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NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE: SPURS v CLIPPERSMay 2, 2015Blake GriffinChris PaulLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game Seven Clippers – 111 Q. Chris, how did you do what you did today under the circumstances, and Blake, how would you describe what that guy did today? CHRIS PAUL: I don't know. When I came back, Blake just kept asking me if I was all right, and I thought about our team and all the things we've been through, and I know that if it was any other guy on our team in a situation like this, they couldn't have laid down, so just tried to find a way. BLAKE GRIFFIN: I don't really know what to say to be honest. There's not really a word. There's not really a good word that comes to mind. It was unbelievable. To be injured like that, when he came back, I was like, man‑‑ I asked him, what can you do? Can you do anything? He's like, we'll see. I mean, the way he played‑‑ not only the way he played, just like his spirit, his resolve. I mean, you guys saw the shots, but you don't see the timeouts, in the huddles, things like that. It was huge. I don't really have a word to describe it to be honest. Q. They've been the team to beat in the West your entire career. What's it like to beat that team like that? Does that make it even more special that it was the Spurs? CHRIS PAUL: Man, I couldn't sleep last night. My son had a game at 9:45 this morning. I went to that game, and he was telling me on the way home that I had to win tonight. You know, those guys right there are legends, seriously, from Pop to Tim to Tony to Manu, and like we've been saying all series, they're not going to beat themselves. Down the stretch our team has a thing that we say, what Doc said, don't let go of the rope. At any time we could have let go of the rope and just thought, it's these guys, we fought hard and we could have just conceded, but we kept fighting and guys made plays in order to win. Q. Chris, I wanted to ask you about your emotion after the game was over. What was going through your mind? CHRIS PAUL: Yeah, the first person I went to was Billy, Billy Crystal. Me and Billy have actually gotten really close since I got here. He's a guy who I know really well now and has been a season ticket holder through and through. And so to see him, it meant a lot. And then I went and seen obviously my brother. That's my ace, my road dog, and he's the guy who when I'm missing shots is on the baseline talking junk to me. To finally‑‑ it's only Round 1, but that team over there, I mean, it's crazy that that was the first round of the Playoffs. Q. And also for both of you guys, can you take us through the play where Chris made the shot and your thoughts on that? CHRIS PAUL: You know, it's funny, it's crazy, when we finished walk‑through today, when the team broke down, Doc called me and Blake over, and we talked about it, didn't we? BLAKE GRIFFIN: Uh‑huh. CHRIS PAUL: We talked about if we get down into a last‑second shot what we wanted to do. We've been in that situation a lot of times already this year, and most of the time I hadn't made it, to tell you the truth. We talked about it, and finally it worked when we needed it. Q. When you're on the bench, what was that like? It looked like when you were talking to J.P. that you thought you might not be able to come back and play. What was that conversation like, and was there a thought that you might not play? CHRIS PAUL: Yeah, I told J.J. after the game‑‑ there was a lot of things going through my head. You think about all season long, I think about Blake, D.J., a lot of guys on our team, we do everything we can to prepare for a game. You get your rest, you train, you workout, you eat right, try to take care of your body, and I was just overcome with emotion because I was frustrated, because I was like, all this time, all season long, and then Game 7 my body is going to let me down. That's what it was all about right there. Q. Blake, what is this moment like for you, to be able to have this time with your son up here at the podium? What's that like? BLAKE GRIFFIN: It's awesome, man. Really since I've been here, since the last three, four years after every game, you guys see all the kids in the locker room. He has no clue what's going on. He has no clue what just happened or who he's sitting next to. I don't really know how to describe it. It puts everything in perspective. CHRIS PAUL: Blake used to be the first one to call it Daddy Day Care. BLAKE GRIFFIN: Now it's my turn. Q. Chris, what was the first thought that went through your head when you first felt that pull on your hamstring, and was there any option in your head of not coming back into the game to try to have an effect on it? CHRIS PAUL: Well, it was what I just said to Rush. I didn't know. That's why I went to the back. I've hurt my hamstring before, and a couple of those times I couldn't come back. I said it before, our training staff is amazing, the amount of people that we have day in and day out trying to make sure that we're ready to play, and we're really about to see what they're made of now since we've got a day and a half, I think, to get ready for Houston. Q. Chris, given everything you guys went through at the Playoffs last year off court, to have that moment with Steve Ballmer, what did that mean and what did he say to you? CHRIS PAUL: We sort of had that moment a lot of times this year with Mr.Ballmer, big games and stuff like that. Our team talks about it, and we talk about how he is. Like he's amazing, how he supports us, on the road, all that stuff like that. He's an amazing owner. Q. Blake, the last six minutes of that game it seemed like every possession meant the world, and both teams were executing at such a high level. What was it like to be out there for that and can you describe that stretch? BLAKE GRIFFIN: Really, I mean, it is the last six minutes but really it's the entire game. You almost have to play a perfect game to win these games. The last six minutes we had some hiccups, we had some things we can't do well, but ultimately guys got it done. It really was everybody. You see Matt Barnes making plays, you see J.J., Jamal, CP obviously, D.J. You can't really pinpoint one exact play. I mean, obviously the last play helps, but you can't really pinpoint one exact play in that last six‑minute stretch that you say it like, okay, that's what made the difference, you know. Q. Chris, Doc said he's really concerned about your injury going forward. Do you think you can be ready for this next series? I know you played today but there was probably a lot of adrenaline there. CHRIS PAUL: Yeah, I'm going to get with our training staff, like I said, and I know my grandmother back in North Carolina is praying right now. She's praying, and she'll let my mom pray over it and all that too, and it will be all right. Q. Dust hasn't settled much with the Rockets, but what do you think about that? BLAKE GRIFFIN: They're a good team, great team. Obviously have a good thing going. James has had an unbelievable year, Dwight had a huge series against Dallas, and really all the way down the line. They're a great team. As soon as this settles tonight, we'll start thinking about that. Q. Blake, I want to know, first of all, how would you describe your view of Chris's last shot, where you were at the time? BLAKE GRIFFIN: I was running down the lane, and he kind of disappeared behind Tim and whoever, saw the shot go up, I jumped, and it probably was the closest to the goal to see it go through, so that was pretty cool. Q. I just want to get a thought on if Chris is not close to being what Chris wants to be in this next game or next few games, what do you guys need to do here? BLAKE GRIFFIN: We're just going to trust the system like we did. When he was in the back, we said, come on, we can't feel sorry for ourselves, we've got to strap up and go. We're going to trust our system just like any other game. Nobody is going to do it alone, but we need everybody. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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