ON TONIGHT’S GAME:
“Pretty similar to our last several games, I think we get tired down the stretch and we make some mistakes, and perhaps we let down a little bit defensively. Some of that is fatigue and maybe even over the course of the game you get worn down a little bit, but again, our guys really, really competed. We played very well against a top-level team in the NBA. We were there. We just have to be better with the ball and not lose our intensity level towards the end.”
ON HOW HARD IT IS TO EXECUTE AGAINST THE WARRIORS:
“First of all, they’re a great defensive team, as well as a top-level offensive team when you look at what they’ve done this year at both ends of the floor. As long as we executed, it also helped our defense stay in check, and when we lost that, that’s when we dropped.”
ON IF HE’S PLEASED WITH THE ADDITIONS TO HIS TEAM:
“Very much so. I think you saw it. I think you see we’re a better team today than we were yesterday, and we were a week ago. I’m not even going to talk about the guys that aren’t playing because we’re a better team today already.”
ON WHAT HE TAKES FROM THIS GAME:
“I thought they played well. Timofey (Mozgov) came in and gave us a big presence. J.R. (Smith) played well. I think it was just the turnovers, fastbreak points and we just couldn’t get stops down the stretch. We played generally good basketball throughout the game, we just needed more.”
ON HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS TO SLOW THE WARRIORS DOWN:
“They’re tough. They’ve got guys that can make plays and shoot all the way around. That’s why they’re arguably the best team in basketball. They make a lot of things happen out there and they give you a lot of different looks and when they’re at full strength they’re very tough.”
ON PLAYING AT A HIGHER PACE:
“Yeah, and it’s tough right now and I know it’s tough to see, but when we do get back to full strength we’re going to be good. I feel like we have the pieces when Iman (Shumpert) and Bron (LeBron James) get back and Trix (Shawn Marion) is healthy that we’ll be able to put this all together. We just have to continue to fight, continue to keep pushing. I know I sound like a broken record over the past few games, but that continues to hold true.”
ON WHAT HE TOOK AWAY FROM THIS GAME:
“We’ve got to do a better job in transition. They scored a lot of points in transition, which they normally do. Shot a lot of threes. We’ve got to do a better job of running teams like this off the three-point line and do a better job of second chance points.”
ON HOW PLEASED HE WAS WITH HIS INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE:
“It’s good to play well, but when you lose it really doesn’t matter. I’ve just got to do a better job of keep getting my teammates involved as well and build people’s confidence.”
ON HOW HE FELT HE PERFORMED TONIGHT WITH LIMITED PREP TIME:
“I think it was not bad for the first time especially. Every time you can be better and every time you can do worse. I think it was not bad preparation, especially with a new team and a new starting offense and defense and everything. The guys with me are so good, make me a part of the family on the first day, so I love it.”
ON FINISHING UP THE HOMESTAND:
“It went exactly as I hoped. 6-0, but more importantly we really kind of found our game again. I don’t know how many assists we averaged in the six games, but I think it’s over 30. We were able to practice quite a bit. Not traveling is just, it sets an easy tempo so even when you take a day off you are not flying around or getting jetlagged. The focus and attention to detail in practice has been really good. I think that’s why our execution has got a lot better. We’ve become really tough to beat at home and that’s important. I think this is best venue in the NBA, the best place to play and the hardest place to play. We have to keep it that way.”
ON STEPHEN CURRY’S APPROACH IN THE SECOND HALF:
“I think Steph has a sense for the game always. When to get people involved and when to attack and get to the paint. We always want to attack and push the ball and give pace to the game. There were times tonight that we walked the ball up the floor. We can’t do that. We are at our best when we push the ball. Steph is really good about that. He’s constantly on the attack. He’s got a good feel for when he needs to be aggressive and get to the line. He did a good job of that.”
ON DRAYMOND GREEN’S FLOOR GAME TONIGHT:
“That’s the beauty of Draymond is that he doesn’t need to make his shots to make a huge impact on the game. His energy in the second half, I thought, really took over. It changed the game. He almost had a triple-double. His rebounding is incredible. He’s about 6’6”, but when he goes up for the ball, against these seven footers, it seems like he’s always the guy to get it. He’s terrific. Eight assists, three blocked shots and he didn’t have his shot going, but it almost doesn’t matter with Draymond. That’s just gravy. Everything else he does is really what kind of sets the tone for us on the defensive end.”
ON KLAY THOMPSON’S RETURN TO THE GAME AFTER GETTING STITCHES:
“It was unfortunate that he got hit because he was really rolling. I think he had 20 points in the first half. Best part of all of that was that Justin Holiday came in and did what he’s been doing for the last month. He had 14 points for us with good defense. That’s a hard team to guard as well with Kyrie (Irving) and J.R. (Smith) and Justin was on those guys. His ability to guard and hit shots is just huge for us. That’s why he seized this opportunity to backup Klay (Thompson).”
ON HIS PREGAME TALK WITH MARK JACKSON:
“I’ve known Mark forever. We came into the league around the same time and we played against each other for years and we’re friends. We had a great exchange today. We actually were in contact this week before the game even happened. I thought it was great that the fans gave him an ovation. He did a lot of great things for this franchise the last few years. A lot of the players made sure that they talked to him and that was great. He deserves it. He set the table for what’s happening now and he deserves a lot of credit.”
ON HIS CONFIDENCE:
“I know the amount of work that I have put in and I know the level of confidence my coaches and teammates have in me. When they have confidence in me the way that they do it’s hard not to continue to play. I was struggling with my shot. It’s frustrating but there’s nights like that. It happens, you have points like that throughout the season, but I just try to continue to do other things that impact the game. Coach Kerr told me at halftime, ‘Always remember I don’t care about your shot. Your energy, intensity, leadership, and passion will get us where we need to go.’ That was a great reminder and it makes you want to play with more energy. It was a tough night, but I can’t stop taking them. I have to continue taking shots and they will fall eventually.”
ON PLAYING AGAINST KEVIN LOVE:
“I like the challenge and I was looking forward to it. That was a game and matchup that I was really looking forward to. He’s a good player. I think I had a pretty good game against him and did a pretty good job. I was looking forward to that.”
ON THE CHANGE IN THE GAME WHEN THE TEAM GOES ON A RUN:
“We know that if we just stay the course and continue to play solid basketball, things will eventually turn. Soon as you get to that point that a shot falls or you get a couple of stops, you feel the game starting to turn and that’s one of the good things about us. We play off rhythm and you feel that rhythm starting to happen.”
ON LOOKING PAST HIS BAD SHOOTING NIGHT:
“It’s not easy to look past it because you want to knock those shots down, but at the end of the day I’m more than my shot. If you want me on your team because of my shot then you want me for the wrong thing.”
ON THE CAVALIERS’ NEW PLAYERS:
“You have to expect that. You have J.R. (Smith) out there who is new and is going to go for what he knows. He obviously doesn’t know all the sets, which is probably why they ran four or five sets. You can’t expect those guys to know all the sets within two days. You have to expect that because at the end of the day they do have some guys that can go one-on-one and when you don’t know the offense you have to create something. That was expected and we knew they would run four or five sets and stick with it and they did. I can’t say that was a shocker. When you get guys who are playing a lot of minutes and making a huge impact it’s not going to flow. They don’t know the plays. It’s a bunch of new guys trying to put it together.”
ON THE WARRIORS’ DEFENSE IN THE FOURTH QUARTER:
“I just think we have to be solid. I think we didn’t turn the ball over down the stretch, which allowed us to run some clock and get some good possessions. We got big stops down the stretch as well. That’s the formula for closing out games where teams start off hot.”
ON HOW IT FELT PLAYING IN HIS SIGNATURE SHOE:
“It went great. I felt good. It’s a dream come true. Obviously the win is more important, but to represent the Bay Area, my family, teammates, and coaches with a story that I can wear on the court is pretty special. I’m proud.”
ON PLAYING WITHOUT KLAY THOMPSON:
“Obviously you want to make sure he is okay, but we have guys stepping up and Justin Holiday has been that guy off the bench backing up Klay (Thompson). He’s coming in confident and knocking down shots and defending at a high level. Coach (Steve Kerr) put a lot of faith in him throwing him out there in the rotation and he has taken full advantage of the opportunity and that’s what you expect for a guy that’s been through what he has been through to start his career. I’m really happy for him.”
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSITION POINTS:
“That’s huge, no easy baskets. It’s a sign that we are getting stops. We know teams can score in this league at high levels, but the difference is six or eight points here or there and not giving those away can allow us to keep winning.”
ON HOW MUCH FUN IT IS TO PLAY ON THE WARRIORS:
“There’s nothing like it. There have been some great teams in NBA history that have run the fast break well, but we have a lot of great athletes and talent that can push the ball and find open guys to knock down shots. It’s a fun brand of basketball and we make the right plays.”