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JK: “He’s got a lot of poise…generally does not foul…he’ll get more respect as he goes…defending multiple positions and that’s a hard thing to find…”

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What makes the system the best? “uh, Steph Curry. I’m not kidding…he’s offense just by himself…pull defenders 35 feet from the hoop…take that defensive attention Steph gets and play-make…the fact that Steph can be dominant on and off the ball…there’s never been anybody…(on-ball and) off-ball game of Reggie Miller or Rip Hamilton, that combination has never been seen.”

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(Inaudible, maybe something about him and KD): “…we gotta go to dinner…(laughs)…you don’t really realize in the moment…it is dope to know everything we’ve all been through…HOFers out there going back and forth…gonna be like that all year long…”

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Seen Klay?: “Not since we’ve been here…I’ve seen him working out, he looks good…continuing to make strides.”

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Vets: “High IQ basketball players…I try to create havoc…when we’re locked in just make the simple play…we have a lot of shooting now…we created good shots and that wears on a team too. You see a guy wide open…carries momentum into the next possession and then the next possession. Everybody being a threat…it’s working.”

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Klay reports from Celebrini: “…he’s gonna play 5on5 tomorrow, James (Wiseman) did not play…a two-year absence requires a lot of work…endurance, strength…doesn’t mean he’s gonna be ready to step on an NBA floor next week…”

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Barclays attention on Steph, surprised: “No, because he’s gonna come here once a year…everybody connects to him, kids and adults alike…”

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Defense: “Throw some different looks that’s helpful…the NBA is such a rhythm league…a million pick and rolls…hard to defend all the three point shooting…”

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[15 minutes, super-long for a Steph postgame. Wonder if there were tons of NY reporters in the room (I only gave Tier 2 status for big market arenas so was not present, only did these notes as I usually do when I have just Zoom access)]

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Vets: “…how you practice, how you travel, how you prepare for games…familiarity there that helps and over eight years there’s a level of expectation of what it means for us…balance…for everybody to get a piece of the pie…you got Klay Thompson and James Wiseman back at home…greatvprblem to have but that’s the challenge…how many guys every single night…help us win a championship…”

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Nash still trying to figure out: “Everybody has a different burden when it comes to that…we know it’s not easy but part of the DNA that we have and what we built over 7-8 years…you have to buy into it or you don’t fit in here…everybody who’s rocking that jersey to live up to…we’re in the middle of meshing the (old) and new…different burdens for everybody trying to get to the top.”

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Draymond: “Look at our defensive rating…sense of pride in that…do that every single night, whether it’s his communication helping the other guys, him and Loon working together…fun way to play because you can see that at any point the avalanche can start…tough for teams to keep that pace for 48 minutes.”

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Excited by crowd? “You get juiced up…why we play the game.”

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(Inaudible): “don’t win games by yourself…”

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Crowd rooting for you “It was definitely weird and throughout that run we turned a lot of arenas…it’s fun for us. We appreciate the support and it’s nice to have that energy…keep winning, good things happen.”

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KD: “His shooting numbers are ridiculous right now in terms of efficiency…shooting 59% and 42 from three, it’s wild…he could have forty and you play great defense or he could have a night like tonight…love the fact that we can play at this level and keep pushing the envelope…still got a lot in the tank and we’re trying to show that.”

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Arrived?: “I mean yeah but it’s all about the narrative…Coach was talking about the steps we need to take to become a championship-caliber team…that’s the standard we have to hold ourselves to no matter what they say about Warriors basketball…all those points are gonna matter…you have to lock onto those in April, May and June…still got a lot to prove.”

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Crowd: “it’s not the playoffs but it’s an intensity that you know you have to show up…knowing there’s a lot of talent on the floor.”

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(His defense?): “Twenty point lead so you’re just trying to not mess it up

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Defense: “You keep a team like that to 18 points in a quarter…they were swarming all over the place…picking up momentum like that and getting stops…Draymond unreal…”

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Dray and Wiggs: “…we all know good offense beats good defense…we have another step in terms of if we can do what we did…everybody on a string and just not foul, we can take it to another level…it’s the type of fouls…we’re playing against a set defense…those two guys set the tone for us…”

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Recap: “played great defense, made them take tough shots…get like we got good possessions. We obviously can nitpick (fouls), 21 fouls is too much…wears…you just have to try to make it difficult…bounce back after a tough start to the road trip.”

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STEPH NEXT

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Klay: “…we’re not expecting him to be Klay Thompson 2018 right away but he’s worked his ass off…”

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Klay (?): “You talk to him but you don’t want to put any pressure…”

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Vets: “…I think this is a totally different team…you still have to build it back up…the continuity definitely helps.”

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Key? “Uh, we got Steph Curry…know when to cut and when to screen, it can be dynamic. I don’t think it’s really rocket science…”

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KD: “…if you do get destroyed you’re not alone…”

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KD: “(great guys go 1-for-2)…if I can affect him going 1-for-2…job well done…”

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(Inaudible, maybe about Steph again): “I wasn’t thinking about that…I don’t need to pinch me to feel that way.”

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Barclays crowd cheering for Steph: “…not only the MVP chants but the eruptions when he gets the ball…that was crazy.”

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You’ve arrived? “Uh, no…a lot of things we could’ve done better…we’re a good team…we have to continue to improve because we’re nowhere near where we need to be.”

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Defending KD: “…every shot he takes is open…I wanted that challenge. One, that’s my brother…trying to guard the best. More often than not you lose the battle…it just wasn’t me. I had help everywhere…it’s never an individual performance (against KD)…”

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Wiggs?: “…still fairly young…continuing to grow…”

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?: “…he brought exactly what we needed tonight.”

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Recap: “we got stops…they had 17 free throws at half. When you’re doing that you’re playing against a set defense…that’s when we took control of the game (after stops).”

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NEXT UP: DRAY

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Crowd: “sometimes we go on the road and they’re cheering for us…when you got Steph on your team.”

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Steph: “yeah he’s an iconic figure…crowd is gonna go wild for him. That’s respect and he deserves it. He helped change the league…”

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(inaudible): “it’s tough. This league is good…that helped me get back in my rhythm. Now we’re in a good spot.”

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Mindset shift? “Yeah I was a little nicked up at the beginning of the season…(now) feeling healthy…keep my foot on the gas…”

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Kerr System: “You never know what’s gonna happen. It’s very free flowing and you got Steph…”

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Guarding Harden different with rules: “Not really…he’s tough.”

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Statement game? “This was a big game for us…we showed the league that we’re here…our team is deep…”

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On Harden and Dray vs KD: “just tryna wear them down…we got a lot of bodies to throw at them…GP…Moses…JK…”

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Recap: “we got stops. In the Charlotte game we were with them but didn’t get stops…”

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WIGGINS NEXT

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Klay cleared for contact? “Yeah…”

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Wiseman: “No structural issues…daily maintenance…Jaren Jackson had the same injury…it’s a long process, his attitude is great…”

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Feel it now? “The way the crowd energizes when Steph (hits) from thirty feet…our team is good again…adds to what Steph brings to the table…showmanship…when you’re winning and you get the incredible display of skill from Steph…fun to be back in the spotlight…”

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