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NBA FINALS: WARRIORS VS. RAPTORS

June 4, 2019

Andre Iguodala

Oakland, California - Practice Day

Q. How is the preparation going so far?
ANDRE IGUODALA: Normal preparation. I think this is our fifth one in a row, so just trying to stay focused day to day in the game and try to make the key adjustments to try to give ourselves the chance to be in similar positions as last game, with the lead late in the game.

Q. Did you like having the extra day between games, helping you guys because a few of you aren't a hundred percent, or would you rather just get back out there and play?
ANDRE IGUODALA: if you got guys who are nicked up, banged up, hopefully the extra time theoretically should help you continue to recover. Between Game 3 and 4, it's only one day, so hopefully guys continue to get better and not get worse after each game. But we got 15 guys for a reason. Everyone is trying to stay prepared and have that confidence to help the team.

Q. With this being your fifth straight Finals, do you feel like you're feeling it now body-wise, a lot more injuries this year than in your previous championship?
ANDRE IGUODALA: The body is always the same as far as you're going to have nicks and bruises at the end of the year with so many games. Every season is a long season. I'm sure players, not too many teams have been in it this many times, unless you go back to Bill Russell and those guys. They said they were playing in Chuck Taylors and they didn't have physical therapy that we have and they were really bruised and banged up. So they would say if they can get through it, we can get through it.

Q. Obviously you being a part of this from the beginning, does it feel differently now in your fifth Finals?
ANDRE IGUODALA: In the team there's been growth, especially with the young guys. Watching Kevon Looney grow, and he's only 24 years old. I don't think people understand what he brings to our team, because he's matured so much and he's learned so much in a short span. I can only imagine if I was in that situation, being young and being just thrown into a situation like this where you have so many different dynamics with success and dealing with pressure and dealing with media and learning so much about the business of basketball. That learning curve has been great for him, and he's taken it all in and used it on and off the court to make him a better basketball player, a better businessman and a better person. So really excited for guys like that.

Q. These will be the last games at the Oracle Arena. How is the feeling of the team about that?
ANDRE IGUODALA: I'm not sure. There are so many things going on right now that you just try to stay focused on the game. But obviously that's something we talk about through the season. We have had a great support system with our fans, one of the best fan bases in the whole Bay Area. Being on the Oakland side, they really have been with this team throughout good and bad. So it would be sweet to end it well for them.

Q. At this point in your career, if you could go back and tell your younger self just entering the league something, what do you wish you knew back then that you know now?
ANDRE IGUODALA: I wouldn't probably say anything, which I think was probably good for me to have not known what I know now. I don't know if I would be playing basketball if I knew now what I knew then. Kind of just now, I'm too smart for my own good.

Back then, I would just literally kill myself every day as far as training, work ethic, throwing my body through a lot. But it helped my game and it helped me to become a better player, smarter player. So I probably wouldn't tell myself anything. I would probably tell myself to enjoy it more going throughout the process. So that's about it.

Q. Did you have an idea of how long you wanted to play in the league? Were you thinking that far forward?
ANDRE IGUODALA: I wasn't. I didn't have many expectations. No one knew too much about me. I wasn't like a phenom coming out of high school or college. So I was just happy to be here and I wanted to make it last as long as possible.

I think I surpassed my expectations back then. I don't know. Knowing now what I knew then or knowing then what I know now, probably it would have been a shorter career.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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