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NBA FINALS: WARRIORS VS. RAPTORSMay 29, 2019Serge IbakaToronto, Ontario - Practice Day Q. You guys have struggled this postseason in Game 1. Now you're here in the NBA Finals. What's it going to take to come out and get this Game 1? SERGE IBAKA: We have to just go out there and play basketball like we have been playing basketball games in the playoffs and I think if we just focus on what we can do, focus on us, I think we'll be fine. Q. You've been here before in The Finals, but to get back what does it mean for you personally to kind of put in the time to get back to this level and give yourself another chance at your first title? SERGE IBAKA: Going back to The Finals is, it showed me how a lot of those years I've been putting in a lot of work, and after seven years, and it just made me be so thankful, man, it's not easy. Even them, you see them going back to The Finals every year and they look like it's easy, like people say it's too easy for them. It's not that easy. You have to give them credit. But being in this position now I know how hard it is. So I'm just thankful. I'm so thankful. Q. How sweet do you think it is for guys like Marc and Kyle, to battle for so long, and to finally have their first chance? SERGE IBAKA: I think that's so good to see Kyle be here for so long, I don't know, seven years and Marc has been in the league now for 11 years now, for them the first time to go to the NBA Finals. I think that's the beauty of all the hard work you put in during the summer and during the season and it's the motivation. Q. Have you shared your perspective on the NBA Finals with some of your younger teammates? Appreciate this because you don't know when it's going to happen again? SERGE IBAKA: Yes, yes, of course, I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it. That's the vet's job, right. That's why when you're on a good team you got some vets it's for all those things too. It's not only playing on the court but talking with the guys, talking to your teammates, that's the job, that's their job, and I'm going to do it, for sure. Q. For you personally, this is a big turnaround season for you after maybe last year didn't go that well. How have you viewed what's happened with this season and how you came back? SERGE IBAKA: What happened to me this season is exactly what I was looking for. After last year, I mean everything happening in the playoffs, the way everything ended up, it was not fun. So, and I told myself after last year that I had to be a better player, a better teammate and I had to help my team and my teammates to be better. And we did it this year now here we are in the NBA Finals. Q. Any doubts at the end of last year about where your career was at, where you might be going? SERGE IBAKA: A little bit. When things start happening at the moment you start thinking a lot, you know, a little bit. But after a couple days I said, you know what, only thing I can control now is myself, to go back in the gym and put in the work and then focus on the next season. Q. How do you draw that line between respecting your opponent and saying, hey, we're still here to win this thing? SERGE IBAKA: I think when you respect your opponent, that makes you even more dangerous, because you, the fact you respect them, that you know you have to go out and play. So because we know we have to go out there to play because they're so good. And they show like they're one of the best offensive team in the last 10 years, so that's going to push us, motivate us to go out there, we have to be focused and play. Q. How have you guys mentally prepared heading into The Finals? SERGE IBAKA: Mentally prepared, we focus on the moment right now and we just we try to learn what to take from the last round and then we're just now we're focusing on now and then it's different teams, and the NBA playoff, different team, different style and we know we have to change a couple things to go forward, but our focus now is to go out there and play. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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