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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS v WARRIORS

June 15, 2016

Andre Iguodala

Cleveland, Ohio: Practice Day

Q. With the injury to Andrew Bogut, six to eight weeks, that's the end of his Finals series. What does that do to your lineup and how important is he?
ANDRE IGUODALA: Well, he's very important to us. It's a tough loss for us. Making the play on the ball, just playing really hard, and going out like that, you don't wish that upon anybody. All you can do is try to move forward. He's going to be out here supporting us and he's been really effective for us inside this whole season, rebounding, blocked shots and just guarding the paint. Like any other time, one of our guys goes down, and we've got to make up for it.

Q. What message do you send him as a teammate when he finds himself in this position missing out on an elimination final or Finals?
ANDRE IGUODALA: Just make sure he's fine, first of all. First and foremost, make sure his spirits are in the right place. You know he wants to be out there competing and fighting with you. So just let him know that you're still playing for him as well, and he's helped us get this far and try to get one for him.

Q. How helpful is this extra day's rest on these cross-country trips?
ANDRE IGUODALA: I don't know. I mean, for our team we say "strength in numbers," so I don't know if it goes against us, you know what I mean? Being that the other team's going to get rest. They don't use as many bodies. The schedule is what it is, and you just try to be ready to play.

Q. Jefferson was saying it's good for the overall product, that guys do get rest. Would you agree with that?
ANDRE IGUODALA: I don't know. Like I said, for us, there's strength in numbers. We try to use the depth of our team, try to maximize it. We've done a really good job of that the last few years. Other teams haven't had as much success using as many guys as we have when you try to wear teams down. So it could go either way for us.

Q. Do you expect the so-called small lineup to play more minutes without Bogut or is there a point where you can't play that for 40 minutes?
ANDRE IGUODALA: We'll see. It's a tough loss for us. Either way it goes, we've got to be ready to adjust. And this guy has to be ready to step up and try to fill that void, not by himself, we've got to do it as a team.

Q. It seems like Festus brings some of the same skills in terms of rim protection. Maybe not the passer that Bogut is, but how do you see Festus' skills maybe replacing Bogut?
ANDRE IGUODALA: Yeah, he can come in and definitely active around the basket. Draymond does a good job of finding him as well, when he's diving on the pick-and-rolls. He's got to be ready to step in and be ready to go, be locked in and try to help us win.

Q. How different is this team defensively when you have Draymond on the floor?
ANDRE IGUODALA: Well, I've always said he's a very good communicator, which is a huge part of the defense, especially the perimeter defender like myself, and you've got to know where guys are at. He's good with switches one through five, pick-and-rolls, very vocal. Just a smart, heady player, First Team All Defense two years in a row, so definitely a huge part of our defense.

Q. On that note too, as a perimeter defender, how much of a safety blanket is Bogut?
ANDRE IGUODALA: Yeah, he's very similar. The play he got hurt on, he blocked the shot. It shows his activity on the basket. He's been doing an awesome job throughout the postseason, so we're really going to miss him. The next guy has to step up.

Q. What are some of the things that Bogut does that people might not see?
ANDRE IGUODALA: He's very vocal, which sort of always flies under the radar. I think the most important thing is he knows his role. Most guys tend to do what they're told, but they also want to add something else that they're not needed to do, which can be a detriment to your team. But he's the guy that knows his role and he embraces his role. That does wonders for us on many occasions. So that's probably the most important thing.

Q. How has the team reacted to him ever since the injury happened and the diagnosis came in?
ANDRE IGUODALA: Well, first of all, you just want to know is he doing all right. Make sure his spirits are high. No one wants to go down in The Finals. And playing hard and playing the right way. But it just so happens it was how it was supposed to happen. So we've got his back. He's got ours, and we'll try to get one for him.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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