	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NBA FINALS: WARRIORS VS. RAPTORS

June 12, 2019

Andre Iguodala

Oakland, California - Practice Day

Q. Does it even enter your mind that this is the last game at Oracle, or are you just laser focused at the task at hand here?
ANDRE IGUODALA: You really don't think about it too much. We have been in this thing for five years. We really haven't been able to sit back and just reflect on everything. Everything has kind of been hectic. Kind of been like a roller coaster -- a circus more than a roller coaster. We just focus on trying to get the job done and get the win.

Q. Losing Durant the way he went down, can this team use that as a rallying cry, sort of win this one for KD? And can that actually elevate your play a little bit?
ANDRE IGUODALA: Hopefully so. You try to take any type of aspiration, and you put it into the game in the right way. It can work both ways. You just try to channel everything to positive action. It's just a tough blow -- for the league too, being that he's the best player in this league, and what he brought to the league. You just hope for the best for him and the way he's processing everything. You want him to be healthy mentally.

Q. You kind of saw the big minutes and the impact that Boogie had when he came off the bench, especially when KD went down injured. Talk about that sort of importance of the strength in numbers that you have here and the mentality that you saw from DeMarcus.
ANDRE IGUODALA: Yeah. It's been tough on him as well, coming back from injuries. One of the tougher injuries that an athlete can have, with his Achilles. The confidence can waver. What he's been able to do to stay mentally in it and keep his confidence up and knowing what he's capable of doing and keeping himself engaged through good and bad times is a testament to his willpower and giving us a huge lift.

Q. Being part of this dynasty from the beginning in terms of seeing things from the positive side and the negative side, how would you kind of talk on those experiences, the situation that you find yourself in now, 3-2 down?
ANDRE IGUODALA: You try to tell yourself you've been through it and just use those experiences to hopefully propel you to winning the next game ahead of you. Just keep the mind clear and try to stay laser focused and not let the noise deter you from where you want to go.

Q. After Game 5 you essentially said some people don't view NBA players as human beings. How do you reckon with having to come out and play in front of some people that might think that?
ANDRE IGUODALA: I shouldn't say just basketball players but athletes in general, especially talking about the ones that generate a lot of revenue. The more revenue, the further you get away from the human aspect. It's just a part of it and that's a different aspect that's becoming more and more in sports, especially when you talk about gambling now coming into play and how that's going to affect it. Everyone is talking about the mental health aspect and things they're going to try to implement to make sure that their players are healthy mentally. It's well said. But it's got to be put into action and make sure we're taking care of our guys.

Q. On Kawhi Leonard:
ANDRE IGUODALA: He obviously has the physical tools. He's been blessed with those. When you have the physical tools, it's a fine line between those that work at it and get the most out of themselves or those that just run on talent. He's one of those guys that has put the work in to get the most out of every aspect of the physical gifts that he's been given. Mentally, he's very tough and understands the work he's put in. He's got the confidence to match it. He's playing freely and they're getting out of his way in terms of just letting him do what he does and everybody else follow.

Q. How does dealing with him in these Finals compare to dealing with LeBron at his peak?
ANDRE IGUODALA: They're both great players. They have a track record of being winners. That's something that goes unnoticed and that doesn't show up in analytics. It doesn't show up in any type of data, what a winner is. When you're going against that and you've experienced it yourself, you know you have a different type of respect for it. He's a winner.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297