Been focusing more on video coverage over the past week, but will try to keep up with the website posts better. After the loss at OKC and heading into PHX right now, below you’ll see the pregame notes before the Suns, then the transcripts from pregame practices at Grand Canyon University (the students went crazy for Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, who stopped outside on the way to the bus to sign autographs), as well as OKC:
The behind-the-scenes video from OKC has a timestamp (scroll way down, then check the video’s Description or Comments) where you can see that a Draymond Green turnover is really caused by Klay not cutting in time. Steve Kerr would later tell reporters (video and transcript below) at the first Phoenix practice that their timing is off. They had a long practice including drill work on Sunday and specifically focused on making bounce passes in the lane.
I looked at the film of all 29 turnovers, didn’t have time to post a video essay on it, but also noticed Lu Dort at least on one occasion was flopping on a screen (I think it was by Andrew Wiggins) and got the call from the ref. Kerr also told reporters that opponents have started to flop and get those calls. However, the film does show bad, moving screens set by Kevon Looney and Dario Saric. There were perhaps three or four illegal screens called on the Warriors in OKC, but at least two of those were flops and, imo, not illegal screens. I also noticed that OKC’s length played a role in those turnovers, some of which Kerr alluded to with the bounce passes in the lane.
Ron Kroichick of the SF Chronicle was the only traveling reporter present at Sunday’s practice, having flown from the Bay while fellow beatwriter Connor Letourneau covered only the OKC game, which is overall less taxing and more cost-effective than it would have been for one reporter at both spots, and he got Steph post-practice for a few quotes, as excerpted below in chronological fashion.
PHOENIX PREGAME NOTES & QUOTES
• Suns coach Frank Vogel says Bradley Beal will be under a minutes restriction tonight, but wouldn’t specify what it’ll look like. Said there could be a little bit of rust but Beal has looked good in practice. “I expect him to come in and play a hell of a basketball game.” Vogel said he expects Beal to play “a hell of a game” tonight. (Kendra Andrews, Trevor Booth)
• Steve Kerr ready for the “South Beach club” atmosphere at Footprint Center tonight, brings headphones to the pregame, a reaction to DJ Chris Villa mixing in his rant to music during last week’s halftime performance against Sacramento. (Duane Rankin)
• Kerr on the NBA In-Season Tournament: “I thought it was great.” (Trevor Booth)
• Kerr on everyone gunning at the Warriors each year, based on the past: “I think it’s the most difficult thing in this league” to sustain high-level success. (Trevor Booth)
• Kerr on the competition out West this year, as there’s many teams in the same tier of contention: While he acknowledges the strength of other teams and knows it’s going to be hard to avoid the play-in range, he knows what his guys are capable of. (Shane Young)
• Here is the 8:30 AM Injury Report… Warriors: Payton II Out-Right Calf, Strain; Phoenix: Allen Out-Right Groin, Strain; Durant Questionable-Left Ankle;, Sprain;Lee Out-Right Meniscus, Surgery; Little Out Concussion Protocol. (Tim Roye)
• Suns’ Kevin Durant (ankle) is out tonight vs. Warriors. (Shams Charania)
• The Warriors would like to shoot it well from distance tonight. In their 2 previous games with the Suns, they were 20 for 77 from 3, 26%. (Tim Roye)
KERR & CP3 TRANSCRIPTS — MONDAY
0:00 DJ at Footprint Center adds Steve Kerr’s postgame interview snippet to his halftime music mix:
0:23 Steve Kerr after practice, day before Phoenix Suns, on the recent injuries: “(Chris Paul) should be ready to go tomorrow. Klay as well.”
0:33 on the DJ at halftime trolling him: “Trust me, I know. I had about 100 people send me the tweet. So yeah, I’m ready. I’m ready.”
0:27 on how he feels that he was trolled: “I think it’s hilarious. I love it. We’re in the entertainment business and stuff like that is great. I may have to respond with something of my own. We’ll see what that is … I gotta have something ready.”
1:19 on if the team expects the loud techno music tomorrow: “I mean, given the game atmosphere last time with the South Beach club music, I’m expecting it to be even more techno, even louder. And yeah, our timeouts, we may we may not be able to actually even hold a timeout. So I’ll just tell the guys go get ‘em and we’ll see what happens.”
1:45 on if he liked the DJ’s remix: “it’s hilarious. Yeah. It’s great.”
1:48 on having an Ibiza-like atmosphere tomorrow: “Yeah, I hope so because that’s really where I like to hang out in the summer.”
2:01 on having practices the last two days: “It was great. Yeah, really unusual to have this kind of time for practice. So we had two great days and it’s been a good, good weekend, a few days here in Phoenix, a lot of a bonding, had a great staff dinner last night. I know the players have gone out a couple nights, so hopefully they’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”
2:23 on noticing that Kendra Andrews was not in OKC to cover the game: “I noticed you took that game off. You’re getting soft. Used to be an everyday player. Now all of a sudden you’re turning into a utility person.”
2:41 on if he’ll ride out the starters based on what he saw in OKC: “We have to consider everything … there’s always an opportunity. There’s always an opportunity to make some changes as a team, if you feel like that’s what you have to do. But we’re also showing a lot of good things; we’re getting leads on the road against good teams every night. So we know we can play at a high level but it’s about sustaining it. But whatever we have to do as a coaching staff to try to sustain those efforts, that’s what we have to do…”
3:30 on Kuminga’s last two games, especially the 12 rebounds at OKC: “I just love the last two games. He’s been around the rim and it’s one of the things we’ve been trying to help him with, is really leveraging his athleticism, his power, his strength by getting closer to the rim and rolling rather than popping, relying more on the force of his cuts and and working out of the dunker spot and making himself available so you can catch and go right up and finish … he went 6-for-6 (vs POR); I think all six buckets were in the paint. So if he can establish his game near the rim, now that softens everything up and you can play more on the perimeter, but as a young player he really fashions himself as a as kind of a ‘3-man’ who’s going to do to everything we feel like he needs to establish that power game inside and the finishing. And he’s done that the last two games and that’s going to get him more playing time.”
4:35 on Kuminga getting to the rim and helping them loosen up offensively: “Well, we don’t have a lot of force at the rim. Our bigs, with Draymond and Loon, are more dribble-handoff guys and passers out of the post and so if we can get easy buckets from JK and also from Wiggs attacking the rim, getting downhill, getting dunks, it just balances out our offense. If he does that, he can get more playing time.”
5:00 on if JK has done enough the last two games: “He’s really responded well the last couple of weeks. And we’ve talked to all of our young guys about this before it even happened. I’m talking to Moses and JK. Once we were fully healthy, we had everyone available. Somebody is going to be left out of the rotation. And part of that is, how do you respond? That’s a big part of being a pro. How do you respond to the adversity and I think Moses and JK have both responded beautifully. They understood and then when they got their opportunity, they really took advantage of it and that’s what you’re looking for. So both guys will be in the rotation, for sure.”
5:55 on the closing lineups the last two games and that combo of JK and Moody: “Well, it’s looking pretty good. I mean, two games ago especially, JK had some of those finishes that we needed desperately. Last game, obviously, we had the game won but didn’t handle the last three-point shot well. But it’s definitely a combination we can go to, but every game is different. So it’s not as simple as, ‘That’s our closing lineup,’ so we have to play it game by game.”
6:31 on if he’s locked into playing nine or ten players: “I mean, the hard part comes when Gary (Payton II) comes back, we’re fully healthy. And we have, like I said, 11-12 guys who have every right to be in the lineup and you can’t do that. I can’t play 11 or 12 guys, so no matter what I do, you guys are gonna have a question for me after the game, ‘Why didn’t you play so-and-so?’ So this is how it works. What we’re hoping is that it really sorts itself out, but it’s hard for that to happen because we’ve got a lot of worthy people who have earned playing time.”
7:27 Chris Paul after practice, day before Phoenix Suns, on having back-to-back practices in the middle of the season: “Yeah, it’s nice to get out in the sunlight. It’s always nice.”
7:38 on how Jonathan Kuminga has been playing: “Um, he’s been good. I mean, I don’t think just JK, I think the way our season has been so far, with guys in and out the lineup, I think we’ve all been sort of trying to adjust.”
7:55 on being back in Phoenix: “It’s nice. I wish I didn’t sell my house. It’s been cool. I got a chance to go spend some time with (Devin Booker) the other day. Bring my parents here today, my wife got here yesterday. So just trying to take in these good days to be out here.”
8:30 on Steph Curry saying postgame in OKC that there needs to be more doing and seeing a difference between what can be versus what is happening in games: “Yeah, but I mean, we’ve got a veteran team, guys who’ve done seen just about everything. So I think that’s where you hear that we got to not necessarily talk about it. We all know what needs to be done and what it should look like and we just gotta put it in action.”
9:10 on JK getting to the rim balancing out the outside shooting: “It’s no secret, we don’t have a high-flying team, you know what I mean? So his athleticism is something that gives us a different look and when he’s cutting and slashing, JK is one of those guys that can do a little bit of everything. So when he’s attacking the rim, I think it gives us a whole different dimension.”
9:39 on if he sees JK understanding better how to put pressure on the rim: “Yeah, just understanding how you can screen for guys, how you can cut and just play without the ball. I think we’re just trying to put a full game together. We’ve been really good in spurts and I think we’ll try to put a full game together both offensively and defensively.”
10:06 on looking forward to playing in Phoenix again, especially having been ejected from the last game here a couple weeks ago:
“I didn’t play too much (last game in PHX)… I mean, I love playing here. I didn’t play the last game in Oklahoma, you know what I mean? So I’m just excited to get back out on the court.”
10:15 on how he’s feeling: “Yeah, a lot better than I did.”
10:30 on if Booker has sent him the new Book 1 signature shoe: “Um, I’ma have them.”
PHOENIX PRACTICE SUNDAY NOTES
• Kevin Durant is questionable for tomorrow, per Frank Vogel. Grayson Allen is out. Bradley Beal AVAILABLE. (Kellan Olson, Duane Rankin)
• Frank Vogel on Beal’s return: “It’s a little bit different because it’s his first year as a Phoenix Suns member. It’s a lot of excitement for him coming here and getting a new start in the second phase of his career. That makes it different than most injuries you face.” (Duane Rankin)
• Beal on his return tomorrow vs GSW (last played Nov. 12): “I’m excited. It’s been a process for sure, it’s been a game of patience. Definitely ready… It was more mental than anything. A lot of things were out of my control. Nobody is in control of being injured.” (Duane Rankin)
• Chris Paul and Klay Thompson should be good to go tomorrow against the Suns, Steve Kerr says. Both practiced today. (Kendra Andrews)
• Gary Payton II (calf) only Warriors player on their injury report for Tuesday vs. Suns, ruled. That means Chris Paul (illness) is available. OUT: Grayson Allen (groin), Nassir Little (concussion protocol, orbital fracture) and Damion Lee (knee). QUESTIONABLE: Kevin Durant (ankle). (Duane Rankin)
KERR TRANSCRIPT — SUNDAY
0:03 Steve Kerr after practice in Phoenix, 2 days before Suns, on attending the University of Arizona basketball game on Sunday: “First time I’ve been to a game at McKale (Center) in like 12 years. It’s been a long time. I mean, I’ve been to a few games on the road … first home game I’ve seen in forever. That was really fun… Arizona is good this year.”
0:34 on watching all 29 turnovers, as he said he would do postgame OKC: “I watched them all. (Saying that the team would watch all 29) was a lot of smoke on my part. I threatened to, but I didn’t end up doing it… Some of it is decision-making. And then some of it is execution. And as the head coach, I’m responsible for both. And so what I’m seeing is, I’m seeing areas where we can do a better job of teaching our concepts within our offense. For example, we had three illegal screens, maybe four, and our timing was off on the screens. And so the league is — everybody’s really smart. And so we’re the No. 1 off-ball screen-setting team in the league for our shooters. So everybody’s learned to run into the screener and flop and there were probably four of those the other night and we have to understand that’s what’s coming, if the timing’s not right. So if we clean up our timing, the flops don’t matter, but because our timing was off, we gave them the opportunity to draw fouls, and they did a good job.”
1:52 on how many turnovers he showed the team: “…probably five or six… I let them talk about what they’re seeing. I mention fundamental stuff. And then we just discuss it … It’s very collaborative and calm and ‘let’s get better.’ I mean, I’m gonna keep saying it, but this group won to title a year-and-a-half ago. We’re leading all these really good teams on the road in the second half. We were really good. But we’re not finishing games. And again, a lot of that is just on me to help them execute better. And add on our leaders to communicate and make sure we get good possessions under pressure. And I’m really confident that as we get better with that and we improve in those areas, we’re going to start closing out these games and the team’s going to look entirely different.”
2:59 on being able to, in the past, critique Steph in the video sessions and doing that for the whole team: “(Regarding Green,) Draymond, lets me coach him… And what I tell the team is generally speaking, Steph and Draymond are gonna have three turnovers each every game; they handle the ball, but other guys can’t — Wiggins had six the other night, and he knows he can’t have six turnovers for us to win… this is a great little break here in between games. We had a long practice today. We’ll have another good one tomorrow, watching individual clips with different guys, reminding them of their roles and what’s expected of them and I think it’s a good little break in the schedule. That gives us a chance to improve.”
3:55 on how much value there was with a longer practice: “Yeah, so that’s the benefit of not having a game tomorrow, is we get to have a real practice, a college practice, and those are very few and far between in the NBA. So the day off, it was great yesterday; a big group of us went down to Tucson. We had Q (Bruce Fraser), obviously Q, but I think seven coaches went down and Brandin Podziemski went down. Steph played golf, some of the guys, I think, played golf and got some sunshine. So it’s a good, productive off-day. And now, two good days of practice.”
4:50 on how he addressed the turnovers in practice and if he stressed the fundamentals: “Yeah, and you remind guys, like, interior passes generally have to be bounce passes. You try to throw a shovel pass in the interior, in the NBA, there’s almost zero chance of the ball getting through. And so it’s a good reminder to me we’ve got to practice that. And today there was a lot of that in our drill work. A lot of bounce passes in the lane. As you know, some of it’s film, some of it is drill work, and you just plant the seeds for the players and you generally play as you practice; and part of the problem in the NBA is you don’t practice because there’s a game every other night. And so you have to take advantage of the practices that you do have.”
5:40 on the L2M report of the five-second violation that was not called on OKC before Draymond fouled Chet Holmgren: “Let’s not talk about the Last 2 Minutes Report. Doesn’t matter… I know it was a five-second violation. So what?”
6:00 on if Chris Paul is back: “Yeah, yeah. Feeling much better. Klay was sick today. So Klay didn’t practice.”
6:13 on how significant the next stretch of 11 games out of 13 at home is: “Very significant. I mean, we’ve fallen behind after that good 6-2 start. We’ve been in a bad spell. We’ve lost probably three or four games that we should have won. Great thing about the NBA is there’s always a game the next day and we have 60 games left on our schedule. So there’s a ton of time for the team. We’re getting a big leads on the road against really good teams. That’s a good sign. So it’s not like we can’t compete and we’re all sitting here like the team isn’t good enough, we’ve got to make trades. None of that. We’re good. But we’ve got to improve in these areas. And that’s on us as coaches to give you guys an opportunity to do that. And then it’s on you guys as a team to execute that, once we figure everything out. And I’m very confident that’s all going to happen.”
7:30 on Kuminga taking 21 shots and going to the rim: “Yeah, more more time at the rim. And that’s what we have to have from Jonathan. He’s so powerful, gives us a dynamic we don’t otherwise have. As a young player, he still tends to gravitate towards the perimeter. We want him to gravitate towards the rim with spacing and that means working the dunker’s spot m, working behind the defense, cutting at the right angles, all these little things that we see on tape and that really matter for execution purposes. He’s been better with that stuff the last couple of games and as a result, he’s scoring at the rim and playing really well. So we’ve got to stay with him on that stuff and keep teaching.”
8:26 on the importance of JK getting to the rim when the team has size issues: “Yeah, that’s been the message since he’s gotten here, that’s where we need him. I want him shooting an open three late in the shot clock. If the ball is swung and he’s open, absolutely shoot it. But otherwise, let’s see how much you can attack the rim. Get the ball down there in situations where you can score. It just balances out our team dramatically.
9:06 on JK actually shooting six threes vs OKC, but having 21 field goal attempts overall: “Yeah, that’s good. But he shouldn’t shoot the threes that Steph shoots… shoot the ones that are coming out of the offense and that’s what he’s getting much better with. He’s figuring out what’s what.”
9:27 on every 21-year-old wanting to shoot threes: “(Sarcastically) Steph has ruined the game. He’s destroyed — every young player thinks he can be him. I think Steph has destroyed the game. We need to criticize him more often.”
PHOENIX PRACTICE SUNDAY NOTES
• Klay Thompson was sick and didn’t practice today. Warriors planning to practice again tomorrow ahead of Tuesday night game vs. Suns. (Ron Kroichick)
• Talked to Steph Curry today after practice, told him about NBA’s “last 2-minute report” showing refs missed 5-second violation on late OKC inbounds pass to Holmgren. Curry’s response: “Seriously? Maybe we can get that win back. I did not know that. That makes it worse, for sure.” (Ron Kroichick)
• Bradley Beal (back) full participant Sunday practice. Kevin Durant (ankle) Grayson Allen (groin) and Nassir Little (orbital fracture) didn’t. Little left Friday under concussion protocol. Once cleared, wear mask. All possibilities Tuesday vs. Golden St, Frank Vogel said. (Duane Rankin)
• Bradley Beal (back) on course to return Tuesday vs. Warriors barring any setbacks, sources tell AZ Central. Beal hasn’t played since Nov. 12. Kevin Durant (ankle) Grayson Allen (foot) and Nassir Little (concussion protocol) didn’t practice Sunday. (Duane Rankin)
• Devin Booker on defending Beal: “That’s the nightmare all coaches have trying to guard Brad. Not only coaches, but opposing players. I’ve been on the other side of it. He can stop on a dime and get to his pullup so fast… Excited, can’t wait for the world to see.” (Duane Rankin)
• Grayson Allen missed Friday’s game with right groin strain, didn’t practice Sunday as Phoenix Suns (12-10) took Saturday off, but there’s a possibility he plays Tuesday vs. Warriors. Has 2nd most starts on team with Kevin Durant at 19. Jusuf Nurkic has the most at 22. (Duane Rankin)
• Ron Kroichick of the SF Chronicle with post-practice exclusive with Steph Curry: https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/warriors/article/warriors-curry-green-immune-taking-criticism-18542980.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Premium)&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral
“I want more of it,” Curry told the Chronicle after practice. “Everybody has to go through it. It’s just the nature of learning, and you can’t take it personally or with a salty mindset. It just has to be about trying to get better.
“So if (Kerr) can talk to me and Draymond, then he can talk to everybody else.”
—
Kerr relented on his postgame threat to make the players watch each and every one of those 29 giveaways. He watched them all himself, then showed five or six examples to the team during Sunday’s video session.
He included Curry (three turnovers against the Thunder) and Green (four), while also reminding the team he expects some from those two players because they handle the ball so often. Green is similarly receptive to coaching, according to Kerr.
• Adam Silver at NBA Cup pregame in Las Vegas says he and Chris Paul have personally spoken regarding the Scott Foster situation, but declined to go too far in detail on conversations about improving relations. Says he has enormous respect for both and hopes that time and professionalism will help move past this. (Tomer Azarly)
BEHIND-THE-SCENES FROM OKC
STEVE & DRAY OKC TRANSCRIPTS
0:00 Steve Kerr postgame OKC on what the story of the game was: “Turnovers and fouls. I can just repeat it, if you want. I mean, it’s turnovers and fouls. That’s what it comes down to. So the fact is, we’re playing one of the best teams in the league on their floor. We’re good enough. We’re good. We’re good enough to win a championship. I believe that of this team, but if we’re gonna just turn it over and throw the ball to the other team and foul over and over, then we’re gonna lose. We know the formula. We just controlled that whole game on the road against a great team. That’s our game. So that’s turnovers and fouls.”
0:47 on 29 turnovers being an obscene number: “Yeah, obscene is the right word. Yeah. It’s an obscene number of turnovers. Yeah.”
0:56 on which turnovers are the ones that he wants back: “You want me to go through them?”
1:07 on if there are any particular turnovers in overtime: “We will watch all 29, I can tell you that. As a team, we’re going to watch all 29 turnovers because it’s a decision-making game; basketball is all about decision-making. And there’s probably some where it’s random, maybe it’s an illegal screen. We got a couple of those and we’ll see what the calls were like on those, maybe they were good calls, maybe they weren’t, I don’t know. But I don’t mind illegal screens so much. But passing is a crucial aspect of this game, and you’ve got to be able to make solid passes and solid decisions. So we went in, we had a ton of bad passes, I can tell you that.”
2:02 on if the turnovers were due to carelessness or trying too hard: “Well, I mean, I give them credit. You know, they’re one of the leading teams in the league in terms of forcing turnovers and creating transition off of turnovers and a lot of ways the game was our offensive rebounding against their ability to force turnovers and that’s why the possessions actually ended up about the same. But I mean we’ll watch the tape, but there were there were just, over and over again, decisions that we would like to have back.”
2:40 on what the instruction was going in to the foul on Holmgren up three: “Well, we are a foul team. We believe in fouling up three. But you always have to be careful, can’t foul on shot, you gotta foul on catch. And Dray tried to make a play and it looked like he was there. I thought he was gonna get the steal. And I think his instinct was just to grab him before he got the shot. But Chet obviously went straight up with a shot; I still thought we might win the challenge. That’s why I took the timeout. We had a game in Miami about five or six years ago where Kevin Durant got fouled and it was overturned, very similar play. So I thought we had a shot to win the challenge and make it a two-point shot. But obviously, we didn’t and he stepped up and made the three free throws and tough, tough way to lose.”
3:40 on if this game felt like the Sacramento game: “Feels like the Sacramento game, feels like the Clipper game, feels like the last OKC game. So that it’s up to us. I mean, it’s a pattern right now. And I watched this same group win a championship a year-and-a-half ago. They’re champions, but they’re not playing like it and I’m not coaching like it and we’ve got to figure this out. We know the formula. I’ve got to do a better job of getting them to execute. But fouls and turnovers, that’s it. Fouls and turnovers.”
4:17 on what stands out about the Thunder after playing them four times already this season, and what they’re building: “This is not surprising to me at all. We’ve seen this coming the last year. Sam (Presti) has drafted incredibly well. They’ve nailed picks and then Mark (Daigneault) is a great coach. They’ve got a guy on Shai who is impossible to guard and they’ve really built a good roster around him and so they’re a hell of a team.”
4:57 Draymond Green postgame OKC on what makes him confident and about this team: “I think we got all the pieces that we need in order to — when you look at some of these games we’re losing, we just kind of tighten up in the margins but we know what it takes to win a championship and I feel like we got all of those things.”
5:30 on if he feels some urgency: “I don’t feel the urgency that we need to have and that’s on me. I’ll be better at that, making sure guys have the urgency that they need but it hasn’t been there. And you can’t claim to lead in that department when it’s going well and not lead when it’s not going well. So I’ll take one on the chin. I gotta make sure this team plays with a better sense of urgency and I will.”
5:53 on why there hasn’t been a sense of urgency: “I don’t know. There could be a ton of reasons, but one thing is for certain is no other team in the NBA is not dealing with some of the same things that we deal with. So you’ve got to be mentally strong enough to figure it out. And those that do, win. And those that don’t, lose. They lose close games. It’s very fragil when you don’t do that, and so we just got to be better.”
6:19 on if this game felt like any of the other close losses to Sacramento and the Clippers: “Each game is different; each game presents its own challenges. You’ve got to take it game by game and figure out what you need to do to win that particular game.”
6:38 on how to stop turning the ball over: “I mean, it’s just the careless ones, right? You don’t want to turn the ball over leaving the fast break points. They got 35 points off those turnovers and we knew that coming into game, they lead the league in points off turnovers and we didn’t do a good job of that. I think you know the fact that we had 29 turnovers and still had a chance to win the game is nuts. But it shows that if we can clean that area, how good this team can be and I’m confident that we will clean up.”
7:06 on the rise of the OKC Thunder: “They got a great head of the snake in Shai. He was First-Team All-NBA last year for a reason. Chet will possibly be a generational player and so you look at adding him to the lineup and then Jalen Williams — guard Jalen Williams (not Jaylin) — is one of the most impressive players with the ball in the NBA. He can shoot the ball from three, mid-range, get to the rim. He’s 6’8, he got size, he has strength, he can pass the ball. And so they present their challenges and it comes down to a lot of times you have to sit down and guard one-on-one. But yeah, you still got to keep your shell tight and I don’t think we did a much of a good job of that.”
8:07 on fouling Chet up three: “I mean, something that we’ve been talking about a lot, fouling while we’re up three, so I was very hypersensitive to it. Like, I gotta foul; you don’t want to be the guy to give that three up. I personally thought that I got him before he started this upward motion, but I saw the replay too and it’s close as hell. And regardless of if I did it or didn’t, if it’s close they’re gonna go with the call on the floor, three shots. So I gotta be better; he’s facing the rim, u can’t foul there. I jumped for the ball, thinking I could get the steal and then it went a little over my head. I own that. I just need to stay down and not get the steam, knowing I’m falling as soon as he starts catching the ball. So I fucked that off. That’s a mistake that a young guy should make, not someone in their 12th year.”
9:02 on the late mistakes late: “Mistakes happen at every point in the game. I don’t so much look at the mistakes later and say that’s why we lost the game, because how did we get in that position? You look at all these games we’re losing, we’re in total control. So I worry more about how are we getting to that space, not the plays down the stretch. The plays down the stretch is usually caused from the things that you give up leading up to that. Now like I said, I fucked that off and fouled him on a three with whatever it was, but it’s what we’re doing leading up to these situations that’s even putting ourselves in the position that we’re in.”
10:04 on if they look at these issues in a positive way (controlled each game) or negatively with the turnovers: “Both. (Laughs) Both. Can’t turn the ball over that many times, can’t foul that many times. Yet, we are doing a good job of building our lead. What do you have to do to sustain it, that’s what we gotta figure out.”
10:35 on being 10-12: “We’ve tricked off four games, like legitimately. All of a sudden you don’t trick those games off, you’re 12-8 and everybody’s like, ‘Oh man, you’re sitting there in, what, second place or third place and everybody’s great, right? So, like I said, it’s a game of margins and gotta win in the margins. And we haven’t done a good job of that. But once we do, which I think we can and will, you put yourself back in contention. But 22 games, I don’t think anyone’s throwing in the towel.”
STEPH & BPODZ OKC TRANSCRIPTS
0:00 Mark Daigneault pregame GSW-OKC on the Warriors’ team defense: “The first thing that comes to mind, and not just up the floor but in the half court, they are a swarming help defense that commits a lot of guys to the ball, and they do so with a lot of intelligence. They have a lot of experience over there and guys that have seen a lot of pictures. So if you’re slow against them, and you let them kind of smoke out what you’re doing, they’re very, very difficult to score on. And so moving them around up the floor vertically and then in the half-court is critical. We’ve done a nice job of that. And it’s created some advantages for us against them, but it requires a lot of effort and collective discipline. And it’s hard to replicate. So that’s our challenge tonight.”
0:40 on Draymond on the offensive end: “Yeah, I mean, he’s obviously a great player on both ends of the floor. He’s an underrated offensive player because of what you’re saying. And the thing that I respect most about their team is for a long time now, and the data supports this for a long time now, their players are better because of each other, when they’re all out there together. They’re really, really tough and it’s because they enhance one another; they amplify one another. And a lot of his stuff is his ability to leverage the strengths of his teammates, specifically Curry and Thompson … one of their strengths is their ability to leverage him as a dribble-handoff guy, a screener-facilitator. It’s why they’ve been good for a really long period of time and they’re a classic ‘Whole is better than the sum of its parts’ team.”
1:42 Steve Kerr pregame OKC on the recent struggles through a quarter of the season: “It’s more big-picture. I think with Draymond’s suspension, we didn’t really get a chance to see this group, the full quarter of the season that we’re all talking about. So it’s just been a weird start to the year, a lot of things, a lot of different moving parts. So I’m gonna give another chance here and we’ll see how it goes. But I mentioned this the other night, Loon is at his best when other guys are clicking, so that he can really play his role. And I always felt as a player. I was a role player my whole career. I was never a starter like Loon but role-players find the role a lot easier playing next to stars; it’s just kind of the way the game works. And so Loon has found his niche here with his team over the years, understanding how to play with Steph and Klay and Draymond and all of the screening and the defensive detail, the rebounding, it all goes hand-in-hand with kind of the way we’ve played. So I think the fact that our team hasn’t quite clicked has actually affected Loon’s effectiveness.”
3:23 Brandin Podziemski postgame OKC on why they committed 29 turnovers: “I think there’s a lot that goes into it, but definitely a crucial part of the game… margin is pretty big, 29… But I think it was a collection of things. Where we started the third quarter kind of set the tone for the second half. They got back into it right away. I think we did a good job of of crawling back in and taking the lead at one point and then a bunch of stuff here or there could have been different.”
4:00 on the frustration level of being in every game that they’ve lost: “Yeah, I think it’s just super-demoralizing. And just because it’s always something different each game that happens, like, ‘Damn, if this didn’t happen, we wouldn’t have lost. And we’re in every single game, like you mentioned. But it’s just hard to put your finger on what is the one thing that we need to work on because every game has seemed like something different. I know Coach has talked about fouling and not turning the ball over which, obviously, we turned the ball over a ton and they shot 36 free throws and we shot 23. So we foul quite a bit. But it’s just super-frustrating for all of us just because it always feels like something different every game…”
4:56 on if the turnovers are due to trying too hard or carelessness: “I think it’s just a little bit of both. I think a lot of times earlier, a lot of our turnovers are careless or we kind of just throw the ball around and we end up turning the ball over. But obviously, they switch one-to-five a lot, put pressure on the ball, try to take away stuff for Steph and Klay. A lot of our turnovers, at least from my perspective … we got into lane and we’re shoveling passes that are bouncing and are thrown up to the rim where they got a bunch of deflections and which led to the run out.”
5:48 Steph Curry postgame OKC on the 29 turnovers: “Yes, a lot… got off to a good start. That’s been a problem for us and corrected that. And obviously they’re a talented team, so nothing you’re gonna run away with, or they’re gonna just kind of lay dead at the end after that start. So they made their run, especially at home. We withstood it and had a lot of self-inflicted wounds. We had couple turnovers in transition that you’re trying to push the pace and kind of get into a bind or just dumb passes. But 28, like I almost want to just go watch all of them just to see if there’s a pattern. That revealed itself tonight and allowed them to control possessions. To out-shoot them like that, like we did from the three-point line, like you’re supposed to win those type of games. And sucks to not not get it done.”
7:14 on how to reconcile what’s going on right now, being one of the most veteran teams in the league: “I don’t know, man. Gotta figure out how to stop talking about and do it, or else you’ll be into the New Year with the same problem. So whatever it is, if it’s within our control, we gotta do it if we’re gonna be any type of a serious team. And yeah, I’m kind of sick of talking about it too and just gotta go do it.”
8:03 on Jonathan Kuminga: “He’s playing hard. He’s playing aggressive. He’s playing with force to give us athleticism and energy. He’s taking what the defense gives him; that’s what he’s asked to do. So for him to keep being ready, making plays you feel like he’s supposed to make, impacting the game the way he knows he can every night, just wanna continue to get better. For him personally, he has two solid games and those plus-minuses but like two solid games where he made his presence felt out there. And that’s all you ask for.”,
8:55 on what stands out to him about the Thunder as they emerge as a legitimate team: “It’s obviously centered around Shai and the way that he’s playing and he can control the tempo. He gets whatever shot he wants, doesn’t matter if he makes it or not. They put pieces around him that are threats and can space the floor, guysthat are comfortable with the ball in their hands, whether it’s play-making or finishing. Jalen Williams the guard, you look at stat-line tonight, he made a lot of tough shots and created a lot of stuff on his own. So they give you a lot of different looks and problems, of who to key in on because you send a lot of attention to Shai, somebody else can create and that’s their identity. And when it works, they’re a tough team to guard and it’s worked a lot this year.”
10:06 on if this game tonight reminded him of the OKC vs GSW games of old: “All four of our games this year have been somewhat close… Our record doesn’t show it, but two great teams that are competing hard and there’s an intensity about it. They just got us tonight.”
10:47 on what point in the season do teams form an identity and if he’s feeling some urgency: “Right now it’s just about winning games. You can’t let too much of this early part of the year go by without getting some type of safety net, I guess, in the standings and as you work through some of the kinks that we have to work through and trying to get to full strength, you don’t want to be chasing come new year and into February. It’s hard enough to win on a nightly basis, let alone try to make the late-season charge with that type of pressure. So I mean, every game is important right now, for sure. It felt like we’re approaching it that way. It’s just not turning into wins as consistently as we want. So yeah, this is a very important stretch. This next two or three weeks where you get over .500 and try to build momentum. It can change the vibe of your team really quickly because winning cures a lot of frustrations.”
LEFTOVER LAC
0:00 Moses Moody postgame at LA Clippers on what happened in the second half: “We had to execute down the stretch. They hit some shots … a lot of tough shots.”
0:14 on what they tried to do when the momentum shifted: “…composure, following the game plan. We had a really good scout before the game. So just following that … stay composed through the trials and tribulations.”
0:36 on how he feels after a loss like this: “Yeah, it’s kind of easier to build off of a loss … seeing what we did wrong, seeing what we need to fix. I think it’ll be good for us in the future.”
0:49 on being able to start and close games: “…different looks … it’s an experience. It’s just things to learn from … every situation is just basketball, at the end of the day…”
1:17 on how this loss compares to the one at Sacramento: “Similar … different games, different atmospheres, but just being able to close and figuring that out…”
1:32 on if the game changed due to adjustments or was it simply that they made shots: “Yeah, I’ll probably say it came down to we missed some shots, had some empty possessions. They played well. I don’t know necessarily if they made many adjustments, but I mean, they played well.”
1:53 on James Harden deciding to take over: “Yeah, he did. He did. He was more aggressive in the third quarter. I guess we had to adjust and they got a lot of different weapons. So being able to game plan against all of them.”
2:18 on where his growth has come from since his rookie season in terms of being efficient (60% FGP) and having superstars around him: “Yeah, good question. Just knowing the situation, seeing the situation and making the game easy, not complicating things. Every team is gonna give you certain looks, give you certain shots and taking those, taking the right ones, creating offense, but just simplifying the game and slowing everything down. That’s probably the biggest thing.”
3:00 Brandin Podziemski postgame at LA Clippers on how this loss compares with the one at Sacramento: “For me, you kind of get lost in the moment and I looked up and I’m like, ‘Oh, we’re only up eight now.’ So it didn’t really feel like the Sacramento game, just because Sacramento, like you could feel it, like they were coming back. But for them tonight, they were just kind of chipping away. Chipping, chipping and you look up and you’re only up five, now you’re up four, now you’re down. So obviously that’s the biggest difference, like the feel of it.”
3:28 on being called on to close the game: “I mean, as a competitor that’s what you live for. And for me as a rookie, that’s a goal of mine is just to earn the trust of the coaching staff and to be out there during crunch time. It stinks when you lose, but I think I did alright.”
3:53 on what he’s learning after losing leads to the Kings and the Clippers: “Yeah, and I think for us tonight when they started coming back, we started pressing and sometimes we tried to get the best shot instead of kind of the first shot. And I think in the first half, we were just free-flowing and just kind of it didn’t really matter who shot. It was just like, if you’re open we’re just going to shoot it. But I think we started pressing once they started making some shots. We were like, ‘Okay, we have to get a bucket here; we have to.’ So I think that’s kind of started to slip.”
4:30 on this loss of not hitting quite as hard as the one in Sacramento: “In-Season Tournament versus not. I mean, that definitely is a factor but I still think for me at least, it’s the same. Obviously I didn’t play in the Sacramento game, but tonight just to blow any type of lead like that over 20 points is kind of crazy.”
5:00 on what is the biggest thing he’s learned from Steph: “Yeah, just being poised and not letting any outside noise kind of get to you. Steph, the amount of stuff he has to go through on a daily basis and stuff he has to deal with, just blocking that out and staying poised in the moment. Definitely a carryover effect into my game.”
5:22 on what his philosophy is that he lives by as a person: “Yeah, for me, just staying true to who I am through ups and downs. Just staying true to myself and know what got me here and know what’s gonna keep me here.”
5:35 on why he comes out every time when Steph is working out: “Yeah, I mean, he’s the greatest player in my position, ever. So to have that at my fingertips every single day, people would pay endless amounts of money to watch that and I get to watch it for free every day. So it’s kind of taking advantage of an opportunity. And I admire him and he was my favorite player, but just to see the things he does, someone I want to be when he hangs it up.”
6:24 on Draymond saying rookies don’t blow up plays and how he did it Thursday night against the Clippers: “Well, I think I fit this team perfectly, just in the fact that I’m not the most athletic above-the-rim athlete. But I’m smart, I see the game, I watch a lot of basketball. So, just know one time and score, what teams need, what they’re looking for. Obviously it’s going to be in one of their main guys’ hands and I think Thursday night, it was something I recognized on the fly. It wasn’t something I necessarily knew was coming.”
6:58 on going to Santa Clara and people like Jalen Williams and himself coming out of a mid-majors and then playing on top-talent team and still making an impact: “Yeah, I think due to the transfer portal and stuff like that, just kind of wherever you get the opportunity to shine. And I think Santa Clara, for me, was just an opportunity to show what I could do. I think I was the same player I was at Illinois, that I was at Santa Clara… you see the two ends of the spectrum of what I brought to the table. But in terms of Santa Clara, I think Coach Sendek’s staff does a great job of just kind of letting you play. He’ll coach you really hard in practice and then when it’s game time, he just kind of lets you do you, do your thing. And I think we’ve had two pros in the last two years, top-20 picks and I think more on the way.”
7:50 on how he decided when to go for the strip on Harden: “Yeah, I was just thinking of him scoring the ball, getting past me. So I just want to make something happen. I ended up turning the ball over right after, but it’s kind of hard to guard guys like that, just because they do a good job of manipulating the rules, because previous plays before that, he bumps me, I get a block called and he comes off the screen shoots at three. So for me, I was just trying to make a play. I knew if that (three by Harden) went in, (Kerr) probably would have had to call timeout. So I just trust my instincts. Klay does a really good job of this. I asked him about it a lot of times, and just got him (Harden on that one play).”
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