LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS MEDIA CONFERENCE

June 6, 2021

Nicolas Batum

Postgame Press Conference

Los Angeles Clippers 126, Dallas Mavericks 111

NICOLAS BATUM: Just before we start, I just want to say something about Rick (Bonnell) who just passed away. I spent five years in Charlotte, and he is the best. Just want to say that I'm going to miss him. I mean, I talked to him three weeks ago when we went back to Charlotte. You know, he wrote a great story about me and my dad last year. I have nothing but respect and I'm going to miss him a lot, a lot. I love the guy.

So Rick, rest in peace my man, love you.

Q. Just one big question I wanted to ask, you're the fifth team in NBA history to come back from being down 2-0 on home court in the playoffs. After everything is done, how do you guys feel right now?

NICOLAS BATUM: Feel great. We were like two weeks ago, down 0-2, down 20 on Game 3 on their home floor, couldn't imagine being in that position a couple days after that. That's great. That shows -- that's exactly what T-Lue said after Game 2, now next couple games, we show who we are, and I think we showed that. We showed that we have some toughness. Guys came in and stepped up big, like tonight, Luke and T-Mann did a great job.

Luke came in and had a big impact in the third and he had a big run, and T-Mann was amazing. And the rest of the guys stepped up, talking about Kawhi and PG and Reggie, they made big shots, big threes, especially Reggie, the last couple minutes and we needed it.

That's a tough series. Great job, Dallas, Luka, I mean, don't need to talk about him. We're just happy to be there right now and now we've got to focus on Utah.

Q. All year you talked about going through the injuries and some tough situations made this team tougher. Was there a point in this series you look back on and think that's when you started to see it for real?

NICOLAS BATUM: Game 3 when we were down 30-11, we were one of two players who were ready to almost get swept. And we find something in us like resiliency and some toughness, like, okay, we can't go down like that, we are a good team. We are a good team and we have to show it and we came back. After Game 3, we said, okay, they can't beat us twice. They can't beat us twice after that. And we did it. We did a good job.

Q. In the off-season when you got released by Charlotte, you said Rudy was one of the first people you talked to on the phone. What's it like to now face him in the postseason with your seasons on the line?

NICOLAS BATUM: It's always fun to matchup against guys from your country, same country in the playoffs. I've faced Tony before but I've never faced Rudy. So it's going to be a very good matchup. He had a great season. I guess maybe he's going to be the Defensive Player of the Year. I hope he wins, he deserves it but now we have to beat him. We have to beat him now. Utah had a great, great season. Great players, great coaching staff, but we want the same thing. We have the same goal. So we need to get some rest for the next 36 hours and get back to work on the road and it won't be easy, especially in this arena. But we have to do the job.