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NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE: TRAIL BLAZERS vs CLIPPERS

April 20, 2016

Doc Rivers

Los Angeles, California: Game Two

Clippers - 102, Trail Blazers - 81

Q. Doc, it seemed like you got a really big boost from the bench multiple times tonight in the second quarter, fourth quarter. They just really outplayed their counterparts tonight?
DOC RIVERS: I don't know who they -- they just changed the game for us. They were spectacular tonight. I thought on both ends I thought they saved the game for us tonight. Our starters were up-and-down a little bit today. I thought we were sloppy in a lot of ways, but I thought our bench saved us. They came in and opened the floor and just played and got ball movement, but then on the other end I thought they got a ton of stops and scores. So that was huge for us. There are going to be nights like that in the playoffs where starters may need a lift, and tonight was one of those nights.

Q. I know we've pointed to Cole entering that group and maybe that's what changed it. But did the nights where you rested the starters, did you see that group go to a different level, and are you seeing them play with even more confidence now because of that?
DOC RIVERS: Yeah, I just think they've grown through the year. They started out slow, and it took me trying to find the right combination of guys. Jamal's been Jamal. But Cole's been great. Austin's been great. Jeff, adding Jeff, another ball handler to that group has really helped us, and Wes has been fantastic too.

We don't mention Pablo, Paul, so we have other guys that we could bring in still. So they're close, they practice together, even when they're a day off. So they've really had good growth.

Q. This is your first Clipper team that's won the first two games of a postseason series. Is there any difference in the intensity this year or the past two years you've been here?
DOC RIVERS: Well, I think our focus has been fantastic. I didn't honestly like how we came out to start the game. I thought Portland came out and played extremely hard, harder than us early. I thought we caught up to that as the game went on. But it's important to win two and hold serve at home. That's nice.

Q. This was such a tired team at the end of last postseason just because of the games you had to play, the starters had to play a ton. The second unit being able to do this, how does that help this team in the playoffs?
DOC RIVERS: I think it's been great. You look at our last ten games of the year. I don't know if the first unit came back in games because of that second unit. They're an explosive unit.

We really give the ball to Jamal and Austin, and tell them to just go make a play with spacing, and then you add Jeff in that as well. But they're just an unselfish group. They kind of get out of each other's way. They know who has it going, and they let that guy get going. When that guy's not going, they try to find another guy, and it's been a good group.

Q. Doc, would you be able to talk about the defensive effort tonight against Portland's starting back court? Did you throw any special defenses at them? Was it just all effort?
DOC RIVERS: I honestly, we were better, I thought, in Game 1 defensively. I thought they missed shots today. I think that's what I saw. You go back and watch film and sometimes it's a different game. I wasn't happy defensively, honestly. I was happy in game 1. I was not happy today. I just thought defensively I thought we had a lot of mistakes today. They rushed some shots, and so overall the effort was good. I thought the second group, every time they came in defensively the game changed in our favor, but other than that, I think we can be a better defensive team.

Q. When you look at what the bench is doing, can you sense with the starters how much confidence they're gaining watching them and how fired up they get?
DOC RIVERS: I think they support each other. Like when the starters are going well, they're over there doing their cheers or whatever the heck they do over there. Then I was going to bring them in and you can see Chris ask Blake were like, no, let them go another play. They sense it. That's good. Because there are going to be nights when they don't have it, and the bench, the starters are going to have to play extended minutes. So it's nice when you can do it this way.

Q. You're up 2-0 going to Portland, you still can build. Easy buckets and ball movement something that you guys must improve?
DOC RIVERS: Yeah, today, I thought in Game 1 we had ball movement, we had spacing, and we got easy buckets. I thought tonight, I keep going back to the second group got ball movement and easy buckets, and the first group didn't get that. So we have to improve. We have to.

Q. You mentioned when Cole and Chris kind of like pulled themselves back, it seemed like in the first half you did it too.
DOC RIVERS: Yeah, well the first half I was going to put them in, and the first and second group got it going. I yanked them back. In the second half, they yanked themselves back.

Q. Is this the most belief you feel this team has had in that group since you've been here?
DOC RIVERS: Yeah, yeah, I think it's taken a year, but, yeah, for sure.

Q. Doc, I know you said your team could have played better, but is that actually Portland making adjustments during the game?
DOC RIVERS: Yeah, I thought they got good shots. I thought they did what they said they were going to do. They took Lillard off the ball. He got back cuts. You know, same thing with McCollum. But I just think we can do a better job of recognizing that.

Listen, I'm happy. I thought overall we played pretty good defense. But I just know that there is a better us in there, and that's my job to try to keep getting it out of us.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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