	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NBA FINALS: CLEVELAND VS GOLDEN STATE

June 3, 2017

Klay Thompson

Oakland, California: Practice Day

Q. What is your mindset yourself personally as you head into Game 2 to get your offense going?
KLAY THOMPSON: Same one I had Game 1 -- just be aggressive, don't settle for good shots but hunt for great shots. Try to get a few quick ones early; that always helps. That's about it. Just play hard and I'll be fine.

Q. There's always so much talk about adjustments between Game 1 and Game 2. What kind of adjustments do you think the Cavs will try to make?
KLAY THOMPSON: I think they won't turn the ball over as much. I think they will probably slow it down a little bit more and try to beat us with their physicality, whether that's in the post, or iso on LeBron a little bit more. I know they will do something. But we're prepared, and if we have the same intensity, especially on defensive end, as last game, we should be in great position to win.

Q. Can you take us back to Lake Oswego, Oregon, with Kevin Love growing up and how cool it is, I guess, to be on this stage now together?
KLAY THOMPSON: It's pretty cool. I knew Kevin was destined for NBA greatness, but I never thought we would be squaring off in The Finals three years in a row -- well two, because the first year, unfortunately, he got hurt, but still it's pretty sweet. We talked about it for a long time. Like I said before, I knew he was destined to be here. I knew I had a chance, but I didn't know I would be this impactful this early in my career. So it's a great thing for both of us, our family. And who knows, it might not be the last time we see each other in The Finals. But I cherish the moments we do play against each other.

Q. Must have been a heck of a Little League team.
KLAY THOMPSON: Yeah, we were really good. We were really close to going to the World Series, but it wasn't in the cards. I tell people, Kevin could have picked MLB or the NBA. It was his choice, and I think he made the right one.

Q. Talk about your defense, what you see out there during the games.
KLAY THOMPSON: What do I see? Well, I see a collective unit, being us, who play so well together. We know the Cavs aren't going to give us 20 turnovers on Sunday. That would be nice, but it's just not going to happen two games in a row. Our transition game was so great in Game 1 because we forced a lot of turnovers, got some easy opportunities on the break.

Personally, I just try and make it tough on my opponent, whoever I'm guarding. Make them earn the basket if they're going to score. Play for 48 minutes, not let down. To be a great defender you have to have great will. So I just tried to play with great will.

Q. It's so easy for fans or media to overreact to Game 1, especially with the two days before Game 2. How do you kind of stay even-keeled and not overreact with confidence to what's going to happen in Game 2?
KLAY THOMPSON: Well, I know I can play better personally. That's how I stay humble and I keep working out here, because we have been in this position before and one win isn't going to satisfy anybody. And that's just the media nowadays. It's a 24-hour news cycle, so you got to talk about something.

There are a lot of people who take it to the extreme, whether it's, oh, the Cavs don't have a chance, or the Warriors, you know, it's over. Can't listen to that. Got to shut it off.

Q. Can you shut it off? Do you look at everything?
KLAY THOMPSON: No, I try not to. Just because it does nothing for you. It's either going to make you feel too good or it's going to make you feel bad about yourself. So you just have to keep your mind on other things. You want to stay even-keeled and not get too caught up in what people are saying, because then you get that stuff that's unnecessary to get into your head.

Q. Is it hard to ignore it nowadays? I mean, it's just everywhere.
KLAY THOMPSON: Well, it is. I watch SportsCenter a lot and The Finals are such a big event on the international stage, which is really cool. There's a ton of coverage and it's great. But like I said before, you can't get too caught up in it. It's just one game and it means nothing if you come out here and lay an egg tomorrow.

Q. What are the good and the bad of being your own worst critic?
KLAY THOMPSON: The good and the bad? The good is you're never satisfied, so you stay hungry. It doesn't matter how well you've done in this league; you always want to improve and take it to another level.

The bad is probably just being too hard on yourself sometimes. And then that leads to pressing and kind of questioning your ability.

You have to have unwavering confidence because there are no shortcuts in this league. So for me, whether I go through a shooting slump now or in the preseason, I just try to remember what I've done well in my career that's got me to this point. And it always helps.

Q. Do you subscribe to the, well, his role is different now?
KLAY THOMPSON: Not at all. I hold myself to such a high standard, I want to perform at my best every game. Well, it is easy to overlook my shooting woes when we have been winning like this. So if we keep this up, it's great, I can live with this all day. But I'm such a perfectionist, I try to hold myself to such a high standard that, as a competitor, sometimes it does drive you a little to the edge to be better. But you just have to keep everything in front of you.

Q. What do you miss without having Steve Kerr on the bench?
KLAY THOMPSON: We miss his voice, obviously. His knowledge of the game is incredible. Just his demeanor -- he has such a calming demeanor. No moment is too big for him. And he just knows how to keep us in line, keep us focused. So does Mike Brown. Mike is doing a great job. But we definitely miss Steve.

Q. With your offense, just the confidence that, regardless of what they try to stop, you make them pay either way, whether they try to stop the three-ball or stop you guys down low.
KLAY THOMPSON: Definitely. We have so many weapons on this team. If we keep it simple, just move it to the open man, we're going to get a great look every time. We're good at getting into the paint and good at hitting you from the outside. We just can't settle for getting good shots; we have to settle for a great shot every time down the floor.

Q. As good as he is, has anything surprised you about KD?
KLAY THOMPSON: Not really. I knew he was a special talent before we got him. It does surprise me, though, how effortless it looks for him. He makes it look really easy, and the stuff he does is incredibly hard. It helps when you're the freak athlete he is, but he makes it look easier than most would.

Q. Can you talk about how he makes your defense better?
KLAY THOMPSON: His length, his versatility to guard five positions, his ability to rebound the ball and block shots. So he does everything. He's a very complete player.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297