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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS vs WARRIORS

May 30, 2018

Tristan Thompson

Oakland, California: Practice Day

Q. There is this narrative out there that LeBron is doing his greatest work ever because he's single-handedly bringing all of you other guys across the finish line with him. Saturday Night Live even thought it was so funny they did a skit about it. When you see a skit like that, when you hear a narrative like that, what do you think and what is your reaction?
TRISTAN THOMPSON: I think they've always had a narrative of LeBron carrying the team. He's definitely a big part of our team. But if you watch the games, we have guys that have big moments. Kev's played huge, Jeff Green being able to come in for Game 7 and knocking down those threes and playing at a high level, myself, this is my fourth Finals, and every playoff series I've had some big moments.

So LeBron definitely has done a great job for us, but he's not alone. He has help. I think guys that know basketball know the guys that he has on his team. So SNL and all that stuff, I'm glad they got their hits and people watched it, but they don't know no sports.

Q. You've obviously been part of -- this is your fourth time against the Warriors. What have you seen like with LeBron and Draymond? Two guys that seem like there are some similarities there, not necessarily their game, but their style, their appreciation for the history, their memory, and the competitiveness with which they play?
TRISTAN THOMPSON: I think, you know, the similarities between LeBron and Draymond, just how much they love the game, how much they give themselves to their team. LeBron does whatever it takes, whether it's scoring, rebounding, defending, blocking shots, he does everything.

I think Draymond's the same kind of player for Golden State. He's always the guy that's pulling over on the weak side, trying to contest a shot, diving for loose balls, he'll make some timely threes when guys are sinking off of him and everyone's worried about Klay and Steph.

So he's definitely -- I think him and Iggy are the heart and soul of this Golden State team. That is the similarities between him and LeBron, where they're definitely the key core of both franchises.

Q. Given so much that's at stake when you guys meet in The Finals, is it -- I think fans sometimes don't understand how like he and LeBron could have the uninterrupted thing, they could work together. You would think that they'd be at each other's throats. Do you see that in these guys, or they can just separate that when the games are over and they can work together and stuff like that?
TRISTAN THOMPSON: Yeah, definitely, you know, Maverick Carter does a great job in terms of Uninterrupted. And that's outside the four lines. When you're on 94 feet, we don't care if it's your twin brother, we're going at each other and we're competitors, and that's what this game is about. That's why we fell in love with this game at a young age, it's a competitive nature.

So with LeBron and Draymond, they're just getting after it. They love the game. That's what you want, especially in The Finals. This is two and a half weeks left. It's only basketball left until you watch Summer League. So you're going to give it all you've got, and you're going to want to take down the other guy and beat him to the ground. So it's just basketball.

Q. This is your fourth Finals. How is this year different with all the roster changes and everything that you guys have undergone? How has the journey been different this year?
TRISTAN THOMPSON: You definitely hit it on the head in terms of roster changes, injuries. For myself, missing more games than I ever missed in my whole career with injuries, with the trades, it's been a whirlwind season.

I like to call this season the growing pains for me, just because you never really experience stuff like this, and this is the first year where we've had some major adversity. But we fought through, we fought through and dug deep. I'm just happy these guys are, you know, here with me to go to war. We're excited to be back here.

Q. When you think about this season for you guys, what would you consider the lowest point?
TRISTAN THOMPSON: The lowest point? I wouldn't say necessarily it was the lowest point. I think we had some things to figure out. I think February, coming into the trade deadline, we had stuff to figure out. At that point we weren't where we needed to be, and we had to get better.

I think defensively we weren't there, but I think also it's because we had a lot of injuries, guys coming in and out of the lineup. I don't think it was until March or April when we had a full roster with nobody missing games.

So obviously, maybe the panic where people were saying it was a panic time where Cavs had to figure it out, it was February. But we know. We've been here before. Myself, LeBron, K. Love, JR, we've been through it before. Us four are the four remaining guys that have been to the championship, have been to the top of the mountaintop.

So we know it's a long process. Our job was to help the other guys, guys that haven't been through this. Trust the process. It's going to take time. You're going to have your peaks and valleys, and you just stay the course. We stayed the course, and continue being who we are, we'll get back to where we're going to get to, and we're here now.

Q. Tristan, this playoff run has been so different for you in that you started out and you got a couple DNPs to start it out, and now you're back in the rotation and things like that. Has this been very difficult for you, and how were you able to keep your head despite all the early adversity?
TRISTAN THOMPSON: I wouldn't say difficult; I think for me, it was just wait until your number's called. At the end of the day, regardless if you're playing or not playing, you've still got to be there for your teammates. Beginning and the end of the series I wasn't playing. So for me, how I can help my team and how I could help the guys that haven't been there before like with Larry and Jordan and Rodney and Cedi, just stay in there, and give them my advice from the sideline, tell them what it's going to take. If I see something on the court, give them advice, and just stay ready.

I think for me, when we weren't playing, I was getting with the young guys, playing a lot of five-on-five, staying ready, staying in shape, so that when my number is called, I'm ready to come in there and show everyone what I'm capable of doing and what you guys know me as, the player that I am since I entered the NBA.

So that's what I did. I'm here now doing what I'm supposed to do, doing my job at a high level, and I'm going to keep it going.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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