LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS MEDIA CONFERENCE

June 8, 2021

Quin Snyder

Postgame Press Conference

Utah Jazz - 112, Los Angeles Clippers - 109

Q. You guys missed 20 or so consecutive shots in the first quarter, not your best offensive first half, and then Donovan comes out in the second half pretty electric, winds up scoring 30-plus after halftime. What really kind of sparked the turnaround there and what did you see out of Donovan specifically?

QUIN SNYDER: Well, I thought for the most part the looks we were getting early were good shots. I thought we were a little bit rushed, and I think as the game progressed we settled down a little bit more and started attacking the paint. We don't have to take quick threes all the time. If the ball can break the paint we can still generate those shots. But I thought we settled in. I thought Donovan settled in. And as much as anything I thought we threw ourselves into the defensive end, and we talked about trying to continue to push the ball and move the ball. When we struggle it's when the ball stops and they're so good defensively staying in front of you, if the ball stops, it makes it a lot harder. But we have had games where we have not shot it well and those are the kind of games you have to rely on your defense, and the thing that I really am pleased with is that we didn't stop shooting. We tried to get better looks and we got a few more easy buckets, particularly on the offensive glass. I thought our offensive rebounding really helped our offense.

Q. Can you talk about the defensive effort of the guys down the line? I mean, Bojan, Jordan, Favors, how they kind of picked up their intensity, especially in that second half?

QUIN SNYDER: Yeah, I mean, that's, I think that's the playoffs and those guys had a feel for what's needed in a game on that level against a team that's as good as the Clippers are. And as the game progressed, I thought we did a good job of talking through some situations that we touched a little bit, but kind of happened on the move. That's always a really good sign that your guys are dialed in when they're communicating like that and making sure we're trying to run someone off the three-point line when it's a three-point game, switching a back screen when you have to, just lots of little things like that that really make an impact. So our focus and concentration on that end, not only our competing, but just our ability to execute at the right times was really important.

Q. Piggybacking off of the physicality defensively, how important was it for you guys, that initial push in the second half, to kind of get back in the game and you kind of just see something good over an extended period of possessions?

QUIN SNYDER: Yeah, I think we hadn't shot well, but I didn't think we were defending poorly. I thought there were a couple situations that we didn't handle well where they made some really good reads and were getting some open shots. But this is a series and you can't get too high or too low. Obviously this is one game and I think every game you kind of have to approach the same way. You've got to play throughout the 48 minutes and our guys obviously kept their focus and were able to do that and play a little better in the second half.

But we have got our work cut out for us. We have won one. That's great. But as I said, I don't think you get too high or too low, especially when you're playing a team that's as good as these guys are.

Q. It seemed like you were really on your team to try and get them to push the ball quickly off makes and misses. What did you see from your guys when they did that?

QUIN SNYDER: I think the initial thrust for us into a possession allows us to make quick decisions and as I said before, when they lock in on you, whether it's PG or Kawhi or Batum, Rondo, right down the line, their wing defenders are really good. Then Morris is up and he's moving his feet. So to the extent that we can try to get the ball up the court quickly, we're not having to play against that length as much. That's part of how we have played this year. So as I said this morning, some of this is not, it's not a lot of mystery to it. It's just a question of execution and obviously there are adjustments and nuances and all those things, but I think the biggest thing for us that we're going to try to keep doing is just try to keep competing and try to keep executing.

Q. What is it about Donovan that gives him the capability to just take over playoff games with his scoring?

QUIN SNYDER: Well, I said it, I think, the third quarter interview, where he's really competitive and, but he's also really determined. So I don't think he was feeling great tonight. His ankle was fine. I think he wasn't feeling great physically. He was a little nauseous. He was a little lightheaded and we, so he's just not going to accept that. And that's what I told him, is that, and that's where his mind is. It's like there's nothing that he's going to let get in the way of that focus and he's also able to make -- he's made adjustments throughout the course of the game. He's a smart player. He studies. So when he's doing something that maybe isn't as productive, he's able to make subtle adjustments, and I thought he was able to do that tonight.

Then the other thing is he's not afraid to fail. He'll take the next shot. We want him to take open looks and if he misses a few of them, they're good shots, and keep taking them and keep attacking and that's who he is.

Q. Specifically from three when it's a tough shooting first quarter, a tough shooting first half, how important was it to stay the course and not stray from what's been working all season?

QUIN SNYDER: It's really important and it's important for us because it's who we are. If Joe Ingles goes 1-8 like he did tonight, like, honestly, I'm happy. I would rather him go 1-8 than 1-1 or 2-2. It takes a degree of mental toughness to continue to take those shots. I think it also takes some smarts to understand how to get better shots, but that doesn't mean that you stop shooting. You hear it all the time, when teams are missing, they say, Hey, stop shooting, get to the line, get to the rim, and I think those things are true. I just don't think you stop shooting. I think you get to the rim and you get to the line and you keep shooting. Whatever combination those things come in, I thought our guys had a pretty good feel for that balance and if we're getting good looks, there's no reason not to shoot them. If you look at how we play and if we pass those shots up, the likelihood of us getting a better shot throughout the possession goes way down. We also have a chance to turn the ball over. We may not have a chance to offensive rebound. So there's a lot of things that go into it, but I do think that it's a mindset that you can't get discouraged and you have to believe and that's who we are. We need to double down.

Q. I was actually going to ask about the third quarter exchange you had with Donovan that was caught on camera or whatever. You said to him, You just keep getting your mind right and it overcomes everything. My two questions would be, were you referring to him not feeling well, is that what you guys were talking about and then was there a previous conversation, like did you broach this subject at halftime or atmosphere any point before that little exchange?

QUIN SNYDER: Well, one of the things that I love about coaching Donovan is the communication that you get to have with him and that's something for a coach that's unique. When I say that, it's an exchange, you know, there's things that he's talking to me about that we're discussing. The times, for the few games when he was out, that was something that we were talking about and how important it was. So if there's anything that I feel I can help him with, I want to and there's plenty of things that he helps me with. So I don't recall any specific watershed moment with anything, I just know how hard he's competing and that to me, when you understand that about someone, you just want to encourage them to keep their focus and that's really all I was saying to him and he's probably said it to me more than I've said it to him.