SALT LAKE CITY -- Stephen Curry knows what he wants out of himself and his teammates Monday night, when they take the floor with a chance to close out the Jazz in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals.
He’d like to immediately silence the Utah crowd at Vivint Smart Home Arena, steal any determination the Jazz might have and maintain it until the final horn.
In short, follow the same formula the Warriors applied in their last Game 4, two weeks ago, when they swept the Portland Trail Blazers.
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“Our intentions were great, our energy was great, our focus was great and we made pretty much every shot we took in that first quarter,” Curry recalled after shootaround Monday. “And it all stemmed from our defensive energy.”
The Warriors took a 14-0 lead, quieting the crowd at Moda Center. Making eight of their first 10 shots, the Warriors went up 22-3, forcing Portland -- which missed seven of its first eight shots, while committing three turnovers -- to burn two timeouts in the first six minutes.
The Blazers, no one more than shooting guard CJ McCollum, were done.
Though the Warriors seem to think the Jazz might put up more of a fight, Curry believes the opening minutes are all about using energy to set a tone, as was the case in Portland.
Golden State Warriors
“That could happen tonight, but we could miss some shots and it might not be as crazy a score,” he said. “They might be up, or whatever, but our energy and intensity and focus can still be there and we could still feel good about how we’re playing.
“That’s the test, really. And in a closeout game, you expect that other team to give everything they have, everything in the tank. And at some point, we want to wear them down to the point where we get a lot of momentum on our side, take the crowd out of it and just finish the job.”