The Houston Rockets came within striking distance of coming back from a 23-point deficit on their home floor. But just when it seemed the Golden State Warriors would stumble, they found their defensive footing. They forced six turnovers in the final six minutes, securing a pivotal victory on the road in Game 1. And the win gave Steve Kerr some assurance. But for Stephen Curry, that might mean him having to restructure his game.

After the highly taxing matchup, the Warriors head coach emphasized one thing that could help the Warriors win this series. It’s playing “clean” basketball. “We need to be clean with our execution and transition. We don’t need to dribble through traffic, we don’t need to throw lob passes to try to get a dunk,” Kerr said after the game.

Stephen Curry largely feeds off momentum. Stringing together breathtaking possessions is how he demoralizes opponents. But the Rockets aren’t just a compact defensive unit. They create possessions, leading the regular season in offensive rebounding by a mile. Hence, even a single slip-up could amount to a window of opportunity for Houston.

This could potentially limit the things Curry generally does. How many times has he bailed the Warriors out of trouble with a sumptuous dribble? But in order to win, adjustments are necessary. Just to put the threat into perspective, the Warriors did a great job of keeping their turnovers to 11, but the Rockets still generated 23 points from them.

Against a team that thrives off playing with physicality and persistent energy, the Bay will have to be near perfect. That game plan hit home today. And despite Stephen Curry not unleashing his flair as much, the Chef did the cooking.

The Warriors may have taken Game 1, but let’s not act like it was flawless—especially for Steph. Golden State coughed up 11 turnovers, and four of them came from Curry himself. Two of those? They were brutal—and directly fueled Houston’s late push. As Steve Kerr keeps preaching “clean basketball,” the Warriors know they can’t afford to get sloppy—especially not in crunch time.

The first slip came at the 10-minute mark of the fourth. Steph, doing Steph things, tried to weave through Amen Thompson and Steven Adams in traffic. But this time, the magician lost the ball. Amen scooped it up, bolted in transition, and found Adams for an easy dunk that cut the Warriors’ lead to single digits. Momentum shift, just like that.

Then with 4:40 left, Curry went back into his bag, trying to snake-dribble between Tari Eason and Alperen Sengun. It didn’t end well—another turnover, another fast-break opportunity for the Rockets. Golden State still closed it out, but those lapses gave Houston just enough life to make things uncomfortable.

And speaking of discomfort—Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green were ice cold. They combined to shoot a rough 7-for-34. That won’t be the case again in Game 2, and the Warriors know it.

That’s why Steph, in his postgame chat with Chuck, made it a point to highlight Jimmy Butler’s presence. “He’s carried teams to the Finals,” Curry said. “The idea of what he brings to us is another guy who’s comfortable with the ball in his hands… He is a legitimate ball handler.”

Butler was surgical in Game 1—25 points on 57.8% true shooting and just one turnover while also running the offense in tandem with Steph. If there’s a playoff version of Jimmy, this is it. And if the Warriors are going to keep this run alive, Kerr’s going to hammer that phrase into their heads again:

“Clean basketball.” Because when they play clean, they’re nearly impossible to beat. But give Houston a crack? They’ll come swinging in Game 2.

In his first postseason game of the season, Curry logged in 31 points while shooting an impressive 63.2% from the field. This ability to blend his shooting prowess with the game plan is how the two-time MVP looked unfazed by Houston’s intensity. Not only that, but his flair didn’t extinguish, either.

There is still room for his imperious threes as he did in the third quarter. Still, in order to crack the code, Curry will need to stray away from his natural game. But Steve Kerr also has ultra confidence in his ace’s ability. When Stephen Curry gets going, he becomes the game plan. So don’t be surprised if, in one of the games, Kerr does allow the Baby Face Assassin to be himself.

Steve Kerr commends the other side of Stephen Curry

Scoring the ball in a multitude of ways has always been a trick up Stephen Curry’s sleeve. But for years, pundits have seen a downside to this glorious player. There is a belief that the four-time champion could be a liability on defense. That was clearly Houston’s plan tonight. They tried to attack through Curry, hoping for him to be the defensive mole.

But this isn’t the young Stephen Curry who gets intimidated. He stood his ground. And to Steve Kerr, that’s no surprise.

“He’s not a weak defender at all. So we don’t mind when people go to him. He stays in front, he does a great job, and I thought his defense was excellent tonight,” the Warriors HC said about the prolific player. Notably, the Rockets tried to pin Jalen Green’s speed and athleticism against Curry.

The Warriors’ legendary point guard though, didn’t allow him to make a single shot of the four he did defend against Green. It’s highly important for the Warriors to have Curry compete on the defensive end. And not only did he take on a multitude of challenges, but Stephen Curry did so brilliantly.

He played an integral role in helping his team curtail the Rockets offense that only shot 39% from the floor. With the exchange that Curry provides with his undisturbed offensive flow, the Bay is likely to hold the upper hand with his efforts. Tonight, the Warriors were flawless in their execution and late-game play.

Their path to the postseason may have been longer. But the likes of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green are rich in experience. In the big moments, there is no substitute for the same. Do you think the Warriors have the potential to go deep in the playoffs? Let us know your views in the comments below.