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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: ROCKETS v WARRIORSMay 20, 2015James HardenOAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: Practice Day Q.  If Dwight is limited and can't go, how does that affect your mindset? JAMES HARDEN: It's an opportunity for other guys to step up. We've been through this this year, and so those guys are ready to come in and contribute. You know, hopefully the big fella can get his body healthy and he can get out there and help us. Q. If he's not out there is it more load on you offensively, that sort of thing? How do you view that? JAMES HARDEN: We've got to pick up each other as a team, obviously controlling the paint, protecting the paint, finishing in the paint, all the things that Dwight brings to the table, we've got to do a great job as a team of picking those things up. Q. Do you feel like you gave one away yesterday? JAMES HARDEN: Yeah. Yeah. Just a couple mental errors, a couple slip‑ups. They're a really good team. They go on runs. We've got to still continue to do a good job of executing offensively, defensively, not allowing them to get so many easy lay‑ups, and I think that was one of the cases in Game 1. Q. How much do you want to carry over what you did in the fourth quarter into Game 2? JAMES HARDEN: You know, it's a matter of just playing the right way, getting my teammates involved, taking an open shot when I have it, just making sure the ball moves. The ball moves, makes their defense move, and makes us more effective when everybody is involved and we're getting open shots. Q. Trevor said yesterday that they basically just played harder than you guys did in those spurts that they had. Looking at it on film, was that basically what it boiled down to? JAMES HARDEN: Like I said, they went on two runs, that second quarter, end of the second quarter and late in the fourth quarter when I think it was a tie game and they went on an 11‑0 run. Other than those two things I think we outplayed them that entire game. We cut those out‑‑ we had a lot of shots, a lot of opportunities that we missed. J had a couple corner threes that he usually knocks down. We missed some opportunities that we're going to make in Game 2. Q. When you go like you did in that fourth quarter, we've seen you do that a lot of times this year, is there just a comfort level that comes over you that kind of puts you in go? JAMES HARDEN: Yeah, just the floor is opened up, just trying to get my guys involved and giving them opportunities early in that game, confidence, and making sure that they ride it throughout the entire game. I had the ball in my hands the majority of the game. I can pick and choose my spots, but for the most part I've got to be a facilitator and just pick and choose when I'm aggressive and whatnot. Q. You seem to be having a lot of fun when you're doing that, making things happen, scoring, the floor is opening up. Is that kind of your favorite part of the game? JAMES HARDEN: Yeah. I mean, I'm a facilitator. I like when guys are getting open shots and guys are getting open lay‑ups and the ball is moving. I think everybody is happy, guys are willing to go out there and play both ends of the floor at a high level when they're involved. Q. You've got to feel like you can take one here in Game 2. JAMES HARDEN: Yeah, we've got to have the same mindset we had in Game 1, limit their runs, limit our turnovers. Like I said, I think we did a really good job of controlling the ball, just that spurt, 25‑6 or something like that run, we take that out of the game, and we'll be all right. Q. Corey said that what you did last night tells you that you can win here. How big is that going into Game 2 that even though you didn't win, you know you can? JAMES HARDEN: Yeah, we have a lot of confidence. Like I said, a couple errors that we can control that we can fix for next game. Continue to move the basketball. They're a really good defensive team and obviously a high‑powered offensive team. We've just got to be very efficient on both ends of the floor, and we'll be all right. Q. When they go small with Draymond at center, do you have to avoid the tendency to try and run with them and stay big and go inside, pounding on them? JAMES HARDEN: No, we're a really good team. We can match up very well with them. We can run as well, too. Q. You've seen Clint's development.  How much has working with him and seeing‑‑ JAMES HARDEN: Yeah, he's doing a great job. He's working. He works extremely hard every single day. When his name is called, he seizes those moments. He does his job, he goes out there, he sets screens, he rebounds the basketball and he finishes. I think a couple times last game, he got switched out on Steph, and he did a good job. Steph made a couple tough shots, but for a rookie to be put in that position, he's done a great job. Q. Do you generally feel like Dwight is not going to play? JAMES HARDEN: Like I said, we'll see how the rest of the day goes and tomorrow's shoot‑around goes. Hopefully big fella can be out there helping us out. We'll take it from what it is in the morning. Q. On a lighter note, where did the move come? What do you call it? All the guys have different names for it, somebody called it in the blender, mixing it up. What do you think about how much Rockets' fans have picked it up? JAMES HARDEN: Yeah, not only just Rockets' fans but this entire year, on the road, a lot of fans have been doing it. Just trying to be who I am myself and just go out there and make an impact on the game of basketball and for myself. Q. Where did you pick that move up from, though? JAMES HARDEN: Just started doing it with some of my friends. Q. What do you call it? JAMES HARDEN: No name for it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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