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NBA FINALS: CLEVELAND VS GOLDEN STATE

May 31, 2017

Kyle Korver

Oakland, California: Practice Day

Q. A lot of people are talking about this being a trilogy, but you're the new member, big difference in the lineup. What have your teammates talked about to prepare you for this NBA Finals?
KYLE KORVER: I think that they just said it's the best, it's the hardest. Things we talked about the most were between the games, the travel, try to sleep at night, and just waking up. Obviously this series changes from game to game, but everyone's been really positive and says it's the best.

Q. Do you feel calm right now? When do you think that adrenaline will hit you?
KYLE KORVER: I don't know. I'm feeling a little sick right now. I've been under the weather for the last couple of days. But I think for sure we're all real anxious. These long layoffs between series, you have too much time to sit around and think. I think that we're really excited and glad that it's finally here. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Q. When you got to Cleveland, was your first thought that it was a real possibility to get here?
KYLE KORVER: Yeah, for sure, having lost to Cleveland the last couple years. It was strange in the beginning to be here and be on this team. Well, then we started losing games and I wasn't sure (laughing). We weren't playing defense for about two weeks. But I think deep down we all believed that when the time was right, the guys would turn it on.

Q. Now that you had time to reflect on it, what's LeBron James been like as a teammate?
KYLE KORVER: Oh, he's the best. He's the best player, but he also really cares about the team. He knows he needs the team to play well to win championships, and he goes out of his way to check on everyone, to make sure everyone is right, to do his best to get us there.

The way he prepares. There are a lot of guys who say all the right things, but they don't always work very hard. There are a lot of guys who work hard, but they don't really say much. He has been the absolute best I've ever been around as far as doing both. He is the leader of this team. He's for everyone. He's saying all the right things, but he's also our hardest worker.

Q. Can you discuss how he's encouraging you to shoot?
KYLE KORVER: Oh, yeah. That's the first thing he told me: You get the ball, just shoot it. If you're open at all, just shoot it. I don't care if you miss it, I just want you to shoot it. To have that guy have confidence in you, it really helps.

Q. What are some of the keys to the series?
KYLE KORVER: There's a lot of them. These guys are so good and do a lot of things so well. I think limiting their runs is really important. Not letting them get out in transition and knock down threes. That's going to be big for us. Not turning the ball over, taking good shots, hopefully shooting a good percentage so they can't run out quite as much.

Q. Do you expect to get nervous as the game approaches tomorrow? Or at this point in your career, are you kind of past all that?
KYLE KORVER: Oh, I'll be nervous for sure. It's good, though. If I'm not a little nervous, I don't feel like I ever play very well. But I think that part of the challenge is being able to relax.

Q. Where were you watching The Finals in Game 7 last year?
KYLE KORVER: I was watching. I was living in California. I live in California in the offseason, and I was on the couch watching Game 7.

Q. What's the most excited or eager you ever remember being to watch a sporting event as a kid or as adult?
KYLE KORVER: Good question. I think I remember when I was very young and the Lakers and Bulls were in The Finals. I was driving back from a summer camp. We were trying to get this little radio on the back of this bus -- trying to turn the antenna, because that's what we had back then. So we were driving this big bus back to California trying to go through the mountains and find the game.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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