LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS MEDIA CONFERENCE

June 10, 2021

Reggie Jackson

Postgame Press Conference

Utah Jazz 117, Los Angeles Clippers 111.

Q. It seemed like for most of the second half, you were kind of the guy that was going at Gobert. Did you guys find something on both ends with the zone you guys threw out there and then offensively with really attacking him?

REGGIE JACKSON: I think we found something we liked. This is a game of adjustments. We got to switch it up a little bit, and they were coming at us downhill attacking. We went a little bit zone to help us out some. Rudy allowed us to get matched up and try to make things tough on him, make him work different shots.

And then offensively we wanted to make sure that -- we know that they are the home team, they are used to this altitude. But we wanted to make sure that they felt it, too. So we wanted to get out as much as we could, get in transition, try to get out running, get some easy baskets and he's Defensive Player of the Year for a reason, so try not to allow the defense to get set and allow them to funnel down into him, which is what they are great at. They definitely try to take away threes and send you down the paint to Rudy. We definitely want to make sure we can attack before they get set.

Q. Game 1, you had those four fouls in the second half; you weren't even able to get a shot up. You didn't have any fouls in the second half in this one and you helped lead that comeback. What was the difference for you defensively as far as staying on the floor so you could contribute in the way that you were able to after halftime tonight?

REGGIE JACKSON: Different refs. I had different refs. It was ref'ed differently and they allowed me to play.

Q. Obviously you guys have come back from a 2-0 deficit before. What does that do for you guys now? You realize how daunting it is, of course, but does it sort of floor you a little bit, as well?

REGGIE JACKSON: It gives us confidence. But you what they say about a series; it doesn't start until someone lose on their home floor. So we have to take care of home court, go back get ready for Game 3. That's the only game that matters. Do everything we can to get a win and then regroup from there. But we are going to go watch film and make sure to rest and recover and take care of our bodies and come out ready to compete on Saturday.

Q. Okay. Other than the officiating, was there anything that you saw differently in terms of how you were able to attack their defense?

REGGIE JACKSON: Like I said, I think we got some stops. We kept them off the offensive glass. They only had two offensive boards. So whether it be Zu in, getting out early, trying to make sure we can get some screens, get it downhill. You know, give them some touches to attack the paint or attack the rim, whether it be five-out, we are just trying to make sure that we can keep them on their heels and not allow them to get in any set defenses where they are really good at, and like I said try to put them in their heels and attack and put the onus on the refs.

But just play our game. Play confident, get the ball hopping and make them move. They are one of the better teams in the league, probably the best team in the league at getting the ball hopping. So want to give them a taste of their own medicine, also.. and it's difficult for anybody guarding that long, making them guard, not just all iso-ball. We had some great shots and some that didn't go down unfortunately.

But I think we are feeling confident. We are going to go watch film, like I said, we are going to figure out a way to shore up some of the mistakes that we had. And then giving up the three to Bogdan after we were just up I think 101 to 100, and then giving up the Ingles three on the right wing right in front of our bench.

You know, those are two that stick out but we have to shore up those things and make sure we watch up in transition. That's especially where they hurt you the threes, they shoot the most threes in transition, and they have been doing a great job with it all year. So we have to take that away. Make sure we match up and then funnel them into our help defense and then just go out here and compete.

Q. Obviously Utah is a really good team but what was the toll like of just having to play from behind and catch up and what do you think it's going to take moving forward to be in a position where you guys aren't having to claw back in a game and being able to set the tempo right away?

REGGIE JACKSON: You know, we're going to have trust each other honestly. Have to move the ball. Move bodies. Go out there. Be aggressive. Make sure we shore up things defensively and it's going to probably be a little bit easier for us to communicate in our own arena but at the same time, we've got to be louder. We have to communicate more to eliminate confusion. Match-up. Doesn't matter if you're cross-matched. Just match-up in all, shrink the court and then be ready to funnel out and set the three-point line. We have to take some onus on the ball, take some pride and guarding one-on-one and really attacking us, Donovan, Clarkson, those two are really trying to put us on our heels and be aggressive and they are doing a great job with pick-and-rolls, whether it be Bogdan, whether it be Ingles.

Everyone is playing and they are getting the ball hopping. We are going to have to communicate tremendously. You know, over-communicate, shore some things and offensively we are going to have to play free, move the ball, attack them. Attack the paint and shoot the shots when you're open and just have faith, have trust in the work and go out and play free. You know, like I said, have faith and trust that we are going to get this Game 3.

Q. You guys are a great team as far as the three-point line during the regular season. Why are you guys having so much trouble in these playoffs?

REGGIE JACKSON: I wish I had the answer. Honestly I wish I had the answer. You know, it's been tough. We've only had a few games where we've gotten hot the way that we're accustomed to, but that's what I like about life. It's the law of averages. About to get hot. Trust the work. Put up your shots, as long as they are shots that you work on every day, trust that they are going to go in and live and die by them. I'm pretty sure that's why everybody loves to say, we call it a make-or-miss league. You've got to trust your work and you have to go out here with all the confidence that you have, play the game, play it the right way, have fun and just compete and see where the chips fall at the end of the night.