DAMIAN LILLARD & CJ MCCOLLUM
Do you feel like Denver is taking away your space more than last series vs. OKC?
Lillard: “Yeah. I think it’s obvious they’re trying to show bodies and make me play in a crowd, find an open man and that’s what I’ve tried to do. Try to see where the help is coming from, see where the other guy is coming from, make that play and still just find a way to be aggressive, look for shots. Just don’t let them turn me into a passive player. But I can definitely see that they’re trying to be a little more aggressive and I have more bodies around me.”
What is the balance of not trying to force the issue but also trusting the pass?
Lillard: “I think when you see a defense come at you that aggressively, you’ve got to identify what they’re trying to do, what you think they’re trying to do and try to make them pay for it. Try to attack them with the pass. Maybe the weak side or wherever the help is coming from, attack them there and try to take advantage of it. That way it brings down and maybe they go away from it or it softens up because they’re caring about the other side or us hurting them on the other side. And then get more aggressive after that to score the ball. If that’s not working, then you’ve got to figure it out. Maybe attack and try to get downhill more, get some contact. That’s pretty much what it is – try to make them pay with the pass and see if it’ll work out by giving the ball up and then if not, got to stay aggressive.”
How important is it to remain calm and focused in a disappointing loss to make sure you come back strong in game 5?
Lillard: “I mean, it happens. In the playoffs, it’s going to be competitive. It’s not always going to go your way. The good thing for us is that we won a game on their court, so it’s not like we lost both there, they came here and won one and we’re going back facing elimination. So I think we’re in a good space, 2 to 2, we know we’re capable of winning on their floor and that’s what we’ve got to go get done. Obviously it’s disappointing like you said, we didn’t want to let an opportunity like this slip but it happens. It’s playoff basketball and we’ve got to move forward.”
Fans have said this has been a really entertaining series so far, why do you think that is? What makes Denver tough?
McCollum: “I think it’s entertaining because we play an entertaining brand of basketball. We get out and run and shoot threes, we’re in high isolations situations, pretty good home court advantage and I think they play a nice brand of basketball over there – back doors, dribble hand-offs, make the extra pass. I think that’s why it’s entertaining to watch. In terms of the difference in the series, I think we didn’t have lapses like we did tonight in the third quarter in the last series. When you score 14 points in the quarter, it’ll really set you back and I think that was the difference in the game. We didn’t give up as many offensive rebounds in the Oklahoma City series so we have to tighten those little things up. Offensively, get a shot up every possession and defensively, limit them to one shot.”
You had momentum going into half time but struggled in the third quarter, what happened in the third?
Lillard: “Like you said, we had the momentum but it’s a long game. You’ve got to be able to play 48 minutes. I thought that third quarter, our energy wasn’t where it needed to be. Like CJ just said, it’s going to be hard to keep a lead or keep a team off you when you score 14 points. I think that came from turning the ball over, allowed them to get out, not being as sharp as we needed to be in our coverages and they’ve got a lot of shooters out there. So we know we’re trying to give Millsap and Jokic attention on the block when they have the ball. Our communication has to be right on the weak side or they’re going to take advantage of it with their shooters. I thought there was a lot of that mixed with turnovers, second and third opportunities on the glass. A team that’s as good as they are, if you keep giving them opportunities, they’re going to score. So I think it was a mix of all those things.”
When teams are sending that much attention to Lillard, do you take on more focus of trying to score yourself?
McCollum: “From the moment I step on the court to the moment I leave, I try to be as aggressive as possible. So my focus is to get downhill, take advantage of the matchup, take advantage of the situation whether that’s trying to score, trying to find the open man, so he and I approach the game the same way, whether it’s good intentions or not, have to be aggressive in order for us to have a chance to win.”
We’ve seen some series be about things that are more than basketball, is it fair to say this series has been more about hoops?
Lillard: “Every series is about hoop, regardless of what else is happening because we’re playing basketball. It’s two good teams trying to advance. That’s all it is. We’ve got an even series, so we’ve got to go back on their floor, we’ve got to win one on their floor, regardless of what happens so we need to try to make that happen Tuesday.”
Seth Curry got going tonight, how important will that be moving forward?
Lillard: “It’s huge. Obviously with the attention that’s going to come on the ball, if I’m handling or CJ’s handling it, it’s huge when he’s making shots, Rodney’s making shots. You’re getting guys off the ball scoring, give them something to worry about. Going forward, that’s going to be huge for us. It was really good to see him get hot out there.”
