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Sports

Kent Bazemore on Travis Leslie, His Season and Santa Cruz

Post game interview with Kent Bazemore of the Golden State Warriors.

Patch: What kind of player was Travis Leslie and were you happy to see him go to the NBA?

Bazemore: It made my day when him and Chris(Johnson) were pulled up. Right after Chris was pulled up I was him in Minnesota. It's good to see a guy down here battling get called up. 

Travis was probably the best athlete at this level. He worked tremendously on his jumpshot and you can tell the work he put in, on and off the court, so it's definitely a blessing for him and it shows that hard work does playoff.

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Patch: How does it feel to come back down here?

Bazemore: I haven't been down here in a while, because I've been getting a small amount of minutes with the Warriors(Golden State). It was kind of tough on my body at first and I got off kind of slow. 

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As the game went on my body started to get numb from the adrenaline. It started to pick up and I made a few shots. That's what I wanted to do, to be able to let coach Bjorkgren and Jackson depend on me down the stretch whenever I'm needed. 

Patch: It looks like you've been working on your jumper, how's that developed as the season has gone on?

Bazemore: That's what you have to do in the NBA. I get up shots everyday. Repetition is the name of the game. I probably get up 2,000-5,000 shots a week depending on travel. That's the biggest hole in my game right now and I'm just trying to get better. 

I haven't seen the scouting report on myself, but "developing shooter" is probably on there. That's one thing that I want to do, is be able shoot it. I can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim, but being able to shoot it would mean having a good career in the NBA. 

Patch: Do you have fun when you come down here with these fans and this team?

Bazemore: Oh yeah, I've always been a player that plays to the crowd. I just love soaking up their enthusiasm and it just shines through me. Anytime I make a play I want them to know. Anytime my teammates make a play I want them to know. It's just fun basketball that way. I just keeps me energized to run the floor and make a play. 

Patch: When you hit the three in the fourth I thought you were going to hit the Bazemore.

Bazemore: Nah, I had that saved for down the stretch. The one I did shoot hit front rim, so I was a little disappointed. Once I get good enough I can kind of translate it to the game a bit. 

Patch: What do you like to do on your off-time over here?

Bazemore: I came in today, had shoot-around, had a sub and took a nap. That's pretty much what I do.

Patch: Do you ever get to hang out around here?

Bazemore: Not really. I would've loved to walk the Boardwalk, but it was a quick turnaround. I went to bed around 12:30 and I had to get up at 6:30. Rest is very important when you're running up and down the floor, so I just had to get a nap in. 

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