Partial IGUODALA interview+transcript from practice in Cleveland, day before 2018 NBA Finals G4
16...from Warriors practice in Cleveland at The Q, day before 2018 NBA Finals Game 4. QUOTES:
Q. Andre, how does it feel to be back?
ANDRE IGUODALA: It's cool, I guess. Especially when you get a good win like that, a tough win. Both teams battling back and forth throughout the night.
Q. How are you feeling health-wise?
ANDRE IGUODALA: I'm breathing, yeah. That's all you can ask for.
Q. Steve [Kerr] said he wanted to play you in spurts, four-to-five-minute spurts as the game went on, to see how you did as the game wore on. How do you assess how you felt?
ANDRE IGUODALA: I mean, there was a lot of adrenaline going on out there. I don't know. At the end of the day, it was just basketball. I don't know. It's just like another game. But I treat every game like it's a big game. So it's like riding a bike. You fall off a few times, then you get the hang of it.
Q. You missed six games, but you were in at the end of the game at crunch time. Did you expect that?
ANDRE IGUODALA: Yeah, I did. You know, just knowing how the game was before that and knowing what Steve wanted to do. I looked fine out there and I figured he'd leave me out there. He gave me a nice rest before throwing me back out there, and gave me an opportunity to finish.
Q. Would you walk us through your mind when you finally dunked the last minute of the fourth quarter?
ANDRE IGUODALA: Yeah, I tested it a few times early in the game and felt something once, but after that it was just natural. So, like I said, it's kind of like riding a bike. You fall off a few times, and then you figure out you're fine. Especially that moment, you just forget about it.
Q. You're known, obviously, for your basketball IQ and your defense. At what point in the game do you kind of really see what the Cavaliers are trying to do defensively? A little bit different from Game 3 to Game 2 for them.
ANDRE IGUODALA: Yeah, we saw it early, some of the pick-and-roll coverages, depending on the personnel. We saw it with the centerfielder, who he's guarding and different looks and certain sets we can call based on their centerfielder and how we can do certain things. We still see some things that we can improve upon, which is still good. Considering our shooting percentage and the outcome of the game, we still feel like we can still play our best game.
Q. You guys are up 3-0. How is it different from last year's 3-0?
ANDRE IGUODALA: We've been in this situation before. We know what to expect. We know what type of team they have and how they're going to come out. I think they had that push last night where they had a great thrust there in the first quarter going up. But we've done a really good job of weathering storms that teams kind of come at us with early in games. We've seen it against Houston a couple times. So just knowing how to weather the storm and just keep chipping away and put ourselves in a position late in the game where our guys make big shots. K.D. made a huge shot. Steph made a huge three to get ourselves over that hump late in games.
Q. Do you have any words on K.D.'s performance last night?
ANDRE IGUODALA: It was very efficient. Those type of games don't get enough credit. People just see that one big shot he made from about 40 feet, but it was just the way he was composed through his movements. Nothing was rushed. He took what the defense gave him. A few dribbles here, a few dribbles there, get to your spots, patience. Very effective with his movement. Didn't overexert himself. It was kind of like the perfect storm. But it wasn't just the scoring. A few of his defensive -- he was causing guys to miss shots at the basket. His rebounding was big, and, like I said, taking what the defense gives him as far as a lot of the assists he had and not forcing things. So it was a very good game.
Q. How does that change the offense for the rest of you guys when he gets in a groove like that?
ANDRE IGUODALA: It doesn't change too much. Just knowing where to be if he needs an outlet. Knowing that your man is going to help out and trust him that he'll make that pass and just be ready.
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