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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: RAPTORS v CAVALIERS

May 22, 2016

Bismack Biyombo

Toronto, Ontario: Practice Day

Q. DeMar [DeRozan] let us know what his feeling were for you when you first arrived here. He said he hated you.
BISMACK BIYOMBO: I know that. He actually told me that personally, that he really hated me, until he got to know me as a person, and then he turned out to love me. I'm sure there was a lot of feeling-out there, but until you really get to know the real side of me, then you know who I am. But on the floor I don't have friends.

Q. He said he called you at the end of it one of his favorite teammates.
BISMACK BIYOMBO: Oh, wow.

Q. Do you take pride in that kind of energy you give him? Did you feel that kind of responsibility to give them that drive with your performance?
BISMACK BIYOMBO: To me, it's just about being appreciated and enjoying -- I've dreamed about being in this situation, playing basketball in the NBA and having all these great teammates and playing for something. Obviously, it happens to be where we are. It's just that we're all having fun, and to me it's just about figuring out a way that I can connect with my teammates and how I can help them perform at their best. I think that's the most important thing.

Q. What's it like spending all the time at the podium that you have been lately?
BISMACK BIYOMBO: What it's like? Well, I will say it is what it is. But more than anything, it's just that you've got to give a lot to credit to my teammates. My teammates have helped me and allowed me to be myself, allowed me to be who I am, and I think as a result of that, there's a lot of trust that comes with it. They trust me. I trust them. One thing they always know is I've got their back no matter what. I just get out there and try to help my teammates as much as I can.

Q. There probably aren't too many great shot blockers, rim protectors in the league or in league history that have been well-liked by opponents. Is that sort of validation in a way that you have somebody like DeMar saying when I was playing against you I didn't like you because of the way that you played?
BISMACK BIYOMBO: I mean, probably because of my approach to the game. I have friends, and once the game starts, I probably won't talk to you until the end of the game. That's just me. I'm just trying to win the ballgame, and I'm just trying to compete. At the end of the day, when the ball is up, I'm not trying to make friends or plans. I know we're friends, we're cool, but we can always be cool after the game, too.

But at the same time, that's the other side of me. Once basketball is over, off the court, then I'll go back to myself. I go back to being me and have fun and enjoy life.

Q. Where did you get that mindset from about not having any friends on the court?
BISMACK BIYOMBO: Since I grew up at home. The team, the way I started playing, that was our mindset. We had all friends and stuff, but once the ball is up, it was us against you guys. We're going to go to dinner after the game, but while we're playing the game, we ain't going to be friends. That's just the bottom line. The bottom line is I've got to do what's best for my team, not what's best for my friends.

Q. Did you learn that from watching anybody?
BISMACK BIYOMBO: No. It just came since I started playing.

Q. You talk about not being friendly on the court. LeBron [James], you've had a couple of hard fouls against him. He was talking last night about people being too physical with him. How come you're so comfortable fouling the biggest name in the sport?
BISMACK BIYOMBO: Well, when you look at the big picture, I get fouled a lot. If I sit here and complain about how many times I get fouled, I think it would turn into some comedy type of interview. I think this is playoff basketball. I get fouled; I don't get out there and complain. I think when I foul somebody, I'm never trying to hurt people. It's like I said, I'll do what's best for my team, but by doing what's best for my team, it's not hurting somebody, because that's not the purpose of the game. And I get it. I've got a lot of messages about him complaining and this and that. You've got to understand, when we're playing in Cleveland, they play their way, and when we come home, we're going to play our way. That's just the bottom line, and I respect that about them, and that's just being competitive. No matter what, we've got to do what we have to do on our side. That's just basketball.

Q. You and Tristan Thompson have a lot of similarities. What's it been like battling him?
BISMACK BIYOMBO: It's been fun. The whole series since we started has been fun. You get to learn a lot of your weaknesses and their weaknesses. You go back and watch a lot of film, and you see how you can get ready for the next game. But more than anything, it's to see how I can help my teammates. My focus is never just on one player. I'm trying to focus on the whole team and the whole opponent. I have to study them because in certain scenarios of the game, I have to switch up on all these guys. So I have to know what they do best and how I can get to take away what they do best and live with the rest of the shots.

But at the same time, I think there are a lot more challenges ahead of us. We've got to be ready for it, and we have to be well-prepared for it.

Q. Do you feel like he's a guy you've got to account for because he's always going to the glass?
BISMACK BIYOMBO: You've got to look out for him. Tristan Thompson is a very good offensive rebounder. When he's in the game, you have to pay a lot of attention to him. But with that being said, you can't pay too much attention to him and forget that you have the other four guys. At the end of the day, it's like I say, I have to do what's best for my teammates. When I get out there, if I can make my teammates feel like they're well-secured and somebody got their back, I think they can play more free. DeMar doesn't have to spend a lot more energy on defense so he can continue to score 30 points or more.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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