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NBA FINALS: WARRIORS VS. RAPTORS

June 6, 2019

Shaun Livingston

Oakland, California - Practice Day

Q. What will guys lean on going forward in this series?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Just our experience. Our experience, our character, knowing we have been here before and just also just trusting each other. We know what not to do, panic. So just don't panic in this situation, and I think we'll be all right.

Q. When you say that you guys have been here before, have you been in this, though, this situation, the roster this eroded, this many guys down?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: No, but meaning from the series standpoint, like again we got to keep our perspective and our focus on what we can control. We can't control any of that. So, no, we haven't been there before, but we have been down in a series, so we look at it from that standpoint, right? We have been down. Hopefully we get some guys back, and then it's just a game at a time.

Q. What is sort of the recipe for winning?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Defense. Defense. We're not going to win with offense. This is a really good team, and defensively we're going to have to do the job.

Q. How hard is it to -- like you guys have always been a really good defensive team, but a big part of that is cohesion and different guys together. It seemed like especially early that it was like people trying to still feel each other out a little bit in the lineup. How big of a challenge is that going to be?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, guys going in and out, I mean, it's just part of the game. It's definitely still a challenge because you're trying to find the right combinations, and then it's just -- it's tough. And this team, they put a lot of pressure on you, the way that they play.

So we just -- coaches are constantly making adjustments, coming up with a game plan, and then it's our job to go out there and execute it with a hundred percent effort.

Q. How troubling was it to learn that the fan who was involved in the incident with Kyle last night is a member of the organization, and what do you think should happen?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, I mean, that's unfortunate because that's not how you want to be represented as an organization, as a team. So I think the NBA, from what I understand, has suspended him indefinitely. I think that's the right move because if we were in Toronto or any other arena, we would want that same protection for our guys, right? So what's fair is fair at the end of the day. What's right is right, what's wrong is wrong. No matter who you are.

Q. What do you guys as a team expect from the fans going into Game 4?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: We expect them to come out rowdy. We need them, we need them. This is a game on our home court that we have to have, which we want to get, and we need that sixth man energy.

Q. You guys had a lot of success with Draymond Green over the years being your point forward on offense, Toronto has a similar guy in Pascal Siakam. How much does having point forwards like that affect the game and approach?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Obviously, I think they play a lot like us, the way that you look at their roster, the way it's built. And I was just saying they put a lot of pressure on you. They put guys in their spots, which creates confidence throughout the team because guys have chemistry, understanding of what each other does well, and then they do that. So they expect that from each other. So that builds trust. It builds continuity.

But that's just the way the game has been going, the way it's been trending. I think it started even before us. I was watching Miami and San Antonio series, right, I think they were doing that, they were playing that way. Four out, four out, one in. That's just kind of the way basketball has been trending.

Q. Obviously LeBron is like a basketball genius, and you guys had to face him, but from a top-to-bottom standpoint, is this the smartest team that you guys have had? It feels like they have got a lot of really high IQ players.
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, they do, for sure. I mean, in The Finals, I think this is definitely -- I think they're up there as the highest IQ team we played throughout The Finals.

Q. How does that show up kind of in a game?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: A lot just what I was saying, just their feel, their understanding of each other, tendencies, through and through. Then also just time, score, getting to the line, yeah all those things.

Q. Is there a greater sense of urgency in Game 4? Do you feel like the approach is the same?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: No, definitely should be a sense of urgency. I mean, it's the NBA Finals so it's like every game should be a sense of urgency. Now it's probably human nature to let your guard down after a win because you're feeling good about yourself. It's just how it happens. But we're at home and we expect to get this game.

Q. How do you think Klay can impact Game 4?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: By being Klay Thompson. Just doing what he does on the offensive and defensive ends.

Q. How much of a disruption is it to get out of your normal rotations when you pull one guy like Klay out and you're out there with different guys?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: It's tough. If we got a couple guys -- because, again, I think with Steph, what he does, right, it's unparalleled. I think Klay is similar because, again, off defensive -- on the defensive side of the ball, he guards the best players on the perimeter, for the most part, and offensively he spaces the court out, great complement to Steph. Draymond is irreplaceable for what he does, just from a team standpoint, defensively.

So it's tough, man. Kevin. You're not going to replace that and what he does. So any time you lose those type of pieces, it's not necessarily losing a rotation player. But you say all that, and then it's like we still expect to win.

Q. But you were out there with a different group than you're used to, when it gets pulled out or that all changes, is there an effect there that's maybe a little underrated?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, I mean, just from a feel standpoint maybe, but it's tough from a rotational standpoint, guys coming in at different times. Yeah, it definitely throws a kink in it.

Q. You have had to deal with injuries. Is there anything you say to Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, or even Boogie when he was down about kind of keeping a right mindset to come back?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: I don't really press those guys. I'm more so -- just I'm in the wind. I'm kind of in the wing for those guys if they need to talk. I talked to Cous throughout the season, here and there, about my experience, my situation, and then just hopefully he can take something from that and apply it.

Q. You've been in this situation before, but you've been such an experienced member of this squad. Do they look to you for leadership in terms of you being part of this dynasty from the beginning?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, definitely, I mean, the core group of guys that's been here, they understand what it takes, so it's kind of understanding, but from -- some of the other guys, younger guys, bench guys I'm talking to, just making sure their head is in the right, their mind is in the right space, and just try to help them be ready as possible.

Q. What are some of those words of advice that you passed on? Obviously you've been part of this dynasty from the beginning.
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Just staying poised and also knowing that the game is about mistakes. Don't get too high, don't get too low.

Q. I realize it's a sensitive topic, and I'm not sure if you addressed it already this morning, about Kyle Lowry and the situation. Could you kind of speak on that for us, if you could?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, I did address it. Just more so about what's fair is fair, right? It sounded like the League's suspended him, and it seems to me it's the right move. If one of our guys was in a different arena, we were up in Toronto and a fan did that, we would be calling for the same action, regardless if he was an owner or a fan just coming to the game for the first time.

So credit to the League for doing the right thing, because what's right is right, what's wrong is wrong.

Q. Do you think that these incidents are becoming more frequent or growing worse in any way, or do we just hear about them more?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: I think it's because of how the social media has taken off. There's more media coverage throughout the games, there's more exposure to these type of incidents. So there's more of a fan base. There's more of a forum to talk about it. So I think that's kind of what builds up the momentum when these things happen.

Q. For those of us who have never been on a floor in a NBA game, I'm sure there's verbal stuff all the time and you're able to mostly tune that out, but what's, does it ever feel like threatening at all or like it's an uncomfortable situation for the players because you don't know what's going to happen next?
SHAUN LIVINGSTON: Yeah, not -- for the most part, no. For the most part I think the League has done a great job throughout their arenas with the security of keeping everybody in check, keeping boundaries in place. There have been incidents, there have been incidents where things have happened. I think it's been handled the right way. But any time something like that happens you have to address it, you have to face it, you have to address it right away.

And, again, credit the League for doing that because boundaries have to be in place. Fans come to the game, they pay money to come watch us play, come support or banter, whatever they want to do, that's great; but physical contact and doing things of that nature, again, it's got to be boundaries. I'll leave it at that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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