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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS v WARRIORS

June 3, 2016

Shaun Livingston

Oakland, California: Practice Day

Q. How was it to play a game like that last night?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: My expectations were to be aggressive and be assertive when I got out there and play with 100% effort. That was the only expectations I had.

Q. Do you ever stop to think about what happened to you in your journey and how you made it back?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: I think I did a lot of reflection last year, being in this position for the first time in my career. But being here on the second time, it's more about the details, the job, a little bit more settled in, more comfortable.

Q. There was so much talk about the Cavs wanting to play you guys at full strength. And now that you've seen them in Game 1 and beat them by 15 despite Klay and Steph having an off night. How much confidence does that give you guys going forward?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: I think it's good for us to understand we can win those type of games when our star players don't necessarily have it going. And we can rely and hang our hat on other things like our defense, rebounding, no turnovers, taking care of the ball, just the details. It feels good to come out of a game like that where our stars don't have it going and we still get the win.

Q. Have you thought about that at all? The critics saying, well, if the Cavs were healthy, then they probably would have beaten the Warriors last year?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: I mean, that was, I guess, maybe the talk, but again, all we can do is focus on who's out there. We play who is in front of us.

Q. What do you expect in Game 2?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: They'll make adjustments and we'll make adjustments. But we have to come out with the same mindset. Taking care of the ball, defending, rebounding and playing the same way, being aggressive.

Q. Do you think the second unit can replicate what they did last night?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: I think our mindset has to be to be productive when we're out there. We have to be aggressive. We're not coming in to just give guys rest; we're coming in to be productive and make plays and make things happen. It's all about the mindset.

Q. Can you talk about your jumper and how it's improved from the start of your career?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: I never was really a distance shooter. I was always in high school when I was coming into the NBA more of a mid-range player and stop-and-pop. I played off of the dribble because I was a rhythm player. Just homing in on my game. Obviously with my injury I lost a lot of athleticism, so being able to pick and choose my spots and just use my height to my advantage.

Q. Have you ever tried to extend it out to three? I mean, clearly you have a really nice mid-range jumper. Do you try that to see if you could?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: I try it.

Q. And?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: It's definitely a work in progress. You won't really know until I start taking them. I think at the end of the day you're going to miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Until I start taking them on a consistent basis, then we'll know.

Q. What's the most impressive thing about this second group?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Just that we believe in each other and anybody can step up. Festus has been huge in the playoffs for us. He has turned things around for us in games. Mo [Speights] has done the same thing. Barbosa last night, I think you see again how productive he was in limited minutes. It's very hard to do when you're not playing 30-plus minutes to come off the bench and be ready to go and give a lot of production within a short time. It's a lot harder than what people think.

I think it's a credit to those guys staying ready, it's a credit to our staff and then the commitment that our team has bought into.

Q. How many free throws did you just take?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Close to 100.

Q. Is that a typical day for you?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, I like to get 50, at least 25 to 50 every day.

Q. Why do you think your mid-range has become a lost art in the NBA now?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Analytics. The corner three and what the three-point shot has done to the game, being able to change the flow of the game and spacing the court, I think it helps for teams and offenses to be able to space the court and give guys like point guards and drivers lanes to drive the ball.

Q. Don't you think that's to your advantage, the fact that the defense isn't seeing people like you?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, it is. Just because you consider a guy not a three-point shooter doesn't mean that he can't score. When I came into the game, the league was different. The way the guys played was different; it was an inside-out type of league. And now being where I'm at today, it's a three-point shooting type of league.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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