NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: MAVERICKS VS. WARRIORS

May 22, 2022

Andrew Wiggins

Golden State Warriors

Game 3: Postgame

Warriors 109, Mavericks 100

Q. What are your immediate thoughts after throwing down a dunk like that?

ANDREW WIGGINS: Just feeling the energy. You know, that was the main thing when I seen the rim, that's all I seen. They tried to take it away from me but Steve challenged and we won. Thank him for that.

Q. What would you have done if he didn't challenge it?

ANDREW WIGGINS: Nothing. You know, I feel that dunk would still be alive.

Q. Were you surprised when you saw the offensive foul?

ANDREW WIGGINS: Yeah. I was like, what the? But you know, they tried to take away but maybe they didn't see it fully, too. That's what the challenge is for.

Q. You had 27 tonight. You've mostly been in the teens in those playoffs. What do you think got you going a bit even more offensively?

ANDREW WIGGINS: You know, just staying locked in. Staying aggressive. With every game, with every series, it's a different challenge, a different opponent, different type of basketball.

Q. You've been in a bunch of these really tense playoff games now with Draymond, Steph and Klay. What have you learned from them about capitalizing on these type of moments?

ANDREW WIGGINS: You know, just not taking nothing for granted. You know, even though like we're up now, the closeout games are the hardest. These guys are not going to go out without a fight. They are a tough team. So the job is not finished. We've still got to stay locked in and finish the job.

Q. We hear a lot of guys talk about how the playoffs are a completely different game than the regular season and "Playoff Draymond" has been a term that's been coined because he elevates his game to the next level during the postseason. Do you feel that with the intensity and that everything that comes with playing in this extended postseason run that that's kind of led to you just really continuing to be assertive and aggressive and dominant all throughout this run?

ANDREW WIGGINS: Yeah, you know, playoffs is different than the regular season. You know, it's very detailed, the physicality. Able to get away with a little bit more stuff. So I love it. You know, I feel like it brings out the most in everybody. It's the biggest stage you can ask for.

Q. Your experience being on losing teams, does that make this experience being this deep in the playoffs, being one win away from the Finals even sweeter?

ANDREW WIGGINS: Yeah, definitely. Some people never get the opportunity. So you can't take it for granted.

Q. What have you seen in the coaching side of the playoffs, the adjustments that come at this time of year?

ANDREW WIGGINS: It's tough. I think we do a great job, every game, every series is different and the adjustments they make even on the fly, you know, did a lot. So I give credit to them.

Q. How difficult is it, changing defenses within the game, how difficult is that to always kind of, I guess, be like monitoring the sideline and switching up?

ANDREW WIGGINS: It's not that difficult. We have other guys, a lot of good leaders. Draymond, Loon, they are very vocal on the defensive side and they are going to let you know and if they don't let you know, Mike Brown is going to be yelling from the sidelines. So you can hear somebody, they make the job easier.

Q. You talk about how you don't get tired and Steve was talking about that, too. What do you attribute to that?

ANDREW WIGGINS: I try to eat healthy, try to get some sleep, live a good lifestyle and summertime. I condition my body for moments like this.

Q. Have you done any kind of different conditioning since you joined the Warriors compared to years past?

ANDREW WIGGINS: Nah. Basically the same thing.