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NBA FINALS: WARRIORS VS. RAPTORS

June 1, 2019

Kyle Lowry

Toronto, Ontario - Practice Day

Q. We have all seen how well Marc Gasol has fit in on the floor with his abilities to run the offense and protect the rim. You often said you're with teammates more than you're with your family during a season. How does he fit in in that regard with a new group since February?
KYLE LOWRY: Marc is pretty easy to get along with. He's like one of those guys that's just a true professional. He goes about his business. He does his thing and gets in, gets out. He blends in well. He fits in well. He's just an easygoing guy, so it's a lot easier. It's really easy to have a conversation with him and talk to him. He just gets on the plane and watches his film and talks about boating and does his thing.

Q. Would that be one of the more unique things about this group, of all you've been with around the Raptors? Is this team seems to be very even-keeled and never too high or too low?
KYLE LOWRY: I mean, it's pretty crazy that it's a team that everyone just kind of is staying the same way. We have been preaching it all year, so it kind of just became contagious. Most guys' personalities are just be even-keeled off the court. On the court, we've got some fiery guys. But off the floor we have some grown men, people with families and kids. They understand that their profession is their lives. That's what they do: They take care of their families, their friends, their bodies. They're a professional.

Q. I don't think McCaw played at all in the Milwaukee series. How confident were you that he could come into The Finals cold like that and perform? And how do you think he did in Game 1 in his minutes?
KYLE LOWRY: Pat is a champion. I knew he would be able to step up to any task that he had at hand. He didn't play in the Milwaukee series. He wasn't around for personal reasons. But he's back and I would never doubt him a moment stepping on that floor. I knew he would go out there and do his job and play hard. He made a huge three for us. Like I said, if he gets an opportunity to play, he's going to help us always.

Q. Given that there are so many players on this roster who are relatively new to it, was there ever a point you were concerned about developing the chemistry you guys need together quickly enough to win like you have this season?
KYLE LOWRY: No.

Q. Why not?
KYLE LOWRY: We have some professionals on our team and they know their jobs. They want to be professionals and they are professional. So it's about doing their job and being able to just adapt on the fly.

Q. One of the things that really stands out about the team you're playing is their overwhelming confidence. Some would call it arrogance. I wonder how you guys look at them when they're down a game in the series, you beat them on your home floor, and they act like the series is even or they're ahead. How do you put a dent in that kind of confidence and do you have to kind of match that confidence to beat them in this series?
KYLE LOWRY: They got rings. They got rings and they can be confident. We can't really necessarily worry about them. We have to continue to worry about us. They're going to be them and they're going to do their thing, but for us we have to concentrate on us and focus on what we have to do. We can't worry about this, that. We go out there and we do our game plan and we focus on what we can control. That's what we have done all year. We haven't worried about this, that and the other, in the sense of we go out there and we control what we can control on our end. We play against a team that we're going to play against, but we have to do our job.

Q. You've been part of all these Raptor playoff runs throughout your career but did yesterday's or Game 1's crowd feel any different? Do you see any difference?
KYLE LOWRY: Yeah, it was definitely a difference. It was a Game 1 of the Finals. They were unbelievable. They were electric.

Q. How does that impact you like on the court, I guess?
KYLE LOWRY: We need our fans. We'd love them to be there and we want them to be loud and we want them to be just supporting us, and we're happy that they're there. We still have to go out there and put the ball in the hole and play defense but, yeah, we loved it.

Q. I want to get your thoughts when you first were traded here and just how the perception maybe from your peers of Toronto has changed and just the Raptors organization has changed through your time here now, that you're in The Finals if you think guys view this franchise differently?
KYLE LOWRY: When I first got traded here I didn't really know what to expect. I thought it I would be here a couple years and be out of here. But the organization is unbelievable, the ownership is unbelievable, management has been great. We have had great people come through here, players, coaches, and just kind of grown for me. I been here now seven years, my kids are in school here. So it's kind of -- it's a situation where I've been home, I call it "home" because I'm here nine, ten months out of the year.

So just the perception is -- people don't know once you get here, it's actually more than just downtown. So I'm fortunate enough to be able to experience that, the suburban life, the outside-of-downtown life, and it's a pretty great place to be.

Q. After the win in Game 1 Raptors fans were climbing cranes, singing through the streets, chanting. Is there any message that you would have for the fans going into Game 2 so they can keep that same energy?
KYLE LOWRY: Keep the same energy. We appreciate it.

Q. Nick was in here a bit earlier saying the Warriors had used a few schemes and a switch, and then a late blitz that he hadn't necessarily seen before on Kawhi. First, how often do you see a type of defense that you really haven't seen before and two, how do you guys think in general you handled their sort of traps on Kawhi?
KYLE LOWRY: I think the way they're built, they have some guys that can play, they're long, they got length, they know how to play. They have been playing together a long time, so on defense they kind of do their thing, and if that works for them then -- for us, I think we handled it pretty well. I think we were patient. I think Kawhi did a good job of kind of baiting them out a little bit and getting passes off, and letting us play four-on-three and kind of just going out there.

But I think we handled it well. I think we'll continue to adjust. There's adjustments that will be made, so we have to make the adjustment. They will make adjustments and Game 2 will be a different game.

Q. You mentioned earlier about everybody being even-keeled. Kawhi is kind of the leader of that. He never gets too high, never gets too low. Has that rubbed off on his teammates this year?
KYLE LOWRY: Yeah. I would be lying to you if I said it didn't. And also Marc and Danny and Nick. I think Nick honestly yelled at us twice the whole year. That's legit: twice the whole year. And that's a long season to only yell at a team twice. I think that's just Nick and Kawhi and Marc and Danny -- everyone is just kind of going out there and staying even-keeled.

Like I said, we have real professionals. We have some great guys in that locker room. It all just rubs together and everyone has their own personalities, but we figure a way out to just all understand what the common goal was.

Q. Has there ever been a time where you've tried to embrace Kawhi or been more excited than him, and he's looked at you like "calm down"?
KYLE LOWRY: No, no. I ain't that guy. So, no. No.

Q. We know that you're playing with a sore left hand, but the other night you took that big charge. When you're playing, does it run through your mind when you're about to take a charge that this is really going to hurt?
KYLE LOWRY: No, it doesn't. It doesn't run through my mind. You pay for it later. At the moment, as long as you win the game, it's all worth it. Whatever you have to do to win the basketball game, your body, just throw it out there and whatever happens, happens. Hopefully you just don't get hurt; you can get up and bounce back and go move on.

Q. Ever since Kawhi's shot against Philly, I feel like fans and media, everybody, I'm sure you guys too, kind of noticed these shots that bounce on the rim for three and four seconds at a time. We all kind of probably feel the same thing, but what is that like as a player when you're watching a shot kind of teeter on the rim like that?
KYLE LOWRY: How many shots you counting? Because I only counted one that bounced three or four seconds. That's a long time.

Q. Well, maybe not three or four seconds, but Pascal had a shot like that in Game 1. Fred obviously hit one right at the end that kind of bounced that way. What goes through your mind as you see that, and do you feel like that those things balance out or do you feel like you guys are on a wave right now where things are falling your way?
KYLE LOWRY: What goes through my mind? Those rims are really soft. That's what goes through my mind. As long as they go in, I don't care how they go in. Happy about it. Two points, three points or whatever.

Q. Is it a love-hate relationship that players have with rims, the ups and downs that you have with your streaks and stuff like that?
KYLE LOWRY: I love all rims. Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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