Steve Kerr: Stephen Curry not to blame for Warriors' Game 2 loss

OAKLAND - Steve Kerr tried not to blame Stephen Curry by name for the Warriors’ Game 2 loss to the Houston Rockets.

“We got broken down at the point of attack,” Kerr said Friday after practice. “They did a much better job of just attacking. Game 1, everybody was talking about how slow they were and the isos and all that stuff. Game 2, you saw Eric Gordon attacking, Trevor Ariza got into the paint. So, they did a better job of that. We’ve got to do a better job responding. Our on-ball defense was bad. That’s why P.J. Tucker got all six of his 3s from the corner. We’ve got to defend the ball better.”

The word “we” seemed like a polite substitute for “Curry.”

Curry’s on-ball defense in Game 2 was why Ariza scored in the paint and why Tucker got all those 3s. The Rockets attacked Curry relentlessly. Either they dribbled around him and laid the ball in the basket, or they dribbled around him and passed to a wide-open man in the corner. The Rockets shot 12 corner 3s and made 8. Rockets forward P.J. Tucker made 6 corner 3s himself.

“He didn’t create those,” Kerr said. “They broke our defense down, which led to that.”

Kerr seemed to be talking about Curry.

“I was a little in between, indecisive,” Curry said. “Wasn’t as aggressive on that end as I was in Game 1. Whether they get a bucket or not, my job is to make it tough on them, and I did that really well Game 1.

“Game 2, watching the film, I just had plays where I was in between - whether to switch or not, which way to send a guy. You’ve just got to have a little bit more assuredness of what you’re doing on the defensive end. You’ve got guys behind you ready to rotate, and we’ve all got to be on the same page, and I think that’s what the difference between Game 1 and Game 2 was.”

In other words, Curry blamed himself for the loss.

Before he sprained his left knee on March 23, he frequently was the reason the Warriors won games. But, in this series, the Rockets have systematically tried to reduce him to a defensive liability. And somehow, they have affected his ability to shoot 3s. The greatest shooter of all time has made just 2 of 13 3s in two playoff games against Houston.

“I think Steph is healthy,” Kerr said, speaking about Curry’s 3-point shooting. “He is moving fine. This is more rhythm than anything. You come back in the regular season, chances are you’re going to have a game where the other team is playing their fourth game in five nights, the defense isn’t that tough and you make a bunch of 3s and just feel good.

“In the playoffs, the analogy I would use is baseball. You’re facing the other team’s best pitching night after night. You’re not going to get that one freebee where they have to call up the guy from the minors and he’s much more hittable. It’s harder to adapt in the playoffs, but I feel really good about where Steph is and our ability to help him and help free him up for the next game.”

Kerr wouldn’t say how he plans to free up Curry, but did say he expects the home-court advantage in Games 3 and 4 to benefit him. “Steph and Oracle is a good combination,” he said.

Since returning from his knee injury, Curry is shooting ?58.1 percent from the field, 50 percent from the 3-point line and scoring 28 points per game at home. On the road, he’s shooting 41.4 percent from the field, ?29 percent from the 3-point line and scoring just 19 points per game. Big difference.

“We have better pace at home,” Kerr said. “We just do. I don’t know why. It seems to be a universal dynamic in basketball. The home team generally gets a little more energy from the crowd and plays a little faster.”

Curry said he expects to shoot better in Game 3 than he did in Game 2, but recognizes he must defend better to give the Warriors a chance to win.

“I know what my strengths are in this league,” Curry said. “That’s to score the ball and be a playmaker. Defensively, I have some skillsets that I can rely on - a sense of anticipation, trying to be in the right place at the right time, quick hands, being able to stay in front of the ball. You have got to find a way to have an impact.”

Curry is searching for the way.