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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER MEDIA CONFERENCE

June 1, 2016

Anthony Morrow

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Q. First taste of the playoffs, did it live up or exceed your expectations?
ANTHONY MORROW: I mean, it was -- it started off as everything I kind of expected it to be, and then it just turned into something that was just way greater, going to the Western Conference finals. You know, Game 7, biggest stage in basketball, and having a chance to play and actually get in some of those games, it was a blessing. So it was fun.

Obviously, like I heard Kevin say, there's no moral victories. We all feel like we definitely could have won the series and won a championship, but it was still a great year. We got better every day. So it was good.

Q. You have a team option coming up. Do you want to be back here, and do you expect to?
ANTHONY MORROW: I mean, I expect to. Obviously, it's not really in my hands at this point, but it is what it is right now. I'm just blessed to be here. Like I said, this is the best organization I've ever been in. Guys really got better, a lot of encouragement on and off the floor. It's just one of those things where you've got to just let that play out like it does. It's out of my hands at this point.

Q. Did they relay at all to you their plans, or did you get a sense?
ANTHONY MORROW: I mean, overall team stuff, not necessarily a contract or anything like that. But team-wise, you know, get back in the gym in a couple weeks. Guys are going to take some time off. But we feel right now where we are, we're in a good place as a team. Hopefully, everybody comes back, and we can do it again next year.

Q. Do you feel like a lot of -- you know, the decisions on if you come back or other guys come back, it starts with Kevin and the decision he makes?
ANTHONY MORROW: I mean, I'm not sure. I can't really speak on it. But, obviously, everybody knows what's going on this summer in terms of Kevin, in terms of maybe other guys as well contractually.

But as far as, like I said, I really don't have anything hands on I could do at this point. So whatever happens happens, but I just know it's a blessing to be here. Like I said, I would expect to be back.

Q. What did you see from your two main leaders, Kevin and Russ, during this playoff run? We've had guys kind of come in and just talk about their command in huddles and things that they did.
ANTHONY MORROW: I saw them grow even more this year, just knowing that last year with the injuries and the way they were locked in from start to finish, just the communication was great with guys. We had some really great moments in terms of things could go haywire and frustration sets in. Those guys really stepped up with a lot of those moments and calmed guys down with their play and verbally as well.

Me just being in those guys' ear talking a lot on and off the floor, just understanding where their mindset was at, I think everybody, including, obviously, starting with them, kind of just sacrifices a lot, just to bring the whole team together. So it was good.

Q. For Steve and his group in the playoffs, did you just kind of see him morph the last two months?
ANTHONY MORROW: Just the last couple months of the season overall, I just saw him -- I know how hard he works. I just saw him on the court gaining more and more confidence, becoming more and more dominant down there, just turning to the defensive presence down there we all knew he could be. I think he really took a huge step forward. He's, in my opinion, just as good as any center, especially defensively.

He's still got such a high ceiling to grow and become a better player. The sky is really the limit for him. I'm really proud of Steven. He really grew a lot, mentally and physically.

Q. You're probably one of the Kevin's closest friends on the team. Will you talk to him over the next month and a half? Will you give him the space?
ANTHONY MORROW: We'll talk, but we're not going to talk about basketball, not like that. Obviously, I think everybody just needs to kind of exhale for a second, you know, just being so locked in like that, it was really an intense time. It was fun, though, but I think everybody needs some time to kind of just step back and just kind of enjoy our success and what we did this year and appreciate it.

But at the same time, obviously, we still going to keep in touch.

Q. It seems like you're really close with Dion too. Just as a friend, teammate, how much pride do you have in seeing the way that has elevated his game on a lot of different levels.
ANTHONY MORROW: Him, Steven, Andre, a lot of those guys. Those three guys did an amazing job. Dion did a great job really understanding -- I think he saw the way the coach was here, and he really bought into it. I think that was something that helped him grow. He had some really good games in the playoffs, and he really deserved -- everything he got this year, he really deserved it. He did a great job. I'm proud of him.

Dre as well, those guys really locked in and embraced their roles, kind of sacrificed, and I think it really worked out for us. They've really got high ceilings as well.

Q. Was your spotty playing time frustrating this season?
ANTHONY MORROW: Me, up and down. At times it was rough obviously, but that's the one thing that I sacrificed -- playing time, working on being an even better leader. It's not as easy to make shots and get into a rhythm when you're so up and down. Still just kind of taking that on as a challenge and seeing if I can help the team in any way consistently, what can I do? It's not always going to be the offense. I need to be a better leader. I need to be a guy that can -- talking to some guys, they get frustrated on and off the court just being a high spirited person all the time consistently.

And then on the court, just taking care of, whenever you get the opportunity, trying to make the best out of it. It was something that obviously going through was not easy, especially being a shooter, but I think it's something that made me stronger on the court and off the court.

Q. What do you think you want to work on this summer? Anything?
ANTHONY MORROW: I mean, this is pretty much the same for me every year. Every year is even more so on my body and conditioning and staying in shape. I feel like, if I stay in shape and do everything else I've been doing the last eight, ten years, I should be fine. So really with me, it's conditioning. Every year is a little bit more emphasis on something on my body that I want to strengthen or get stronger. That's what I'm going to continue to do and just make sure I come in in shape.

Q. Have these games in the playoffs, having an extended playoff for the first time, experiencing that, changed that preparation?
ANTHONY MORROW: No, not really. Not for me. You know, during that two-week time, probably do conditioning just so I don't get completely out of shape. Last two years of being here and maybe the last three years, I've probably been the most consistent in terms of not many injuries. Probably the most games I played in a three-year span. So just a lot of that when it goes into preparation in the off-season to get my body ready.

Q. How many shots are you going to get up this season?
ANTHONY MORROW: I don't know. I tried to count last year. I lost count. It will definitely be in the thousands. Just know that.

Q. What was the difference in Billy Donovan day one to mid-warriors series, as far as his command of the team, his comfort as a coach?
ANTHONY MORROW: He's just -- I told him I was proud of him as well just to see first year Western Conference finals. No matter what, that's really hard to do for any coach. I don't care who you are. So I take my hat off to him for that.

We dealt with a lot of stuff on and off the court, a lot of curveballs and stuff like that from just the organization, you know what I'm saying? From the community, like just a lot of stuff going on with it. So him having to deal with that and deal with us as a team, he did a great job. I think from day one to the middle of the Warriors series, I think he was even more hardened in everything we were dealing with. We saw him grow. He saw us grow. He saw us sacrifice. We saw him sacrifice and going towards one common goal. He did a great job, him and the entire coaching staff.

Q. You knew Monty and Ingrid just as well as anybody else on the team. With that and Mr. McClendon and Dion's brother, just what did you think about the way the organization and you as players, everybody rallied around each other and got through all that have?
ANTHONY MORROW: I think it was A-one. It's a family here. But what even more so impressed me was that the whole city and the community embraced the team as well. It really says a lot about what this team means to the community and what the community means to us as an organization. I think that made it a lot better.

I watched some of my guys really go through some tough times, and with the support of the community and the organization, I think that really kind of helped a lot of guys out. That's as a team definitely.

So it was great. I was blessed that I was on the team with that kind of support and a community with that kind of support. I know a lot of other guys appreciate it too.

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