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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v WARRIORSMay 20, 2016Klay ThompsonOklahoma City, Oklahoma: Practice Day Q. Can you talk about what Draymond does for you guys when he sort of plays that centerfield on defense and moving around and helping the double team? KLAY THOMPSON: He's got some of the best defensive instincts in the league, and when he's able to freelance and go by feel, that's when he's at his best playing in the passing lanes and obviously I don't think there is a better player in the league as far as being able to rack up as many steals and block as many shots. Q. Speaking of defense, you guys go back and are a little more active defensively in Game 2. What did you see on tape that maybe stood out? KLAY THOMPSON: I thought we did a great job of stopping their initial first action, and after that they had to beat us one-on-one. Obviously it's going to work for them at times because they're such a talented team. But throughout a 48-minute game, we don't think that can beat us. Q. (No Microphone)? KLAY THOMPSON: Maybe, if it gets really hot. But it's hard to double team a guy throughout the game because it puts you at a disadvantage at times, but we'll see. It depends how the game flow goes. Q. You go into Game 3 wondering and anticipating that maybe they make some adjustments to counter what you're doing with your defense? KLAY THOMPSON: Yeah, I mean, it's the playoffs. We assume they will. I mean, that's the NBA though. You've got to adjust on the fly. The team that can make the quickest adjustments and do it with intensity usually is the most successful. So for us they try to do something different, whether it's a different lineup or something, we still can't stray away from what's been working. Q. Do you have to pick your poison with these guys because they have two elite scorers, and you sort of figure if you can make it a little harder for them it's probably for the best? KLAY THOMPSON: Yeah, I mean, you definitely have to pick your poison when to double them or play tight on them. But you just try to make them work for every bucket they get because they've got to score so much that that will wear on you. Q. If you can get Roberson shooting a three, can you live with that? KLAY THOMPSON: Hopefully not a corner three, but if it's above the break, yeah, we'll live with it. Q. How is it to play with somebody like Andre? KLAY THOMPSON: Andre Iguodala? Q. Yeah. On defense. KLAY THOMPSON: Oh, he's great. I haven't seen a better on-the-ball defender as far as activity and his ability to stay in front of people. He kind of is like -- especially for someone to come off the bench and be that effective, that's huge for us. It gives us a spark every time. Best thing about Andre, most of the time his defense leads to offense, especially in transition. Q. Does it come (No Microphone)? KLAY THOMPSON: I watch him a lot and I learn from that. Just playing against him I learned what tendencies he uses to be most effective. I've learned a ton from Andre. Q. (No microphone)? KLAY THOMPSON: Yeah, we've been playing together three years now, and I feel I've gotten better every year just learning from him. Q. Steve said that Steph's elbow seemed fine. Did you see any difference in him today in practice? KLAY THOMPSON: No, he looks like he's making every free throw now, so I don't see a difference. Q. So Kevin Durant just got 6 points in the second half in Game 2. How did you guys do that? KLAY THOMPSON: Well, we did it as a team. You guard a guy like Durant, you have to do it with team defense, and make it look like the paint's crowded and hope his jumper's a little off and try to make him work for every bucket because he's his best when he's catching and shooting and he's in rhythm. He's one of the better scorers in the world when he's in that kind of rhythm. So you try to make him as uncomfortable as possible and hope he misses. Q. What was your reaction when you saw Gary Payton say that he was surprised and didn't think that Steph should be a unanimous MVP? KLAY THOMPSON: I mean, it's surprising. Unanimous? I think he should have been just because of the season we had. It hasn't been done in history, and we wouldn't have closed it without Steph. I'm not that shocked. The guy's are going to be opinionated. Obviously, Gary was very talkative when he played, so it's not a big deal to me. Q. Some stuff doesn't change? KLAY THOMPSON: Yeah, no. It's not a big deal. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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