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NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND TWO: CLIPPERS v ROCKETSMay 14, 2015Dwight HowardLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game Six Rockets – 119 Q. Dwight, it seemed like the game was slipping away, the series was slipping away around the third. At some point you pulled it together and obviously won. What happened? Was there any moment that shifted things? DWIGHT HOWARD: Just thank God, man, because, you know, there was times where it just seemed like everything was going their way. Blake hit 360, 180, I don't know what it was, and I said, man, this is crazy. But we pulled together, we just kept saying we're not going to quit, we're not going to give up, we done come too far just to end it like this, and we just kept fighting. Just thank God for this victory because we wouldn't have did it without His help. Josh hit some big shots. Everybody played great tonight, and we never quit. That's why we got the win tonight. We kept believing, no matter how tough it got out there, because there was some rough times out there. But as a team, we never gave up on each other. Q. How does this rank up there in the all‑time games for you personally from the importance standpoint, and how do you carry it over into another one? DWIGHT HOWARD: This game was‑‑ it was amazing. I mean, I just stopped looking at the clock and the score, just‑‑ we all just gave up ourselves for the team. We played big minutes, we played hard, we played together, and we never stopped believing. Our faith was tested all night and throughout this whole series, and instead of us folding, we just kept it together. Now we've got one more game. Q. You guys entered the final quarter down by 13, come out with a victory, with a 12‑point victory. What does that say about the team and what did Coach Kevin McHale tell you guys? DWIGHT HOWARD: We won't quit. You know, we had every opportunity to tuck our tails and to sulk in defeat, but instead we rallied around each other. We continued to believe, and that's why we got the win. The Clippers are a very tough team, and especially at home. They play very great basketball here. We're just happy, but we're not done yet. We've got to stay humble, and the next game is going to be a dogfight. Q. You said it was amazing to be able to come back all the way on this one. How did it feel to do it in this building considering all the stick you've gotten? DWIGHT HOWARD: I mean, I wasn't concerned about that. It's always going to be crazy when I play here, so it's just something that I have to get used to. But just the way that we all stuck together, you know, it was‑‑ it was like a real battle out there. We never quit on each other. Q. Do you get any added satisfaction that it happened here? DWIGHT HOWARD: No. I mean, even though my time was short here in LA, you know, the people here are great, and I understand that they want to see their team win and want to see me go home. It's life. But I just want to win and do whatever I can for my team. Q. After an emotional win like that do you believe there's any momentum that can carry over into Game 7 or does the slate just start out fresh? DWIGHT HOWARD: We've got to start out fresh. This game is over with. We had a great game, but we've got to put it behind us. We have some lessons that we can take from this game and use it in the next game, but this game is behind us. You know, we haven't done anything yet but tie the series. We've got to stay focused, stay composed, stay hungry and stay humble. Q. You guys have seemed like a completely different team after Game 4 focus‑wise, energy‑wise. What's changed for you guys? Why? DWIGHT HOWARD: I think guys really understand how important it is, you know, to never give up. I've been in the league‑‑ this is my 11th season, and championships and making it to the Playoffs and winning doesn't come easy. I hate seeing other people win. All of us have that same belief that we can win, and we don't want to see anybody else holding up that trophy because as a team we've gone through so much this season, we've worked so hard to get to where we are, and for us to just give up on each other would feel real bad. We just made it up in our hearts and our minds that we've got to give a better effort. We owe it to ourselves. Q. Did you get a sense that at any point as a team you guys might have been close to giving up? DWIGHT HOWARD: I mean, I've been on a team where we've been down 3‑1, and that next game is real tough. You know, it's hard to win. But a lot of guys in the locker room have been in different situations like that, so we just stay true to ourselves, stay together, and again, we have a lot of faith. Q. You said you guys never stopped believing, but there's a point where you go from believing it can happen to knowing it's going to. Was there a particular sequence or a play that somebody made, maybe Josh's three from the key that you said, okay, we've got them now? DWIGHT HOWARD: No, I just‑‑ like I said, I didn't even look at the scoreboard. I just wanted to go and give whatever effort I had in me for this team. I told Josh, I said, it's up to me and you to lead these guys, and Josh, he hit some big shots and he made some big plays on defense, and we got a great win. Q. At what point did you start to sense things unraveling for them? Was it the missed shots in the fourth quarter, body language, anything like that? What did you notice? DWIGHT HOWARD: I couldn't tell you. I was really just locked in on what I needed to do for my team. Q. When did you realize that Harden wasn't coming back in the fourth quarter, and did that enter your mind at all? DWIGHT HOWARD: It didn't. You know, I thought he was going to come back in, but Coach decided not to play him, and the guys that we had on the floor, you know, we had a good rhythm going. We just stuck with it. We trusted each other, and that's what got us the win tonight. Q. You've played every other day this entire series. Now you have two days off. Is that a good thing to make the Clippers think about what just happened, or would you be willing to play in Staples Center if you could play tomorrow morning just to get back out there? DWIGHT HOWARD: I'm almost 30, so I need two days to get my body right. But it's good for us to get this rest, get our minds prepared for what's ahead. You know, it's going to be a dogfight, and I think it's just a great opportunity for that, get some rest, come back Sunday, and hopefully get a win. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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