LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS MEDIA CONFERENCE

June 1, 2021

Tyronn Lue

Press Conference

Q. Do you have any update on Serge? How is he doing? Is he doing anything today?

TYRONN LUE: I don't have an update as of right now.

Q. So you don't anticipate him playing tomorrow?

TYRONN LUE: I don't think so. I haven't had a chance -- we had a coaches' meeting and we kind of ran late, so I haven't had a chance to even meet the medical staff yet. I just came straight down to do media, but I'll talk to the guys once I get out of here.

Q. At the end of Game 4, even with it being a blowout, it seemed like Dallas was able to get some rim pressure from Dwight Powell, and I'm curious how much in your opinion those types of plays at end of games factors into the scouting and analysis going forward in a series like this where he could play a role down the line?

TYRONN LUE: Yeah, I thought he came in and got a couple -- played around the rim a little bit, but we know how we want to play them when our guys are in the game. Unfortunately a lot of our young crew was out there, so we'll be able to adjust to that if they decide to go to that.

But he's a high-energy player. He's a guy who's a long threat when he runs the floor, so he brings different things other than what Porzingis brings. It's kind of like having Zu and Serge or Zu and Nico, two different players. We'll be ready for it tomorrow.

Q. After Game 2, you said that Dallas has to go home and try to keep up the same shooting and a lot of us were like, that seems like that should be reasonable that they would keep up the shooting going into a place that they're familiar with, and then they missed all the threes that they missed Sunday night. So now they are coming back to LA. How are you feeling about where the shooting for both teams are at when the series is coming back to LA?

TYRONN LUE: Well, the thing about it, our team is not shooting the ball well. We shot it okay, but we haven't had one of those games where we really shot the ball really well. So coming home, like I said, our fans and crowd, we'll be ready to go, but I think it's about time for us to shoot the ball well. We haven't really shot at a high clip like we can or like we have all season. I'm waiting for one of those games from us.

Q. After Game 2 we asked you what the level of concern was around the team, what the tension was like, and you said there wasn't that much. Now that you guys have come back and tied the series, does it feel like there's sort of like a pressure release where you guys are like, all right, now the series is basically reset, it's best of three? Do you feel like the mood has shifted since you won on Sunday?

TYRONN LUE: I mean, when you're down 2-0 of course it's not the position you want to be in, but after showing our team the mistakes we were making and the points we were giving up to a team that was so great offensively, they understood what we had to do. Coming into the Game 3 and Game 4, we simplified our defense, and I thought Game 2 we understood how we wanted to attack this team, so offensively we were in a good spot, but defensively was where we had to clean things up.

I give our guys credit. They stuck with it. They stayed poised. We got down almost 19 in Game 3 and then just continued to keep chipping away at it. But I think we've found the recipe of how we want to play this team on both ends of the floor now, so now we just have to execute.

Q. How helpful is it -- obviously you and Kawhi and Serge for that matter have come back from 0-2 deficits in the postseason famously. How helpful is it to actually have leaders on the team who have gone through that and know it's possible?

TYRONN LUE: It's very helpful to have guys who have been there, who have done it, who have seen it, and the Playoffs are a game of adjustments; one game, one play can change a series, and we understand that. So getting Game 3, coming back the way we did, I think give our team a lot more confidence going into Game 4, which we showed that if we play our defense the right way, cut down on the mistakes, and if they miss some shots, they miss some threes, we can get out in transition and score the basketball.

We know coming back home for Game 5, like I've mentioned, I want our fans to be rallying and be ready to go. We need their energy come tomorrow night. But we've got to be ready to be in attack mode for 48 minutes on both sides of the basketball and bring the physicality on the defensive end with our switches, offensively keep attacking the paint, keep attacking the basket and sharing the basketball.

Q. Obviously you banged the table the other night asking for fans' energy, and no team in this series has won a home game yet. I'm curious after a year of the bubble and now limited crowds and now bigger crowds, playing at home, have you learned anything about what really matters in terms of home-court advantage? Has anything been upended in terms of your expectations or previously held notions about what playing at home could do for a team?

TYRONN LUE: Well, it's no different because we haven't had any games so having our first Playoffs in a year at home is a little different. But the fans, you always feed off your fans, the crowds, the energy, what they bring to the arena. When your team doesn't have it that day, you really need to feed off the fans. Like I said, we're going to need our fans tomorrow night. We want that place rocking. I know we'll have half the fans that they have, but we still want to make sure it's rocking and bringing the energy. So home court does mean a lot. It's just both teams play well on the opposing team's floor, so we've got to come out and establish home-court advantage tomorrow night.

Q. You kind of touched on it there. How did you feel after watching the tape? How did you feel about the coverages with Reggie and Kawhi and the show-and-recover where Kawhi would try to deny the switch and get back to Luka? How did you feel the guys fared there?

TYRONN LUE: I thought great. I thought Reggie did a great job of showing, getting out, rebounding the basketball and giving Kawhi and our primary defender on Luka a chance to get back in front of the basketball, and it shows how we played the last two games unbelievably.

Q. In terms of going in the series from down 0-2 to 2-2, what kind of role has Rajon Rondo played in that, and more generally has he lived up to the expectations? Has he been the kind of player you hoped to get when you inquired him?

TYRONN LUE: Oh, sure. I think just his IQ, understanding the game, holding other guys accountable, but also having a film session every day with the players. Rondo and the players, they have a film session where they watch the game together and kind of break it down different plays and holding each other accountable for what guys are supposed to be doing. By the time we get to (indiscernible) they've seen the tape like two times, so when we're talking and explaining, the guys understand what we're trying to present and what we're saying, as well.

He's been great. That's the Rondo I'm accustomed to since I met him in 2009 when I first started coaching in Boston.