Warriors quote dump from Media Day in Boston before G3
[video/notes/quotes]
The Golden State Warriors took the podium and then the floor after the Boston Celtics this morning at TD Garden, one day before Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals. Below are notes, quotes and accompanying video.
Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green took the podium in the second media room. We went with a live coverage of that and a member of Green’s family on his mom Mary Babers’ side actually joined our live chat:
Meanwhile, Steve Kerr, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry did their Q&As in the main media room. Reporters also caught up with Andre Iguodala and Nemanja Bjelica on the main court.
I will update this article with Warriors practice footage but it will take a coiled hours to compile and process all of that and get rid of the copyrighted music in the process. Poole and Curry apparently hit some halfcourt shots.
GSW-RELATED QUOTES FROM BOS
DISCLAIMER: These are all just notes for my main workflow of YouTube videos, tweeted by beatwriters. I used to transcribe every interview but it became too tedious and not worth the investment for the small amount of views we got on the soundbites on YouTube. The links to the tweets are not available because sometimes I don’t use the full tweet and just having a ton of tweets on this website imo isn’t aesthetically pleasing and gets away from the main goal: transferring information (not so much entertainment) asap.
• Ime Udoka said he tells his players to be themselves when it comes to responding to trash talk and if he was still a player, “For us I don’t think it’s the talking as much as the physicality…if I was a player I’d probably get a double technical immediately, but that’s not everybody, so do what you do to meet physicality w/physicality.” (Gary Washburn, Jay King)
• Udoka: “We’re looking at adjustments to our lineups and rotations.” (Celtics CLNS)
• Jaylen Brown on Celtics defense on Splash Bros: “We need to do a better job to be honest. We’re not doing a good enough job on Klay Thompson, he can get it going at any moment.” (Jared Weiss)
• Brown on what Ime Udoka’s message is to the team about dealing with Draymond Green’s extracurriculars that can lead to techs: “We don’t have time for that… Don’t get caught up in all the antics.” (Ohm Youngmisuk)
• Jayson Tatum just smiled and laughed a bit after being asked about Draymond Green trying to get under the Celtics' skin during Game 2. Tatum said he enjoys that competitive side, even if he's a quieter player. (Marc D’Amico)
• Marcus Smart on countering the Warriors’ physicality: “You respond to fire with fire, right?…When you get hit in the mouth, there's only one way to respond, and if you're not really ready to do that, then you don't need to be on this stage. This is a stage where we've got to be willing to risk it all out there for your team and for the victory.” (95.7 The Game, Taylor Snow)
STEVE
• Andre Iguodala is considered questionable for Game 3. (Ohm Youngmisuk)
• Steve Kerr on Draymond Green's intensity: “Just let him be him. He's at his best when he's passionate and emotional.” (95.7 The Game)
• Kerr thinks Klay Thompson is pressing a little bit but isn’t worried about it: “He wants so badly to do well he’s taking some bad ones. I’m not particularly concerned about it because this isn’t the first time it’s happened… Klay has a way of responding to mini-slumps.” (95.7 The Game)
• On Steph’s defense: “I think it's really developed over the last 3 or 4 years. ... He’s gotten to the point where he can guard 50 screen-and-rolls a game and run 50 screen-and rolls a game. Not many people can do that…Very underrated. He's more physical than people give him credit for. He's really competitive, he sticks with the game plan.” (95.7 The Game, NBA)
• On Andrew Wiggins' impact and role on defense: “I'm impressed, I'm not surprised.”
• On his approach to coaching Draymond: “Let him be him. He's at his best when he's passionate and emotional, I thought he played a great game the other night.” (NBA)
KLAY
• Klay on taking a question about his 10/33 FG in the Finals: “Thanks for reminding me of my delightful shooting percentage." (95.7 The Game)
• Klay Thompson: “I've been through shooting slumps before. It's how you respond. ... I'll keep hunting good shots.” (95.7 The Game)
• On his mentality: “It's just about keeping that same mindset. Shooters shoot. I'd rather go down swinging that being gun shy.” (95.7 The Game)
• "That's the beauty of playing in today's age. You go on YouTube and you can look up all your great moments. ... I'll probably just YouTube Game 6 Klay." Asked when was the last time he did so, he said yesterday. (95.7 The Game, Ohm Youngmisuk)
• On his shooting slump: “What I’ve been through the last couple years, I’d gladly be in this position.” (Connor Letourneau)
• “Seems like the same rim I grew up playing on. These have a little more give though, esp compared to the rims at recess. The double rims, those things are stiff.” (me via NBA video)
• On defending Al Horford: “Use your quickness and play that physical brand of defense that Draymond was playing.” (NBC Sports Boston)
• “When you can do it when your back's against the wall, you know you can do it at any given moment.” (Warriors TV)
DRAY
• Draymond Green said the increased athleticism and hunting of 3s have made it harder to get to the basket: “It goes back to the Steph Curry effect... if you can constantly get into someone's paint then the world opens up, the 3-point shots open up.” (Celtics CLNS, NBA)
• Green said he wouldn’t have trash talked Grant Williams if Grant wouldn’t have talked trash first. Once Grant talked in Game 2, Draymond said he had to go there: “My goal when I came in here was to create a path for Grant Williams. To hear him say that is an honor, so I don't take that for granted one bit…I'm not going to go watch his press conference where he gives me props, where he appreciates my game and then go throw it in his face. That's whack to me. I'm not doing that…When you see a guy say I grew up watching him, you appreciate it. When you say that and then talk junk to me then yes I'm going to say something about that…Once he starts going at me and it got chippy and he's yap, yap, yap, all right, bro, you can't say that and then come and say this. It just doesn't add up to me.” (Gary Washburn, Celtics CLNS, 95.7 The Game)
• Draymond said he learned trash talk growing up in Saginaw. Said you had to talk. If you were quiet, that meant you were soft. (Gary Washburn)
• On Klay searching for Game 6 Klay highlights: “I haven't seen him YouTubing it. The reality is if I did, we'd probably make fun of him.” (95.7 The Game)
• On Cedric Maxwell’s comments glorifying the physicality of basketball in the 1980s and ‘90s: “One thing that baffles me about the ’80s or ’90s when basketball was ‘so much more physical’ is some of the guys that be talking weren’t the guys that were punching people…Y’all were getting bullied.” (95.7 The Game, NBCSBA)
STEPH
• Steph said GP2's return gave the Warriors "a lot of juice": “Fans love that. We love it too as his teammates. It's been awesome to watch his growth and development last year.” (95.7 The Game)
• On playing in Boston for the NBA Finals: “Should be an amazing atmosphere out on the court tomorrow.” (95.7 The Game)
• On Klay watching YouTube videos of himself admits do so doing the same… “All the greats do that.” (95.7 The Game)
• On Klay Thompson's demeanor and confidence: “He can just take it to another level... he's always just found a way to get himself going, especially in the playoffs just to make an impact that's loud, usually is really loud.”
• Steph said he doesn't need to give Klay a pep talk for his confidence: “The best thing you can probably say is, 'Keep shooting.'” (95.7 The Game)
• Sharing a list of player highlights he watches on YouTube including his Dad & his brother: “I go back and watch Ray Allen clips, obviously Reggie, Seth Curry... I might throw some old Virginia Tech Dell Curry highlights in without the 3-point line.”
• After Marcus Thompson’s phone goes off: “I'm calling you out. It's like when you in church and the pastor's giving a sermon and you over there with your phone.” (NBC Sports Boston)
JP
• Jordan Poole talked about being the 3rd splash brother and taking the opportunity to learn from Steph & Klay: “Two great players in front of me that I was going to be able to learn from.” (NBA)
• On nicknames: “I've heard some really good ones. Kid Splash is pretty cool.” (95.7 The Game)
• On GP2: “Just the energy that he brings, his character, how hard he plays.” (NBA)
WIGGS
• Andrew Wiggins on GP2: "Him being on the court is a big difference for us." (Dalton Johnson)
ANDRE
• Q: “Hey Andre, how you feeling?”
Andre Iguodala: “I’m alive.”
Q: “What does that mean for Game 3?”
Iguodala: “We’ll see.” (Jared Weiss)
BELI
• Nemanja Bjelica on his Game 2 minutes: “My job is to stay ready. It's Finals.” (95.7 The Game)
👍👍💛💙
So great, thanks.