NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 7, 2022

Andre Iguodala

Golden State Warriors

Practice Day

Q. Andre, how are you feeling?

ANDRE IGUODALA: I'm alive.

Q. What does that mean for Game 3 as far as potential playing status for you?

ANDRE IGUODALA: We'll see.

Q. The percentage of shots at the rim league wide are at a 20-year low in these playoffs, and they've been declining every five years for the past five postseasons. I was wondering if you could speak to how difficult it is to get to the rim in the playoffs and maybe any ideas you have about why the numbers are dropping on those shots.

ANDRE IGUODALA: I don't know if I could answer that and really be correct. There's just more emphasis on shooting threes. I guess that's taken away the aggression to get to the basket. It's taken away a little bit of athleticism out of the game, as well. I don't know, it's just the way it's trending with the rules, and hopefully it gets back to where you can see guys finishing more at the basket. But that's just the way the game it right now.

Q. Defensively how much of a priority is it now as opposed to maybe five, six years ago protecting the rim? Is it different at all?

ANDRE IGUODALA: Well, you don't want to give up layups. Depending on the team you've got, you can adjust how you defend the three-point line. If you've got guys that tend to stray out that way, that's when you can put those small lineups out there because you don't have to defend the basket. You get a dominant player and then the game will change.

But I think it's really about the stars -- sometimes it's about the stars. When you had a Shaq in the league you needed to defend that or when you had great centers in the league you had to defend that, and until that's dominant winning championships, the trend is where it's at now.

Q. Some of the younger players haven't played on stages like this yet and knowing what the Garden is going to be like Wednesday, what do you say to them?

ANDRE IGUODALA: Well, I think we've been through -- we had some adversity in Memphis with their fan base. They were pretty active in the game as they've been as a franchise in that city. It was good to have some type of preparation coming into an arena like Boston. This place is unique in its own right, so you really can't feel it, but you can get a sense of what it's like, and I feel like the core guys have seen it and certainly I've played in a series here.

It'll be a good experience for them to just go through as opposed to just hearing about it. You kind of have to feel it.

Q. I know it's different every time you go on a championship run, but what is the difference can you feel in terms of the environment now that you're in this championship?

ANDRE IGUODALA: I don't know, it's all the same to me. You just try to focus on the game, understanding the job in terms of dealing with this and dealing with all the raucous surrounding the game. You kind of just have to have a good understanding of the purpose of it all. It's kind of a spectacle, and this is the pinnacle of the sport. It just comes with the territory, so you embrace it, you handle your business, and then you go back to your room and you focus on the court.