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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS v WARRIORS

June 12, 2016

Kevin Love

Oakland, California: Practice Day

KEVIN LOVE: I've been through various testing and protocol, but it's league-mandated. It's there for a reason, to protect us. It was frustrating not being able to play, we were able to get a win and I was age to play in Game 4, which is nice.

Q. When you think of Draymond's body of work during these Playoffs, what is your view of him in terms of crossing the line?
KEVIN LOVE: I think he's one of those players that does whatever it takes for his team to win. He plays aggressive. Sometimes players, your actions or emotions get the best of you. You know, it's just tough. He goes out there and plays hard. We have a lot of guys like that who play physical. It's all kind of part of the game.

You've seen guys suspended. You've seen guys with technicals, flagrants. That's just the way it is. Playoff basketball is a lot more physical.

Q. Will you guys get a boost from this?
KEVIN LOVE: I don't know if it's a boost. I think when they're at full strength, obviously they're a better team. But it's definitely an opportunity for us to get one here and hopefully take it back to Cleveland. That's our goal.

Q. When the series started I think a lot of people thought well, if there's any team that can shoot with the Warriors, it's you guys. What have they done or what's happened with the three-point shooting? Are they limiting your opportunities? Are you getting good shots and they're just not falling?
KEVIN LOVE: I think a little bit of both. We're getting good shots. But as I mentioned, field-goal percentage defense all year, they were very good.

Guarding the three-point line, you could see it was something they wanted to protect, playing against us, especially having our run throughout the Eastern Conference. So I feel like they did a good job of that. We just have to find a way to keep running the floor, keep moving the ball, and when guys get double teamed, kick that ball out and get the hockey assists like we always do and get guys open for good shots.

Q. Do you think having Green out of the lineup, out of the game, does that give an emotional boost to you guys?
KEVIN LOVE: Yeah, I mean, he's really a lifeblood for their team and a player that keeps them moving. So he definitely adds a spark. With him out, it takes away some of that. But I'm sure they're going to approach the game the same way. They're going to come out and try to get it done, and we want to make sure that they don't.

Q. Kevin, what is the protocol in this league about being stepped over, is that an insulting move? Is that a disrespectful move? What is your view of that? I mean even A.I. over Ty [in the 2001 Finals], people still talk about that.
KEVIN LOVE: It's tough to say. You don't see it too much, but, yeah, I think it is looked at as a form of disrespect. But I don't know. It's seldom seen. That's tough to answer. I don't know.

Q. What's the rule about helping guys up?
KEVIN LOVE: What do you mean?

Q. Like sportsmanship, helping guys up, things like that.
KEVIN LOVE: I mean, it's different than when maybe say my dad played in the '70s when there weren't so many cameras around and there weren't so many different replays and so many angles where you can get away with stuff. But now you do something whether you hit the guy, step over them, and there's retaliation and that sort of thing. You don't really see there is any room for that sort of thing, but at the same time those things happen.

Q. [Indiscernible]
KEVIN LOVE: Yeah, I think it's definitely changed, but at the same time, I think the league and officials do a good job of letting most stuff go. But when it comes to maybe getting hit in your manhood, it kind of changes things. So I don't think there's any place in the game for that.

But playing physical and hitting guys and checking guys and getting thrown on the floor, that sort of thing, that's just all part of it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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