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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS v WARRIORS

June 7, 2016

Andre Iguodala

Cleveland, Ohio: Practice Day

Q. As the series shifts to Cleveland, what are you guys expecting here?
ANDRE IGUODALA: We've got a team who has had a lot of success at home throughout these Playoffs, undefeated at home throughout these Playoffs. They've got an incredible fan base who supports them. They play with a lot of confidence here. They've been shooting the ball really well here. So nothing's going to be given. It's going to be two really tough games for us.

Q. This is a team that people expected a lot of three-point shots out of. You guys have been successful slowing them down from there. How? What have you taken away?
ANDRE IGUODALA: You've got to just depend on five guys communicating, knowing defensive principles, knowing shooting percentages, knowing where guys like to get their three-point shots from, and doing your best to close out their air space and try to limit their three-point looks.

Q. Speaking to the Cavs earlier, they continue to say they want to commit to playing faster. Is that kind of going to play into what you guys like to do?
ANDRE IGUODALA: Our main goal is to try to defend as well as we can. We've shown that we can do that at a high level. We want to continue to try to be consistent with it through each and every one of these games. It's on both ends of the court to be defensive-minded actually -- low turnovers, getting enough guys back in transition, not having too many guys go to the offensive glass to get your defense set. Those live-ball turnovers can really kill you, and limiting them to one shot per offensive possession.

Q. Obviously Kyrie went down early last year in the series so you didn't get to see too much of the matchup with him and Steph. But given how Steph has been able to contain him, what have you noticed between those two throughout the first two games?
ANDRE IGUODALA: It's been a team effort on both ends for us. Different guys have been knocking down key shots for us at different times. Defensively, it's a scorer's league, so it's really tough for a defensive guy in a one-on-one matchup. It's never quite one-on-one with anybody. I've seen and gone through it. You have to keep your composure and keep strong-minded as far as defending certain guys and knowing that your help is going to be there for you. You need five guys to be out there to defend well.

Q. What has this team done right in terms of defending LeBron James? And are you guys happy with the way you guys have approached it?
ANDRE IGUODALA: It's a tough task. We haven't been perfect. We've gotten a little lucky getting our hands on some loose balls. I think we really did a good job in Game 2 of just staying out of foul trouble and not reaching in. It's kind of been a little prep work for us with the previous series, guarding some guys who could get to the foul line with the best of them, and try to bring it to this series. But we've still got a lot of work to do. They've had their shooters out there, and he's been able to get to the basket and get some dunks. So we will still try to limit those easier basket opportunities for him.

Q. You have great hands, and against Kevin Durant and LeBron James, you've been able to pick your spots on where you want to reach and grab the ball and make a steal. Obviously you want to stay out of foul trouble too. How do you balance that?
ANDRE IGUODALA: I think time and score, knowing where your help is. If [Andrew Bogut] is in and he's behind me and I'm in a vulnerable situation, it's tempting to try to strip the ball. But when he's behind me, I feel like you've got a security blanket. He does a really good job communicating. He had a bunch of blocks [in Game 2]. Guys trying to go up and he's cleaning it up, so you've got to let him do his job. At the same time, it's kind of like a chess match.

Q. In terms of the help defense, the trust you guys have that your teammate is going to be there. How much over the last couple of years has defense been a priority so that you know your teammates are going to have your back?
ANDRE IGUODALA: A large percentage of defense is trust and communication. Vocally, Bogut and Draymond Green are two of the best I've played with. For a perimeter defender, there's nothing like knowing who is behind you and when they're behind you, and knowing when I can press up and knowing when I can get into a guy and get him into a tough shot. Since I've been with this team, my first year, Mark Jackson, we were tops in the league defensively. We just try to continue that trend going forward.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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