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NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE: TRAIL BLAZERS vs CLIPPERSApril 20, 2016Damian LillardC.J. McCollumLos Angeles, California: Game Two Clippers - 102, Trail Blazers - 81 Q. Damian, do you feel like you got better shots in Game 2 adjusting to the defense what they were doing trapping the ball and stuff? DAMIAN LILLARD: Yeah, especially at the start of the game, I got a lot of good looks. I missed a wide open, point blank lay-up, when you get those looks early in the game, you've got to knock them down. Especially when you know the type of attention you're going to get in a playoff series like this one where they're trapping and sending two guys and loading up against myself and C.J. So I've got a lot more clean looks tonight. The ball didn't go in as much as I would have liked to, especially with us it being in the game. I think if I would have had it going, it would have come down to the last couple minutes. But they didn't. They handled their business here, and now we've got to try to go get one for Game 3. Q. For both of you guys, you're down 0-2 in the series, how do you maintain your confidence going back knowing you lost both games this way? DAMIAN LILLARD: I mean, I don't see why we should not have confidence. I think, Game 1 we were in the game and then they had a stretch where they got on a run, we couldn't score the ball, and we just couldn't close that gap for the rest of the game. Tonight we took it a step further and the game was closer for a little bit longer than it was last game, and then the same thing happened. We went cold and they started to knock down shots. We're not the first team to lose the first two on the road. Like I said, they took care of their home court, and now we're going to have the same opportunity. So we've got to put together four quarters for these next couple games. C.J. McCOLLUM: To follow up on what he said, I think going home everybody will be a little bit more comfortable. Teams usually shoot better at home. I think the Clippers and J.J. has been shooting pretty well especially in those first quarters, C.P. has been shooting well too. I think our guys will be more comfortable at home. Chief, Mo, those guys will get ample looks and opportunities at home. With our home crowd behind us, we'll be ready to go. Q. C.J., what worked for you tonight that didn't necessarily work for you in Game 1? And to both of you, it seems like in both these games, stretches you play well for spurts and then there is a stretch where the Clippers go and run off and kind of pull away. What do you guys need to do to kind of stop that from happening in games moving forward? C.J. McCOLLUM: I think they got off to a good start in the first quarter, got some good looks and knocked them down. That always helps when you start the game off making shots. I think to be able to stay in there -- like Damian said, we got some good looks. I had some good mid-range shots that I didn't make. I had a wide open three in the corner in transition. We're going to make those shots. Nine times out of ten, those are the shot that's we have to make, and I think going forward we will. In terms of being able to stop their runs, it's one quarter or one lapse every game that happens. Tonight it happened in the first half, we got down by double digits, and ended up fighting our way back to get down by 4 at halftime. In the second half, they went on a run in the fourth quarter, and we were down 6, I believe it was, going into the fourth quarter. Went on a run, a 10-0 run, 12-2 run, those type of runs changed the complex of the game. Q. Damian, along those lines, are there one or two shots that you think of if they had gone down might have turned things a different way? Anything that's sticking with you? DAMIAN LILLARD: I mean, my very first shot of the game, I got a clean pull-up jumper at the free-throw line. It routed out. I got a back door and got right to the rim, and the ball kind of slipped out of my hand. I let it go a little sooner than I should have. I should have dunked the ball. But it's much bigger than one or two shots. Like C.J. just said, we have lapses and we have those spurts where we play really well. Then it's the loose balls, giving up second and third opportunities where they tip it out and they hit a three, or they get a loose ball and swing it and get an and one and get a dunk. Those are game-changing, momentum changing plays. We've allowed them to have those in the first two games, and they've been able to run off on us. Q. Damian, I wondered when you were sitting in your stall in the locker room, what were you thinking about when you were looking at that box score? Also, what's missing from your individual game right now? Can you put your finger on what's not there? DAMIAN LILLARD: When I was looking at the box score, I was just looking at the fact that we outrebounded them. We got up a lot of attempts. We shot more threes than they did. We just didn't shoot the ball well and I was just checking that out, but I don't think anything is missing. Like I said, last game it was just seeing what they were going to do. We got to see what kind of coverages they were coming out with defensively. See what type of game plan they had, and they blitzed us, they made it hard for me as far as even getting attempts up, getting to certain spots, running the sets we like to run, they made it hard. Tonight I just didn't make those shots. Our coaching staff did a great job of watching film and putting myself and C.J. in different positions to where they couldn't really take a lot away from us. I just got to make the shots. I think that's what it comes down to. There are really no excuses. But as far as anything missing, there is nothing missing. The ball just didn't go in. Q. Damian, you've been down 0-2 now in your last two playoff series. Does this one feel any different? Do you feel any different about this team or the way you guys are 0-2? DAMIAN LILLARD: Well, the first time was against the Spurs. They won the Championship that year. Last year against a really good Memphis team, and we had some injuries. That's not an excuse, but we were just trying to find it last season. I think this year it's just been a year of growth. Over the course of the season, we've taken everything in stride and just continued to grow. I think these first two games are also a part of the growth of this team. A team coming out and playing with that playoff intensity and being able to adjust and see what a team is doing and make them pay for things, stuff like that. So like I said, we aren't the first team to lose the first two games, but I'm excited and happy with the way that our team is in a situation like this as far as confidence goes and just being able to move on. They had their two home games and they handled their business, and now we're going to have two home games. We're a really good home team, and we'll see how it goes from here on. Q. Both you guys played 38 minutes in Game 2 and Game 1. None of all the Clippers have played more than 32 minutes. Do you feel like wearing down will be a factor in the second half of these games? C.J. McCOLLUM: I'm 24 years old and Damian is 25, so I think we'll be just fine with two or three days rest. When you're up 20, you don't have to play, and they were up 20 at the end of the game, so they were able to rest their guys and their bench gave them a strong push and they were able to let some guys sit out. I think C.P. getting in foul trouble altered his minutes a little bit in the first half, picking up three. DAMIAN LILLARD: Same thing he said. But at this point it's going to be what it's going to be. If we've got to go out there and play 44 minutes, it's not like we've got 82 games of it. We're going to be out there as long as coach needs us to be out there, and as long as he puts us out there. All we know for sure is we have this series, and we've got to do what we've got to do. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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