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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS v WARRIORS

June 15, 2016

Shaun Livingston

Cleveland, Ohio: Practice Day

Q. So thoughts on Bogut and what he's meant to the team and how tough it is without him?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, it sucks not having him out there with us. He's been a staple all season long. He's anchored our defense. Not having his IQ, his passing ability out there, rim protection, it's going to hurt us. But it's the last week of the season, so we've just got to grind it out.

Q. What are some things that he does that people don't see? People talk he's not playing a lot of minutes but he's obviously having a big impact. What are the things people don't see that he does?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: It's more so the little things. Obviously the screens that he sets to get Steph and Klay open, his passing ability at the top. But I think more than anything it's his IQ. He understands the game. He understands the flow of the game where the ball should be on the offensive end. Defensively, you know, helping other players out, loading up to the strong side of the ball, protecting the rim. It makes us all look like all-world defenders when you have somebody like Bogut protecting the rim for us.

Q. Obviously a lot was made last game when you guys didn't have Draymond in and that would have made a difference. As you guys saw it, what was the biggest difference not having him for that game?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: He anchors us -- just like Bogut does, he anchors our defense. He's one of the smartest defenders in the league, his IQ, his rim protection. And then also I think being able to switch, that's our strength, our small lineup. Again, he anchors that. You know, he allows us to be able to switch one through five. He's one of the most versatile players and defenders in the league.

Q. What are some of the challenges about defending Kyrie Irving?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Man, he's a scorer. He's a shot maker. Once he gets into the zone it's hard to really contest because even bad shots are good shots for him.

Q. You guys look at obviously LeBron and Kyrie got off last game. How do you guys limit that or stop that for this game? I mean, do you change your defense on that now?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: We've just got to be more aware. We weren't sharp last game. We played a bad game, to be honest with you. It wasn't a good game for us. We didn't execute as well. You know, we didn't play as hard as we needed to be and we weren't as sharp as we needed to be. So I think we have to be locked in on the details, communicating, our defensive coverages, just be aware.

Q. Did you realize during the game that LeBron James and Kyrie Irving scored so many points? Do you feel angry for your defense that you'd like to improve on an individual basis?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, I think they're great players, and they're going to score points. But we just have to make it harder for them than we did last game and not let them get into a rhythm.

Q. You played for a really good Brooklyn team a few years back. A veteran team. How would you compare this team? You mentioned Draymond and IQ is the first adjective. How would you compare that team to this team?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, again, I think that was kind of the first veteran team that I played on since my injury, and they were competitive. I think the difference is this team's younger and the core is a lot younger, so they're more in their prime. I mean, that was a smart team that I played on. It helped me as far as my IQ, feeding off of players who are smart basketball players and you just have a feel for the game. They're very similar in that sense. Jason Kidd's obviously a smart basketball player, coach. So is Steve Kerr. Both of them played the point guard position. Both of them very smart players and coaches. So it's a trickle-down effect. So both of the teams are similar in that regard.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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