Steph likes Tatum's quote about KD as Game 5 motivation originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
There’s a lot to be learned from watching other NBA players on the court, but Steph Curry is also absorbing what his peers have to say when drawing up a game plan for the Warriors’ Game 5 matchup with the Denver Nuggets.
As the Warriors look to advance past the opening round of the NBA playoffs and into the Western Conference semifinals with a win on Wednesday, the Boston Celtics advanced over Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets on Monday after a hard-fought sweep.
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While listening to some postgame interviews from the Celtics-Nets game -- or perhaps scouting out a potential NBA Finals opponent -- Curry told reporters on Tuesday that he liked what Boston’s star forward Jayson Tatum had to say.
It just so happened to involve his former Dubs teammate, Durant.
“I think Jayson Tatum -- I like the quote he had yesterday after the game,” Curry said. “He was talking about what he did to slow KD down. He was like, 'You have to approach KD of what he's capable of, not what he's doing.'
“I like that quote in terms of, you gotta approach Denver in terms of what they're capable of. Everybody is playing extremely well, and the level they can get to we gotta match that and exceed it if we want to close out, get it done tomorrow.”
The Warriors’ 126-121 Game 4 loss to Denver at Ball Arena proved that the Nuggets aren’t going down without a fight. Golden State’s Game 3 win was hard-earned compared to Games 1 and 2, and Denver came out firing on Sunday to close the series gap 3-1.
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Tatum played a key role in stifling Durant on defense during the Celtics’ series sweep, and it’s clear that Curry thinks the 24-year-old’s strategy is one worth listening to.
If the Warriors want to close out the series on Wednesday, they can’t just match the Nuggets’ energy -- they have to exceed it.
