LOS ANGELES -- Stephen Curry seems to be in a rut.
Through the first four games of the NBA playoff first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Warriors star has struggled to stay on the floor because of foul trouble. The problem even has caused Curry to etch the words "don't" and "reach" on his Under Armour Curry 6 sneakers.
That two-word mantra is something Curry can take heed in as the postseason progresses.
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"He just hasn't been focused," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after Sunday's 113-105 Game 4 win at Staples Center.
Curry has accumulated 17 total fouls in the series. In Game 4, he committed four fouls -- three in the first half, with two coming in the first quarter.
Curry has shown throughout his career that he has a habit for the dramatic. Four years ago -- in a regular-season game against the Clippers -- he dribbled through the hands of LA defenders before shooting a contested 3-pointer with 10 seconds left on the shot clock, much to Kerr's chagrin. The shot went in, leaving Kerr and the rest of the league a lasting image of Curry's mentality. However, that same strategy occasionally leads to the guard being overly aggressive on defense, as evidenced over his last four outings.
"The same thing that makes him not hesitate to shoot a fadeaway 30-footer maybe is the same thing that gets him in foul trouble," Kerr said. "You know, he doesn't overthink much, and so he's just gotten into a habit lately of reaching, and instead of showing his hands and trusting the help behind him."
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Curry switched into a neon green pair of Curry 6s during the halftime break, and it seemed to change his defensive habits. He committed only one foul in the second half in an effort to offset shooting 3 of 14 from the field.
"I didn't really put myself in bad positions," Curry said. "In the whole second half, I was able to play aggressive on the ball and play defense without fouling."
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Curry has proven that he's prone to taking big risks on the court and cashing in on big rewards. But now, for Curry and the Warriors to be successful, he'll have to stay on the floor and not in foul trouble.
"I need to continue to focus on it," Curry said. "But good call or bad call, I need to not put myself in bad positions."