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GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCE

May 27, 2019

Shaun Livingston

Oakland, California

Q. What is it like to finally know the opponent for The Finals?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Finally. No, it's good. Game plan. Let's get it started. Exciting for everybody just to put a team, put some names, put some faces down, start getting a game plan.

Q. (No microphone.)
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Post-season what?

Q. (Question about Kawhi.)
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: It's been pretty incredible. He's obviously done what his team needed for him to do and above.

He's a great player that's really lifted his team up when they needed him. Looks like the trade worked out for them.

Q. Has it been a nice balance of rest and preparation and healing for some guys this stretch?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: For me. For me. Yeah. The old guys. You know? More rest the better. It's been good just for us to physically rest, mentally rest. Just stay in rhythm. But now it's good to get back into the action, training our minds for what's to come.

Q. What do you think of this Toronto team and what they have accomplished?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Oh, it's a great accomplishment. They have been right at the door the past couple years. And now for them to get to this position, it's just great for the franchise, the guys that's been there, and for the city.

Q. How impressed are you by Kawhi's improvement offensively the last few years to be where he is now as an offensive player?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: I mean you can tell he's put the work into his game. I think he's had the physical tools. That's what teams kind of drafted him on. But I don't know if anybody expected him to be this good coming out of college. So that's credit to the organization that worked with him and credit to himself for putting the work in and staying committed to his game.

Q. What's it going to be like to -- how do you guard Kyle? What is your role there?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Kyle's similar to Chris Paul in a way where he probably shoots it a little, maybe a little better from three or more threes, volume, but similar game. Getting to their spots, physical to guard, and just trying to make him work for all of his baskets. He's definitely the heart and soul of the team, just kind of getting them into their spots, keeping guys' confidence up, but he also plays the mind games out there, so you got to be smart.

Q. What do you take from the two games that you played against them? It was like five months ago now, if anything.
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah. It's all about matchups. So we look at our matchups and try to, coaches try to put the best game plan in order. But we have had guys that have -- KD had a crazy game up there in Toronto, but he's not playing right now. So we'll see what happens with him. But it's not really much that you can take off of it because guys were out, guys weren't playing, we're kind of a different team. I think we're both different teams from that point. So, not much.

Q. What do you remember about Vinsanity when you were a kid, Vince Carter, the Raptors teams?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Everybody had a Vince poster, you know. Everybody had a Vince poster. It was crazy, crazy times. That's still one of the greatest series of all time, him and AI going at it and the Sixers. So, yeah, that's classic culture.

Q. Is there kind of a part of you that's happy for Toronto and Canada that they finally made it to The Finals and broke through?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, I think so. I think it's, like I said, it's great for the city, because they have been right there. And their fans, their fans are incredibly loyal and pretty -- they get crazy up there. I would say that's one of the loudest, if not the loudest arena that I played in, a series that when I was in Brooklyn we played them first time and went seven games. So that was, they get wild.

Q. Steph Curry in this championship run, what allows him to not being fazed by the whole idea of being The Finals MVP?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: His character. That's really it. His character. Like, who he is as a person, just selfless leader, empowers the whole organization, all the guys, his teammates around him, so that's not a characteristic. What you described is him being upset that he didn't get that, that's not a characteristic of a selfless leader. It's not a characteristic of Steph. So it's definitely his character.

Q. (Talking about the different awards won by Golden State.)
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: I mean, it just elevated everybody's play and in turn allowed us to put banners up.

Q. Klay's talked recently about adding meditation to his routine. Can you picture Klay Thompson like sitting with Rocco in the backyard and meditating?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: 100 percent. 100 percent. 100 percent. For sure. Nothing would surprise me. Nothing would surprise me. I'll leave it there.

Q. But does that say something about how he always is trying to make himself better in some way?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: I would say Klay's open minded, so he definitely, he's not opposed to any alternative methods.

Q. Does that mean you don't meditate?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: No, no, no, I tried it, I tried it, I don't do it right now, but I tried it before.

Q. You've been cracking old guys jokes, other guys have been cracking them about you. Is there anything about this that is bitter sweet, are you wondering if this might be your last go round?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: I thought about it just a little bit between series, but again, just trying to enjoy the moment. Not trying to be so clichÃ© about it, but who knows. I think that decision really for me, the more that I thought about it it's going to come in the summer.

Q. What would it mean to get DeMarcus back in some capacity, just in terms of a lift for you guys and add to your depth that he's already been --
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, more so for him, I think he can help our team if he gets out there if he's healthy and mentally prepared, but this was his first Playoffs, so now we're talking about The Finals, it's a whole another level and I'm not questioning that's not ready for that, it's more about physically him going out there and being able to be himself after spending so much time off. So, but I want it for him. I want it for him personally to be out there contributing, being able to have those moments where he's helping our team and he's a force, because that's who he's been. But obviously the stars kind of have to align, right? Physically, mentally, the way our team is playing, circumstance, matchups, all that.

Q. How are you feeling physically? How is the knee?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: It's good. Nine days. Nine days.

Q. You appreciate that?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah.

Q. What do you this its going to be like seeing Patrick again. Obviously he resurfaced with the Raptors.
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: No, I still got love for Pat, you know, I text Pat, just check on him. He had a personal issue and, you know, it's still love, like this is where he started. He was, he's our little brother, he obviously made a decision that he thought was best for him and at the end of the day we live with it, we move on.

Q. Over the playoffs what do you make of Drake's presence on the sideline?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: I didn't make anything of it. Yeah, I don't get into all that.

Q. Steph said that Cleveland and Finals have become synonymous for this team, right. How different and bizarre is it for you guys preparing for someone other than Cleveland for this Finals?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: It is different, I mean four straight years playing them, but it's good, we get to go to a different city.

Q. Is it refreshing in the sense that --
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: For sure. For sure. We'll leave it right there.

Q. Is it also different to just start on the road, that's something you guys haven't done in a while?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, that's exciting. I think it was similar to what we did last year with Houston, just starting on the road, that sense of urgency, something different we haven't done the last four, five years, being the top seed. Now starting The Finals, something new for us, it's a challenge that we haven't had to face yet, so this is good for us.

Q. Is it less of a disadvantage in your guys' mind just because you guys have done very well on the road, you won a Game 7, obviously.
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: I would think so. I would think it is less of a challenge because of our experience.

Q. You mentioned Steph and obviously the goal is to win another title, but what would it mean for you guys to see him be rewarded at the end with the Finals MVP if the stars were to align?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, it would be the pinnacle, I think, the ultimate kind of reward in a sense of things going full circle, if you think about it, all of his sacrifices, from his contracts, to his play with Kevin getting here and just everything. I think it would be full circle.

Q. Is it a little strange also to think that there's only a handful of games left at Oracle? I mean we have talked about it all season, but it's right there.
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, that's sad. That's sad. As a guy that spent a lot of, pretty much my whole tenure with Golden State, here in Oakland, with the fans and building, the bond with the town, it's definitely going to be a sad moment, very bittersweet probably for a lot of the guys that's making the transition. But we'll hopefully make the best of it.

Q. How is the coaching staff, especially Steve, getting you guys ready for The Finals?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: It's good. They're excited. This is kind of, I would say, the pinnacle of coaching. If you're a coach, this is the type of opportunities that you want, the type of challenges you want to face. And I think I'm sure it's exciting for them to come up with a game plan. We got guys that can execute it, so it's go time.

Q. I know you've helped groom some of the young guys, reserves, who come up off the bench and just don't know when they will get their opportunity and that was a big, big factor in the last series. How much pride do you take in seeing everybody do a little something and guys you sort of have groomed to stay ready?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, it's rewarding, it's rewarding for all of us. Guys that put in the work that are playing three-on-three when nobody's watching, staying in shape, lifting, coming back and getting extra shots. And then we get in, you come to the games and they don't play. You know, it's frustrating. So when they do get that opportunity, just staying ready, that's part of being a professional in this league, you never know that you might get your chance, you never know when you might get your opportunity, so make sure that you're prepared, make sure that you're putting in the preparation so when it does come you give yourself the best shot to be successful.

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