Exclusive PLAYOFFS - ROUND 2, GAME 4: WARRIORS @ BLAZERS - 5/9/16 - Quote Book

[SlyPokerDog]

HEAD COACH TERRY STOTTS

Describing Curry’s performance:

“Remarkable. I mean, he looked fresh. He had his rhythm. He made tough shots, he made nice passes, he fought through screens. Obviously 17 points in overtime. It was a hell of a performance.”



Is there anything you can change or do when Curry gets going?

“Well a couple of them, we were a little late with our coverages on a couple of his ball screens. Giving up an offensive rebound and a put back, that’s something we shouldn’t do. I thought those two possessions – his offensive rebound and then we didn’t switch appropriately were two big momentum plays for them. But when you’re guarding him one on one, and you’re right there and challenging shots, that’s what he does. He’s a two-time MVP for a reason.”



On intensity of the game:

“I thought there was a lot of intensity throughout the game. There was great energy in the building to start with. It was an outstanding start. You could just feel more energy in the building even before the tip. There was a lot of energy. I thought both teams really played hard, with all due respect to Rasheed Wallace. It was a well-played game, both teams really competed hard, made great shot making, some hard fought defense, and we just didn’t have enough at the end of regulation and obviously overtime was another story.”


How do you get ready for game five back at Oracle?

“That’s what the playoffs are about. You go to the next game. We played them well in game two, we beat them in game three, played a good game here, so we’ve got to go down there and play a good game and bring it back here.”


What were they doing to make things difficult for Lillard?

“I don’t know, I actually thought he had a lot of good looks through the first three quarters. Obviously, he didn’t shoot the ball well but I thought he had some good looks. Obviously in the fourth quarter, he shot the ball well. I thought particularly late in the fourth and overtime, they just really got into us, we weren’t able to free him up on ball screens. We tried to get them to switch, they fought through those screens so it kind of devolved into some one-on-one play rather than getting the movement that we like, but I thought more than anything else they really picked up their pressure and made it difficult to screen him.”


How did Aminu foul trouble complicate things?

“Not really. You look at it and he still played 39 minutes, so it just changed the rotation a little bit but he was there, he played the fourth quarter and overtime. It changed the rotation but it didn’t change the game that much.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

DAMIAN LILLARD

How exciting was game and how tough was loss?

“It was a really fun game. Both teams competed really hard. I thought both teams was really tired, guys were beat out there and both teams pushed through. They took advantage of our slip ups in our pick and roll coverages. We didn’t make some shots, we had some turnovers and we didn’t execute well enough or defend well enough down the stretch to win the game.”



How do you feel about your performance and Curry’s game?

“I thought I played well. I didn’t have my greatest shooting night but at this point in the season, I’ve been telling myself and my teammates have been telling me to go out there and be in attack more and be aggressive at all times and we’ll live with the results. That’s kind of my mindset this series. As far as Steph, he had a great performance. He’s been great all season. He’s the MVP again for a reason. He’s been out two weeks and the kind of player he is, I’m sure he hasn’t been sitting around. He was a little bit rusty in the first half, but like I said the second half we had some blown coverages and miscommunications and we allowed him to come off and get wide open shots, and then he got going. With a player like him, they see a couple go in, he’s going to start bouncing around and feeling himself, and that’s just what happened. It got to the point where because we had blown coverages, he got in a groove where he started making contested shots too. He had a hell of a game.”


Can you describe feeling in locker room after loss?

I mean, it was kind of draining. We played really well in game three, got the win. Game two, we played really well and let that one slip away. Then tonight, we played well again. Like I’ve been saying, they’re a championship team and I thought we competed with them. We were right there. We were one or two stops away from winning the game. We were right there. We’re not out here getting blown out, we’re not out here getting bullied, we’re competing. Every game, we’re competing for a win and they know that, so we let another one get away but next game we’ve got to go out there and try to get one on their court.”




Given Curry was in a groove late, did you sense trouble in OT?

“I mean, their team as a whole, they’re trouble. They play so well off of each other, they screen well, they pass the ball well, they understand just how to run offense well. When Steph starts making shots and Klay starts making shots, that’s when you have an issue. Going into overtime, we felt like we could get it going too. It was the same kind of game that it was going into overtime. We knew it was going to be back and forth and the team that got the most stops and executed the best was going to win the game and they did that a little bit better than us.”


On not building a bigger lead early

“I mean, we jumped out. We had a great start to the game. I thought we controlled the game for the most part, but against a team like them, they’re going to make runs, they’re going to make shots. They stick to their principles defensively, they’re going to disrupt some things. But I thought even with the things that they did on offense when they made runs, we always answered. When they had good defensive possessions, we always kept coming. Like I said, three point lead, we get a stop toward the end of the game, we get a stop and it’s our ball, now we’re looking at making it a two possession game instead of giving up the three, so I was proud of what we did.”


On intensity of this matchup:

“I mean it’s been crazy just because we realize the opportunity that we have playing against the best team in the league and not much being expected of us. We want to go out there and make a statement. We want to go out there and make sure they respect us, make sure they understand it’s not going to be what everybody thinks it’s going to be. It’s not going to be no rolling over, it’s not going to be no out here being scared, it’s not going to be any of that. I think our team has done that. Every game, we’ve gone out there and fought and we believe we can get it done. I think it’s shown. We could have won the last three games. We were in position to win the last three games. We had slippage and a championship team is going to take advantage of that and that’s what they did.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

HEAD COACH STEVE KERR


Opening statement:

“I just want to make an announcement before we start; Steph will start on Wednesday night in case anyone was wondering.”



On if that was the type of game he expected from Steph in his return:

“No, the guy’s played basically one basketball game in three weeks. I expected what I saw early, I expected a lot of rust. I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted the explosion. I figured that he’d find his stroke and make a few shots but I mean that was, that was crazy.”



On what was going through his head when Shaun Livingston was ejected:

“It put us in a tough spot obviously, especially with Steph’s comeback or whatever you want to call it. We were expecting to play Steph maybe 25 minutes and just monitor him and see how he held up and he looked like once he got going he didn’t look tired. There was only maybe one or two times in the game where he looked tired and we tried to get him a quick breather but I was really amazed at his conditioning more than anything.”


On what got Steph going after a 0-10 shooting start from three:

“I think I told him to try and go 5-6 for the rest of the game. No, I didn’t say anything to him. The only thing I talked to him about before the game was not to try to do too much, too early. In the Houston game a couple weeks ago when he came back from the ankle injury, he had five turnovers in the first half and he looked like he was trying to get it all back at once. So I just talked to Steph about easing his way back in and to take care of the ball. As far as the shooting, I’m never going to say anything to him about shooting, he gets to shoot whenever he wants.”




On picking up their defensive intensity in the fourth quarter:

“I thought we finally found our defense kind of mid-second quarter and we were within two or three and they really closed the quarter strong. That was during the middle of the foul fest and so they pushed it back to 10 at the half but our defense was great all night, we just weren’t getting loose balls and rebounds again. That’s where we have to make improvements on Wednesday, we’re making stops and we got guys leaking out and they’ve got guys crashing the boards. There were probably three plays in the fourth quarter where we made steals or stops but they poked the ball away from us from behind so we’ve got to do a better job securing the ball but our defense was, for the most part, really good all night maybe other than the first five minutes of the game but again you’ve got to complete the possession.”



On if he calls plays during overtime or he just lets Steph call the game:

“When Steph would have a game like this last year, Alvin Gentry would say ‘I’ve got two plays for you; Steph get the ball and get the ball, Steph’ those were Alvin’s two play calls so in Alvin’s honor that’s what we ran in overtime.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

STEPH CURRY


On how he felt before the game and as it progressed:

“I was a little, obviously anxious to get back on the floor. It was a different situation coming off of the bench, so trying to keep my body loose, my mind in the game and figure out how to get a rhythm. Obviously it took me awhile to get into the flow. When you miss three weeks it’s really weird walking back on the court, like with the crowd out there going crazy and that competitive atmosphere again. I was just trying to get my bearings straight, and try to make some plays, and try to get a rhythm and it took 48 minutes and things finally clicked.”



On how much he attributes his slow shooting start to being rusty:

“A lot of it was just a timing issue. You can shoot shots in practice and try to simulate game speed and what not, but most of the time nobody is guarding you. A lot of it is just allowing that muscle memory coming back in a game kind of atmosphere. My confidence never wavered, I don’t think you shoot nine shots from three without making one if you don’t have confidence. I thought I was taking some pretty good ones and I hoped that eventually they would fall. I got some great screens down the stretch from Draymond, Festus, (Harrison Barnes), (Andrew Bogut), so when you’re able to come off and get good looks, I’ve got to do my job too.”


On his mindset in OT:

“I was a little frustrated because I missed that last shot and thought I had a good look at it. I kind of got where I wanted to be and missed that floater. I knew we would have to dig deep as a team. To win an OT playoff game on the road, that’s so hard to do. Defensively down the stretch during that last five minutes Draymond was unbelievable. Clogging up that paint, blocking shots, altering shots. Andre was amazing on CJ. Klay did an unbelievable job on Damian, just trying to make it tough on him and not let him get any open looks. And then me and HB (Harrison Barnes) just did our part, help side and what not and then were able to turn those stops into easy offense for us and more of a flow. When we’re able to that, that’s when where at our best as a team.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

DRAYMOND GREEN


What did you see Steph Curry do in overtime?

“Take over. He took over the game. He put us on his shoulders from the start. He scored the first bucker and there was no looking back from there. He was flying around chasing guys off screens on the defensive end as well. He did exactly what we needed him to do. I don’t know if you can quite expect that at this point coming off what he just came off of, but that’s why he is who he is.”


What do you think was key to turn around?

“Defense. We really started getting it done on the defensive end. I thought we got Damian inside the three and you’ve got to make other people beat you and I think we did that. Andre was doing a good job on CJ, he hit a couple tough shots but when it came down to the nitty gritty, he made him miss some tough ones as well, so that was what got it done for us. Klay was all over Damian, so that was big.”


On intensity of game:

“That was very fun, a very fun game to play in. That’s playoff basketball right there. That’s what it’s about. That’s really the first game we were at the intensity level we needed to be at and they were at the intensity level they needed to be at. I think tonight lived up to what it’s supposed to be about. IT’s fun to win it for sure. It’s no better feeling than to come on the road and silence another team’s crowd and see them leaving early before the buzzer go off, especially when you come out 18 to 2 or whatever it was, that’s a gut punch they caught tonight.”


What’s your evaluation of your performance?

“I was better tonight. I was a lot better. Defensively, I was better. I was flying around like I normally do. I came up with some rebounds that I needed to come up with, I helped out and did some good things on the defensive end. I think I helped lead my guys as well which is important. I had a solid stretch in there in the third quarter where I didn’t think anything was going right for us so I just put my head down and started going to the hole and tried to get to the free throw line. So tonight, and it’s not because we won, I feel like I played a lot better than I did the other night.”


On Blazers facing elimination in game 5?

“Do I think they’re done? Of course I think they’re done. If I don’t think they’re done, I don’t know who else is going to think it. We’re going home with a 3-1 lead. It’s up to us to close it out and I trust my teammates, I trust our team to come out ready to go and close this series out. Of course I think they’re done. It’s time for us to close this series. We did what we needed to do, we came on the road and got one win, we took care of home court and it’s time for us to do it again.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

TEAM

• The Trail Blazers scored 41 points in the second quarter to set a new playoff franchise record for points scored in a second quarter. 42 points is the postseason franchise record for most points scored in a single quarter.

• Portland made 15 three-point field goals, and has now made at least 10 three-pointers in each of its past seven postseason contests. Only Cleveland (8, current) has a longer such streak in NBA Playoff history.

• Portland’s 67 points are its most, and the most allowed by Golden State in any half this postseason.

• Portland led by as many as 16 points, marking the first time that Golden State has trailed by at least 15 points in three straight games since 4/9/12 to 4/18/12 (six games).

• Golden State’s 18 points scored in the first quarter are tied for both its fewest points scored, and Portland’s fewest points allowed in any quarter this postseason.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

PLAYER

• Damian Lillard (36 points) is the first Trail Blazer to score at least 25 points in five straight playoff games since Clyde Drexler (7, April 29 to May 14, 1992).

• Damian Lillard has scored 30+ points for the seventh time in his postseason career, good for second most in franchise history (Drexler-14, Aldridge/Porter-6).

• Damian Lillard (26.3 ppg) is the third player in postseason franchise history to average at least 25.0 points per game through the first 10 playoff games in a single season (Aldridge-2014, Drexler-1992).

• Damian Lillard dished out 10 assists, and is the first Trail Blazer to have 10+ assists in back-to-back playoff games since Damon Stoudamire (April 24-26, 1998).

• Damian Lillard scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, and has now averaged 10.0 points in the final period through four games this series. Lillard has scored in double figures in the fourth in three of the four games.

• Damian Lillard scored 36 points tonight, and has now averaged 41.8 points in four home games against the Warriors this season (includes regular season).

• CJ McCollum (24 points) has now scored 20+ points in three straight games, five of the past six contests, and eight times overall in his postseason career.

• Al-Farouq Aminu (18 points, 13 rebounds) has recorded a double-double in back-to-back postseason games for the first time in his career. Aminu has five career playoff double-doubles (four this season).

• Al-Farouq Aminu (18 points) has now scored in double figures in each of his last five games.

• Mason Plumlee finished with 15 rebounds, and has now had eight games of 10+ rebounds during the 2016 NBA Playoffs. That puts him in a tie with Kevin Love for the most such games this postseason.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

You guys post in the thread asking where the quote book is more then the actual quote book thread. It didn't hit my in box until 12:31am.

 

[riverman]

You guys post in the thread asking where the quote book is more then the actual quote book thread. It didn't hit my in box until 12:31am.

they never sleep sly