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GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 26, 2016

Klay Thompson

Oakland, California

Q. You've seen so much of Kevin Durant as an opponent. What was it like playing with him in Brazil? Did you see him in a different light? Did you learn anything about him that you didn't already know?
KLAY THOMPSON: I got to know him off the court, which was really cool. I didn't really learn anything I didn't know from the basket player that he was. Just a guy that really loves the game. Very unselfish. And he could have one of the biggest egos there, but he's really down to earth. And that was -- we were all 12 of us there to have fun and represent our country. That was my favorite moments from the trip.

Q. I remember after game 7 how disappointed you were. How long did that disappointment last? Can you describe the feeling palpably to us, what it's like to have that kind of disappointment?
KLAY THOMPSON: Well, these last two years I've been on the side of both winning and losing. Obviously in 2015 the result Matt gratification when you win an NBA Championship. And then the exact object sit the next year, you know. And I look at the bright side of things. We can get better from it. I think everybody in this organization was very disappointed. You had to be if you're a competitor. And that's what makes us a special group is that fire continues to burn inside us until we win another one. So it will last for a long time. It would bother anybody, obviously. But I've been on both sides of the spectrum now, and I've learned from both years what I can get better at. And this year we obviously have a new group. But it should be the same expectations we had the last two years.

Q. There's obviously a lot of newness around here, and on the outside all of us are asking how long will it take for this team to kind of mesh. How long do you think it's going to take to play with instinct like you guys have in the past?
KLAY THOMPSON: I don't think it will take very long. It will take some time, obviously. Our first practice is tomorrow together. So there will be some rust out there. But I anticipate it won't take that long. It's exciting and crazy to think about this weekend, it came so fast. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't put a number on it, number of days or number of games. But we are all unselfish players and we all love to play. Our front office does a great office to get on this team and just want to win, I don't think it will take that long.

Q. A couple of months ago you said that you won't be sacrificing anything. What did you mean when you said you won't be sacrificing anything?
KLAY THOMPSON: Well, when you acquire the talent we did this off season, I don't think that's a sacrifice at all. I think that we are in an amazing position to do things that haven't been done here. So I'm not talking about points per game or minutes or shots, I'm really not sacrificing anything because you don't sacrifice when you acquire a player like Kevin Durant and get people like David West. I think we really got stronger, which is hard to imagine because we had such a great year last year. That's what I meant by that, though.

Q. How much do you hear the crash talking about 3-1 for fans maybe shouting at you when you were in other arenas this summer, or just out in public? Do you want to hold on to that, is there any part of that that can be motivation?
KLAY THOMPSON: It's definitely motivation. You have to learn how to close out a series. I've been on the exact opposite of both spectrums, again, up 2-1 and down 2-1. And I've seen winning, coming back, and losing it. Obviously on social media a lot, and those people that talk trash to go out there and win, and have a lot of fun doing it. You can't really hold on to the past that much. You've just got to look forward. And we've got such an amazing opportunity in front of us. We've just got to look forward to practice tomorrow. It's a long ways away, but that's where we want to be.

Q. Last season 72 wins, is there a discussion of trying to beat that this year, and which team are you looking forward to playing more, Oklahoma City or Cleveland first?
KLAY THOMPSON: Well, I mean great history playing both teams, obviously place the Cavs, they have a great team. And OKC, they have a great team. Always fun playing in that building. What was the first part of the question? It's not our main goal, but if it's there at the end of the year, you might try to win as many as you've can. I try to approach every game the same. But we'll put a number on the wall that that's where we want to get to. Obviously you want to go 82-0, and that's not realistic, but I think every team wants to do that. But you don't try and say you want to win this many games. You just want to try to win every game. And you can live with the effort if you do that.

Q. Last year you guys talked a lot about having a target on your back coming off the Championship. And this is going to be a two parter. Do you feel that you guys will have a target on your back now with the addition of Durant, and secondly, Draymond talked about how he has grown as a man. I asked him this question last year, as well. But tell me how you've grown as a man this off season, as well?
KLAY THOMPSON: Well, to the first part of the question I think it's great to have a target on your back, it makes you play -- it's always a marquis game when you go into it. Not a lot of NBA players get to be in. We embrace that. If we didn't have a target on our back obviously we wouldn't be here today. This is my 6th media day, and to see how much our popularity and just the attention we've gotten, how much it's grown, we don't take it for granted.

And the second part of your question, Draymond gross every year, he's one of our best leaders, one of the best players in the game. And I think for me grew as a man off season is how I dealt with adversity. Being a couple of minutes away from NBA Championship, it makes you stronger and makes you work that much harder, and so we'll be that much hungrier this year. I think that's how I grew this summer, is to have positivity working harder, getting that work in the gym.

Q. Both Draymond and Steph talked about what Colin Kaepernick has been doing in terms of taking a stand and protesting. Do you have any thoughts on that and do you have any thoughts on whether you're stand for the National Anthem?
KLAY THOMPSON: What Colin is doing, it's amazing, because he's backing up what he's representing. He's not just going out there seeking the spotlight or doing it for attention. He's really trying to make a change. And it's very honorable. There are a lot of guys out there that might just do it -- a lot of people are doing it, but Colin is out there trying to really make a change. Using the platform to better our society. And there's a lot of honor in that.

And this is a great country, but obviously there's a lot of things going on right now that are really disheartening, and Colin is trying to make a change, so it's really inspirational not only to us athletes but to the younger generation and the older generation, as well.

To the second part of your question, after being around, playing team USA and being around the military and seeing how much we mean to them. When you're standing for your flag, I think that means a lot, as well. I'm all about a peaceful protest, I'm all about affirmative action, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it. I enjoy standing for the flag because I know there's a lot of opportunity in this country, especially basketball players around the world, and going to Brazil this summer was eye-opening and it was a great experience. That's it.

Q. Have you noticed a difference physically from when you would play the whole first quarter and rest to start the second, versus when you get pulled out earlier and come in the second. Do you have a preference between those two things?
KLAY THOMPSON: I mean if you make five or six shots in a row, your want to go until you miss. So there's no preference for me. I normally play a lot. So it's not about playing the whole game. I know Steve likes to use me with that second -- start second quarters. Whatever is best for the team. I think I'm in good enough shape to be able to play 40 minutes a night. But we have such a deep talented team there's no need for that, it's such a long season.

Q. How do you see that the team is the team this season and how do you see your role is going to change?
KLAY THOMPSON: Obviously we acquired some new players and some great players, that's what makes this season so exciting. There's a lot of anticipation. I don't see my role changing that much, being aggressive on the offense, play good defense object that side of the ball and be a pest. We've got a very unselfish team. And no one is going out there to seek their own individual -- no one is going out there to get their own. We're all going to do this together, that's what it takes to get another trophy. So it's baby steps, trying to get through a great practice tomorrow.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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