Oklahoma City Thunder Media Conference Friday April 19, 2019 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Billy Donovan Postgame Press Conference Thunder - 120, Trail Blazers - 108 Q. Was today just a validation of what you guys were saying after Game 2, just keep shooting, you liked the shots generally that you guys were getting, it just was a matter of they weren't falling? BILLY DONOVAN: You know, I thought our ball movement was much better consistently tonight. I thought to start the game, we got a little stagnant, and then the guys were emphasizing it, we were emphasizing it as coaches, just to keep moving the ball, and I thought we generated better shots for a full 48 minutes. You know, 27 assists in the game. Like I said, those are shots that I think in a lot of ways we've been getting throughout the course of the last two games. We haven't made them. I wanted to make sure I just keep encouraging our guys because we're getting shots -- like Jerami shot better tonight. He's been a really good corner three-point shooter for us tonight. If we can move the ball and generate open looks, we want to take those. Q. It looked like both teams played great defense in the first half. Along as the game went, that was less so. Did both teams just wear out defensively trying to guard -- you having to keep up with Lillard and McCollum and them having to keep up with all you guys? BILLY DONOVAN: I'll say this: One, it was a great environment in there tonight, and we needed the fans tonight because you know it's going to be a 48-minute game, and that third quarter they really got it going offensively. I thought the encouragement of our crowd, the environment that was in there really kind of helped us kind of get back on track, so to speak. I thought that third quarter, I thought both teams really were good defensively in the first half. In the third quarter I thought for them, Lillard got a little more aggressive than maybe he was in the first two quarters. That was the one quarter I think -- we've had some quarters in this series, first quarter Game 1, this quarter, where we've given up way too many points. I think it's a very valid point that there was a lot of energy expended by both teams in that first half, but for us in Game 1, 39 points, there wasn't necessarily a lot of energy expended. That could be the case. I thought our guys really, really worked hard defensively. Listen, those two guys are hard to deal with, and you've got to put forth effort because they do -- they can shoot it from deep. They can really put it on the floor. They can finish at the basket, and you know, obviously Terry puts them in a lot of great situations for them to showcase and utilize their skill set. Q. Given what Lillard did in that third quarter, looked like you guys were really trying to get the ball out of his hands in the fourth. What were you trying to do, what was the message there, and how did you think you executed defensively? BILLY DONOVAN: Yeah, we did a really, really good job I thought in the first half just with our help. I didn't think we had enough help on him. Some of it was coming out of transition, some of it was drives, some we were back, we weren't matched up. There was a lot of different things that happened that got him going that I thought we had great awareness of that in the first half, and I didn't think our awareness was quite as good there in the second half, at least in the third quarter. Q. Were you okay with that dunk by George at the end of the game? BILLY DONOVAN: Yeah, I don't -- I think that my feeling was they probably shot a shot to close whatever it was, it was 19 seconds, and then Paul kind of went in and he dunked in, so I think both teams played the game all the way out. Q. I think after tonight, three quarters of the playoff games so far have been won by the team that makes more three-pointers than the other team. Is that pretty much where the NBA is today, you just have to make more shots than who you're playing? BILLY DONOVAN: Well, the team that makes more shots generally scores more points, and if you score more points you win. Q. But like three-point shooting specifically, if you're not a three-point shooting team -- BILLY DONOVAN: You know, I think there's obviously a huge analytical piece that's moved to all that stuff. I personally feel as a guy that loves the game and loves the relationships in the game, for me I love the analytics. I love learning about it. But it's not like the end-all, be-all for me. And I say that respectfully because it is really, really important because the most important thing to me is if you're moving the ball, sharing the ball, playing unselfishly and getting good shots, because there are just some players in today's game that are really, really good in the mid-range, and there's some players in today's game that are really good shooting threes, and there's some players that are really good shooting floaters and runners. To analytically remove a player from a game because he doesn't play in certain scoring areas I think is a mistake, but the three-point line is a factor. It's a huge, huge equalizer in a game. You can play really, really poorly, but if you really make a lot of threes, regardless of this series or any series, I think you can always keep yourself in a game. Q. You stuck with Dennis down the stretch, and I know I've asked you before about kind of the Dennis-Terrance back and forth and the balancing of their minutes. What did you think about the way Dennis was able to defend down the stretch with McCollum and Lillard coming off of that strong third quarter that they had? BILLY DONOVAN: I thought Dennis did a great job tonight. I thought he really was huge. He was huge on offense, he was huge on defense. I thought he picked up. He was physical. He was aggressive. He really, really worked hard. I thought he did a really good job. I think for Terrance, it was tough because the last couple games he's dealt with foul trouble, and it's hard for him to get into a rhythm. He picked up three fouls there in the first half and then he picked up an early one in the third. I tried to play him a little bit longer just to kind of give him just a little bit of momentum or of playing time instead of just pulling him off. But Dennis kind of really, really got going offensively and just kind of stuck with him, and he also did a good job tonight defensively. I thought coming off the bench Dennis was a huge boost for us. Q. Billy, what are your thoughts on the back-and- forth between Russ and Dame there at the end of the game? BILLY DONOVAN: I was too far removed. I don't know all that was going on. Obviously technical fouls were given out. I don't know enough about it. Q. Did you do anything specific with Jerami to encourage him after the two games in Portland, or do you just assume, hey, he's a four-year pro, he'll figure it out and come through? BILLY DONOVAN: I think we tried to -- going from Game 1 to Game 2, you're looking at how they're guarding you. They're looking at how we're guarding them. You're looking at what you can try to take advantage of. You know, Jerami just shot the ball better tonight, and I think he got similar looks over the last two games that just didn't go in, and I think he needs to take those shots regardless because I think if you look over a body of work of 82 games, he's been a 39 percent three-point shooter. But I think sometimes when you condense it down to two games and sit there and say, okay, wow, this guy is not shooting the ball well, I get the magnitude of it because of what's at stake, what's on the line, and seven-game series, like you don't have 82 games to look at. Right now we're not shooting a very, very good percentage. Like I said, I thought in the third quarter in Game 2, we were really stagnant, we turned the ball over. I thought first quarter we got a little bit, and then I thought in the second quarter we picked it up, and then I thought the rest of the game we played well. I think when the ball is kind of flowing like that and it finds Jerami in the corner and he's in rhythm, I think he's a really, really good shooter, and I thought Russell and the rest of the guys did a good job finding him in areas and spots on the floor that he shoots the ball normally pretty well from. Q. What's your comment on Terrance Ferguson today? BILLY DONOVAN: Did a good job tonight. Worked hard. Was probably in a little bit of foul trouble, but Terrance I think gives everything he can out there defensively.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER FORWARD PAUL GEORGE On his confidence: “I mean, the first two games I just wanted to attack the basket. I’m going to shoot the ball better. I’m going to make the game easier. I’m just getting myself in bad positioning and overdribbling. Just gotta get to spots, raise up, and shoot with confidence. That was my game plan, to try to attack and be aggressive.” On his defensive impact on the game: “Just length and another body. That was really the game plan, to throw different bodies at them, different length, and different players at them. I just try to make it as tough as possible. Those two can score the ball. It is what it is. We just try to make it as tough as possible.”
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER GUARD RUSSELL WESTBROOK On if there were specific areas he wanted to improve after Game 2: “Just keep playing the same way, being aggressive. Finding ways and picking my spots and concentrating once I get to my spot.” On difference of floor spacing when Ferguson and Grant are hitting shots: “They have been making shots all year man. Like I said Game 1 and 2, we are going to continue to trust, make the right play. If guys are open, you have to make the right play and trust your teammates.”
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER GUARD RAYMOND FELTON On how the Thunder started the game: “[We] came out aggressive, came out ready to protect home and play with a sense of urgency. [We were] down 0-2, so it’s a must win. We needed it, so hopefully we’re back on the right track now and protect our home again on Sunday. Go back to Portland, go get us one.” On what he tells young player struggling early in the playoffs: “Stick with it. Stick with it, man. It’s playoffs. it’s a different type of basketball. You’re in somebody else’s building, and shots don’t hit the same sometimes. We at home now getting into our comfort level. Get that extra confidence, and…go to Portland. Those guys should be calmed down and should be ready.”
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER CENTER STEVEN ADAMS: On keeping the ball out of the hands of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum: “Yeah, it was good. The guards did a really good job tonight, just getting in [and] influencing them one way. It makes the bigs’ job a lot easier, way, way easier, so they did a really good job tonight for the whole game. So, that’s what it was really. That was the difference I think from Game 1 [and] Game 2 to now.”
Terry Stotts Postgame Press Conference Thunder - 120, Trail Blazers - 108 Q. Terry, it looked like Jerami Grant got the first basket of the game and got his confidence going. How different are they when he and Ferguson are making shots? TERRY STOTTS: Well, they made shots as a team from the three. Obviously they didn't shoot the ball well the first two games and they shoot over 50 percent tonight, so that was a big difference in the game. He struggled in the first two games, and those guys made here at home. That was important. Q. When a team, they shot poorly in the first two games and they shot really hot in this game, is it hard to kind of predict when a team is so inconsistent like that from three shooting the ball? TERRY STOTTS: No. You know, the preparation going into the game, into the series, Jerami Grant is a 39 percent three-point shooter, and he was going to have a game that -- we anticipated that. It didn't really change our defensive game plan. There were a lot of things, other things besides that, but they were due to have a good shooting game. Q. You just said that Jerami making shots didn't change your defensive game plan, but when adjustments did you make once it became clear that the whole team was going to have a shooting night like tonight? TERRY STOTTS: I can't say that we really changed too much. I mean, we won the first two games doing what we were doing, and the priorities are still the same. We've got to keep them out of transition, Paul George pick-and-rolls. We've got to take care of the free-throw line. They got to the free-throw line too much. The free throw disparity was kind of a big deal all game. You know, so the priorities really haven't changed. We can contest. And three-point shooting was one of the priorities, and we'll go back and watch the film, and we don't want to give wide-open looks, and I thought Grant had some wide-open looks, so we have to do a better job of rotating or at least contesting them. Q. It looked like in the fourth quarter they really sold out to get the ball out of Dame's hands. What did you see different from them in the fourth and how did you think you handled it? TERRY STOTTS: Actually it looked like they were making that a priority all game. Dame got hot in the third quarter. We were able to set some good screens on him and get him open, but it was clear from the beginning of the game that they were taking Dame and C.J. out where our of pick-and-rolls was a priority. Fourth quarter is the fourth quarter, but we did a good job in the third quarter to get back in the game. I can't say that it was much different as the game went along. They changed some match-ups. They took Westbrook off of Dame and put him in the corner and had other guys guarding him, so we'll look at the film and see what we can do. Q. After Dame's hot third quarter, did you put much thought into starting the fourth with him? TERRY STOTTS: Not really. He expended a lot of energy in the third quarter. I anticipated giving him two minutes, but the start of the fourth quarter went well. But he needed a blow. He wasn't going to play the whole second half. So give him those two minutes there and get him back in. Q. How do you feel you guys handled the officiating and playing through that? TERRY STOTTS: I'm not commenting on that.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS GUARD DAMIAN LILLARD: On his play in the third quarter: “I mean we had a 10-point deficit. I thought for most of the first half we played the way we wanted to. Obviously, we had a few more turnovers than we would have liked, but we just wanted to keep it a close game, make them work for everything. We knew that they were going to be physical and I thought we did that until the last few minutes and then we were looking at a 10-point deficit at the third quarter. I knew I needed to be a little more aggressive, so I didn’t get away from them as early and just give us a chance to, like I said, earlier, make it a five-minute game. Keep it close and turn it into a late game where they have to go take it. I thought we did a great job at that. On that third quarter, I kind of had that in mind. Just keep it close. Make sure that we’re in striking range to steal.” On changing the game plan when in foul trouble: “We didn’t change our game plan. We knew that it was going to be a physical game because so far this entire series has been really physical. But you don’t give the benefit of the doubt on the road. I think on both sides, both teams played really physical and they lived at the free throw line and we didn’t.” On what the Thunder did to slow you down: “I think that their defense pretty much stayed the same. They got a little bit more aggressive on the ball instead of the big. Just trying to stay in front and they were coming up a little higher. I noticed that they put Grant in it, somebody that is more agile, athletic, so maybe they could try to trap it and be more aggressive. I thought I was still able to turn the corner. I think they just wanted me to get rid of the ball instead of keep scoring the ball. We got good looks, we just weren’t able to make shots fall.”
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS CENTER ENES KANTER: On what adjustments the Thunder made for Game 3: “The pick and roll coverage. They were sending us middle and now they’re sending us to the baseline side. You know, all is just going to take care of itself if you just go out there and play our basketball, play hard and play smart.” On playing against Russell Westbrook and his intensity: “That’s just how he is. He’s going to scream and yell, he’s going to try and get under your skin, but I think Dame (Lillard) and CJ (McCollum) did a really good job standing up there in coolness.”
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS FORWARD MAURICE HARKLESS: On the interactions between Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard at the end of the game: “I think it’s just one of the things that’s going to come with the series, and the longer it goes, the more you’re probably going to see it. It’s just two competitive guys and neither one of those guys is going to back down. I don’t see anything wrong with it, it’s just competitive basketball.” On the team’s effectiveness of guarding Paul George: “I think we did a good job. We made it tough on him. He shot 17 free throws and had 22 points. I mean, I think that’s a pretty good job defensively. We can’t control the free throws; it’s just a part of the game. We’ve just got to do a better job not fouling him.”
