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NBA FINALS: WARRIORS VS. RAPTORS

June 1, 2019

Klay Thompson

Toronto, Ontario - Practice Day

Q. You guys have shown an ability no matter what the score is in a game, no matter where the series is at, you guys have this incredible sense of confidence as a group. How contagious is it? What's it like to play with that kind of confidence, and how much does it help you win these games?
KLAY THOMPSON: Confidence is obviously big in anything you do, any profession you're in. It starts with our leader in Steph Curry, who is probably -- you just see it in his game, his ability to pull up from 35 feet anywhere on the floor. Draymond as well, who plays with great passion and confidence. When the best guys on your team do that, it trickles down. You need that, especially in this industry. You can't go out there and doubt yourself, especially on this stage. Especially when you have a proven track record of winning and great team chemistry and all that.

So we're never going to doubt ourselves, no matter what position we're in.

Q. How different defensively of a series is this for you without a high-usage guard for you guys to contain, like you had with Harden and Lillard the last couple series?
KLAY THOMPSON: It's much different. They don't play as much one-on-one as the past couple rounds. Kawhi is great at it, but they really move the ball well and they always try to find that extra man. So our defensive rotations have to be a little tighter, a little faster tomorrow, because we gave them too many naked looks [in Game 1].

Q. Do you find yourself on help side a bit more than just locked in to a match?
KLAY THOMPSON: Yeah, so I'll have to adjust and be a helper and be better rotating, because I left too many guys open [in Game 1]. Can't give NBA players wide-open shots. They will knock those down.

Q. Steve has been talking about your transition defense in Game 1. Why weren't you guys good at that? Was it their speed or was it just you not up to your normal standards?
KLAY THOMPSON: Probably a combination of both. Give them credit. Siakam was running the floor like a gazelle. They were getting the ball off the rim and just pushing it. Instead of crashing as hard as we did, we'll have to make the adjustment in Game 2 and try to send more guys back.

But 10 days off as well, we might have had a little cobwebs. It was just a mixture of things. But I know this: I know we'll be better tomorrow. So that's always a good thing.

Q. You mentioned a bunch of times this postseason how there's nothing you guys haven't seen before, but you guys have never been down 1-0 in a Finals and you never started on the road either. Is that confidence that you are speaking about earlier something that can help you guys get out of this predicament and why you guys are still able to believe that you can win this series and a championship, obviously?
KLAY THOMPSON: Yes. A hundred percent. It's first to four, not first to one. So still a lot of basketball to be played.

Q. I just asked Stephen Curry about the bond that you guys share being the Splash Brothers and everything. He just said that in some practice sessions you guys will have some friendly competitions where you'll be on one side, he'll be on the other and he'll kind of peek over and kind of root against you a little bit there. Can you speak to that?
KLAY THOMPSON: He's been a great teammate for eight years. Even a better friend. You root for guys like Steph because he doesn't take any shortcuts. He works extremely hard.

He's a family man. He's just a prime example of what you want your leader to be. A huge ambassador to the community. Hopefully we can go down as one of the greater backcourts to ever play. And obviously it's been a very beneficial partnership for both of us. I couldn't imagine playing with any other point guard because we have such a great chemistry. We know each other's favorite spots, where we want the ball. I'm just thankful to share the backcourt with him because he's such a selfless, amazing competitor and teammate.

Q. But the Splash Brothers nickname, is that a cool thing?
KLAY THOMPSON: Yeah, it's pretty cool.

Q. Yesterday Steve said that really the Raptors remind him a lot of 2014, 2015 team that started this whole thing with you guys. What's the difference between them and the other teams that have tried to imitate you over the past few years as the league has evolved?
KLAY THOMPSON: I'm not sure, but they're very good. They're very long. They don't really play with a traditional post player, which is kind of similar. They really spread you out. The biggest difference between other teams? I mean, probably their size. They're really big. Their big men can handle the ball and make plays too. So that's very similar. Every position player on the floor can make a play. When you have playmakers everywhere, it's hard to guard.

Q. How much effort or energy does it take to get yourself open when a whole defense is trying to find you?
KLAY THOMPSON: Takes a lot. Takes a lot of patience as well. You just have to know when to use your energy. You don't want to be sprinting around the whole time, but you have just years of knowing how to rub your man off a screen or familiarity with the offense we're in. It's really an inexact science, but just to keep it simple. Go where the defense isn't and make a decision from there, whether it's rise up and shoot, hit your teammate.

But, yeah, it takes a lot of energy and it takes a lot of patience, because teams can do whatever they can to run me and Steph off the three-point line. You just have to adjust and make the right play.

Q. You talked a little bit about how everyone on the floor can make a play. Just was curious about your thoughts on specifically Marc and how they're running the offense through him and what defensive challenges he's posing for you guys.
KLAY THOMPSON: Can't give him those open threes. He turned himself into a very good three-point shooter. That was a big difference in the game the other day; his 20 points were huge for them. He's a great passer, always has been, since he's been in the league. Very good defender at the rim. Obviously, that pickup turned out to be huge for them.

We've seen Marc before in the playoffs. For us, it's just about trying to make him work on defense as well. Bring him away from the basket and guard us out there on the perimeter, because big guys usually don't want to do that. And if they're going to go through him on offense, we got to go through him on defense. That's just how it's got to go.

Q. It seems like also when's up at the three-point line, he's able to get a jump on defense. Is there a way to sort of counteract that, so that you can maybe adjust?
KLAY THOMPSON: Yes, but I can't say it because I don't want to tell how we're going to attack him on defense. That's not smart.

Q. Last three days, last couple days, I've heard a lot about you guys talking about a couple things, one, transition defense; two, rotations; and three, film watching. More maybe than usual. Having watched video over the last couple days, what have you seen? What did you dislike?
KLAY THOMPSON: What did I dislike? I don't think we were flying around defensively like we usually were. I don't know if that was a combination of 10 days off or complacency or just not expecting them to make those open shots. We weren't enforcing our will like we usually do. We have to take that challenge tomorrow, and it starts on the defensive end. Offense will come, but we have to limit them in transition and just make them work for everything, instead of just giving them wide-open looks. If we take those away, make them beat us over the top, one-on-one situations, we'll give ourselves a chance to win the ball game and it will be a much closer game and probably an uglier game. But like I said, better opportunity for us to win.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Klay.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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