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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS v WARRIORS

June 18, 2016

Klay Thompson

Oakland, California: Practice Day

Q. Klay, you spent the latter part or the open part of practice kind of sitting by yourself alone in your thoughts. I'm just wondering what's in your head now as you gear up for tomorrow?
KLAY THOMPSON: I just appreciate the moment. It's easy to forget where you are with what comes with the territory because just being in the world spotlight. So just appreciate all the hard work it took to get here.

I remember my rookie year I was reflecting on how we had 23 wins and the Playoffs seemed like a distant reality. So now to be a game away from an NBA Championship, I was just out there appreciating how hard it was to get here. Just I was thinking about embracing tomorrow and just having fun and being myself.

Q. Do you expect any change in the officiating in Game 7 here? There is a lot of back and forth and discussion after Game 6, and it cost some people some money. But do you expect there to be any difference from what you saw in Cleveland?
KLAY THOMPSON: I'm not sure. I mean, each game feels like it's officiated differently. You've just got to kind of realize what the refs are calling early in the game and protect yourself from reaching or making dumb plays and getting in foul trouble.

I expect them to call a fair game, obviously, and it's going to be physical. But, I mean, I'm not really thinking about officiating. I'm thinking about what I've got to do to stop other players on the team or get easy looks.

Q. NFL is kind of the number one sport in terms of popularity in this country, but the NBA has been gaining traction. Have you guys thought or have you thought about it's a one-game winner-take-all on a Sunday for the championship and the amount of viewers that could attract?
KLAY THOMPSON: It's really cool. It really is a dream to be here. So I just tell myself embrace the moment, man. This is what I dreamed of as a kid. It's weird that it's actually reality right now. So I'm going to enjoy this weekend as much as I can.

And just being able to travel the world and see the global reach basketball has is so cool. To know this game is broadcast in China, Europe, South America, it's awesome. It's going to be fun tomorrow. We all can't wait to get there. So you've got to appreciate this moment. I know we all do.

Q. Draymond was out there just a moment ago saying that he felt he was timid in the last game. You just sort of -- aside saying that you want to be yourself tomorrow. Why do you think you guys weren't yourselves the last couple of games? And how do you think you can rectify that?
KLAY THOMPSON: I think we can rectify it by just doing what we've done the whole year, your usual game day routine. Get your work in prior, and just individually everyone has to come out here with their hard hat on because it's going to be a battle. I mean, this team wants it just as bad as we do.

So we've got to do it collectively. No hero ball. Obviously we have the MVP. We have a lot of guys that can score, but the whole year our depth has been what brought us here. So can't go out there and do it individually. Our mindset has to be as a team.

As far as not being ourselves the last two games, I don't have a good answer for you. All I know is we're focused on tomorrow, and if we come out from the jump and do what we're supposed to do and we win the game, all that is eradicated.

So we've just got to go out there and have fun and play, trust each other, and play focused.

Q. Nobody knows Steph probably as well as you do. How have you seen the criticism and the scrutiny and all the added stuff affect him in the last few days?
KLAY THOMPSON: He's the same Steph Curry. I don't think he reads it at all. I don't think he pays no mind to it. The scrutiny becomes a lot -- obviously becomes a lot heavier when you're not winning games you're supposed to win. So he'll be the first to admit he probably deserves some of it, but it's not going to change who he is. He's still to me the best player in the world. He's an MVP for a reason, and he's going to come with his A-game tomorrow, and we all plan to do the same and follow his lead.

And if we just be ourselves and play with the right mindset, I know we'll be in a great position to win.

Q. Klay, if you think back to Sunday at your practice facility, you were talking to us and LeBron came up and you had some things to say. Then Mo Speights, he took to Twitter and so did Steph's wife. Obviously we're at the biggest stage here so there are other things going on. But do you have any feeling that you may have provoked LeBron or woken up something in him that wasn't there?
KLAY THOMPSON: I don't think so. At the time I spoke my mind, and I believed in what I said. So I'm not going to retract anything. I don't even know what Mo tweeted. I'm not even on Twitter right now, so I couldn't tell you about that.

No, because I think he's just playing the game. He played in Games 1 and 2. Just had more success at it. So we've got to just try to slow him down as a team tomorrow. Obviously we let them get out to too much of a lead last game, and it's easy to play within a better rhythm and flow when you've got a 20-point lead. So tomorrow it's about getting off to a great start and not letting them get that cushion.

Q. With LeBron, I mean, you've covered him a fair bit. Any thoughts that you guys might maybe run more defenders at him and force the ball away from him a little bit?
KLAY THOMPSON: It's nice to get it out of his hands, obviously, but when he doesn't have the ball, try to do everything you can to not let him get it back because he's so good at making the right play. So, I mean, we'll adjust. I can't tell you what our game plan is now, but if we just force him to beat us over the top, make tough shots, we can live with it.

But it's also about limiting what their role players do. Obviously Thompson and J.R. Smith had huge games in Game 6, and people forget about that because they see LeBron at 41. But if we limit what their role guys do and don't let them get in a good rhythm, it's hard for one man to beat us.

Yeah, that's it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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