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NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE: SPURS vs WARRIORS

April 14, 2018

Klay Thompson

Oakland, California: Game One

Game 1

Warriors 113, Spurs 92

Q. Strong defensive effort. What do you see for the guys?
KLAY THOMPSON: With Steph out, the game is not going to be as free flowing. It's going to be a little bit more methodical and with our team, the defense slipped a little bit at the end of the regular season but our intensity was so great tonight and our free throw with us was there.

When those two things are there and we communicate, we are almost impossible to score on and we did a great job obviously holding them to 40 percent in the field and we got so many guys who are versatile enough to play at every position. That's our biggest strength. Can't be complacent, though. We know the Spurs are going to come out and make adjustments for Monday.

Q. When you see 11-for-13, do you wish you had a few more shots or are you happy with the efficiency?
KLAY THOMPSON: No, I'm very happy. If we win by 21 every game and I get ten shots or four shots, who cares.

Q. Did you feel an urgency to make a statement in Game 1?
KLAY THOMPSON: Absolutely. We want to make a statement in Game 2, as well. We did not end the season on a high note. We kind of hobbled into the playoffs but we know how talented we are and how good we are. We have been here before in the postseason and know what it takes to win.

Like I said before, as long as our intensity and our communication is up to par, we are really hard to beat and that's what we want to do for the rest of the series.

Q. The decision to start Andre obviously worked but when you first heard that Andre was going to start today what went through your mind? What were your thoughts about that move? Most of us thought it was a curveball.
KLAY THOMPSON: Andre gives us so much on both ends, especially the defensive end, his ability to guard every position. He's got some of the best hands I've ever seen and our ability to switch I think disrupted them. I know they will make adjustments Monday but we were able to clog the lane and get back to shooters, and Andre initiates that at the point guard position.

He's such a great glue guy, can literally do everything, whether it's get the ball off the board and lead the fast-break or knock down an open three. He was huge for us tonight. He only took four shots but his intangibles and his rebounding, as well as play-making, were great.

Q. The other big question coming into the game was, who was going to start at center. JaVale got the nod there. What can you say about what he brought?
KLAY THOMPSON: JaVale is a great threat at the rim. Might be the best playoff game he's ever played. He was phenomenal tonight on both ends. He was just such a great presence at the rim on offense and defense, disrupting shots as well as finishing shots. So hopefully he comes with the same mindset Monday and if he does, we'll be in great shape.

Q. You've had so many balls like this where you shoot the ball well, even when you don't have the ball necessarily for a long time with catch-and-shoot. What's the science of being able to perfect that so well consistently?
KLAY THOMPSON: Not caring about your stats. It's that simple, and if you just focus and play free-minded, you're going to knock down shots, just because you don't overthink it. You don't second-guess yourself. That's what I've come to at this point in my career. I just want to win.

Q. On defense, JaVale obviously was a force tonight. Is he -- communication is a big part of your defense, talking and letting each other know. Is he a big part of that or a quiet guy who does what he's supposed to?
KLAY THOMPSON: He's great at communication. He's got a lot better at it. Obviously he's not as loud as Draymond, but I trust having JaVale there in the pick-and-roll. He's gotten so much better at it in those two years that I've played with him, and he's still got room to grow, which is scary.

Q. Today you were really patient. Sometimes in Game 1 of postseason, guys get keyed up and want to get something going early on. Do you have to tell yourself to be patient a little bit or is that just something that's natural or how does that process work for you?
KLAY THOMPSON: It's natural, I'm lucky, this is my sixth straight postseason so I've been through it before. I mean, I did have jitters last night because I was so excited to be here.

Helps that I have experience and we are a very experienced team in this part of the year. I trust everyone in that locker room, as well as myself.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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