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NBA GLOBAL MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL

December 21, 2017

David West

New York, New York

Q. Just wanted to talk to you about your career and what it's like now that you've won that first ring.
DAVID WEST: Yeah, it's actually been really, really fun. We're getting everybody's best shot. Every team is gearing up to play their best game of the year against us. We're learning. As crazy as it sounds, we're defending champs but we know we have a lot of work to do in terms of trying to get back to the top. Teams have gotten better. Obviously, teams have made some changes. So we're in a position where we just know that we're going to get everybody's best shot, and we're having fun defending the title.

Q. You are one of many players with many years in the NBA still making a difference. How do you do that, and what do you especially think about Manu Ginobili, who is playing at a high level at 40 years old?
DAVID WEST: I think the main thing is to know your body, listen to your body, be in tune with what your body needs, and knowing your limitations, knowing when to rest. You've got to be in tune with your health in order to keep playing, particularly in the late stages of your career. Manu has always been a body-conscious guy. He's sort of the lead dog in this thing in terms of just figuring out ways to make sure the body is maintained and being able to contribute even at an older stage or later stage in the career.

But for me, it's been a lot about just changing my diet, preparing for every single game, making sure that my body feels as fresh and as healthy as possible. And then when I'm out there on the floor, just trying to be productive and use my smarts to maintain the advantage.

Q. Last year Coach Kerr called you the Draymond whisperer. Now that Draymond has taken rookie Jordan Bell under his wing as a sort of mini-Draymond, does that sort of make you the Draymond whisperer 2? And what do you think Jordan still needs to learn?
DAVID WEST: He has a lot of people talking to him. The coaching staff has been very instrumental in making sure he catches up and he learns on the fly, because we don't have a lot of practice time. A lot of the things that he's having to do, he's having to learn just by word of mouth. We really haven't had much time on the floor. I just try to find my spots. If I get in a place where I can lend some experience to him, I do. He's a high-caliber kid in terms of he knows the game. I think he knows who he is and he tries to be impactful with what he has. As long as he continues to learn, be a good listener, he has a bright, bright future.

Q. Over the last season with the Warriors dominating in the West and Cleveland dominating in the East, and now with great teams like the Celtics and OKC, does this change in the way that the Spurs are not your biggest opponent anymore?
DAVID WEST: No, I think in terms of the West, I think San Antonio is always a mountain to climb because they've got such great pedigree and have been consistently good for a very long time. Houston has made some changes and they're playing probably the best basketball in the league. So we know it's going to be difficult. We know that teams have geared up and have changed some. Obviously, Boston has gotten better in the East; Cleveland is who they are.

We're going to have to get better, and that's what we've been doing. We're a little banged up right now in terms of health, but guys are going, guys are developing. Guys who probably wouldn't be playing as much right now are playing because of the injuries, but it's going to help us in the long run. We went through a similar stretch like this last year when KD went down, and I thought we were better for it. I think we're on that same trail in terms of our team just growing and getting better, figuring out what lineups work and who works well together, because ultimately we're going to have to get through a tough, tough Western Conference playoff.

Q. What's it like for you guys in terms of logistics and preparing yourself for the game on Christmas Day, and do you get a chance to see family at all?
DAVID WEST: We'll celebrate Christmas the day before, eat and stuff with our families the day before. It's something that we've kind of gotten used to. We had to do it throughout different points of our career. Now with Golden State, you've got to do it just about every Christmas. It's something that we're used to, something that we're prepared for, but obviously we think about our family just like anybody else during the holiday season.

Q. As you prepare for the Christmas game against the Cavaliers, what kind of challenge do they bring?
DAVID WEST: Well, obviously, LeBron is the head of the snake. We have to do what we can to limit him and make sure he sees multiple bodies and he doesn't feel like he's playing one-on-one basketball, because he's a great player. Their role guys have sort of figured things out. They went on a crazy win streak that ended two weeks ago, but yeah, they're playing some good basketball.

We're very familiar with them. We know they're going to be tough and aggressive defensively. The key for us is to make sure we don't turn the ball over. We have to make sure we're getting shot attempts and we're getting shots on goal and force them to defend us and defend our pace and our cuts, and hopefully we'll find ourselves in good shape.

Q. I just wanted to speak more about last year's game on Christmas Day. It was one of the most exciting regular-season matches between you guys and the Cavs. Are you juiced up for a similar encounter or are you looking for revenge from that day? Obviously, you got revenge in the NBA Finals, but Christmas Day maybe a different sort of revenge perhaps?
DAVID WEST: Yeah, I think we're better suited in terms of -- last year I think we were still trying to figure things out with integrating Kevin [Durant] and the new people that we had. I think this year we're probably a little bit more talented in who we are. We know exactly the way we need to play to be successful.

We know it's going to be an intense game. Everybody is going to be watching, obviously, and they're going to try to send a message because we only play each other twice during the regular season. We want to be able to defend our home floor, which is of the utmost importance. So we're just looking for an intense, intense game. We know they're going to bring their best. We feel like we're in a pretty good groove, a pretty good stride right now, and we're going to give them our best shot on Christmas Day.

Q. I lived in New Orleans a long time ago, went to Tulane. I think you're still the all-team leading scorer for the Pelicans. You guys might see them in the first round, which would be interesting. How would you feel about playing a series against your old team? Do you still have links to the city, and any thoughts of how you would feel if the team ever got sold?
DAVID WEST: Yeah, I'm still pretty thoroughly connected to New Orleans. I was there for eight years. That was my longest stop in terms of my career, and I started there.

They're one of those teams that we know we may face at some point. I think we've done a good job competing against them, particularly against their size, with Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. They're tough, tough competitors. But we've been able to meet that challenge to this point.

Again, there's a long way to go before we start talking about playoff matchups. But we know that they're a team that we may have to face at some point in time.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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