Chris Paul responds to Curry’s trash talk
SAN FRANCISCO – Chris Paul managed to bottle up a smile when saying he doesn’t know what happened in 2014.
Pretty sure he and Stephen Curry both remember their postseason matchup nearly a decade ago.
That was the year Paul led the third seeded Clippers past the sixth seeded Warriors in seven games of the Western Conference opening round.
So when Curry was captured on camera saying “this ain’t 2014 no more,” after scoring on Paul and drawing the foul in Golden State’s 123-112 win Monday over Phoenix at Chase Center, Paul was asked about what Curry said.
“I don’t know what happened in 2014,” Paul said. “Ya’ll tell me?”
Paul said Curry didn’t say that directly to him.
“I don’t know nothing about that, 2014,” Paul said. “I ain’t trying to be funny. I promise. I don’t know. Ya’ll got to ask him. I don’t know what happened in 2014.”
Curry was later asked in his postgame press conference about what he said after scoring on Paul to give Golden State a 61-39 lead with 5:42 left in the second quarter.
The Warriors led by as many as 25 points in the first half.
“It’s all competition,” Curry said. “When you play against somebody for so many years and the love I got for him cause of our history and all of that. Just competition back and forth. Give it, take it.”
Curry finished Monday’s game the day before his 35th birthday with 23 points, going 4-of-6 from 3, with seven rebounds and five assists.
Paul managed 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting as he missed all four of his 3point attempts. The Suns point guard had a game-high 11 assists to go along with five rebounds.
The defending NBA champion Warriors were 0-3 against Phoenix this regular season before winning Monday night.
With the way Curry withstood how aggressive and physical Paul was guarding him on the play and got past him by keeping the dribble alive through the contact, the two-time NBA MVP could’ve easily been referring to being much stronger to handle that type of defense now compared to back in 2014.