning comes out. I hate to give Buddy a compliment, so I'm not going to, but No. 7 on our team really brought the defensive mentality tonight, made some big shots, and he stinks. I just gotta add that too.

04:06 Steve has said so much about the spacing is crucial for Steph to get the defenders off, maybe a little bit off him. How do you sort of see how that's going for you guys to create, I mean, keep creating, trying to create space?

04:22 Space or no space, Steph is gonna Steph. I see it on Instagram all the time and he's gonna make incredible shots and he's gonna get the ball to everybody where they're comfortable in space. He has the most difficult job in this league, I would like to think. And he handles it with grace. He's always smiling, Teammate of the Year, and he's great for a reason.

04:51 In your playoff experience, is there like a point in a series when it's like, "We know we got 'em," and if so, have you guys reached that point yet?

05:01 Yes. There is a point. When you win four games, so we got one more to get you. You can't let your guard down at all. It's been a dog fight damn near every game, so it could go either way, but I'm glad that the way that it's going is for the Warriors.

05:17 Jimmy, we didn't get to talk to you after the injury. Have you ever had an injury like that before? And did you have any issues with how it happened?

05:25 No. I mean, I fell on my tailbone before, but not as hard as I hit at that time. Didn't like it. It wasn't a great feeling and more than anything I just wanted to play. This is the best time of year for everybody. This is why you go through what you go through, so to be able to miss a game, I don't like it, but I'm back. I'm back in a big way.

05:48 Do you have to wear a pad or anything like that?

05:50 No, no pad for me. I'm not Steph, so I don't need that.

05:54 And what is it gonna take to close things out in Houston?

05:59 Some more togetherness, some better rebounding, some shot-making. That always helps more than anything, just staying poised, knowing that there are gonna be some tests. There's definitely gonna be that, but keeping everybody in the game, that's what we need to do.

06:18 Jimmy, Draymond gets those early fouls and that early — right here — and that early tech too. What did you just see from him and his--

06:26 And the flagrant.

06:27 And the flagrant. What did you see from him and his ability to stay on the court and just be there for that last play?

06:34 I'm not even gonna say that it's growth because he knows that we must have Draymond Green on the floor in order to win, so the amount of poise that he has when — everything that he does, it's always blown out of proportion 'cause if it was anybody else, it wouldn't be that. But to stay so calm, to come out there, get stops, kick us off on the offensive side of the ball, you're a special human being and that's why he's the Hustle Man of the Year. So remember that.

07:04 Jimmy, you and Dillon got into it. It looked like you guys were having fun, take it back to the playground almost. It looked like — what was it like out there? And it looked like you guys were going back and forth. Did you enjoy that element of the game?

07:15 No, we're not having fun. Get me on record for this. I don't like Dillon Brooks, so we're never having fun. I'm a fierce competitor. He's a fierce competitor, but there ain't nothing fun about that.

07:27 So when you look at some of the pictures — I was looking at the pictures and it looked like he was trying to have fun, but you weren't going for it.

07:33 No, I'm not going for that and I don't think anybody is trying to be friends with anybody on either team, that's for sure. Fun is winning. Fun is competing. And it's gonna be fun whenever we get four.

07:48 How would you describe that second quarter where, yeah, I think you guys gave them 15 points off turnovers. There was review after review after review. What was that like going through that part of the game, knowing that that's gonna happen?

08:00 This game is a game of runs. They're gonna have theirs, we're gonna have ours. Like I always say, stay poised. Stop turning the ball over in the first place, you won't have to worry about it. And know that in the end, we're good enough and we have enough.

08:14 Jimmy, I heard that you said a little earlier that you got your joy back, which was a big thing for you a couple months ago.

08:19 Mm-hmm.

08:19 Is that joy because of winning or is that joy because of winning with this group of guys?

08:23 Definitely because of winning. Definitely because I'm able to be who I am, who I've made myself out to be for the last couple of years in this league, but more than anything, it's just fun. I get to play basketball. I get to come into work knowing that I'm gonna be able to play in these games, play in the playoffs, and help us do something special.

08:45 Jimmy, to your right. Speaking of fun, I don't know if you've been asked this, but how did you come up with the Steph Bat-light with the Steph logo? Who on your team comes up with that type of stuff and are you having fun on the social media side too?

08:55 Yeah, I am. I'm having a lot of fun on socials, the Bat-signal, my content guys came up with. It was my idea, but that's who he is to me, to us, to y'all, to the world.

09:11 Is Alfred gonna get any love anytime soon?

09:14 I don't know who — I don't know, who do you think Alfred would be?

09:17 Buddy?

09:18 No.

09:18 I think Buddy thinks he's Alfred.

09:20 That is not the right answer. No. Who?

09:25 Buddy said he's Alfred.

09:27 No, no. Buddy is not in this. Buddy's the Joker or something. He's the evil man.

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00:00 Podz, Coach Kerr said you are a two-year player that plays like a 10-year player because of the poise that you show out there and you showed your poise tonight. Obviously, having a big game, how big was it for you to have that big game knowing that you had a few struggling, early on?

00:20 BRANDIN PODZIEMSKI, POSTGAME G4-HOU-GSW: I think it was big just 'cause we won the game. I seen some stat on ESPN today of the leading scorer in the series with Steph and then a bunch of Rockets and then Jimmy, who's only played one game and so, just tried to do my best to help him out and ended up getting the win and that's all we really wanted tonight.

00:41 Given everything that they threw at you tonight and in the series, how important was it to stay composed as a team throughout the game?

00:48 I think it was very important. As the series has gone on, they've tried a bunch of different things with their defense and so I think having high-IQ players on our side, being able to recognize that kind of thing and make adjustments throughout the game, within the game, it's been huge. I think our coaching staff's done a good job in-game, adjustment-wise. Obviously, the starting lineup with Buddy kind of put Sengun on me, which is fine with me and so they made an adjustment by playing Adams and going zone most of the night and that's how you saw me and Buddy get a lot of our threes.

01:20 Brandin, Draymond just said that Jimmy basically couldn't move for three quarters and then in the fourth he found a way to move. What kind of effort did you see, the gutsy nature and the lift he gave you guys tonight?

01:32 That's what he's been doing for a long time, here in Miami, wherever he is been. Just Playoff Jimmy, just to see him do everything in his power the last couple days to get back to this point. And just trying to be out there for Game 4, even though we won Game 3 without him. Just to see his perseverance and do all the things he was required to do to get back, you can see that he wants to win. He's a winner.

01:59 You guys started the third quarter on an 18-1 run. What was the key to that?

02:04 Same as the start of the game. When we started on that run, forcing them to kind of play through Sengun and letting Draymond play one-on-one defense with him and keep everybody else out the game and run in transition, so they couldn't get their defense set. And I think the start of the first and start of third were big for us.

02:22 And speaking of Draymond on Sengun, what were you thinking when they tried to post up Sengun, let him iso on that last possession?

02:28 Why him? I don't know why you'd go after the Defensive Player of the Year.

02:34 Brandin, over here. Draymond noted your skill in all the work you do, but he also, in explaining sort of why you thrive in this setting, said you have irrational confidence. Where does that come from? Where does your self-belief sort of trace to, to be on this stage. This —

02:54 Well, first you gotta tell yourself you belong in the moment. I think good and great players want the moment and thrive in the moment and don't back down from it, but I think it's just from building evidence, all the, all the things you put into the game that collects over time. And from that collection you just, it's like, I've done this so many times now, just 'cause it's a different moment, it's still the same thing. And so there's no pressure and everything I do out there, I'm never gonna have a regretful decision and I'm just gonna go out there and know and tell myself I belong, because I do.

03:25 And one quick follow-up. How much of your scoring tonight was connected to them kind of bottling up Steph? I mean, Steph had even less room to operate, it seemed, than he has the last few games.

03:35 Yeah, I think that's what makes a team. You wanna commit two players for one and leave your guys kind of in zones to help off, I think that's what a team's about. And I think we did a good job of — or Steph did a good job of getting off the ball. When they're doing that for 48 minutes, there can be a, "Hey, I need to get a shot up," or, "Hey, I need to do this." And I think he was just super-cognizant, especially in the second half, of just getting off the ball. I think we had one turnover as a team in the second half, so we were just taking what the defense gave us. A lot of times, me, Jimmy, were on the baseline, around the corners when Sengun and Adams closing out to us and so getting the ball there and driving a closeout, making a play.

04:21 Brandin, as good as the scoring must have felt to you tonight, you've always been the guy that does the intangible things. You took another charge tonight. How good did that block that you got on Van Vleet feel?

04:32 I mean, given the situation, obviously, it's magnified a little bit because it was a key possession, but just understanding, watching film, understanding he's not the best finisher in the paint and either he wants to spray it out or shoot threes a lot of the time. And so I wasn't too worried when he got past me, just kind of rode the drive and obviously he went for a floater and I just tried to help Dray out a little bit and get a piece of it.

04:57 Hey Brandin, what's going through your head when Draymond picks up that fifth foul what adjustments did you guys have to make to survive without him?

05:06 I think for me as a point guard, it was just like, what can we do defensively to kind of counteract action? Sengun, obviously he got going a little bit when Dray was out, but I think it was just, if we can get a three and trade it for a two with Sengun and just kind of make him work for it, we'll kind of live with it. And then I think for the most part in second half we kept the three out of the game, which is kind of how they score, if it's not Sengun.

05:31 Can you sort of describe that sidestep three in front of the bench? I mean, most of your threes seem like you're set, you're square to the basket, but that seemed like you were moving more than normal.

05:41 Yeah. low shot clock, got it on the wing. It's a shot I practice all the time and so, like I said, good players want the moment and they wanna take those shots and just happened to be my shot.

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06:03 BRANDIN PODZIEMSKI, OFF-DAY ZOOM CALL, DAY BEFORE G4-HOU-GSW: Nah, tomorrow, Steve gave us off-day, so yeah, we'll each all do our individual stuff and then come tomorrow with a plan for Game 4.

06:12 Did you — how'd you feel? how much different did you feel in Game 3 as opposed to Game 2?

06:21 I mean, I felt just from an energy perspective, way better. Had food in my system, felt good to be out there again, kind of felt similar to Game 1, honestly, in terms of my energy levels, so I don't expect anything less for Game 4.

06:39 What do you feel like you guys were able to find and open up there, offensively, starting at the end of the second quarter into that second half?

06:48 I mean, we just got space when Steph was getting blitzed. As a point guard on the floor, I just tried to communicate as much of who we wanna put in to some actions to kind of get the first domino to fall and I think that, paired with our defense, getting some turnovers, get some easy buckets, helped us cut the lead to three at halftime.

07:12 Brandin, how do you feel you guys played, defensively? It seemed like that was a key component to kind of grind it out when maybe the offense wasn't functioning as smoothly for part of the game. How do you sort of reflect on that?

07:26 Yeah, I think, like I had mentioned, focus is just on Van Vleet and Green, not letting them play in space, being physical with them, just as they are with us. And obviously Game 2, we had a lot of space and freedom. That's why he had 38 points and then look at Game 1 and 3, was more physical with him, more of his shots, put him in positions that he's not comfortable in and you obviously see the results because of it.

07:57 And closing the game with that four-guard lineup plus Draymond, what was the key to making that group work?

08:07 I mean, just being physical, tenacity, helping Draymond on the boards and then the ability to just switch with whomever, knowing that they need some threes at the end, that we can switch 1 through 5 and feel comfortable with any matchup. if Sengun gets a two, it doesn't really hurt us and so having that four-guard lineup helps us defensively, but offensively, also helps us as well.

08:33 Brandin, if Jimmy doesn't play tomorrow night, how confident — how much does last night's game sort of give you guys confidence? And Steph made a comment last night about the belief and confidence being a lot different than it was two months ago, obviously 'cause of Jimmy's effect, but if he's not out there, is there more confidence, more faith still because of the way you played last night?

09:00 I think last night helps, given the situation, magnitude of the game, but we won against the Rockets two times without Steph this year. We won once without him and Draymond, so we're confident with any kind of group we have out there. Obviously it's the playoffs, so it's different, but anybody that rolls out there or the five that's out there or whoever plays, we got confidence that we can win, execute the game plan because we know Steve and the staff's gonna have us ready to go.

09:35 Hey Brandin, you got whacked by Sengun on one of those plays towards the end of the game. How's your nose feeling and is that something like you're kind of conscious of as you're kind of playing through like these physical games?

09:47 I mean, contact, the physicalness of it, getting hit, falling down, it's all a part of it, so you prepare your body for it, you know it's gonna happen and quick turnaround with the game tomorrow, but I'll be good for tomorrow.

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00:00 Draymond, interested to know, when you went back in with those five fouls late in the game and they needed you on the floor, what was kind of going through your mind? What got you mentally there so that you could stay out there as long as you did?

00:11 DRAYMOND GREEN, POSTGAME G4-HOU-GSW: Just not pick up a cheap one, but I'm never gonna be one of the guys that, just because you got fouls, you don't defend. I feel very confident in my defensive ability to defend without fouling and so I'm gonna contest at the rim, I'm gonna — but in that situation, you just gotta make sure your fundamentals are clean. And so that's what I try to do. If I'm gonna go vertical with Amen at the rim or if I'm going to guard Sengun at the post, I just try to make sure that my fundamentals are there. But yeah, I can't be a guy for this team, just because I got fouls, I lay off. I'm our defensive anchor. You gotta be that. And if I foul out, I just foul out. I'm better served — this team is — I can better serve this team just playing and if I foul out, I'm gone, than staying out there and just giving up baskets.

01:06 What'd you see on that last play against Sengun?

01:13 He likes the iso right in the middle of the paint, so he started coming downhill. I gave a little ground and Stack (Jerry Stackhouse) always tell us it's a time that you have to get serious. He says it's time to get — and you just try to pick that point. I don't want to pick it too early where he's facing me and now I pick up a cheap one, so just try to find that sweet spot and where to get serious, as Stack says, and thought I found a good spot. He took a deep jump hook.

01:46 You said, I think it was a couple days ago after last game, about your technicals and how you sometimes strategically used them.

01:53 Yeah. I got a technical tonight and there was guys way more aggressive than me, so yeah, that's crazy.

01:59 Well, what happened overall in that second — I think it was the second quarter — from the technical and then —

02:04 They were trying to muddy the game up, but it's fine. We kept it pushing.

02:12 Draymond, I'm curious your thoughts on Podziemski and not so much his shooting or his skills, but for a young guy, as Steve said, he is a second-year player who acts like he's a — plays like he's a 10th-year guy. What about his makeup allows him to have a game like this on this stage?

02:30 I think it's his heart. Skill is — the skill is there. That's why he was — what pick was he, the 14th pick or something like that? 19th pick. That's why he, coming from a smaller school, 19th pick, the skill is there, but it's his heart and I like to call it irrational confidence, although I — he puts the work in, but he has irrational confidence. It's one of those things that I actually wish I had, but he just has the ultimate belief in himself and his abilities. And he went out there, he showed it and, quite honestly, he's been showing it for the last few months since he came back from injury. He's pretty much been lights out and tonight we needed it in a major way. And he stepped up, he answered the call, 26 points. Just, he's one of those guys that you just, you want on your side. People try to pick on him. They do this, they do that. He don't back down from anybody. He's smart as hell on both ends of the floor. Great draft pick by Mike (Dunleavy, Jr.).

03:45 Draymond, when it comes to Dillon Brooks, obviously he's always after the mental game. He's always talking on the free throw line. Anytime the ref is not paying attention, he's throwing a shot, maybe. How do you guys — do you guys ever have to actually calm the other down? Like, don't let him get in your head or have conversation about Dillon Brooks and what he's trying to do to kind of take you guys outta your game?

04:03 Nah, they do that.

04:05 Who?

04:06 Like, they be calming each other down, telling him, "Oh, don't worry about--" We don't get off into that. We just do what we do.

04:14 What did you think about Steph's taunting technical?

04:18 All he said was, "That's two." There's been way more taunting than that in this series, but hey, it is what it is. I like it.

04:32 I think we all could see what Jimmy was going through out there, clearly not at a hundred percent. What did you think of what he gave you guys and what did you just — what did it take for him to play like that?

04:44 Well, his presence, number one, it's huge. I've spoke about it over and over again, just the commitment that our ownership group and front office made to Jimmy, but not only to Jimmy, to Steph and I and Steve. We've been here for many years and still feeling like we have a chance, but not quite there and need a little boost. And our ownership group made a two year, $120 million commitment for us to get that boost and what he's meant since he's been here. Tonight was great. He played through the injury, was beautiful, but it's just his presence. What his presence does for his team is humongous. The first three quarters, he couldn't move. Not sure how he started moving in the fourth quarter, but first three quarters he couldn't move and yet he never complained. He stuck with it and I think when it — what was most important, when the time was right, everybody on our side looked to get him the ball. And when you get him the ball, he made great things happen for himself or for others and it was huge. I think my favorite play was the last rebound. I looked up, I thought it was Kuminga out there flying. It was Jimmy. That was my favorite play of all of them that he made.

06:13 You've dealt with trying to get back from injury and Rick (Celebrini) and you know how cautious Rick can be. Did you see Jimmy much over the last couple days and were you surprised he was able to basically to convince Rick to give him the green light?

06:26 I wasn't surprised because it's a playoff game. If it was a regular season game, Rick wouldn't even talk to him, but playoff game, haven't seen him, saw him in a meeting, and then he's out the way. Saw him shoot around quickly. He was gone out the way, like no extra shooting or anything. So I came into the locker room today and Jimmy has his whole little aura going with the candles and stuff and I didn't see all of his things and I was like, "Yo, so is he not playing?" because they just kind of had us go through shootaround, like, maybe he would be playing. I don't see him, but he was huge, showed up for us and closed the game up for us. It's big.

07:13 Draymond, you mentioned them trying to muddy it up a little bit. How concerned were you with not just the fifth and sixth personal foul, but the second technical foul? Playing with one for most of the game?

07:24 Not at all. I wasn't worried about a second tech. Can't play the game worrying. It's like I said before, if I'm gonna go out there worrying, I'm not doing this team any justice — I'll just go sit down if I'm just gonna go out there and be cautious. There's no place to be cautious. Playoff basketball. Gotta give it everything you got, so I wasn't worried one bit.

07:49 You've shrugged off their fans and some of the comments they've made about you this series. Have you felt restraint from yourself and kinda walking that line?

07:58 I'm always walking that line. It's who I am. Habitual line-stepper. Nah, I'm just playing.

08:07 Draymond, you — Draymond, back here — you referenced how they gave you that boost with Jimmy. Obviously, you weren't in the playoffs last year. How much do you appreciate being back here at this point in your career? Steph talked about it, too, where you guys have a legitimate chance to do it all again.

08:21 This is what you live for. When you've been to the mountaintop, it's a little tough for other things to excite you, except getting back to the mountaintop and — I see Joe (Lacob) standing back there. This guy doesn't allow us to just walk around here — if the goal isn't to get to the mountaintop, he's not happy, then everybody's around here not happy and it's just not a happy place when we're not competing for that. And to have the opportunity at this point to still compete and make a run for it, that's all you can ask for. It's all you ever wanted. You training in the summer, you're on the days where you don't feel like getting up, getting outta bed, it hurts. This is what you do it for, to get to this moment and have a chance to compete for it all. And I think we got as just as good a chance as anybody to do it. We know how to do it and that's been our mission since February.

09:24 Draymond with the opportunity to close it out in Houston, how do you approach a Game 5 with that kind of opportunity?

09:31 We know they're gonna come out and try to punch us in the mouth. Any team facing elimination is gonna do that. You find a physical, proud team like they are, they're definitely going to do that and just gotta go in there and take the punch and then deliver your own back. So it'll be a tough game. It'll be the toughest one of 'em all. It always is, but we just need to go in, stick to our game plan and if we do that, we give ourselves a chance to win.

10:02 Draymond, adding to that question, considering how the health of this team is right now, how important is it for you guys to get Game 5 done so you guys can get the necessary rest — ?

10:16 It's not the end of the world, but when you have an opportunity to close, you wanna do that. You let a series extend on, injuries happen, freak things can happen. You have an opportunity to close, you wanna do it. And so that'll be our focus, but it's not like if we go in there and we're not able to get the job done, we're pulling our hair out. Just move on to the next one, but we got all the confidence in the world that we can go in and close it out and that'll be our focus going down there.

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00:00 Hi, Stephen. Hi.

00:07 STEPH CURRY Hello, hello.

00:09 Jimmy said he was in a lot of pain and he finally started to move better in the fourth quarter. I mean, just how gutsy of a performance out there by him tonight to be able to do what he did in that rebound? He pulled down at the end as well.

00:22 Sheer determination and will. We held it down in Game 3 and I know he wanted to be out there and injuries are tough, especially in the playoffs, but for him to gut through that first half and get the wheels going and then get turned up second half, both ends of the floor, it's why he is who he is and why he means so much to us. So it's a gutty performance, for sure.

00:54 You've kind of been there before too, where you've come back from an injury and you weren't a hundred percent, but you go out there and you do what you do. What's the mentality when you know you can't be a hundred percent? What takes you through a four quarters of a game?

01:08 Just the sense of urgency at the moment, no matter really how it looks. You understand it's a long game and there's gonna be opportunities for you to make your impact felt and just having a knack for — it doesn't have to be loud scoring opportunities or whatnot. Just, there's moments where you feel like you can make a play and you have the confidence in yourself to do it, so it helps when somebody lights a fire under you, too. We all saw that.

01:39 Hey Steph, Brandin was really good today on both ends. What'd you see from him tonight?

01:46 Yeah, we had, I mean, I could spend all day talking about him, Buddy. Draymond's stop down the stretch, talked about Jimmy, QP coming in, hitting a couple big ones and momentum, but everybody contributed a level that we need and that's the playoffs. Every game has a different identity and a different feel and it's hard to predict how it's gonna look, but you have to have five guys who are on the floor ready for their moment. BP did that. There were certain matchups that he liked and took advantage of and made some timely shots for us. All you want is everybody to be confident to take open shots, play the way that they see fit and just bring energy. And he did that from the from the jump.

02:40 You mentioned to light a fire. Maybe that's a reference to some Dillon Brooks things. What did you think of your technical foul and did you think they — I mean, we know they're physical. We know this has been a feisty series. Was there even more inciting, in this game than maybe even the past few?

02:59 There were more reviews and tech — every game has been physical and there's been moments and you expect two teams to not like each other at this point, like four games in physical series. Every game is just a battle. It's what you expect when you know everybody's competing at a high level. You don't want the antics to distract from the game and I think we did a good job of bouncing back in the second half and not letting those type of episodes really get under our skin at all and channel that energy in the right direction, so that's what a good team can do and we did that in a second half.

03:44 Hey Steph, you seem pretty excited to celebrate this one with Draymond afterward. Obviously, he made the big play at the end, but what can you just say about his night as a whole, picking up your early fouls, but staying there and being there at the end to make that play?

04:00 Yeah, he kind of bookended the game. It was kind of funny. He hit those two threes to start and got us going. We finally got off to a better start, foul trouble and all that other stuff gotten — took away some of his minutes in the meat of the game, but that's what you want, right? There is, and I heard Coach talk about like, it's me taking a game-winning shot, it's Draymond getting a game-winning stop. I mean, especially when it's a one-on-one type of situation where they're just gonna try him and he stood tall, took the challenge and to be able to do that with how the rest of the game went is just a testament to him understanding the moment and staying locked in and engaged and doing what he needs to do to help us win.

04:47 Steph, two questions for you. One, is the taunting a sign of you turning over a new leaf and becoming a villain?

04:56 I'm not going — actually I am, actually. That was so stupid because he had did it literally the play before and I just returned the favor, but they didn't see him and they saw me. It's like siblings, the second one's gonna get in trouble, so that was me as a guy who's seen these games. So many come down to the end.

05:19 What's more agonizing, more difficult when you need to get a bucket to end a game, to win a game? Or you need to get a stop to win a game? It was an excellent question. Thank you for saying something.

05:31 It was a good question. It's more agonizing, I mean, the defense, for sure. Just 'cause you don't have as much control, I think. You probably asked Draymond, it's the opposite answer. but that's how we see the game, so you, either way, you feel like you can do enough to get over the hump and make a play to win a game. I think I had missed that little floater to try to go up three and I felt like I had missed an opportunity to give us a little bit of cushion, and I'm sure Dray on the other end was like, all right, it's my turn. and he answered a call. It was unbelievable to watch.

06:12 What are the challenges to closing out a series now that you'll have a chance to on Wednesday and how valuable would it be to make this a short series?

06:17 I mean, that's pretty straightforward. The more rest you get, the better. You don't wanna mess around with the game, but you understand close-out games are extremely difficult because of desperation from the other side. Trying to do it on the road is even more challenging, just the idea you have to stick with 48. I remember our first close-out game, or my first experience in 2013 playing Denver, I think we were like up 10 with, if I remember correctly, a couple minutes. We turned the ball over so many times and it felt like it was the longest two-, three-minute stretch to finish a game. And it's been helpful to go through it a bunch of times over the last decade, but it is just an experience that it takes everything outta you because the team doesn't wanna lay down. They're not gonna quit. They're gonna feed off their home crowd. It doesn't mean you have to play perfect and you don't want to come in with that mentality, like, "Oh, if we miss shots early or if they go on a run early," you don't wanna get in your head. It's a long game. Be resilient, relentless, and you gotta be disciplined more so than anything. I think that's our biggest challenge.

07:35 Steph, Jimmy just said that during the last play, he told Draymond Green, you get a stop, I will get rebound. How would you describe the team's effort on defense?

07:46 Yeah, it's a good combination, Draymond making a stand, making Sengun take a tough shot. They had Steven Adams down there, Jabari Smith, so they had — that's how they kind of came back in that end of the third, taking advantage of a big lineup, so for him to go get that rebound and, I mean, we saw last — when he — even the confidence to be able to get up with the injury that he had. Didn't work out in Game 2, but he turned the page and knew how important that was for us to seal the game, so I just liked the fact that we were talking about it too. That's how you build confidence with teammates. You do your job, I'll do mine.

08:30 Steph, you mentioned lighting a fire under you. Jimmy said you look forward to it. When you come into a game and you're playing 40-plus minutes two nights before, does it really help to be trash — well, for someone to be trash talking to you — does it really put that behind you and you just can go?

08:46 We've seen it all, and like I said, there's moments where it can distract you if you let it, but you kind of have to check yourself. Nobody's trying to be soft and let people try to walk all over you. You gotta protect yourself, protect the team. Some of those tactics are done to take you out of your game, so if you allow it to, then you kind of play right into their hands, so whether I'm talking or smiling my way through it or having fun with it, everybody handles it a little differently, but you gotta focus on basketball.

09:20 So to follow up, do you think it's better being that you guys have championship pedigree, that you are able to respond so well to it versus a younger team when you guys are giving it back and they're kind of making sloppy plays or sloppy mistakes or obvious cheap shots where they get caught by refs?

09:37 Nah, I think we have championship pedigree because we figure that out on the front end and that's kind of who we are consistently, so this team is different. We have to — we kind of figure it out on the fly. This particular group hasn't done it together before, so everybody individually has to be as disciplined as possible. That's the way we're gonna win.

10:03 You were honored or announced today is the Teammate of the Year in the NBA. Just what does that honor mean you?

10:11 It was cool because you're around a long time and understand building culture and being a consistent presence in the locker room, on and off the court, being somebody that people can reach out to appropriately for advice or building relationships, that type of thing is a really cool honor. My favorite part about it was when Coach, at shootaround this morning, started to give the whole spiel before anybody knew who won. Three other people got nominated in our huddle before it got to me, which speaks to the culture that we have around here and reflection of how much fun I've had being a part of this organization for so long, so definitely a special honor, for sure. Pretty cool trophy, too.

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