Exclusive GAME# 69: BLAZERS @ SPURS - MARCH 16, 2019 - Quote Book

[SlyPokerDog]

San Antonio Spurs (108) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (103)

March 16, 2019

Spurs Postgame Quotes


San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich:

(On the Spurs overall performance…)

“I think we worked hard for 48 minutes. We were up, we were down, but we just kept playing. They understand that it's a long night – every NBA game is available to everybody. There are so many teams that are so similar that continue to work through those 48 [minutes] and can bear some fruit. So we stuck with it, played against a well-coached and well-executing team. I feel bad for CJ [McCollum] – I hope he is okay. He is a great player and a great kid. Obviously, Damian [Lillard] is at a different level than most other people, so we really relish the win and I think give the guys credit for busting their butts against a very good basketball team.”


(On center Jakob Poeltl’s progress throughout the season…)

“Well, he is a young guy. He is going to get more comfortable as he gets more minutes – it’s just a natural progression.”


(On guard Bryn Forbes’ confidence down the stretch in the fourth quarter…)

“Well, he knows he is a shooter and he has confidence. He is going to miss some and make some, but he is going to take them and that is the important part.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

San Antonio Spurs Guard Bryn Forbes:

(On his mindset in the fourth quarter ...)

“Just keep shooting the ball. That’s what Pop (Gregg Popovich) always tells me. Shoot the ball, don’t think about it. Just trying to be as perfect as I can, especially on the defensive end. I think that’s what really did it for us – the defensive end down the stretch.”


(On the game…)

“It was actually a lot of fun. Just to be in a game with such a talented basketball team as the Trail Blazers, it’s always going to be fun down the wire because both teams are giving it their best and they’re very talented. Damian [Lillard] and CJ [McCollum] are going to make huge plays, so you know it’s always going to be fun when it’s like that.”


(On the key play in the fourth quarter...)

“Yeah, I just found an opening really and Patty [Mills] made a great play. He took that extra dribble to draw the defender in and then kicked it to me and all I saw was daylight, so it worked out.”


(On the difference in the team’s performance during their eight-game winning streak…)

“Defense, I think defense. We held a great basketball team to 103 points, with two of the best scorers in the league. I think team-wise just being in the right places. Jakob [Poeltl] makes big blocks. Different guys are in the right place. I think our team’s defense is 10 times better than where it was.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

San Antonio Spurs Guard DeMar DeRozan:

(On the Spurs defense the last few games…)

“It’s been great. We’ve got to keep it up, continue to be consistent. We’ve got to be able to lean on our defensive effort every single night, before our offense, and that’s what we’ve been doing.”


(On what has been the main difference during the last few games…)

“Consistency. When we’re struggling, we have quarters where we play well – two quarters, three quarters. Now we’re putting the whole close to 48 minutes together as possible. Defensive effort together has been paying off for us and that’s been giving us our confidence every single night to go out there and shut down teams first and as best as we can, then score.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Terry Stotts:

(Opening statement…)

“I thought it was a really good basketball game. Both teams really defended hard, played hard, you know, we had good performances but I thought it was a good effort on our part. We just had some fouls at the end, the foul on [Davis] Bertans’ three, I thought that really changed the momentum of the game. We just couldn’t get over it after that. But Damian’s [Lillard] performance in the second half – it really carried us and it was disappointing losing.”


(On the latest update on guard CJ McCollum…)

“Everything that you’ve already heard, probably. X-rays are negative. He’s going to get an MRI. It’s a leg injury and we’ll see how it is.”


(On how worried he is on CJ McCollum’s injury…)

“Well, I mean, anytime a guy goes down you’re worried. We’ll see what the test shows.”


(On if CJ McCollum will get an MRI tomorrow and if he’ll be traveling with the team…)

“I assume so, yes …Yeah.”


(On mentally overcoming a late-season injury as a team…)

“We’ll see how the injury is and we’ll adjust after that. I don’t want to make any assumptions until we know how CJ [McCollum] is.”


(On what the respective defenses did to slow down the opposing offense…)

“I thought San Antonio’s presence at the rim, especially in the second half, [Jakob] Poeltl and LaMarcus [Aldridge] both really impacted the game in the paint when we did get to the rim. I thought Patty Mills was aggressive out front. From our standpoint, I thought we did a nice job of switching, communicating, and contesting shots. LaMarcus got off to a great start and then we kind of kept him under control. Their role players really made the difference. [DeMar] DeRozan has been averaging 33 against us and I thought we did a nice job in contesting his shots and making it difficult. But a lot of their other guys made the difference for them.”


(On if he has spoken with CJ McCollum…)

“Just briefly. [His demeanor] was fine. He’s obviously upset and disappointed, but we’ll see what the tests show.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Portland Trail Blazers Guard CJ McCollum:

(On how he sustained an injury in tonight’s game...)

“I went up for a layup, a left handed layup, and the big fella blocked it and landed on my foot, and kind of trapped my foot on the ground. I felt my knee kind of twist. I was in some pain. ”


(On his current condition…)

“It hurts. I got an x-ray. The X-rays came back negative, so I’ll get an MRI tomorrow.”


(On his level of concern...)

“You never want to get hurt, not ever, especially at this point in the season, but there’s nothing I can do about it except rehab and see what they say.”


(On if his knee is where he believes he suffered the injury…)

“I’ve broken my foot, so I know what that feels like, so it's not my foot. It’s definitely around my knee, but I don't know the extent of it. I don’t know if it’s lateral. I don’t know. I just know that it’s not normal.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Portland Trail Blazers Guard Damian Lillard:

(On his thoughts on the game...)

“I thought it was a pretty competitive game. I thought we did a great job competing and we were pretty sharp. We didn’t make shots. I thought we had a lot of good looks offensively and we didn’t make shots, which happens sometimes, but I think you make up for that in other areas. So, I thought we did a great job of doing that. I thought we made up for shots not going in, and then down the stretch they just had one of those nights. Two-point game, and they get a foul on a three-pointer. It didn’t look like there was much contact, if any at all, but they get three shots. Then after that, there’s an away-from-the-play foul where it didn’t even seem like it was really impacting the play. It was a guy running to the corner and the ball is on the opposite side, so now you get a free-throw and the ball. So I think fouling the shooter and getting an away-from-the-play foul, which I’m sure we weren't trying to do – if those get called against you in close game like that, those calls hurt. So I felt like once we got down the stretch, plays like that hurt you.”


(On the defense on both sides in tonight’s game…)

“Both teams competed. They’ve been really good defensively lately and we knew it was going to be a tough game. We came out and we competed defensively, as well. Each team made the other team work on the offensive end and like I said, when it came to just scoring the ball and making plays, they made a few more than we did.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich (Pregame):

(On if everyone is available to play tonight…)

“Yes.”


(On how having forward LaMarcus Aldridge and center Jakob Poeltl on the floor together changes the team’s defense…)

“It’s a combination of – Jakob [Poeltl], he takes up a lot of space and he’s pretty mobile. He allows LA [LaMarcus Aldridge] to do some other things out there. Derrick White is a big part of that, also. He sets the tone for us out on the perimeter and Jakob guards the pick-and-roll really well. He has good mobility and he moves around on the court where he can cover a little bit more ground near the rim, so it helps us.”


(On if he has a sense of pride watching the development of guards Bryn Forbes and Derrick White…)

“I am really happy for them. These are a couple of guys that have developed through the G League. They have just continued their progression throughout the year. Derrick has been in and out with injuries, which makes it even more spectacular to me that he has done so well. There’s not much more I can say about those two – they have been fantastic and really important to any success we have had.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Terry Stotts (Pregame):

(On the Spurs play as of late...)

“Obviously, they’re playing good basketball. Defensively, they’ve been pretty solid. They’re healthy. It’s a typical spurs team. They have an identity. [DeMar] DeRozan and LaMarcus [Aldridge] have been terrific offensively. They’re shooting the three well all season. I don’t know that they’ve changed that much over the course of the year. I think they’ve just been very solid and consistent.”


(On past Spurs teams playing well down the stretch..)

“That’s the goal, but my recollections of San Antonio is that they’re pretty good start, middle and end. They’re just good for 20-something years, nothing much has changed with that part of it.”


(On guard Damian Lillard…)

“As I said last night, he’s obviously been a great player for us for seven years. Passing LaMarcus [Aldridge], becoming number two (all-time in scoring in Blazers franchise history) is a tremendous feat, but what he has meant to the team on the court, off the court, in the locker room, in the community and for the organization – I think that speaks much more about him than necessarily where he is on the scoring list.


(On the mid-season acquisitions of guard/forward Rodney Hood and center Enes Kanter…)

“Yeah, they’re both still finding their way. Rodney [Hood] got here before Enes [Kanter]. Rodney has had three or four games already that he’s had an impact on fourth quarters. The last time we played San Antonio was his first game and he had an impact in the fourth quarter. Last night he had a good game against New Orleans, so from an offensive standpoint, Rodney gives us some versatility with the three-point shooting and ability to create his own shot. He has good length defensively and versatility – he can play two, three or four, so he’s been good. Enes has been a little slower since we just got him after the All-Star break, but he gives us a different dimension in the second unit. We run a lot more post-ups. He’s an efficient post scorer, he's been a willing passer out of the post and he’s getting more familiar with some of our defensive concepts, so it gives our second unit – when Dame [Lillard] and CJ [McCollum] are out – a different look.


(On if there are any restrictions on guard/forward Evan Turner... )

“There are no restrictions.”


(On the competitiveness of the Western Conference…)

“We’ve been talking about that all season going back to December when Houston was in 14th or whatever. One through 14, other than Phoenix, in December, everybody had a shot to make the playoffs. It was really tight. When you look at the playoff possibilities, I think every series, regardless of the matchups, is going to be an interesting series. I think anybody can win their series no matter what the matchups are. The West is really intriguing and very competitive, obviously.”


(On guard CJ McCollum and how he plays off of Lillard…)

“If you had a chance to see the second half against the Clippers, CJ was outstanding. He had a slow start in the first half – only made one shot. He came back in the second half and was just scoring in a variety of ways. To have a guy like him, who can not only get his own shot but complement Damian [Lillard], and be able to either play with Damian or without Damian on the floor. He is having a good year, and again, he’s a guy that we rely on.”

 

[HailBlazers]

Pull your head out Terry! This is exactly what we should have been doing with Zach.

"(On what the respective defenses did to slow down the opposing offense…)

“I thought San Antonio’s presence at the rim, especially in the second half, [Jakob] Poeltl and LaMarcus [Aldridge] both really impacted the game in the paint when we did get to the rim."

 

[hoopsjock]

Pull your head out Terry! This is exactly what we should have been doing with Zach.

"(On what the respective defenses did to slow down the opposing offense…)

“I thought San Antonio’s presence at the rim, especially in the second half, [Jakob] Poeltl and LaMarcus [Aldridge] both really impacted the game in the paint when we did get to the rim."

Zach plays great Friday...

Is rewarded with a DNP on Saturday.

 

[HailBlazers]

Zach plays great Friday...

Is rewarded with a DNP on Saturday.

Mind numbing man.

 

[hoopsjock]

I'm really sick of the "we just didn't make shots" excuse. I know it usually applies, I just don't like the idea of seemingly thinking they don't need to do much different other than shoot better.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

I'm really sick of the "we just didn't make shots" excuse. I know it usually applies, I just don't like the idea of seemingly thinking they don't need to do much different other than shoot better.

Yes, but last night they attacked and werrent rewarded for it, well other then having a guy injure CJ by landing on him, and probably a lot of bruises from arm swipes. The attack when shots arent falling is usually go to the rim try to get FT’s or easy shots. They got neither. They got hit so many times with no call. Im noy sure what shouldve done when their getting slapped and mauled and not getting calls.

 

[HailBlazers]

Yes, but last night they attacked and werrent rewarded for it, well other then having a guy injure CJ by landing on him, and probably a lot of bruises from arm swipes. The attack when shots arent falling is usually go to the rim try to get FT’s or easy shots. They got neither. They got hit so many times with no call. Im noy sure what shouldve done when their getting slapped and mauled and not getting calls.

You double down on Defense. Which Stotts seems to be incapable of. Kanter played 14 minutes and scored Zero points. Should have went to Zach right away when Enes was completely ineffective and worthless defensively.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

You double down on Defense. Which Stotts seems to be incapable of. Kanter played 14 minutes and scored Zero points. Should have went to Zach right away when Enes was completely ineffective and worthless defensively.

Ive given up on them changing up their defense, its just not gonna happen.
The major issue I had with the Kanter signing was that apparently it means Zachs minutes are going to be few and far between. Long term they need Zach to develop and to be all in.

 

[Chris Craig]

Zach plays great Friday...

Is rewarded with a DNP on Saturday.

Zach needs to continue to be played next to Kanter. He covers up Enes's deficiencies on defense. It's a good paring. Plus Zach can score too. They both go after Oboards and second chance points.

 

[hoopsjock]

Yes, but last night they attacked and werrent rewarded for it, well other then having a guy injure CJ by landing on him, and probably a lot of bruises from arm swipes. The attack when shots arent falling is usually go to the rim try to get FT’s or easy shots. They got neither. They got hit so many times with no call. Im noy sure what shouldve done when their getting slapped and mauled and not getting calls.

Poeltl was erasing a ton of shots at the rim though. He had 5 blocks. Other than one of the times Dame bodied him first and created space, I kept yelling at them to stop trying to just lay it in over Poeltl.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Poeltl was erasing a ton of shots at the rim though. He had 5 blocks. Other than one of the times Dame bodied him first and created space, I kept yelling at them to stop trying to just lay it in over Poeltl.

I am ok with them letting some of the fouls go if they’re doing it on both ends, but Poetl and their guards were getting away with a lot.

 

[Chris Craig]

Yes, but last night they attacked and werrent rewarded for it, well other then having a guy injure CJ by landing on him, and probably a lot of bruises from arm swipes. The attack when shots arent falling is usually go to the rim try to get FT’s or easy shots. They got neither. They got hit so many times with no call. Im noy sure what shouldve done when their getting slapped and mauled and not getting calls.

Not force the issue. Shoot away from him. Use Collins or Meyers to pull him away from the rim. When the Blazers aren't getting calls, the worst thing they can do is kerp forcing it inside, repeatedly going for calls they know they aren't going to get. They have to play smart.

 

[Chris Craig]

I am ok with them letting some of the fouls go if they’re doing it on both ends, but Poetl and their guards were getting away with a lot.

What else is new

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Not force the issue. Shoot away from him. Use Collins or Meyers to pull him away from the rim. When the Blazers aren't getting calls, the worst thing they can do is kerp forcing it inside, repeatedly going for calls they know they aren't going to get. They have to play smart.

But they were cold, they werent hitting shots. My point was usually when you arent shooting well you attack, and that didnt work either.

 

[hoopsjock]

But they were cold, they werent hitting shots. My point was usually when you arent shooting well you attack, and that didnt work either.

I thought it was a huge mistake to go small instead of big, especially with the bench. Bertrans can't guard Nurk, Kanter, or Collins in the post so they should have attacked differently.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

I thought it was a huge mistake to go small instead of big, especially with the bench. Bertrans can't guard Nurk, Kanter, or Collins in the post so they should have attacked differently.

Not sure about Zachs post game vs guys who are his size. I love his footwork, but he still gets pushed around a lot by guys who he cant shoot over from down there.
The games only 48 minutes though. I think they tried some things (at least on offense) they just didnt work. I also think that may have been the poorest officiated game of the season for them. The refs totally got into their heads too.

 

[HailBlazers]

I thought it was a huge mistake to go small instead of big, especially with the bench. Bertrans can't guard Nurk, Kanter, or Collins in the post so they should have attacked differently.

Agree 100%. Played right into their hands.