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NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE: ROCKETS vs WARRIORSApril 27, 2016Shaun LivingstonKlay ThompsonOakland, California, Game Five Warriors - 114, Rockets - 81 Q. Shaun, you guys don't need a confidence boost, but how important is a win like this a couple days after you guys got the bad news about Steph? How valuable is the timing that you had this move come so fast? SHAUN LIVINGSTON: It's good news for us, but more importantly it's moving forward. We don't know how long he's going to be out. Obviously, we're going to miss him, but at the same time there is a lot of basketball to play, and for the next series, it's a good momentum booster. Q. Klay, I'm curious about your emotions now. You've shot well, obviously the last game and past games, but you seem Moran mated than usual tonight. Is that the urgency of the game? KLAY THOMPSON: Urgency of the game, and we did not want to go back to Houston on a long flight. It's always fun to protect the home court. We pride ourselves in not losing here, so it was a fun night, and it's obviously fun when shots go in. Q. For both of you guys, what does it mean to have Steph not play through a single game healthy and to still win the series in five games? SHAUN LIVINGSTON: It's good, I think, like I said, it's a confidence booster for everybody. We know how much he means to this team. Like I said, we'd rather him be out there, but when he's not out there, we have to pull together. It's not just one guy. Obviously Klay, he elevates his game. We're going to look for him a lot more. But it takes the whole team, both units, and it starts with our defense, and then it starts offensively moving the ball. It's important to get that rhythm because it's a 48-minute game, and I think over 48 minutes we can wear a lot of teams out with our depth. Q. You've had your share of critics this year, and even dating back to last season questioning whether you guys were the true champions. But tonight Coach Bickerstaff said the Warriors are a top two team with or without Steph Curry on the court. Do you agree with that? What goes across your mind when you hear someone giving you that type of respect? KLAY THOMPSON: I mean that's great to hear, humbling. But as players you've got to believe that just because we're all here for a reason. We're all prideful. If we weren't, we wouldn't be in this position. I mean, for Coach to say that means a lot. (No Microphone) so with this series for us, with Steph being out, everybody had a big contribution. I could go down the whole list. But I mean, it gives us a lot of confidence, and we're not going to stop pushing. I mean, we'll be even that much better when Steph gets back. Q. Klay, you've probably made a 31-footer before. But I don't remember. What was the thought process of letting that one go, and did you see the MVP's reaction on the sideline when you did make it? KLAY THOMPSON: I was actually begging for the ball from Shaun. SHAUN LIVINGSTON: I was open. KLAY THOMPSON: Yeah, under the basket on the rebound and he said hold up, the vet he is. He realized that I'm much better when I catch and release, and came off a flair, and then I was set, and when you hit a few in a row you feel like you're ready. So didn't really think about it. I was in a great shooting position to just let it go. I honestly got excited after that. I never really hit a 30-footer before. It was nice to kind of channel Steph out there, so it did feel good. I didn't, but I'm going to definitely look at that. He's a great teammate and he loves (No Microphone), and I know it's killing him not to be out there. Q. Coach Kerr has talked about your ordeal to get back to the player you are. What does it mean to you to hear him say he's inspired by you and your path and how you've come back to be on this stage? SHAUN LIVINGSTON: It's humbling. He's played and won championships as a player, and he's been around. He's played with the greatest and been coached by the greatest. So to hear those words, it's very humbling. I'm grateful. I take it in stride, and I just try to let it fuel me. Just continue to stay on the journey and stay hungry. Q. Shaun, for all you've been through in your career, good times and bad, what have you gotten from this that's made you such a calm, collected player on the court? SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Experience, experiences. Being that obviously everybody knows about the injury situation, it's a devastating kind of thing. I think when you go through traumatic events like that, you understand. Now being in this position and playing with guys like Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, Draymond, All-Stars, being on this team. There was a time I was getting waived off teams that weren't winning 20 games. So going through those experiences, it's humbling, and never getting too high or too low. Just respecting the process, keeping your head down and keep grinding. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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