NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 1, 2022

Moses Moody

Golden State Warriors

Media Day

Q. Obviously when you were drafted by the Warriors, what did you expect your rookie season to be? Is this beyond your expectations, or did you think you were coming into the Warriors and this is what it would be?

MOSES MOODY: Coming into my rookie year, I saw the Warriors, I'd been watching the dynasty, all that, and knowing Klay is coming back this year. But going into the year, I didn't have really much of any expectations because I knew everything was going to be coming fast and it was going to be different environments and different things that I've got to react about. So going into it, I was kind of more in a reactive mindset than having expectations and expecting them to meet that.

Q. Now that you're here and you see what a circus this is, how are you dealing with this and the uneasiness of not knowing what's coming up?

MOSES MOODY: The media circus, everything leading up to it, it's different from a lot of things. But it's no different than how I've been going and approaching this whole year because everything has been new. The summer league was new. The preseason was new. The playoffs was new and the Finals is new. So all different exciting things I'm able to experience early in my career.

Q. How do you just make it just a game? You see all the stuff going on right now. How do you compartmentalize that and say, I'm just here to play basketball, with all this around?

MOSES MOODY: I believe that I can compartmentalize it and see it as just a game subconsciously. That's what I've done up to this point. I've been playing AAU. I've been playing basketball, all the media and all that, that follows. But if you get too focused on that, then it becomes a different game than what I've been playing.

So I could say that I've been trying to trick myself or whatever it is. But when I'm out there on the floor, I'm locked in on what's going on.

Q. What advice have Steph, Klay and Draymond given to you? What examples have you seen from them that you've been following?

MOSES MOODY: Yeah, Steph, Dray, Klay, they have just been kind of role models, something to really look at. I feel like you can learn more from observation than simply asking questions, but I do that as well.

Just watching those guys, the way that they approach, the way that I watch film with Dray, watch how he dissects the game and the points he makes and what he looks for. Same thing that he does on the floor. Just listening to that bulldog behind you barking out the calls, that's something that I really look at.

Q. What did you do for your 20th birthday?

MOSES MOODY: I got some family that's been out here. My grandma, she cooked a little bit. My dad got on the grill back at my apartment. It was cool. We were in the yard. My brother and my homeboy were playing with the bag, you throw them in that hole --

Q. Cornhole. Did you win?

MOSES MOODY: Me and my mom did. We were a team. We beat my dad and my friend.

Q. How do you feel like your rotation minutes against Dallas in the Western Conference Finals helped you get that experience with respect to playing big playoff minutes? How do you think that can help you for the Finals?

MOSES MOODY: I feel like the experience that I got to be a part of playing against Dallas was just that. It was an experience. It was something to add on to my repertoire. I've learned from it, and it was a good opportunity. I was able to get some playoff run and hopefully prepared me for this series coming on and my career ahead.

So that's what it was. It was a learning lesson. It was a lot of fun.

Q. Do you see the Game 4 loss to Dallas as a blessing in disguise with respect to you showing and that second unit showing this is how dangerous you can be?

MOSES MOODY: I would say obviously we wanted to get it done at the end of the game, but there was another opportunity to get out on the floor and go out there and play, go out there and fight. So just taking it for that and taking that opportunity as it is.