NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 4, 2022

Andrew Wiggins

Golden State Warriors

Practice Day

Q. We just talked to Andre, and he shared a little bit about why, even though he's physically banged up and has been for this season, he wants to play in the playoffs. What does it mean to have, one, a veteran like that, a mentor like that, pushing through for the ultimate prize, a chance to win the championship?

ANDREW WIGGINS: It means a lot. He's willing to put his body on the line even though he's banged up. He's older, but he's willing to be out there and fight with us. So it means a lot. It's motivating. We've got to go out there and play and hoop.

Q. When you looked at the film, how were you guys able to slow down Jayson Tatum from scoring? I know he got 13 assists, but how were you guys able to contain him?

ANDREW WIGGINS: He's a great player. He can score at all three levels. He's going to continue to make it hard. He's going to make some tough shots. He's going to make some good plays. But we've got to stick to the game plan and make it hard for him.

Q. You've seen the Celtics defense this season. You have an understanding for how they're going to operate and how they're going to try and adjust. What do you think they did throughout the game that caught you guys off guard, and how do you need to handle that differently?

ANDREW WIGGINS: I feel we need to stay consistent. Stay consistently good on defense. We messed up a little bit, turned over the ball a little bit, some rushed shots, and they hit shots. That's what it came down to. They were playing good defense, and they hit shots at the right time.

Q. Just to follow up on Andre again, how often does he remind you all about how old he is?

ANDREW WIGGINS: Not every day, but everyone knows he's been around for a long time, and you know what he's done in the league. So it's been great. I feel like for every situation on the court or off the court, he has an answer for it because he's been there, he's done that, he knows what or how to fix it.

Q. What was the overall demeanor after Game 1? Obviously a lot of these guys have been through numerous NBA Finals, been through these kind of situations. Did it feel like one slipped away? Do you feel like this is par for the course? What was the overall demeanor after that kind of loss after Game 1?

ANDREW WIGGINS: We feel like we let one slip away. We feel like we had a good third quarter. We had a little lead, but we know we took our foot off the gas, and like I said, they stay consistent. The whole game, they were right there, stay consistent, stay consistent. At the end, they hit some big shots.

Q. How can you guys create more rim pressure? What can you do offensively to get into the paint more and stuff like that?

ANDREW WIGGINS: Stay aggressive. Take good shots. Slips, slips to the rim. Play within the offense. Play Warriors basketball. If we do that, we'll be fine.