LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS MEDIA CONFERENCE

June 4, 2021

Reggie Jackson

Postgame Press Conference

Los Angeles Clippers 104, Dallas Mavericks 97

Q. Can you just walk through the emotions of how tense the game felt on the floor and seeing Kawhi take over the second half? What was it like to be on the court with him and see that happen?

REGGIE JACKSON: It was a hard-fought win. It was a complete team effort. Good looks that we got went in. Still had some turnovers, things that we could shore up. But you know, we got the baddest player (ph) on the planet in 4 when he's out there doing what he does, being special for us, Kawhi, he's done it for us all year. Put the team on his back, especially in the fourth and making sure we get a good look every time; the confidence he has in himself, countless amount of work in, blessing to be around him for a year and a half.

It's not by happenstance. The guy works tremendously hard, probably one of the hardest workers I've been around. We're blessed to have him. We're really blessed to have him, him taking on the challenge of guarding Luka for majority of the game, guys switching, they did everything they could to hold him up and him doing what he did, putting us on his back in the fourth offensively. We needed every basket. We needed him to draw attention and make the right plays. He was amazing tonight and I think it was an amazing team effort for us, team win.

Q. Before Kawhi got going, you got going, 14 points in the first quarter when Kawhi only had three and that was big considering the fact that Dallas, they still had a lead at the end of the first quarter. How did you come out ready and aggressive and effective like you did?

REGGIE JACKSON: I just came out prepared. Try to be ready for anything. Have the trust in my teammates, my staff, the whole organization behind me. So it just laws me to go out there and play free, full of confidence, trusting in the work that I put in each and every day into this game and just go out there and enjoy it.

It's just fun, having your back against the wall. Coming out punching with your teammates, doing something, your band of brothers, something you worked tremendously hard all year for and you get to this point, like I said, have your back against the wall, it's fun. Find out who we are, come out and compete despite the result. We just wanted to give our best punch and fortunate enough to get a win.

For myself, like I said, it's our organization and I'm just trying to stay confident in the work that I put in. But I think I got a lot of shots as well from guys trying to bottle in Kawhi early. So guys were making the great reads, Nico, Marcus and I was just the recipient of good ball movement.

Q. Watching this game, it felt and looked almost like a Game 7. Did it feel like that to you guys, and if you were able to put forth this effort, how do you duplicate that with a real Game 7 now on Sunday?

REGGIE JACKSON: It was for us. It was win-or-go-home. They have two chances at it but for us, it was win-or-go-home. So our season was on the line and everybody just came out with the right mindset and came out with the right intensity and just played free, played through our mistakes. It's not a mistake-free game so we just stayed together, band of brothers.

For ourselves, we have got to bring this same energy again and even more. It is a Game 7, unfortunately we haven't won one yet at home in the playoffs, so we feel like we are due one and they feel confident in our building. It's going to be a great game and it's the best in sports is Game 7, so looking forward to it, haven't played one in a while and just enjoying it. Enjoying this moment but going to make sure we're going to take care of our bodies and take care of our minds and get ready for Sunday, an early game at 12:30.

Q. Obviously you're happy about this tonight but what do you make of this series where the home team is winless? How do you explain that and how are you feeling? You got banged up a little bit?

REGGIE JACKSON: I feel good. I trust the staff that they are going to do a good job of getting myself ready for Game 7 and the entire team. I think we are going to be close to as hundred percent as possible and make sure we take care of our bodies.

What was the first part of the question again?

Q. What do you make of this series where the home team is yet to win?

REGGIE JACKSON: Two resilient teams honestly. I take it as two resilient teams, two teams who are furious and been prepared all year and take their games on the road. Two teams who are combative and know what each other does. You know, they are going to come out swinging giving us their best punch and we are going to come out ready to give them our best punch. It's been fun. It's been tough not getting a home win. We are playing a great team. I know they are young, up-and-coming, and they have shown that they are here, they have arrived and ready to be taken seriously.

We have to come out and compete in Game 7, and do all that we can to get this win at home. We owe it not only to ourselves but to our fans. So excited for Sunday and excited for the building to be electric and excited to have this win-or-go-home, Game 7 in front of us.

Q. Ty Lue has been in these closeout games before. Did he have a message for you guys? You mentioned you were free and playing loose. One would think the opposite, right, like the pressure is on you but somehow you got into that head space where you were free and loose.

REGGIE JACKSON: Yeah, when you got a coach who is so calm, cool and collected, we've all been around T-Lue, you know he's more than smooth. Cool as a satin pillow; smooth at peanut butter. So that guy is amazing just to be around him, his presence, he doesn't allow us to get riled up. He allows us to go out and have confidence in everything we do. That's one thing he preaches to us is have confidence in the work, have confidence in each other, play the right way and then we can trust that we play with a better team and go out there and just leave it all out there on the court. Pretty sure the team came in with the mentality that it's not too much pressure, all you can do is win or lose.

All we want to do is play free. I know the consequences isn't stellar if we lost but the guys took that approach, we want to have as much fun as possible and go out and play to the utmost and give the most respect to the game as you can and go out there and have fun and play for one another, and fortunate to give us a Game 6 win and giving us a chance to close out the series at home on our home court.