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NBA FINALS: CLEVELAND VS GOLDEN STATE

June 6, 2017

Zaza Pachulia

Cleveland, Ohio: Practice Day

Q. Some of their players said that they want to keep playing fast. That's how they play and they want to keep playing that way. How do you feel about that?
ZAZA PACHULIA: Well, we have our strength, right? We have been playing the type of style of basketball throughout the year, and we know who we are. But we can't control that. We can't control what our opposing team does.

But we need to come out and play our game, and let's see what they have, what they're going to do. Obviously throughout the game you can make adjustments. That's part of the game. So, but we are preparing ourselves. Obviously we're looking at our mistakes and the things we did right and wrong, first two games, and we also are thinking about what they might do or what they might make a change in Game 3 to do something different.

That's what makes this team special; that we're always analyzing things. And you might guess it right, you might be wrong, but at least you prepare for anything.

Q. Do you think it plays into your hands if they want to keep playing fast, they don't want to try to slow it down?
ZAZA PACHULIA: Yeah, you know, for us, for us, we know that we got to play good defense. Opposing team play fast or slow. It doesn't matter. We have to play great defense, we have to help each other with all the switching and talking and then getting a rebound. And we know what our game is in transition.

So, again, it's about adjusting. If they play fast, we got to make sure we run back and reload. Because when LeBron is pushing the ball, and Kyrie and Love, don't give them a situation where they can play one-on-one. We need to locate the three-point shooters. We know what their strength is, and we'll adjust as the game goes.

Q. How much did that game on Christmas kind of serve as like a turning point for you guys? Obviously you've been playing well all year, but it seemed like that day Steph didn't have a great game and he was kind of a little frustrated the way things were going. It seems like since then he's clicked in and you guys have taken off?
ZAZA PACHULIA: It's a long season and we weren't expecting us to start the season playing the best basketball. We didn't want to do that either. It's a long season, talking about 80-plus games, and then Playoffs.

So for us it's important that we finish as the best team with the record in the regular season to get home court advantage. And throughout the Playoffs, it's pretty good, we played against good teams, and we came to the Finals undefeated, and here we are up 2-0, so we're playing amazing basketball right now. The best we probably played throughout the year.

That's where you want to be. It's hard to make it happen. You got to be lucky, too, with injuries and et cetera. But this team has experience of playing two Finals in a row, and so we're in really good hands with the coaching staff and the players that have been here. We know ourselves the best probably. And we can control the tempo, we can control ourselves.

The coaching staff trusts us as players that we're going to be in the best shape possible for the Playoffs and The Finals, so we feel pretty confident.

Q. How do you feel about, looking around, a lot national media? How do you feel about that?
ZAZA PACHULIA: It's the Finals. Only two teams left, fighting for the trophy, I expect there to be a lot of people, a lot of eyes on these Finals games. And we broke the stats on the television, you know, the most watched Finals.

So it's great to be a part of, and obviously you guys are a huge part of reporting and showing to the world this amazing talent, the amazing players that are playing this beautiful sport. And our job is to perform.

Q. Talk about the fan base in your home country for the NBA?
ZAZA PACHULIA: Georgia is a very small country, compared to the U.S., only 3.5 million people, but a lot of basketball. Basketball is in our DNA. It's been here for years, for years and years and generations. We have pretty successful players throughout history. Basketball's definitely a very important Georgian sport.

So I'm just glad to represent my country, and I know that my country has my back and they have supported me throughout the years, and especially this time in my career I we have a chance to do something special for my country and become a world champ. They're anxiously watching and supporting and cheering for our team, so I'm really lucky and feel very privileged to represent my country.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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