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NBA FINALS: CLEVELAND VS GOLDEN STATE

June 6, 2017

Klay Thompson

Cleveland, Ohio: Practice Day

Q. The other night was I think the second time in these Playoffs where you guys had 20 turnovers and still scored 120 plus. Do you guys ever look at a box score after a game and think, man, we can get 150? What are the possibilities for you guys?
KLAY THOMPSON: I mean, we could have gotten at least 140 the other night, if we only would have had 10 to 15 turnovers. But that's basketball. Give Cleveland credit, they played with some thrust in the beginning of the game that probably made us uncomfortable. But we can't have 20 tomorrow night, not in this building. They will really punish us if we do that.

Q. Do you ever sense a team getting discouraged the way you turn a four-point lead to 10 that quickly? Can you sense that that's getting their spirits down a little bit?
KLAY THOMPSON: Yeah, I mean, we have been on the other end of that, too, but, yeah, this team's not going to be deflated just because we go on runs. We have been going on runs all year. So we definitely feel it, though, when we're clicking on all cylinders and hitting threes, getting dunks in transition and playing the stalwart defense we have been doing all postseason.

Q. Your defense on Kyrie, I think, seems like you've taken a lot of pride in that. Is it you're drawing on your experience from the past?
KLAY THOMPSON: Well, yeah, I've been playing against Kyrie for a long time now. It's not just me, we're doing it collectively. But he's missed some shots he usually makes, but just because people think you're playing great defense you can't believe in the hype, it's only two games. So he didn't catch fire until like Game 3 last year in The Finals, so we're not going to get too excited just yet.

Q. Do you expect to see you on him to start games throughout most of the games?
KLAY THOMPSON: Yeah, I mean, we'll all match up with him, just like we have been with LeBron and other guys, because we got such a versatile defensive team, guys that can switch a lot. Yeah, I know that I love guarding the best perimeter player on the other team. It's a great challenge.

Q. Shaun Livingston was talking the other night about avoiding complacency. I'm sure you guys know the trap.
KLAY THOMPSON: Oh, yeah.

Q. Are you making that a concerted effort?
KLAY THOMPSON: Yeah, definitely. But you can't read too much in the media because you are either playing great or you're playing terrible. So you just got to avoid that so your head doesn't get too big and you kind of stay locked in on the task. That's trying to come in here and get a win or two. Focus just on tomorrow night because tomorrow night's a pivotal game and can really swing the momentum of this series if we're not ready to play.

Q. Do you feel like you're playing better than this time last year? Obviously you won two games easily last year, but it just seems like the level of play is better right now the first two games for you guys?
KLAY THOMPSON: As a team I think so. I think we're moving the ball great, we're shooting the ball at a high clip, and our defense has been unbelievable. So, I mean, it's easy to draw back on last year because it was a tough series for us, obviously had a lead and we lost it. We just got to learn from it and not try and make the same mistakes twice.

Q. The way K.D. and Curry are meshing, are you kind of seeing it make quite a progression here in the last few weeks?
KLAY THOMPSON: Yeah, definitely. Those guys have been unbelievable. They can make for a very scary duo for teams across the NBA because they're both mismatch nightmares. They can get their shots off against anybody. And they're coming together at the right time.

Q. How do you guys approach Game 3 in the sense of is there any chance of complacency setting in?
KLAY THOMPSON: I mean, there's always a chance, but we're not going to let it happen just because we're hungry to be here. It's the NBA Finals. You should not get complacent. It's not Game 58 of the regular season or something.

So the way we avoid it is come in locked in from the jump, don't turn the ball over, try and get a shot down the floor every time, and stick to the game plan we have been doing on defense the last two games, and I think we'll be in a good position to win the game.

Q. Why have you guys been able to battle Tristan as you have and how important has it been as a challenge in the series?
KLAY THOMPSON: I give credit to Zaza and our bigs who have done a great job trying to keep him off the boards. He's probably one of the better offensive rebounders in the league, and he's killed us the last two years The Finals. I think he's averaging a double-double, so we have been able to slow him down the first two games and just trying to match his physicality and not let him get a free run to the rim every time, because he's a monster when he gets a full head of steam going for offensive boards.

Q. What is it about Kyrie that you have had to guard against the most?
KLAY THOMPSON: It would be a number of things. He can do it off the catch, he's got great moves, one-on-one moves, the best in the world, and he's just like Steph where he can get in a rhythm where with his handles and his shot where it feels like you can't stop him. So you just try to take that away from the jump.

Q. What differences do you expect in the Cavs now that you're playing in Cleveland in their house?
KLAY THOMPSON: What differences? I think they will probably come out with great energy and try and be physical. They got a great crowd here, so they will obviously be pumped up. But I'm not sure what differences -- I mean I'm not sure what adjustments they will make, though, for Game 3. I think they will continue to try and do what they have been doing.

Q. What about the Cavs' roster? It's been said a lot with the addition of Kevin Durant that you guys are significantly better than last year. What's your opinion about the new nucleus that the Cavs have this season?
KLAY THOMPSON: Well, I think they're better than last year because you saw what they did in the postseason. They went 12-1 to get to The Finals. That's hard to do. And just a year together again always helps your chemistry. But I think it's safe to say that they're probably improved more than last year.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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