LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS MEDIA CONFERENCE

May 30, 2021

Rick Carlisle

Dallas Mavericks Press Conference

RICK CARLISLE: I have not talked to Casey. I have not talked to Luka. I assume he's going to play, but I have not gotten an official word.

Q. When you send double teams out of pick-and-roll defensive coverage, if and when, what has to happen for that to be successful? What does it look like?

RICK CARLISLE: Rotation has got to be crisp. They have to be on time, on target. Then you've got to close out the shooters and you've got to take away threes and drive, which is difficult.

Q. Paul George said after Game 3 that your team doesn't have any rim protectors. Assuming you disagree with that statement. What has to happen for your rim protectors to be felt by the Clippers?

RICK CARLISLE: Well, you know, with their stretch lineup, it gets everybody away from the basket, and so that's going to make it more challenging for rim protection by nature. It makes it challenging for them when they have Zubac in there, when we have a five-out situation on offense.

It's just one way that the game has changed, and that's why in many ways, the approaches to defense have had to adjust as the game has evolved. It's one reason you're seeing higher shooting percentages, higher scorers, and just really high levels of offense, and the defense really having to work to get stops.

Q. Mark Eaton passed away yesterday from the Utah Jazz. I know you played against him back in the '80s. Just wanted to get your thoughts on what kind of player was he back in the day.

RICK CARLISLE: Well, he was a pioneer in many ways. He was the first 7'3" or 7'4" guy that started consistently in the league, and he was the first, I think, multiple Defensive Player of the Year. I don't know that to be a fact but I just assume that.

He was a great person. I knew him a little bit, just to say hello casually. I made a couple of calls yesterday. I talked to Frank Layden last night, and I know that Frank was very close with Mark. We presented Frank with the Chuck Daly award a couple years ago, so I had gotten better acquainted with Frank, and I called to send him my best wishes and let him know that I was thinking about him and the loss.

We had a wonderful conversation, animated, and he had so many great things to say about what a great person -- and he mentioned the word pioneer as a player, as well.

Very tragic, and there have just been too many losses in the last couple years. There's just no other way to say it.

Q. You said you hadn't talked to Luka and you haven't got an official word. I understand that, but what's been your communication over the past couple days leading up to today, and what gives you the confidence that he will play? Luka, that is.

RICK CARLISLE: I just believe he's a next-level competitor. He's been playing banged up all year. My personal opinion is I can get a hold of Casey and let you know if you need an official word, but I'd be very surprised if he didn't play, just based on what I know about him as a competitor.

I'm not a doctor. I'm not a trainer or anything like that. But when I've talked to Casey about it, he's said that he's got something, but he was very optimistic that he would play.

Q. Any adjustment to battle the small ball from the Clippers?

RICK CARLISLE: Yes. I can't let you know exactly what we're going to do, but we've got to do -- we've absolutely got to do some things better. And look, we've got to make some adjustments after Game 3 for sure.