Exclusive WEST FINALS, GAME 4: WARRIORS @ BLAZERS - MAY 20, 2019 - The final quote book from a great season

Discussion in 'Portland Trail Blazers' started by SlyPokerDog, May 20, 2019.

  1. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    TEAM
    • Portland dished out a postseason-high 31 assists while the Warriors finished with 30 assists.
    • The Trail Blazers shot 48.0% from the field (47-of-98) and 39.0% from the three-point-line (16-of-41) while holding the Warriors to 46.5% shooting from the field (46-of-99) and 30.8% shooting from deep (12-of-39).
    • Portland outscored Golden State on the fast break, 15-11.
    • The Trail Blazers scored 69 points in the first half, marking their highest-scoring half of the postseason (second half, 4/19/19 at OKC).
    • The Portland Bench and the Golden State reserves both scored 28 points.
    • Golden State advances to the NBA Finals for the fifth consecutive season.
     
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  2. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    PLAYER
    • CJ McCollum finished with 26 points (10-22 FG, 5-9 3-PT, 1-1 FT), two rebounds, and a postseason career-high-matching seven assists. He added one steal while matching his postseason career high of two blocks.
    • Damian Lillard recorded his second double-double of the series, finishing with 28 points (11-24 FG, 4-12 3-PT, 2-2 FT) and a postseason career high 12 assists to go with four rebounds.
    • Damian Lillard averaged 26.9 points over 16 games in the 2019 NBA Playoffs, marking the fifth-highest postseason scoring average in franchise history.
    • Meyers Leonard set a new career high for scoring (playoffs and regular season), finishing with 30 points (12-16 FG, 5-8 3-PT, 1-2 FT), 12 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. His five three-pointers matched his career high (playoffs and regular season). Leonard scored 25 points in the first half on 10-of-12 shooting (5-6 3-PT). It was the second postseason double-double of his career.
    • Zach Collins led Portland’s bench with 10 points (4-7 FG, 1-3 3-PT, 1-1 FT) to go with two rebounds and one block.
    • Rodney Hood finished with seven points (3-11 FG, 1-6 3-PT), two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
    • Maurice Harkless had five points (2-3 FG, 1-3 FT), four rebounds and two assists.
    • Evan Turner recorded four points, seven rebounds, three assists and one block in 31 minutes off the bench.
    • Stephen Curry scored a game-high 37 points (11-25 FG, 7-16 3-PT, 8-9 FT) to go with 13 rebounds, 11 assists and one steal. It was the second postseason triple-double of his career. Curry scored 25 of his points in the first half on 7-of-9 shooting (5-7 3-PT, 6-6 FT).
    • Draymond Green logged his second straight triple-double, finishing with 18 points (7-13 FG, 1-3 3-PT, 3-4 FT), 14 rebounds and 11 assists to go with three steals and two blocks.
    • Klay Thompson scored 17 points (7-21 FG, 3-10 3-PT) to go with six rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.
     
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  3. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    Terry Stotts
    Game 4: Trail Blazers Postgame
    Golden State 119, Portland 117

    TERRY STOTTS: We couldn't get over the hump, I
    think it was more of a demonstration of how good they
    are and how good they have been over years and they
    find ways to win. It's a disappointing loss, but for me it
    was an outstanding season. The guys in the locker
    room are special. It's been a special season. Always
    tough to lose the last game of the year, but I couldn't
    be more proud of the group that we've had.

    Q. You got another great performance from Meyers
    Leonard tonight. Talk a little about that.

    TERRY STOTTS: Again, he, the first half, was
    outstanding, 25 points, and he was playing with a lot of
    confidence. He certainly had an impact on the game,
    much like Game 3, and again we needed him and he
    played well and I'm happy for him.

    Q. Your group has shown so much toughness and
    fight against adversity all season long, including
    the last three games. When you mention
    championship pedigree, what about that
    championship pedigree did you see that helped
    them overcome these double-digits deficits in the
    second half every time?

    TERRY STOTTS: They have a confidence about them.
    They feel like they are never out of a game, and they
    have the experience and they have done it before.
    So I mean, Draymond Green hitting a three. He,
    Draymond, carried them in Game 3, the last game, with
    his energy and with his spirit.

    Defensively, they are experienced. They know how to
    make things difficult for opponents. They help each
    other. They pass. They trust each other and I think it's
    -- when they have been rewarded year after year after
    year with that style of play, there's a reason to trust it.

    Q. Damian Lillard obviously was playing with an
    injury through the series, but the game he had
    tonight, what does it mean for you to see the way
    he was able to play in this game to get you guys
    past the Warriors?

    TERRY STOTTS: I've said many times, Damian not
    only is a special player but he's a special person. He's
    a great competitor, and he hates to lose and wants to
    do whatever it takes to win a game. I think the way he
    competed tonight was a demonstration of that.

    Q. What about this playoff run is going to help you
    guys moving forward, say next year? What are you
    going to take away from this do you think?

    TERRY STOTTS: I think it's more than just the playoff
    run. I think the fact that we had a very good regular
    season; the fact that we were able to win two series,
    we were very competitive in this series, even though it
    was a sweep, it was -- we played competitively.
    But I think that's a long way away from now. I think
    when that time comes, we'll be able to reflect. I think
    it's a little too early to look at how this series helps us
    right now. Right now, it kind of stings.

    Q. When Dame put up that Final shot, did you think
    it was going to be another miracle?

    TERRY STOTTS: Yeah, I did. I thought it was going to
    -- kind of meant to be. When he shot it, it had good
    arc. Yeah, I thought it had a chance.

    Q. 3.3 seconds; what play did you draw up?

    TERRY STOTTS: We had another timeout. That Dame
    and CJ [McCollum] come off curls, if they switched it,
    Meyers could switch down the lane. Getting Dame the
    ball over there was the first look, and if they screwed
    up a switch, maybe we get Meyers going down the
    lane.
     
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  4. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    Damian Lillard
    Meyers Leonard
    Game 4: Trail Blazers Postgame
    Golden State 119, Portland 117

    Q. Can you describe what you're feeling at this
    moment?

    MEYERS LEONARD: What you said describes it well.
    It's definitely bittersweet for me. I'm thankful to the
    staff, for having faith and confidence in me to step in in
    Game 3 and 4 and do our best to help us win.

    I just went out there and played confident. Teammates
    such as Dame [Damian Lillard] down the line tell me to
    be aggressive and do what I do. Unfortunately our
    season is over, this is a very special team, guys that
    really care about each other and come to work every
    single day ready to go.

    Personally, it's just back to the drawing board I
    suppose. It was I suppose a fun couple of games for
    me, but it's not about me. It's about the team and us
    figuring out ways to win. Just got to move forward, I
    suppose.

    Q. Might be a little early to ask this without time to
    reflect on it, but this is the farthest you've played in
    the playoffs, getting to the Conference Finals.
    What did you both learn about playing at this level
    of competition this deep into the playoffs?

    DAMIAN LILLARD: Like you said, it's the furthest we
    have played into the postseason, and that's a little bit
    deeper water than what we've seen. It's a little bit
    more physically and mentally trying; the level of play is
    higher. There's more on the line. Teams, they take
    their scouting reports and detail to the next level. I
    think it was a great experience for us. You know, a lot
    of people will look back at it and say they got swept, but
    you know, we had a double-digit lead in the last three
    games, and just didn't -- wasn't able to hold onto it.
    So I think we showed that we're capable of being here
    and competing at this level. But you know, it's definitely
    different.

    MEYERS LEONARD: To piggyback off what Dame
    said, this is a great experience for us. Obviously this is
    not the way we wanted to finish the season. You know,
    give the Warriors credit. They have kind of been there,
    done that, obviously. You know, they are able to
    sustain a certain level of play and execution that clearly
    allowed them to find their way back, and like Dame
    said, the last three games. I think it was 15-plus
    maybe in three straight games, and yet they found a
    way to execute and get the job done. So, you know, I
    know after being here for seven years, I couldn't be
    more proud of what we did, but now it's time to take the
    summer, come back, get better as a collective unit and
    get ready to go next year.

    Like Dame said, this is a great experience for us. We
    know we can play with the elite teams in this league,
    and I think this is our first time in 19 years, so that's
    pretty special. You know, this is a city that embraces
    our team and embraces this organization, and it was --
    for me personally, it was incredible, honestly, to be out
    on the floor and to feel that feeling. But now, we have
    to find a way to take another step.

    Q. When you reflect in a couple weeks, what will be
    the lasting memory from the season? Is there a
    moment that will stick with you?

    DAMIAN LILLARD: I don't think it's one moment that
    will stick with us. I think just looking at the season
    overall. You know, I think it was just a special season
    for us. We're coming off back-to-back sweeps. It's
    another sweep, but you'd rather be swept in the
    Western Conference Finals than in the first round. I
    just think we look back at the season overall, and the
    way we responded after a lot of people got on our
    cases. A lot of people came down on us.

    And we got back to work. Each guy came back better
    individually and we put together a great season. You
    know, we lose our owner [Paul Allen]. We dealt with
    injuries, CJ [McCollum] missed a lot of games at a
    crucial stretch in the season, and we just kept
    answering the call, and that takes a group of guys to
    maybe go from not playing minutes, stepping up, giving
    us good minutes, trusting each other, leaning on each
    other. It takes a real group to be able to come together
    in those hard times on more than one occasion, and I
    thought we did that.

    You know, we put together a great season and we put
    ourselves in position to go to the Finals. I think every
    other team in the league would wish they could be in
    our shoes; not only making the playoffs but playing for
    an opportunity to get a chance to go to the Finals, and
    we just ran up on a team who has been there the last
    four years.

    When it came time, they were a player down and they
    executed and they were sharp and they did everything
    a level up from what we did. They were able to come
    out on top, but I think we can look back at it and see a
    lot of moments where guys stepped up to the plate
    from top to bottom on our roster and allowed this type
    of season to happen?

    Q. Going into this playoff series, we talked about
    the idea that you needed to show something to get
    the respect that kind of some of the people at your
    same echelon get. How do you look back at your
    player performance now throughout the entire
    postseason?

    DAMIAN LILLARD: I thought I had a great playoff
    performance. Obviously the first round was great by
    our team. I thought I performed great in the first round.
    In the second round, I think because of how I played in
    the first round, I got a lot more attention. You know,
    everything I did, it was bodies. They wanted me to
    work, picking me up full court and guarding me a lot
    more physical. I thought even in the second round, I
    was really productive.

    Maybe in the past, if I wasn't scoring the ball, I wouldn't
    have had as much of an impact on the game as I did,
    even in that series, but I still thought I scored a lot in
    that series. Like I said, I impacted it.

    And then coming into this series, like I said earlier,
    teams, the detail, is much sharper. The scouting report
    is much sharper, and I think even in this series, they
    just -- you know, they sent bodies at me. I was seeing
    two guys and if I got past that layer of the defense,
    there was another player waiting. Draymond [Green]
    played free safety the whole series.

    I think given this being the furthest we've played into
    the postseason, how teams came after me and still
    being able to find a way to be productive, you know, I
    thought I had a great postseason. Obviously I look
    back at the times where I struggled the most, and I'm
    going to critique myself off of that.

    But I think overall, I had a great postseason.

    MEYERS LEONARD: Let me say something real quick.
    Damian and I have been here together seven years,
    and I study a lot of film and for anyone who thinks he
    wasn't productive or should have made more shots or
    go score more, go watch the film. They throw a lot of
    bodies at him, even if he gets blitzed, like you said, he's
    getting downhill, guys on the help side, essentially
    saying, Damian Lillard, you are not going to beat us.
    So I just want to make sure the naysayers know how
    much of an impact he has, how great of a leader he is,
    and his willingness to find the next man and count on
    them to make a play. And it's as simple as that.

    Q. I'm going to give you a chance to say something
    nice about the guy next to you, in 26 games, did
    not even play this season, Coach's decision, in and
    out of the rotation, gets into the starting lineup last
    game and plays well, but tonight, what can you say
    about what he did?

    DAMIAN LILLARD: I think tonight was special. I just
    remember in the first half, I looked up and in my mind, I
    remembered him just making a bunch of shots, and
    then I looked up and it was like, this dude got 25 points
    and I was like, he really killing right now (laughing). I
    had never seen him have like a moment like that, you
    know, and what better time than, you know, for him to
    have that type of moment. So I was excited for him.
    I think that just goes into what I said earlier, all season
    long, we have had things happen and guys have had to
    step up, and he's a prime example of that. Not just this
    year, but over the last seven years, a lot of people have
    a lot to say about him and what he doesn't do and all
    those things. As NBA players, they get online and they
    say things and they don't really know what goes on
    behind closed doors. They say things without knowing
    -- knowing, but without taking into consideration that
    we're people, and we go home to families and friends
    and kids like everybody else, and they just beat you
    down, beat you down, beat you down and I think he's
    been through that.

    So to see him have a moment like he had tonight, and
    being here with him from day one, nobody was more
    happy for him than I was, and it was a great night for
    him. I just wish it would have been a win, you know, so
    people could really give him that credit for that
    performance.

    Q. You obviously were playing through injury for a
    good part of this series, but tonight it looks like
    you left it all on the court. What mindset did you
    have to have to be able to battle that fatigue and
    injury and play like you did tonight?

    DAMIAN LILLARD: I mean, I've had worse injuries. I
    think it's as simple as that. I've had worse injuries, so I
    didn't come into the game saying, "Oh, I'm playing
    through the injury."

    You know, it was something that yesterday at practice, I
    shot the same. I did the same stuff I always do. So
    obviously it's there, it's pain. But it's not something
    that's impacting what I do on the floor. I think that's the
    best way to put it. I've played through worse things.
    But I think just fatigue. You know, just all of the
    attention. After 82 games, this being the deepest
    we've played, and teams are coming after you. That
    takes energy to deal with that and to make plays and to
    try to score, and go to the other end and chase guys
    around and stuff like that. That takes energy, so I think,
    like I said, it was there. Obviously it's pain, but it's not
    something that affected anything involving like my
    performance or me having to leave it all out there. I
    was going to leave it all out there the same way if I was
    100 percent healthy, but that's just what it was. I went
    out there, the season was on the line, I did what I
    could.

    Q. You guys are so connected, and for a team like
    that to come in here, three straight times, really,
    and overturn a 17-point deficit in the second half,
    what is it about them to do that against a group like
    you, and what are the intangible qualities you saw
    in them throughout this series?

    DAMIAN LILLARD: I mean, they have got great
    players. You know, I think the first thing everybody
    looks to is the shot making. So you say, you know,
    Steph [Curry] and Klay [Thompson], they're shooting
    the ball all over the place, but I mean, Draymond
    Green, he's nonstop talking on the court. He's
    rebounding the ball. He's basically the point guard of
    the team. He's pushing the ball. He's making plays.
    He's calling out our plays. I mean, he's controlling
    everything for them.

    I think because he's always so vocal, always on top of
    everybody, always kind of managing everything for
    them, it keeps them consistent. They're steady.
    I think for us, Game 2 and Game 3, we were great for
    three quarters, and the one quarter we weren't, it was
    the third quarter, and they made big runs in the third
    quarter and I think that was when they got back into the
    game each time. So I think just how steady they were,
    that shows in a championship team; it's whether they're
    down, whether they're up, they do the same things.
    They play the same way. The ball is hopping around.
    They're moving around. They're screening. Everything
    is sharp every possession. They rebounding the ball.
    Hands active.

    And I think we did a lot of those things when we were
    winning the games, but then the second we stopped
    doing those things or relaxed, they were still doing it,
    and they made up ground and it led to two threes in a
    row, and then we get a foul, two free throws, offensive
    rebound, three, and before you know it, you was up 15
    and now it's a three-point game and they're feeling
    good.

    So I think just how steady they are, and I think that's
    led by Draymond Green.
     
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  5. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    C.J. McCollum
    Game 4: Trail Blazers Postgame
    Golden State 119, Portland 117

    Q. Can you just give us a little bit of a look inside
    what the team feels after coming off a season
    where a lot of people didn't expect you to make the
    playoffs?

    C.J. McCOLLUM: It was an interesting year to say the
    least. Obviously went through a lot with Mr. [Pau] Allen
    passing away before the season started. Our team
    masseuse, Annie [Peterson], gets diagnosed with
    cancer before the season starts; and Nurk [Jusuf
    Nurkic] goes down with a gruesome injury, and our
    video coordinator gets in a horrific car accident, and
    not to mention, like you said before, we weren't picked
    to make the playoffs, let alone get out of the first round.
    I think overall we improved as a team. Obviously there
    was some growth internally. Our organization did a
    good job of acquiring some key assets for us to
    continue to evolve and get better with some of the
    injuries we had. The season didn't end the way we
    wanted it to, getting swept, having 17-point plus leads
    in the third quarter in three consecutive games
    basically.

    Have to do a better job finishing games, but overall we
    lost to a team a lot of teams have been losing to, and
    we have to figure out ways to get over the hump.

    Q. You've lost to these guys in the playoffs a few
    times over the past few years. Does anything
    stand out to you as different about this particular
    Warriors team?

    C.J. McCOLLUM: A lot of the same. Their role players
    are stars in their role. They don't take shots that they
    are not supposed to take, they do a great job of getting
    their best players open, constantly looking and
    screening for Steph [Curry] and Klay [Thompson]. I
    think they have mastered how to manipulate the pick-
    and-roll. Once Steph gets it out of the trap,

    Draymond's done a great job the last seven, eight
    years, figuring out when to drive and attack versus
    when to hit the corner or throw the lob.

    I think that was difference in the game. Draymond
    made a lot of big plays. Their role players, [Kevon]
    Looney stepped up. [Quinn] Cook hit some big shots
    for them overall but the biggest thing, their
    championship pedigree and figuring out ways to always
    be in games. They shoot so many three pointers and
    make a lot of three pointers. They are always in the
    game but you can always comeback at times, as well.
    Overall they are a really good team. There's a reason
    why they have won so many games.

    Q. Dame [Damian Lillard] was up here talking about
    detail being a key factor in the Warriors game plan
    and this series and in the playoffs and general.
    Would you resonate with that same attitude, as
    well, that the level of detail has risen to a different
    level in the postseason?

    C.J. McCOLLUM: Yeah, they are a smart team.
    Defensively rarely do you get situations where you're
    on an island and able to attack by yourself. They are
    always loading up boxes and elbows and Draymond
    did a great job of helping throughout this series.
    Before Iggy [Andre Iguodala] went down, he was
    another guy who was active but also being in help.
    They force other guys to beat you, as you seen tonight,
    Meyers [Leonard] had a great game.

    But part of their game plan is to get to you get rid of the
    ball and put it in other guys' hands and allow them to
    make decisions. I think throughout out this series, we
    got better progressively at it, but ultimately that's what
    makes them a great team. They leave certain players
    open, and hope they can beat you.
     
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