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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: TRAIL BLAZERS VS. WARRIORS

May 15, 2019

Klay Thompson

Oakland, California - Practice Day

Q. Klay, growing up in Portland, who helped work on your shooting, your dad or other people?
KLAY THOMPSON: It was my dad. It was my youth basketball coach, Joey Kemp. And, yeah, it was those two, Joe Kemp taught me how to shoot a jump shot about in seventh grade. Since then I just fell in love with shooting.

Q. Besides energy, what enables your team to move so well without the ball the way you did in the last game?
KLAY THOMPSON: Great stamina. Just a will to never stop moving. And ball movement. I mean that thing is fired around, me and Steph [Curry] fire off screens, we have great space and guys can make plays.

Q. Do you have fond memories of being going to Blazers games when you were little?
KLAY THOMPSON: Oh, yeah. The best memories.

Q. Anything in particular?
KLAY THOMPSON: The Rose Garden was so much fun to go to as a kid. I was so lucky. I was able to meet Michael Jordan after the game in 1998. And I was really shy at the time. My dad took us back there. Got to meet Michael and Scottie [Pippen]. I've seen the footage of it. And that was probably my favorite memory, just because when they came to town it was like you had to go to that game. And it's kind of similar what we bring when the Warriors come to town.

Q. Were you a full Blazer fan, gear and everything?
KLAY THOMPSON: Big-time Blazer fan.

Q. Who was your favorite player?
KLAY THOMPSON: Rasheed Wallace was my favorite player. And actually knew Rasheed and I knew his sons really well, went to school with them. And I'm still friends with them to this day. Yeah, I was a huge Blazer fan. It's always fun to go back and playing them.

Q. How much do you appreciate what the bench has been doing, guys not playing much came through?
KLAY THOMPSON: They did great. They've been the best professionals you can ask for. Making huge impacts. Quinn Cook, huge buckets down the stretch, the same with Jonas [Jerebko] and Jordan Bell, well-rounded player as well, a great passer. People don't realize that. And [Kevon] Looney played amazing. Outscoring their bench. These last couple of games, they proved people wrong and hopefully continue to do so.

Q. Do you see this is a homecoming for you?
KLAY THOMPSON: Definitely because I have so many cousins, uncles, aunts up there. I love seeing them. And I have all my childhood friends. And it hasn't changed much since I've lived there. It's always fun to go back.

Q. You were saying earlier this season, Oracle has made you maybe a little more emotional in the corner. Were there other things that get you hyped this season during a game?
KLAY THOMPSON: Yeah. Making shots. Getting stops. Playing playoff basketball. Just being able to do what we do year in, year out. I do not take it for granted. And I just try to enjoy it for as long as I can because it's a very special position I'm in being on such a great team.

Q. Steve said you felt like you had that competitive spirit, what's been your feeling of just how you incorporate that into your game?
KLAY THOMPSON: Yeah, I mean, I think that competitiveness is what allows me to play both sides of the ball as well. I hate getting scored on. I am such a perfectionist in my shooting. Sometimes to a fault. So it's just about channeling that fire in the right way and I think as my career has gone on I feel I've been able to do that.

Q. You say you take a lot of pride on both sides of the ball defending people. What kind of changes does Damian [Lillard], CJ [McCollum] present as a defender?
KLAY THOMPSON: Well, they're both very, very talented with the ball in their hands. They can make every move in the book. Damian has unlimited range.

Q. I know you've told us you're focused on the task at hand, the teammates you have available at any point in time, is Kevin's presence felt right now during these games when he's not playing, like in any tangible way, or even just the thought in mind about him?
KLAY THOMPSON: Yeah, just him being back in the locker room and being at practice, and I know he's just dying to get out there on the court but definitely feel his energy, can't wait until he goes back.

Q. The record has been pretty good without Kevin, do you think it's the focus level or what do you attribute that to?
KLAY THOMPSON: Honestly I don't know, just the love, the familiarity amongst us, playing with each other for so long, those two things.

Q. We think of us as a beach dude, an island dude, what's your feeling about the Portland weather, does that feel like home?
KLAY THOMPSON: Good assessment. I'm like a chameleon, I can adapt to anything. I do love Portland. I actually don't mind the rain. I appreciate how green Oregon is. I appreciate the clean air and the trees and all the beautiful landscape and the terrain. I grew up there obviously, makes me appreciate the outdoors. Very, very similar -- Oakland is very similar in that respect. I don't mind the rain. I grew up in it. So no big deal to me.

Q. If you needed some Pacific Ocean healing where would you go?
KLAY THOMPSON: Shoot you want to go to the Oregon coast, might get hypothermia. But I mean you can jump in for a little bit. It would be all right. Might bring a wet suit. Might be a shark out there. Pretty big looking seal. But other than that -- I'll go jump in the Columbia, maybe the Willamette, but not close to the city, down a little bit. Lake Oswego is nice. We can find some nice body of water. They have a lot of them up there.

Q. You said that was a place where you found your jump shot. Was it easy for you to get the technique first when you were a kid?
KLAY THOMPSON: Yeah, I mean, I'm lucky, I have a dad who played in the league, taught me form at a young age. And I just ran with it. And it rained so much up there, I spent so much dang time in the gym because of the rain. And I'm grateful for it.

Q. Are burger donuts legit?
KLAY THOMPSON: It's good but the line's always long, you have to have patience.

Q. Klay, you were talking about that difficulty in covering those two guards. What can you say about the way that the Steph stepped up to that challenge, because he was on each of those guys aggressively?
KLAY THOMPSON: You saw it last year, too. He was racing, guarding 2 and 3 in James Harden. Same thing, he's not afraid of a challenge. We obviously want to save his legs for offense. But he's a competitor, in such great shape, take the challenge.

Q. You mentioned some bench guys. Specifically from Cook, what do you like about his ability, talk about his staying ready and not having as many minutes as he would have liked, how would you think he has been able to respond to the new responsibility to the grand challenge?
KLAY THOMPSON: Saw him last night, came in the fourth quarter, made huge shots for us. And I respect Quinn Cook so much. He shows up every day. Gets his work in. He's worked himself into a champion. I've got nothing but respect. He's going to have a long career in the NBA.

Q. When you go to the Portland, do you have a routine, certain places where you have to go?
KLAY THOMPSON: Try to hit Burgerville. Try to go see my family. They actually live out in Vancouver. So go see them. And just Burgerville and my family.

Q. Vancouver, Washington?
KLAY THOMPSON: Yes.

Q. All the connections you have, is there a sense of like which place you consider to be home?
KLAY THOMPSON: I was thinking about that. Portland is up there just because I spent my whole childhood there. I graduated eighth grade there. Family. Just the West Coast and the Bahamas are where my heart's at.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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