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NBA FINALS: WARRIORS VS. RAPTORS

June 1, 2019

Fred VanVleet

Toronto, Ontario - Practice Day

Q. You guys had a nice advantage in transition. How important is the transition game for your success this series?
FRED VANVLEET: It's big. That's been probably our most consistent theme this year: trying to be really great in transition defense, and then just let our talent flow on transition offense. we get our defense set, we like our chances. We get the rebound and push, obviously some easy buckets. At this time of year defenses are so good, the coaching and schemes are so good, that if you can get an advantage in transition, steal a couple buckets and win that advantage, I think that's a huge key for the game.

Q. Steve Kerr was saying yesterday that you guys kind of remind him of the Warriors. Do you think that you guys are similar to the Warriors in makeup and execution?
FRED VANVLEET: I don't know. I never thought of it like that. Obviously, we all have our own identities. I think that they were kind of revolutionary for the game, with the way that they built their team. And Draymond obviously being a big key to that. He was one of the guys to do it on the highest level for a long time. We got Pascal, who can push. Marc can handle. And it's just positionless basketball where you have multiple playmakers out there. Guys who can make reads, make plays, push the ball. We're just running and trying to get easy ones.

Those guys won a couple rings. I don't think that that's a bad compliment to remind somebody that we look like them. Our focus is being the best version of the Toronto Raptors.

Q. What is it about the rims here and what you guys have gotten with some of the bounces in some of these games?
FRED VANVLEET: It's funny, because I hate our rims. I hate our rims. But, no, we got a special thing going. I think that it's just kind of the aura and the magic in the air. You can feel it a little bit. We have a lot to do with that. Our fans have a lot to do with that. Things are just going the right way for us. So as many shots as I missed in the last few weeks, that toilet bowl shot I had is probably due to go in. And if one of your favorite great players makes that shot, he's a great player. And when I make it, I'm lucky. So I'll take it. It went in and we move on.

Q. Did you feel like it was going down?
FRED VANVLEET: It hit the backboard, at least. I knew that as soon as I let go. It swam around there three or four times, but I definitely knew I hit the backboard.

Q. What do you think when you hear the people in the arena chanting "Freddie! Freddie!" It got pretty loud in there.
FRED VANVLEET: When was that? Everybody keeps telling me that.

Q. You missed that one?
FRED VANVLEET: Yeah, I heard it like five times now, but I don't remember when that was.

Q. It was in the fourth quarter right after you made that shot and then you went to the free-throw line.
FRED VANVLEET: Yeah, I missed that. I don't know. At some point in your career, the crowd just becomes one big noise and one sea of people. Obviously, I appreciate it, but I was probably so locked in, I didn't even notice it.

Q. When you're playing with as many high-IQ defenders as the Raptors have, what is the communication out there like?
FRED VANVLEET: Yeah, it's got to be at a high level. You have to communicate at a high level. We're talking schemes. We're talking coverages. We're talking where to help, where the help's coming from. And the most important communication comes in the downtime -- the free throws and the timeouts and the dead balls -- and just figuring out what we're going to do next. The rest is kind of instinctual. But for the most part, once you get that stuff set, it's mostly instinctual and just knowing where you're going to go. You've already walked through it or talked through it or whatever the case may be and you just try to keep building on that.

Q. Is this team as connected on that end as any you've been on?
FRED VANVLEET: Yes, this is one of the best teams I've been on defensively from a communication standpoint. I think that just having the open-floor dialogue helps. No guy is right or wrong. We just want to come up with the right answer. And as long as we're all on the same page, most of the time you can figure it out after that.

Q. Sounds like OG is getting close. Obviously, he's been out awhile. Even if he's able to play only a few minutes, what does he bring? How does he help you?
FRED VANVLEET: OG, he's great. He's got that great frame, great body, and obviously we could use him on the glass. We could use him cutting and slashing, making open threes. Having another body out there to defend, and get in the way of some of their guys.

We have been with him the whole ride. It's been an eventful year for him, and hopefully we're able to get him back. We would love to see him out there. Just as our brother, regardless of what happens, you just want to see guys get back to doing what they love to do.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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