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NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE: SPURS v CLIPPERSApril 22, 2015Tim DuncanLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game Two Spurs – 111 Q. Talk about having to play the last eight minutes of that game, about 3:12 in regulation and five minutes of overtime with five fouls, how tough that was. TIM DUNCAN: I've played with fouls before and I've been through a lot of different situations. I really wasn't too concerned about it. Luckily I didn't get us into a situation where I had to use it or there was a good situation where there was somebody I couldn't give up a lay‑up or whatever. I didn't concern myself with it, just played through it, and whatever happened, happened. We have a lot of guys able to come in and finish the game. Q. Can you talk about your turnaround between Game 1 and Game 2 and what you had to work on for tonight? TIM DUNCAN: I don't know that I worked on much. I just kind of saw where shots were going to be and tried to get those positions, and luckily got a bunch of attempts from those areas, was able to make some, and guys continued to come to me. I had an awful fourth quarter there, but luckily I was able to redeem myself in the overtime. Q. Kind of following on that, did you set out to be more of an aggressive scorer before coming into the game or were the shots just there? TIM DUNCAN: It's just there. It's just our offense. You've got to find those open spots. You've got to figure out what's there and what's available and go from there. We didn't run a different offense, we didn't change anything. We moved the ball, we got to areas that were open, we shared the ball, and I was just lucky to get the kind of shots where they were available. Q. How would you describe Kawhi Leonard's performance? TIM DUNCAN: Oh, very good. He was clutch, man, he was clutch. He was big for us. When we needed baskets down the stretch he was the guy we went to, and he made some baskets for us. He made some great plays for us. I think early on, I think we were kind of out of sync with what he was doing and got some turnovers, got some bad shots from him, but able to rally himself and stay in the game and make plays late for us. Q. Describe the difference between possibly being down 0‑2 and then your backs‑‑ you're really in a bind versus able to win one here and‑‑ TIM DUNCAN: It would have been a huge bind, especially after the effort we put in and the way we played for three‑and‑a‑half quarters, and then to give it away in that last half a quarter, to let them back in it and lose this game. We got a quick turnaround in Game 3 and 4, and it's going to be very, very tough, even at home. But great to get this game. You've got to win on the road to win the series, especially in our situation, so good to grab this one right now, so we'll rest up and we'll be ready to rock. We know they're going to come with everything they've got in the next one. Q. What sort of factors throughout the course of the game do you guys weigh as far as determining when to intentionally send DeAndre to the free‑throw line? TIM DUNCAN: It's not no plan. It's just kind of situational. It really didn't work for us this time, kind of got them back in the game and we couldn't score through that stretch and he made some free throws, but we're going to play the percentages when we can. We're going to see how the game is feeling and Pop is going to make the call. Q. Kawhi said before the overtime began you apologized to your teammates for your fourth quarter; is that correct? TIM DUNCAN: Oh, yeah, yeah. I was awful. I missed two or three lay‑ups, I made two or three defensive mistakes, got out of position and gave up dunks to DeAndre. I was awful in that fourth quarter. Q. On Saturday I noticed this is going to be your birthday. What's the key to your success and longevity and excellence in performance? TIM DUNCAN: Is it really? That sucks. (Laughter). You know, what, I'm just trying to keep pace, just trying to keep pace. I don't have a secret. There's not a secret to it. I'm in a great system. I'm on a great team, and I'm not asked to do what I used to do, I'm asked to play a role, and I'm happy to play a role, I'm just trying to be as consistent as I can for my teammates. Q. How concerned are you with Tony's injury and how does it look going forward for Game 3 and how much pressure does this put on the offense‑‑ TIM DUNCAN: Very concerned. I hope he's able to play and play well for us. We need him for that. He's a big part of what we do, obviously. So him not at 100 percent hurts us. But we'll see. He's a gamer. He's going to go and he's going to get treatment for the next 48 hours, and when that ball goes up, I guarantee he'll be out there because that's the kind of player he is. Q. With the series shifting to every other day now and the travel that's involved, as well, the way the Clippers' stars have been playing, do you feel you have an added advantage? TIM DUNCAN: I hope so. I hope it wears on them. There's some young, great athletes, and it's playoff time, and hopefully it takes something out of their legs. Hopefully it takes something out of them. But we're playing pretty significant minutes ourselves. Luckily we're going to stretch it out, and we've got guys that can come in and spell us and be very effective. Hopefully the depth of our bench really helps us. You see it tonight where Patty comes in and plays great for us, and when Tony goes out, we're able to do that. That's what got us through the season and got us through a championship last year. We'll continue to rely on that, and hopefully it affects them in the other way. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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