Steph Curry knows what the Warriors must do if they want to force Game 7 back in the Bay Area.
Shortly after the Warriors' 121-106 Game 5 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night at Chase Center, Curry explained to TNT's "Inside the NBA" hosts what Golden State needs to do if they want to win Game 6 at Crypto.com Arena.
"It's just the mentality of taking hold of momentum and not giving them any life," Curry told Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson after the win. "There was a moment in the second quarter of Game 3 and then the first three, four minutes of Game 4, of the fourth quarter where we just let go of the rope a little bit and gave them life and they took advantage of it."
Curry added that the Warriors have to begin Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals strong and carry that energy for 48 minutes if they want to win against a hungry Lakers squad.
"So if we can get out to a good start and then take care of those margin plays, a couple of turnovers, offensive rebounds, whatever it is, I think we'll be in great shape and give ourselves a chance to come out with a win on the road," Curry said.
The 35-year-old also told Barkley the pressure now is on Los Angeles to maintain home-court advantage and that Golden State can still reach another offensive level.
"Obviously, I haven't shot the ball well from 3, Klay's kind of been hit or miss, so I feel like we can take another step and give ourselves a great opportunity," Curry said to Barkley. "That's the beauty of the playoffs -- every game is a narrative of its own and that's what you love about it."
Golden State Warriors
Lastly, the reigning NBA Finals MVP outlined to Smith that the Warriors have to be careful defending so as to not give the Lakers unnecessary trips to the free-throw line and allow Los Angeles' defense to get set.
"When we have good spacing and we're organized, we go at the right matchups, try to get the right looks, good things happen for us and when we're a little chaotic and unorganized, it looks really bad," Curry admitted. "So I think those two things are the focus and hopefully, those are things we can control.
"You can't control makes or misses, it's hard to put that ball in the basket but those things we can control and give ourselves a great chance."
Game 5 showed what the Warriors can do if they are able to control the tempo and be mindful of how they play defense.
Golden State limited Los Angeles to only 15 free-throw attempts, the second time this series the Lakers shot fewer than 20 free throws. The Warriors also out-rebounded and dished out more assists than the Lakers, 48-38 and 29-24, respectively.
Also, the Warriors can tap into their past experience of coming back from a 3-1 deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016 potentially to help them win Game 6 in Los Angeles.
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As the series shifts back to Crypto.com Arena for a pivotal Game 6, all eyes are on how the Lakers will adjust to the Warriors' game plan and how Anthony Davis will perform after taking an inadvertent elbow from Kevon Looney.
But for Curry and the Warriors, it already is clear what Golden State needs to do if it wants to keep its playoff run alive.