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NBA FINALS: CLEVELAND VS GOLDEN STATE

June 6, 2017

Kevin Love

Cleveland, Ohio: Practice Day

Q. How much of a benefit will it be just to be playing here at home?
KEVIN LOVE: It will be a great benefit for us. We play well at home, a lot like Golden State, who did what they were supposed to do and played great at home. We're hoping that tomorrow night, we know that the crowd's going to be into it and it's going to be a big ovation for us taking the floor. So we're going to use that to our advantage.

And we feel like we have a good game plan, we just have to execute for 48 minutes. We can't have two and a half, three good quarters and let them go on certain runs, which is easier said than done. But we felt like we had a couple chances to get the game in our control, and we didn't do that.

Q. When you guys looked at the film, I wonder just what jumped out at you the most in terms of being out of character and trying to fix it. I know it's a tough team, but I'm sure there are some things that you just didn't do.
KEVIN LOVE: Yeah, it wasn't one or two or a few plays in general, it was more so just physicality, staying to bodies and making sure that they feel us. We felt like we did that for really in the first half, third quarter, and then it wasn't necessarily a letup, they just were able to get out in transition and go on one of their big runs.

So and then we started hitting shots, fighting back, but then it was too little, too late. So we're hoping that we can kind of slow them down at our place and get into them a little bit more, and I keep saying play 48 sustained, solid minutes of basketball.

Q. Players have said that it's easier to move past blowouts than close games. Does this series feel like that?
KEVIN LOVE: Yeah, I feel like in some cases that may be the case, but, listen, a loss in the NBA Finals is always tough. Any loss in the Playoffs is tough, but we feel like tomorrow's a great opportunity for us, and we'll be ready to play.

Q. You mentioned slowing them down. The message after Game 1 was you still feel like you can push the pace. Is it about being able to control that, where you're the only team pushing the pace?
KEVIN LOVE: Yeah, being able to dictate it. But controlling the pace is, with two teams that really push it, can sometimes be -- I don't know if misleading is the right word, but we -- just as long as we're playing downhill and playing with aggression and trying to get into the paint, especially with our primary ball handlers getting into the lane, then we feel like we're at the advantage most of the time.

But some of our long shots, some of our three-point shots, the percentage that we shot last game were long misses, and they were able to get out in transition and either get into the paint or get to three. So it's got to be different ways to stop that and know when to go to the offensive rebound for players one through five and knowing when to get back and cross-match.

Q. How key is the first quarter? You guys scored 30 and 34 but were still trailing. How do you stop them from coming out hot like they have?
KEVIN LOVE: Well, our first quarters have kind of been mirrored with their third quarter. They're a great third quarter team, and we were down three at half, we felt like we played five, six good minutes of basketball. And like I mentioned, we made some mistakes, and they were able to get almost to double digits and then push it to double digits. So just making sure that we're going in at halftime with a great mindset and coming out in that third quarter and playing great.

Q. Is this different at all in terms of the deficit? Same as last year. Is it the same in terms of a hill to climb? Does it feel like a hill to climb, or is it even more daunting at all?
KEVIN LOVE: All we know is we have to take care of home court. Tomorrow night is going to be obviously very telling in the series, a huge game for both teams, and we feel like home court we play great here or we go home. And that's at the end of the day what we need to do. But we feel like we're going to do that.

Q. You've played really well in this series. What are the things that you've been able to do effectively against one of the better defensive teams?
KEVIN LOVE: Just being aggressive. Picking my spots. More than anything just guys finding me and me hitting the shots. So that's really it.

Q. Kyrie's one of the best isolation players there is in the league, and he mentioned that when you look back, they're loading up on him and sending multiple guys at him. Is it a matter of just him being willing to make that pass, or do you guys need to do more off-ball action to get guys more space on the weak side?
KEVIN LOVE: It's just a little bit of both. I think with him as well, just trusting that pass and knowing that's going to find him. But also finding him in transition, him hitting some of those easy buckets that he had that he makes the majority of the time with him. So I think that if -- one thing's for certain, he plays well on this floor, and I think we'll see that tomorrow night.

Q. You guys played well defensively all through the Playoffs. The way they move the ball and the way they do things offensively, is there a culture shock when you see that? Do you feel like after two games you guys are closer to figuring things out defensively?
KEVIN LOVE: We think so. Like I mentioned, we just can't turn the ball over and let them get out in transition and get out on those runs. But we feel like Game 1 we obviously let it get away from us, but for the most part we played good basketball in that Game 2.

So culture shock, no. Defensively we feel like if we're solid and we stick to our schemes and we're physical, we give ourselves a chance, and we'll see that tomorrow.

Q. Do you think you could be even more physical this game?
KEVIN LOVE: Yeah, I think especially for us playing at home, I think that we have to be, but I think both teams will bring that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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