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NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND TWO: CLIPPERS v ROCKETSMay 10, 2015Kevin McHaleLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game Four Clippers – 128 Q. Coach, what was the strategy behind starting the Hack‑a‑D.J. so early? KEVIN McHALE: Well, we got Dwight in foul trouble, got in foul trouble right away. I kind of thought our big guy, we were just trying to see if we could muck up the game a little bit. We didn't‑‑ we came back in and we kind of had to play small, so we just thought maybe we could get them out of their rhythm a little bit. Q. You mentioned lack of poise in the third quarter the last game. Did you guys quit in the third quarter this game? KEVIN McHALE: I mean, we missed lay‑ups and they came out and ran on us. We did not finish well around the rim, and when you hold your head and you hang your head and you don't get back, they made you pay, and then red I can got loose in that third quarter, got 15 points, they were making shots, we were missing shots and then we started holding the ball and it got worse from there. But no, they beat the hell out of us, really I don't know what to tell you. Starting off the game we really wanted to go to Dwight and then we got in foul trouble there, and then we were trying to just attack them. We said, well, let's just foul them for a while and see if we can slow the pace down and stuff like that and try and make it into a second half game, and then we came out in the second half, and again, we missed some shots, missed a couple lay‑ups, a couple tip‑ins and they came out and just ran us out. Q. You wanted to get Dwight started early. Obviously when he got back in he didn't seem into it at all, didn't want to be around at the end. KEVIN McHALE: No, that wasn't it. I don't believe that. I think he missed a few shots, but we've got to establish something. You know, we normally go in the paint and attack and we try to get a lot of paint points. We're not attacking this series right now, and we're not finishing when we're in there. You know, we've got to rely on him to carry some of that weight for us when we drive or when we get to him, collapse, he can kick it out. But we have not been able to collapse their defense the whole series, you know, and then, like I say, they just got out on us and just ran it up at us, and they were running that little two‑man game in the middle of the court and we had two or three defensive breakdowns on it and they got dunks, and before you know it, the game had a huge separation. Q. Can you talk about as far as headed back home, what it's going to take for you to‑‑ KEVIN McHALE: Play a lot better. Look, as I say all the time, there's no magical elixir. We've got to take it, finish around the rim, we've got to take them, got to collapse the ball. Like I say, give the Clippers credit. We're out of sync. We're not playing well. We've only had a half, and we've played four games, and we've had one half, one half of the second game where I thought we came out and really played well as far as defense, getting our assignments, being aggressive. They've set the tone with aggressiveness, steady, and there's a lot of barking about fouls in the second game and everything else like that. They get Dwight's second foul, starts off with Barnes just two‑hand hammers him, and Dwight turns around and pushes him and they call a foul on Dwight. And then you tell him call the first one and they said they don't see it. Like I said, those are the things that lead to our guys‑‑ some frustrations and stuff, but the game has been ultra physical, and we haven't been able to get to the line since there was a lot of barking about us getting to the line in the second game. Q. What do you think is wrong with Harden's game right now? KEVIN McHALE: Nothing. James has got‑‑ hey, we've just got to play downhill and play. Like I say, we haven't come out and really hit stride at all. Like I said, we've‑‑ it's not just James, it's everything. We're just‑‑ hey, give them credit. We're not playing well. That's just the bottom line right now. We're not playing well. We're going to have to‑‑ like I say, we had a game plan coming in today that we were trying to do some things different. We had some different match‑ups that I thought we could maybe shake some things up. One thing I will say, though, is this team all year long, we had injuries, we brought in new players, we had guys leaving, all kinds of new stuff. The team has always found a way to fight and we've got to fight now because that has not been our best performance by a long shot, and now the only thing to do is just go out there and battle. We've got to win a game at home on Tuesday, and then go from there. All right? Q. Doc mentioned when you guys foul like that it allows them to get their defense set on the way back. Does that contribute to you guys not being able to play downhill like you like to, not being able to get out on the break? KEVIN McHALE: No, we had stuff set up. We just didn't go downhill, and if we did, we didn't finish. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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