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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS vs WARRIORS


June 2, 2018


Draymond Green


Oakland, California: Practice Day

Q. When people cover this team, you hear the phrase "basketball IQ" a lot. What does that mean to you? What's that phrase mean to you?
DRAYMOND GREEN: Obviously it's just the way you process the game. I think at this level everything happens so fast. How you process that and the way you go about your business, and the things that you're out there doing on the floor, the adjustments that you can make on the fly, the things you can kind of see as they're happening are the things that come to mind for me when you talk about basketball IQ.

Q. How much of that do you think is innate, and how much has to do with study and preparation?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I think it's definitely a feel that some people have and some people don't. But I also think those that do have it, studying film, being a fan of the game of basketball, always watching a ton of basketball, then that helps.

Then those that don't have it, watching a ton of film can help bring them up to speed some. But then I think there are still some things that they may just never see.

Q. LeBron is LeBron, right, but what do you think the key is as a team to minimize the damage he can do?
DRAYMOND GREEN: Force. You know, from the beginning of the game, we didn't really start with much force defensively, and he was able to get into rhythm.

Q. Is he able to get the mismatches he wanted because of the way you guys normally switch?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I'm not sure.

Q. Was it easy for him because he got mismatched against [Stephen] Curry so often?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I think Steph did a great job with guarding him.

Q. Pretty big task for someone that size. Do you guys plan to do anything different?
DRAYMOND GREEN: It's a task for anyone, first off. And secondly, we're going to play our brand of defense and figure it out from there.

Q. Emotions were running high at the end of the game the other night. Is it tough to keep them in check when you've played the same team four times on this kind of stage?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I think it's tough to keep emotions in check when you play anybody on this stage. We're trying to win a championship.

Q. When you talk about force, what helps fuel that?
DRAYMOND GREEN: Really just being locked in, taking on that task. Coming in with the right mindset to kind of set the tone in the game that you want to set.

Q. What happens when force meets force?
DRAYMOND GREEN: You've got a collision.

Q. Do you like that?
DRAYMOND GREEN: It's fun. It's the best part of the game.

Q. You were having fun towards the end of the game. Was that a result of force meeting force?
DRAYMOND GREEN: That was a result of some people talking -- was talking and I talked back. And I danced back.

Q. It reminded me of Pusha T and Drake. Who is who, between the Cavs and Warriors?
DRAYMOND GREEN: No, this is nothing like that, nothing at all like that.

Q. Did you watch a replay of your dance moves, though?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I did.

Q. What did you think?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I wasn't really dancing, though.

Q. What were you doing?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I was shaking pom-poms.

Q. That will work.
DRAYMOND GREEN: Yeah, I wasn't dancing.

Q. What was the message there?
DRAYMOND GREEN: Just shaking pom-poms.

Q. Were you surprised that Tristan [Thompson] didn't get more on the discipline front?
DRAYMOND GREEN: No, no, not at all. I think -- what should he have gotten?

Q. I don't know. I mean, he could have been suspended.
DRAYMOND GREEN: I'd rather a guy not get suspended. Them suspending somebody else don't make me feel good. That's in the past. It is what it is. I don't want nobody to get suspended. You know, that does nothing for us or for me.

Q. Does it set a double standard, though?
DRAYMOND GREEN: No, I'm happy he only got a $25,000 fine. It's not that much, number one. We're out here trying to feed our families, so I don't like to see people lose money, and I don't like to see people get suspended. So, no, I don't really think it's a double standard. I think it is what it is.

Q. You don't think if that was you for throwing the ball in somebody's face, you wouldn't have been suspended?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I maybe would have gotten suspended, but ain't nobody else me, so I really don't care about that. I'll take that. It comes with a lot of other great [stuff]. So it's all good.

Q. Do you expect the heat from the end of the game to kind of carry over to Game 2?
DRAYMOND GREEN: It should. Like I said before, you're trying to win championships, so there should be emotions involved. If not, then whoever's emotions aren't involved should go sit down somewhere. This is what you work your whole life for, so it should carry over. Will it be more controlled? Probably. But the intensity should carry over when you're trying to win in the NBA Finals.

Q. It seems like in the Rockets series and again in Game 1 teams have been leaving you open a little bit more on offense. Have you noticed that, and what is your reaction to it?
DRAYMOND GREEN: Keep shooting and making plays. But, yeah, I noticed.

Q. Do you take it as a sign of disrespect at all?
DRAYMOND GREEN: No, not at all. I think you do whatever best suits you to win the game. Then I'll just make two big threes and call it a day.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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