Stephen Curry on James Harden Matchup: There Will Be 'A Lot of Back-and-Forth'

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry embraced the idea of going tit for tat with Houston Rockets superstar James Harden throughout the Western Conference Finals following the Dubs' 119-106 win in Game 1 on Monday.

According to ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon, Curry suggested he's comfortable being in that situation:

"If that's the game plan they want to stick with, my job is just to make it as tough as possible. You know how they get shots off in isolation-type situations, and they're tough to stop. So I'm going to get scored on; they're going to get scored on. There's going to be a lot of back-and-forth.

"But as long as we—I should say as long as I'm in the right spot at the right time and defend and just try to make it as tough as possible, I can be all right with that and just have that competitiveness that we need."

Despite Golden State's win, the matchup didn't work out well for Curry in Game 1. He finished with 18 points, while Harden scored a game-high 41.

James Harden Game Highlights

Per Second Spectrum data (h/t MacMahon), 13 of Harden's 26 isolation plays came against Curry in Game 1, and he averaged 1.31 points per play in those instances.

Curry has never been considered a defensive dynamo, and questions regarding his defense are more prominent than ever since he is coming off an MCL injury that caused him to miss six weeks.

The Rockets exploited that, but their inability to shut down Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson (65 combined points) prevented them from taking Game 1 at home.

As Durant and Thompson rolled, Curry attempted just 15 shots, and his 18 points represented his lowest total in a single contest this postseason.

Golden State's superstar depth often allows a different No. 1 scorer to emerge on any night, however, meaning Curry may be the preferred option against the defensively deficient Harden at some point during the series.

Although Harden thrived offensively, he finished with four turnovers and a minus-seven rating Monday, while Curry turned the ball over once and was a plus-five.

The next Curry vs. Harden matchup will occur Wednesday when the Rockets host the Warriors in Game 2 in hopes of evening the series at 1-1.