Kerr: “If you're not taking care of the ball, you're vulnerable in transition, but also on the offensive glass”
[videos, interviews, transcripts]
Not having elite point-of-attack (POA) defenders (yet)? Not really under your control. Hard to get complementary 3&D wings in this league when your salary cap is top-heavy and you also don’t have high enough Draft picks to simply draft them. You know, game-changer Lottery picks like Amen Thompson, whom we’ll see tonight for Houston.
Yes, Moses Moody has improved himself to sneak in a few pokes of the ball, but the quick, long guards of the NBA are still able to get past him at at least a 50-50 rate. It’s a systemic thing beyond the scope of this entire website: defense is just not taught across the board in American AAU development. Anyways, I digress.
Turnovers leading to transition buckets? Under your control. Talk about it, fix it in practice, tell the squad they’re 9-1 when they have less turnovers than the opponent, 1-8 when they have more.
Not having a pride on defense or otherwise having a letdown against a depleted or bad team? Timeout, “gentle reminder,” problem solved.
Steve Kerr from practice yesterday:
The offensive execution led to really good defensive balance. We only had 10 turnovers. Three of ‘em were in the last couple minutes, I think, with the, when the, with the game already decided. And that’s what I mean when I say connect the game. If you’re not taking care of the ball, you’re vulnerable in transition, but also on the offensive glass because everything is scattered and you have to be sharp with your rotations and your box outs, but you have to be sharp with the ball as well.
On the POA front, good thing De’Anthony Melton is on his way back, eventually. Also Jonathan Kuminga, for the occasional big guard assignments like Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
As a former coach, it is a pleasure for me to see the team actively take control of their penchant to throw the ball away. Of course, it does boil down to those of one Wardell Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, but because they are the progenitors of “organized chaos,” at least let’s get the rest of the squad to behave, first.
So, it’s all a work-in-progress especially as Melton and Kuminga aren’t fully healthy yet for the team to end up having championship-caliber defense by April.
The following are all the interviews and transcripts since the Utah win — I know there may be a few missing since the road trip, but every transcript is on our YouTube channel.
I did not do a transcript for practice before Utah, where I asked Steve about the letdowns, as I attended that one and it took a long time to improve the audio, plus I had to work on the Love Your Dubs Summit, which is starting at 12:01AM Thanksgiving.
By the way, the plan is for me to attend practice on Black Friday, whereby I can chime in during the Summit afterwards from the media room, maybe convince a couple beatwriters to hop on and say hi, too.
Be sure to register for that at www.LoveYourDubs.com so you don’t miss out! You also get a free entry for a Shot Ready picture book giveaway.
Here are the ones from practice yesterday, the day before Houston today, then postgame Utah:
00:00 How was practice?
00:01 STEVE KERR, PRACTICE, DAY BEFORE HOU-GSW: Practice was good. We had a good film session and not a whole lot of on-court stuff other than some strategic drill work and some light shooting and, but a lot of good stuff. I think it’s giving us some momentum here to be at home for the whole week and be rested and having good practice sessions every day, whether they’re heavier, light, it’s all, they’re all very helpful.
00:33 Was Jonathan able to do anything more?
00:36 Yeah, he did three on three before practice and, and that went well. And then he took part in all of practice. Tomorrow he will scrimmage. He won’t play in the game tomorrow, but he will take part in a five on five scrimmage tomorrow evening before our game. And that’ll give us a good gauge for where he is.
00:56 I was gonna say, what’s the next-- scrimmage obviously is the step that end up playing. How much do you need to see of that before everybody feels comfortable?
01:06 Yeah, Rick will determine that, watching the scrimmage tomorrow, and he’ll talk to JK and see how he feels and the two of them will make that decision.
01:17 How’s Draymond doing? Was he able to practice at all? He practiced. He said he’s feeling better. We’ll list him as questionable for tomorrow, but he is definitely trending upward. And yesterday did you guys come out mostly unscathed, injury wise?
01:28 I’m sorry?
01:28 Did, yesterday after, did you guys come out mostly unscathed, injury wise?
01:33 From last night?
01:34 Yeah.
01:34 Yeah. Yeah.
01:38 You guys went seven with Houston last year. Houston for the first time tomorrow. What stands out about that matchup in the postseason? What are you looking for tomorrow?
01:47 We actually went 12 with Houston last year. I don’t know if any two teams have played each other 12 times in one season since the 60s when there were eight teams in the league. Raymond should look that up, if you--
02:04 Actually, I looked it up last year. There were a couple teams that had done it over the course of the year, so it’s been, but it’s been a while.
02:09 Okay. Good enough. Not exact, but at least he’s starting to work, so I’m glad about that, but yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever been in a situation in my, whatever, 40 years in the league-- not quite, 37-- where two teams played each other 12 times, but that’s, so we couldn’t be more familiar with ‘em and vice versa. Obviously, they, the difference is you add Kevin Durant, things change. And so they are an incredible team this year, Ime’s done a great job there the last couple years, just building an identity, the size, the physicality, the defense. And what they’ve added this year, obviously, is picking up off that seven-game series we had where they just pummeled us on the glass. Very obvious in the off-season, they said that’s gonna be part of our identity, we’re gonna play two bigs. We’re gonna rebound everything and they’re getting over 40% of their missed shots on offensive rebounds, which is a stunning number. Even without Kevin, they’re just gonna be a huge, literally and figuratively, challenge for us.
03:30 Their team looks like quite different than it did last playoffs for a number of reasons, but just what do you make of how their roster is built with the ability to play three or four seven footers at one time, not really having a traditional point guard, in the age where we haven’t really seen anything like that.
03:50 I think this is a, this is obviously a function of what they saw in the playoffs last year playing Sengun and Adams and how effective that was, how much it can impact the game, and losing Fred, to the injury for the year. So they really pivoted to just a massive lineup, playing Thompson as a lead guard at times and Kevin, obviously, on the wing. I think, in general, the league is going bigger again. The trend is now to start to, to play bigger lineups and two bigs. The difference between now and the, the 80s when teams, everyone was playing two bigs was, is that you’re, teams are doing that and playing fast and shooting threes. Houston’s probably the exception in some ways. They’re, I think, they’re last in the league in three point attempts, but the overall trend towards playing bigger in the league is, is something that’s, that’s real and it’s, Houston is taking to an extreme.
05:02 On that note, almost a quarter of the way into the season, on pace, a lot of size, as you’re saying. What are the challenges, game planning, defensive game plans match those trends?
05:16 For us it’s, the Draymond question of, do we start him at the four or the five? And last night we started Quinten at the five and he looked really good. And we’ve had some games this year where we’ve started Quinten and Draymond together. We, for a while, we lost our rhythm there, so we went small, but going small for us, meaning Draymond at the five, and it’s a way for us to rediscover our identity, but we’re under no illusions that we’re gonna be able to go deep in the playoffs playing small all the time. It has to be a threat, but not something we’re counting on over the course of 48 minutes, so we have to decide what, how we’re gonna approach each game, lineup combination wise. QP and Al and Trayce are all gonna factor into that in a big way.
06:14 Steve, how hard is it to play small and be competitive at a high level when you, like you mentioned that the league seems to be going bigger?
06:23 We beat Houston last year in this exact scenario you’re talking about. Took seven games, but we, we started small with Draymond at the five. It was a huge challenge, but our guys stepped up to it and, but as you said, the trend is really spreading, Portland. Yeah, it’s not just playing two bigs when we’re talking about the size in Portland, yeah, just it’s positional size, size at every spot and Portland’s different. They, they’re, they’ve got Clingan, but they’re really big at the guard spots and switch everything. And so you’re seeing more and more teams doing, doing that and putting just a lot of size at different spots. And that’s not something we can match. We’re just, with Steph and Draymond being so important to us, we are gonna be positionally small at those two spots, so it’s up to us to find the right combinations around them to make sure we can still play our game, find our rhythm, connect the game at both ends and still compete in the paint.
07:35 You guys haven’t rebounded well most of the season, but last night you outrebounded a big team. What was the key to that?
07:43 I think just the offensive execution led to really good defensive balance. We only had 10 turnovers. Three of ‘em were in the last couple minutes, I think, with the, when the, with the game already decided. And that’s what I mean when I say connect the game. If you’re not taking care of the ball, you’re vulnerable in transition, but also on the offensive glass because everything is scattered and you have to be sharp with your rotations and your box outs, but you have to be sharp with the ball as well.
08:15 And when you, last thing, is when you go back and look at that first quarter, I’m not sure you did or not, but--
08:20 Which, fourth quarter?
08:21 The first quarter last night.
08:22 Oh, the first quarter? Yeah. Yeah.
08:23 (Inaudible) what did you see and what changes did it force?
08:31 We actually got good shots to start the game. That’s why I didn’t take the time out when it was 11-0. We, I think, we were 0-for-6, but I think we got four or five really good looks, so we were executing, but what I saw as that first quarter went on was a lack of focus defensively in terms of knowing the game plan, trying to take out George and Markkanen and really be focused on them, and we let George get four open threes in the first quarter, so that was the main problem. We just didn’t have that sense of desperation that you have to have when you’re trying to dig your way out of a three-game losing streak. So that’s what changed. I thought top of the second, Pat and Will came in, the energy changed, the ball was flying up the floor, spacing was good, started to feel good about ourselves as the shots went in, and that improved our defense, too.
09:26 Brandin sat that whole second quarter. What, just, what have you made of like his season so far?
09:31 Just, Brandin is a really good player. And he is at his best when the ball’s moving and he’s creating that flow when he gets in trouble. And I’ve talked to him about this. It’s when he is trying to do too much. We saw the same thing last year, early in the year. He wants so badly to be great. He’s trying to create plays on his own when all he has to do is be himself and swing the ball and shoot the ball when he is open. And when he does those things, he’s brilliant. You see the rebounding, you see the intelligence, the connection. I would say, 19 games in, he knows because I’ve asked him, these same things that I’m telling you. He knows what he has to do to be the best version of himself and he just has to focus on those things.
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10:28 How was practice today?
10:30 QUINTEN POST: Practice was great. We got in not too long, watched a lot of film from yesterday, some of the things that went well, some of the things we can improve on, and obviously a big focus on Houston tomorrow.
10:43 Houston’s obviously a really big team. They’re gonna need your size tomorrow. What are you expecting tomorrow?
10:49 Just a brawl. They got a lot of big bodies out there, me, Trayce, Draymond-- I don’t know what Al’s status is-- but we gotta be ready, ready to be in there in the mix, box out, rebound. And then the guards, they gotta help us all night, crash down and get these rebounds.
11:14 When you’re expecting a brawl, is there a different type of mental preparation that goes into something like that?
11:21 Probably get an extra hour of sleep tonight. Try to get the body ready, for rest. It’s, what is it now? Game 20, almost one-fourth down, so it’s still early season, but yeah, it’s just, it’s gonna be a fight.
11:37 What were some of the things that you mentioned on film today that you guys are hoping to clean up from last night?
11:44 Offensively, we actually saw a lot of good things last night. I thought we spaced the floor pretty well. We’re getting better. We’ve been working a lot on some of the spacing concepts that, being the dunker, how to move within the dunker, how to move in transition. I think all year we’ve been pretty good in transition, offensively, actually. It’s more been about creating transition opportunities, but overall, yeah, it was mainly these concepts within the flow of the offense. Like modern basketball is really not a lot of set plays anymore, but you just gotta be able to play basketball and we did a pretty good job of that yesterday and we tried to build on that.
12:28 What did you learn, or what experiences did you draw from playing Houston in the playoffs last year?
12:32 The first playoffs series, it was a super physical series, the way they played Steph. They set the tone early and we adapted and we did do a really good job of that, especially, go and lead into Game 7 and we pulled it out and it was a lot different than the regular season. Also for me, it was my first playoff experience. Obviously, they have a lot of size and at some points I definitely struggled, but I think I learned from it a lot, that I’m, me personally, I’m not where I need to be, I want to be. And, as a team, I think, it was a great first test, obviously. The playoffs didn’t end up in the way we wanted to, but overall it was a great learning experience.
13:20 Hey Quinten, Steve was saying last night there were some, obviously, we all saw that first quarter, a lot of defensive lapses. How important is it that you guys correct, I guess, what we can call game plan discipline, knowing the personnel you’re on the floor with, how does that play a factor in, whether you guys win or lose and discuss success of a team?
13:43 It was just all about having accountability that goes from Number One on the roster to Number 15. Before the game, you agree upon a game plan and everybody has to be held accountable and Steve had a, he was on our a-- somewhere in the first quarter and we deserved it where we just didn’t follow the game plan. People lost their assignments, but it’s never, it’s never one individual. It’s always as a group and I thought, especially, at the start of the second, we really picked it up and we never let it go from there.
14:26 What’s been the difference in games when the offense is flowing like that second and third quarter in the Jazz game, but versus games where it’s more stagnant and things aren’t working?
14:35 Yeah, I think when the offense is flowing, it also means we take care of the ball. When we take care of the ball, we take away transition from the, from the opponent. And when you get in a flow like that, when you’re playing in transition, when you’re getting stops, it’s so much easier. So it’s all intertwined. When your defense is good, your offense improves. When your offense is good, your defense improves. So playing good offense, taking care of the ball, getting a shot on goal every time, it just makes it so much easier to defend. Then vice versa and you’re guarding ball and you’re creating turnovers for the other team, it makes your offense easier.
15:15 How do you decide, or if you decide whether it’s based on personnel, on the floor with you or on the other team, when to work the perimeter for your shot or when to go inside a little bit?
15:27 That’s honestly still something I’m figuring out, myself. Obviously, I know what’s expected out of me, but with every lineup it’s a little different and when to cut, when to play the dunker, the baseline, when to space, the perimeter, but in general, because we play with Jimmy, we play with Draymond, who those guys are, ball-dominant and they create a lot of action, my value lays as a floor spacer and that’s where, especially last year, I had a lot of success late in the season, by just opening the floor for these guys. But then in a game like yesterday when Draymond is out and my role changes a little bit, I’m involved a little more, playing in the pocket, playing pick and roll, making decisions out of there, so it changes per game and, for me, it’s just figuring out what’s most valuable to the team and play that role as best that I can. Okay. Thank you guys.
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16:32 How was practice today?
16:34 WILL RICHARD: It was good just getting back out there. We were on a long trip, so it was good to be able to get back out on the practice court and go over some things that we know we need to work on, to get ready for the upcoming trips and games.
16:44 How cool was it yesterday to swap jerseys with Walter (Clayton, Jr.) and share that camaraderie on the NBA court?
16:49 Yeah, it was really cool. Me and him were, we spent a lot of hours in the gym together at Florida, just trying to get to this point, so to see both of us living out our dreams is special.
16:57 Has he got his ring yet?
16:59 He did. He did, yeah, he got his.
17:01 Hey Will, game changed last night when you and Pat came in, but what was the focus and what’d you guys want to go ahead and do when you did come in?
17:09 Just bring energy. We know we started off the game a little slower than we wanted to, so for us, we knew we had to come in and bring a little spark off the bench, providing energy on both sides of the court and just making everything flow.
17:20 And Steve mentioned that the first half there were some lapses in game plan discipline. How crucial is it to turn that around to try and win a game?
17:29 Yeah, it’s important. Those little lapses can affect you in a lot of ways and we’re trying to do a lot of things to help us win and in those margins. And errors like that can help you win or loser game. We knew we had to come in and lock in a little more to get the job done.
17:44 You were a plus-29 on the plus-minus stat. How, what were you doing to like, you guys made runs when you were in the game? What was happening there?
17:55 Yeah, I was just going out there and trying to impact the game, making the right reads on offense, making sure I was cutting. The shots were there, taking the right shots. On defense, communicating, moving, being in the right spots on defense and just trying to make everything flow so we could get our groove back.
18:10 We obviously haven’t seen Jonathan out there in a little bit. How does he look from what you’ve seen?
18:15 Yeah, he’s looking good. We’re starting to see him get back on the court a lot more, working on his stuff like that. He’s, you can tell he’s getting his bounce back and stuff like that, so it’s good to see him progress because I know he’s been in there, needed treatment and rehabbing a lot lately.
18:27 Did you watch the playoffs series, Golden State and Houston last year?
18:31 I did.
18:31 What did you see?
18:33 It’s a physical team, physical series, for sure. A lot of going back and forth and both teams gonna win at a high level, so it’s definitely good competition. So that’s definitely a game that you look forward to.
18:43 Do you look forward to tomorrow?
18:45 For sure. I look forward to every game, being able to play in the NBA, for sure.
00:00 Stephen, what do you take away from a game like this, given that you guys are a little bit injured and struggled the last three games? What do you take away from this game? What did it mean?
00:10 STEPH CURRY, POSTGAME UTA-GSW: Just wanted some good vibes around here. We had a good practice yesterday. Obviously, Utah coming off a back to back, like, we wanted to get off to a better start than we did, but we responded after that quick timeout Coach took, lit a fire underneath us. I’m just glad the way we responded as a whole. We know we can play better, but it’s nice to have a little bit of offensive rhythm tonight and see the ball go in after a rough start and just get a win.
00:44 I was gonna ask you about that timeout. It was about a defensive breakdown. How do you feel like you guys-- are there frustrations about how you’re playing a little bit on that end? And then what did you see in the three quarters after that?
00:58 Yeah, that was just about a lack of focus. We let Keyonte George get hot to start. Talents like that, they’re gonna score, but we gave him, I think, four wide open threes. And anybody knows, that shouldn’t happen in this league, if you’re keying on two of their best players, two of their best scorers. And so once he got that one in front of the bench, it’s just a lack of focus. And you have to lock in on them. We talked about it last game, game plan, discipline. That’s the biggest thing, understanding who, how they’re trying to score, who’s gonna have the ball in their hands. But you have to just put little step by step, in terms of us putting together 48 minutes of solid sound defense where we’re truly proud of the way we play from start to finish. We know we haven’t done that yet.
01:56 24 shots for you tonight in 29 minutes. What were you seeing out there and how important was it for you to be aggressive?
02:04 Yeah, I had a rough start, but without Draymond, JK, Al, the spacing’s a little different and you don’t really know where shots are gonna come from, in terms of how they’re gonna defend us. They were doing a lot of switching and so I could go to work one-on-one more than other teams. And then you just live with makes and misses on that front. But to your point, just being aggressive knowing that we don’t have a lot of our guys that create offense. GP did a great job tonight filling that gap. Buddy came in aggressive to score. Pat, he only scored, what, three points, but he changed the game in that second quarter by pushing the tempo and understanding how to get our energy going the right way on both ends. And it was great to see, so it allowed us to find a rhythm, even though it was a slow start shooting the ball.
03:05 Steph, you mentioned JK there. It doesn’t sound like anybody’s sure when he’s gonna be able to return. How do you keep him engaged in what’s going on as this absence grows?
03:18 That’s a natural process, just watching film, being around for practice, understand the conversations that we’re having and making sure that he, like, everybody else who misses time, like, you have your rehab, you have all your stuff that you’re trying to do to get back on the floor, but you can’t lose a feel for what we’re trying to do because he’ll be held to that same standard when he comes back. We’ve all missed time at certain points and you understand how to balance that. It’s not easy because rehab sucks. It’s monotonous. It’s draining because you’re not doing what you love to do and that’s be out there and play, so just try to keep everything light around the locker room.
04:04 How much does the offense change when Draymond’s not out there? It seemed like Gary was able to recreate a lot of the facilitating stuff that Draymond’s really good at.
04:11 Yeah, he, me and GP have such a great chemistry because he’s a very unique player in the sense of who they, the opposing team, decides to match up against him. And then our pick and roll options, off ball actions, we just know where each other is. And then when he’s shooting the ball, when he gets those open looks, that always helps. So nobody can do what Draymond does. GP does it his own way with his athletic ability to get downhill, DHOs, set good screens and make defenses pay that way.
04:54 Hi Steph, this is Anson from Migo. How’s your body feel after the 20, 29 minute schemes? How your body feel right now?
05:00 After what?
05:01 Your body, how your body feel right now?
05:04 I feel good, man. Had a -- I feel fresh. It’s nice to be home, get a nice rhythm and hopefully keep building, but I feel good.
05:15 All right.
05:15 Thank you for asking.
05:24 Your shoe selections seem to be intentional. Can you take us through the process that you’re planning for your shoes and which ones you went through and which, obviously, which ones you ended up with?
05:37 Yeah, it’s cool understanding the history of the game and the themes around certain teams we’re playing. Excuse me. I brought out the Flu Games and the Final Shots and then played in the Sabrina 3. So just everybody should be on alert. I’m calling everybody trying to get some good product, but it’s just fun to, again, honor certain eras, moments in the game, current athletes who are doing great things and, yeah, just having fun with it.
06:18 Specifically for the Sabrinas, it is cool when an NBA player wears a WNBA player shoe and I know she’s here tonight, too. Was that part of the decision? Was it a game recognize game sort of thing?
06:29 Yeah, we have a long history and she’s from the Bay and just, obviously, following her career and there was a time when she was coming out of school that I was trying to get her to Curry Brand. It’s hard to get an Oregon Duck to leave Nike, but it was cool. It was a coincidence that I didn’t know she was gonna be here until yesterday and I just had a pair of shoes and it was a great moment. Yeah, to your point, she’s doing amazing things. She’s a champ. And to honor another Bay Area athlete that’s doing amazing stuff and shout out to her husband Hroniss, too, who’s a Hall of Famer now for Oregon football, so that’s pretty dope. It’s a very athletic family over there.
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07:18 Hi GP, are you surprised you’re that wide open, that open three today?
07:23 GARY PAYTON II: No.
07:24 Not at all?
07:24 Nope. My whole career.
07:26 All right.
07:27 They’re gonna live and die with it, so.
07:28 All right.
07:30 Yeah.
07:32 Gary, what did you like the most about the way you guys played tonight?
07:35 The ball didn’t stick. We moved around the ball. 0.5 basketball, just moved the ball, made the right play, made the simple play. And I think that helped us kept our turnovers lower and got to the shots and got to actions that we used to get into.
07:54 When Buddy’s making shots like the way he was tonight, what does that open up for you guys?
07:57 It just opens up the floor. Steph’s gonna be Steph. We can get Moses and Buddy hittin’ on that same night, it opens up our floor and it’s endless actions and things that we can do with everybody.
08:11 Gary, you were just saying coming up the stairs that you wanted to just find some of Draymond’s energy by doing a little bit of everything. Is that-- are you happy with-- how you were able to do that?
08:22 Yeah, absolutely. He demands a lot on the court and he does a lot for us on the court and with him out tonight, just trying to feel his activity and what he does and what he brings to the team and do a little bit of everything. That’s what I just try to do in replace of him, but just came out and we got it done.
08:45 GP, career high 8 assists. What were you seeing out there that was allowing you to set up your teammates?
08:51 Get the ball to Steph, set the screen. Simple, easy. Yeah.
08:57 Gary, what was your, defensive key on Lauri Markkanen tonight?
09:00 Just be physical. Yeah, coming in here he’s averaging 30. Just be physical, try to take away his actions that he liked to do, a lot are in the paint, and don’t try to let him get, easy catch-and-shoots. So we did a pretty good job being physical with him in the early in the first half, limit his touches and his catches and making it difficult and making other people score.
09:24 They went 7-of-10 from three in the first quarter. I think, like, 4-for-25 the rest of the game. What flipped?
09:30 Nah, we just had to get to the shooters. Like I said, make it difficult, get to them, make them put on the ground and make a second play.
09:38 How do you sustain this, like, offensive rhythm you guys had tonight? A hundred shots, made 50 of them, so how do you keep that going?
09:44 Keep it simple. Swing the ball, don’t let it stick. Easy. If we can do it. Easier said than done.
09:55 Gary, I know you didn’t get to play in Oakland, but how special was it to wear The Town jerseys tonight for the first time--?
10:01 Oh, it’s always special and it always hurts me that I didn’t get a chance to go play in Oracle with The Town jerseys every year. It gives a little vibe, a little feel to it and it definitely brings back memories for me as a kid going to Oracle and watching the Finals run when they was in their Finals run. And just that atmosphere of just the, of The Town and everybody in there, having a good time partying. It hurts every time we wear them, but it brings back dope memories.
10:36 You’re honorary.
00:00 You pretty animatedly lit into them, I think, late first, early second, something like that. What was your, obviously it was a defensive breakdown, but what are your frustrations about the way you guys are playing on that end? And then what did you see in the three quarters that forward?
00:16 STEVE KERR, POSTGAME UTA-GSW: It was, really, just the start. I thought our defense was pretty good after that, but Keyonte George and Markkanen were the two guys that we wanted to contain tonight and pay special attention to and, I think, 10 minutes into the game, George is 4-for-4 from three, wide open shots. So we just lost our focus and I just wanted to gently remind them that we needed to focus more.
00:43 Was that even a little bit more than about the 10 minutes, but maybe the few games prior? I know the defensive focus the other day--
00:50 Yeah, the message, anytime you’re in a rut as a team and you’ve lost a few, you have to dig your way out. And that just means you have to compete every possession. You gotta be locked into the game plan and it didn’t surprise me the way we started, missing our first five or six shots. Like I said, you’re in a little bit of a bad spot, shots don’t tend to go in, so you have to dig your way out and compete and earn the right to make shots and to have a game like we ended up having. But it only happens if you bring the right spirit, the right energy, the right focus. And I thought our second group really did that. Pat Spencer, I thought, Will, that group with Jimmy, Quinten to start the second quarter, game changer. Really, just their approach and the way they got the crowd into it, the way the ball moved. It was really fun to watch.
01:52 Steve, those final three quarters when you guys started cruising, what were the things that you really liked?
01:58 We took care of the ball and that’s priority number one for us. When we take care of it, we generally win. I think we’re 9-1 now when we win the turnover battle and, like, 1-8 when we don’t. So it’s very obvious what our measuring stick is and that helps our defense. I liked that. I liked the way the ball moved and, as I said, once we got Pat and Will out there, I really liked the ball movement, the flow, the energy. It just, it felt right.
02:32 And how much emphasis was placed on rebounding, because it looked like most of the time guys were diving for the glass.
02:38 Yeah, they were playing hard. Yeah, the energy was right and if the energy’s right, usually you’re gonna rebound the ball pretty well because you’re anticipating, you’re moving, so just a really good night, 34 assists and 10 turnovers and we got up 103 shots. I don’t remember the last time we got that many field goal attempts, so it’s a reminder that we can be a really good offensive team. I know the focus was on the defense after the Portland game and rightfully so. We made too many mistakes, but I will repeat what I said after that game. It’s our offense. If our offense is right, if we are in the right frame of mind to take care of the ball and be spaced correctly, then we’re gonna help our defense out and help our rebounding out. And so overall, the defense hasn’t been that bad through the first, whatever, 19 games, but the offense has been very poor. So that’s our focus right now, but how the game connects, offensively and defensively is, that’s what we’re. locked in on.
03:52 Steve, eight players grabbed at least four rebounds for you guys. Does that kind of help with the, I guess, having the right mentality when everyone is grabbing boards instead of maybe just one or two guys?
04:02 Yeah, it’s a collective energy and spirit and, you could feel it in that second quarter. There were a bunch of possessions where we were flying around and when you do that, the ball tends to bounce your way or go in the hoop when you shoot. You have to earn the right for all that to happen. And I thought we eventually did that tonight.
04:21 Steve, with some of the guys you were missing, how much did you appreciate what Gary gave you on both ends?
04:28 Yeah, Gary was fantastic. We started him on Markkanen and I thought he did a really good job just bothering him, trying to get underneath him and pressure him and then Gary diving out of the pick and roll, the way he passed the ball tonight, eight assists. So Gary had a great game.
04:49 What’d you like about Buddy’s game tonight?
04:53 He stayed with it. The ball hasn’t been going in for him in the early part of the season, but he stayed with it and his energy was great and he moved the ball. He had four assists himself and it’s good to see the ball go in for him.
05:14 You guys are playing Houston on Wednesday. They’re another big athletic team, like to grab offensive rebounds. Are you encouraged by the way you guys were able to handle Utah’s size and is that something that you think can carry over to Wednesday night?
05:31 Houston is, with all due respect to Utah, Houston is one of the elite teams in the league, the size, the rebounding. I read they’re rebounding 40% of their, missed shots. That’s incredible numbers, so we’ve got to prepare for them. We gotta be ready for their force and it’ll be a tough game, for sure. They’re playing really well.
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05:58 It hasn’t been the easiest start to your season. How nice is it to see a few go down tonight?
06:03 BUDDY HIELD: It feels great. You just gotta, it’s great to see some of them go down, but just gotta-- it’s been rough season and just up and down trying to figure it out. I know my God is a good God and, all I gotta do is just keep on staying in the fight and wait till that big, that breakthrough happen. Hopefully, I can build off this one and and then build off the next one and take one at a time.
06:29 What is your process when things are up and down.
06:32 Just trying to figure it out, always. It’s life as we all go through our ups and downs and nothing is easy. I’m sure you guys go through your daily struggles and my struggles is, I was trying to figure it out in the basketball court and that’s the fun part about it. And once you figure it out, you look back at it and, damn, that was, it was nothing. And it just always light at the end of the tunnel, so stay in the fight, keep fighting, keep doing what got me here and I know everything will fall in the right place.
07:05 Buddy, along those lines, how much pride do you take in being an example for younger guys of, there the NBA’s a rollercoaster and there’s ups and downs and I’m gonna keep my spirit and my smile and doing it the right way.
07:20 That’s, I always tell young guys, too, it’s a marathon. 82-game season’s a marathon and the first 20 can go exactly how you want it to go and the first 20 can go exactly as badly as you wanted to go, like, not what you wanted to happen. You just gotta just keep being positive and know that it’s gonna turn around at some point. You can be at the bottom, only way you can go from the bottom is go up. I just, mindset and I always keep my faith, and just keep the same process, what got me here. This is a fun process, when things going wrong, yes, you gonna think and you gonna overthink sometimes, but you gonna just keep on trusting in God and trust your work and trust what got you at this point because you didn’t got this point, got to this point by just being not good. Something has fell into place, right place at the right time, but I know that I’m a special player and it’s gonna show, obviously.
08:16 And on a night like this, when you guys really take care of the ball, which has been something you’ve been stressing to do better, Coach Kerr said, how much does that lead to this kind of an offensive night where you can put up a hundred shots as a team and get 52 bench points and everybody contributing and crashing the boards and doing all of the little things?
08:36 I think the ball was popping. That’s how I know. Just, I feel like when we, when the ball pops and we play with a certain style of pace, defense reacts to our pace and we have a lot of weapons out there, so we just gotta keep letting the ball pop and play with a certain type of pace. And I think more guys will get more shots, more flow. Steph can be Steph at an elite level and when Jimmy can be Jimmy and then all the role players can fill in with the crashing and hustle plays and getting extra opportunities for others.
09:06 What did Steve say early in the game to light a fire under you guys and because things changed after that talk?
09:11 I think we messed up a couple coverages early and it didn’t -- wasn’t going well. We started an 11-0 start and two guys on the scouting report was George and Markkanen and I think George got off. And a couple of threes and he’s wide open and, as a coach, I wouldn’t be happy either. It’s not right. It’s not an example we setting for the future, for this rest of the season. And we want to create good habits. It starts now.
09:38 How do you feel about where this team’s at right now, overall?
09:42 We just get all our energies back on the right track, I feel like. And once we get everybody together, I think, and trust me, this team is great. We just was in a rut. Come at the top of the schedule, trying to rest guys and guys-- or a couple guys-- are banged up and we just gotta keep staying together, keep fighting. Like I say, the schedule can come in our favor and once we get into rhythm, I think that we’ll be the team that everybody’s-- know what we can be. Get more, couple practice, too. We gotta practice, too. That helps a lot, too, just be able to settle in and be home for a couple of days and that helps.
10:19 Did you have fun tonight?
10:21 Yeah, I smiled a little bit, but still gotta worry about Wednesday and I still gotta, like I say, this is a good stepping stone, but you only can celebrate so long and I just watch film, see what I did wrong, and I had two turnovers. I wasn’t happy about it, but flush it, move on to the next game and see what I can do to help us win.
10:43 Buddy, to see Gary come out and make a rare start and do a little bit of everything, how nice is that, he stays ready all the time?
10:51 Oh, that’s Gary man. That’s, he’s always showing the fire and he always know how to contribute to his team. He’s, we call him the 6’2 center. He’s an elite roller, elite screener, and he’s the ultimate teammate and his main objective is to win and you see why he’s a champion here. And he know how to connect the dots and he’s a good guy, connected with Steph and just finding guys open, doing his, playing his, role at an elite level.
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