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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: RAPTORS v CAVALIERSMay 18, 2016DeMar DeRozanCleveland, Ohio: Practice Day Q. You guys did a good job trying to strip them of what they wanted on the perimeter, but how do you make sure that they don't get what they want inside the paint? Is there a trade-off? Do you have to give something up? DeMAR DeROZAN: No, we've just got to balance it out. I think we were too focused on just trying to take out the three-pointer because they've been so dominant in the previous two series. Now we've just got to get back to playing defense the way we know how to do. Q. This team has been so successful coming off losses, going into Game 2s. What's been the key to making those adjustments? DeMAR DeROZAN: Just understanding what it's like to have your back against the wall. Just coming out with more of a sense of urgency and understanding what we've got to do. We learned from the mistakes that we had previously, and we know what we've got to do to correct them. Q. What's it like going up against their speed? And how do you get back in that transition game? DeMAR DeROZAN: Yeah, like I said, we get so caught up in playing one team, one type of style for seven games straight, preparing for a different team in one day, and they jumped out on us. We've got to give them credit, and now we understand what we've got to do Game 2. Q. When you say sense of urgency, how do you identify what that actually is on the court? DeMAR DeROZAN: By just being more aggressive on both ends, understanding that what they want to do, the approach they're going to take, how aggressive they're going to be, whether it's transition, going to LeBron [James], going to Kyrie [Irving], just understanding every little bit of every possession that they have. Q. Yesterday is the first time since Kyle [Lowry] has been here in the four years where neither you nor Kyle attempted a free throw. Was that more on what they were doing defensively, or is that on you guys? DeMAR DeROZAN: That's just is on us. I never blame nobody else. It was just more so on us. We've got to be more aggressive from the beginning of the game and not try to settle for so many jump shots early on, try and establish us getting to the paint and being aggressive early on and then staying out and taking jump shots. Q. You'd never underestimate a team that has LeBron on it, but are they playing at a level that surprised you based on your experience against them in the regular season? DeMAR DeROZAN: Yeah, you've got to give them credit. They've been showing it all playoffs. They dominated two series that they have, and the way they came out on us yesterday, you've got to give them credit. Now it's up to us to come back and respond in Game 2. Q. How did they look different to you from what you saw in the regular season? DeMAR DeROZAN: You know, you could tell they were locked in. They've got [Channing] Frye. Frye is a big addition to what they're doing. I think Kyrie is playing the best he's been playing all year. He's got his rhythm going. They're just more in tune as a team. Q. Does the ball move in a different way than it did -- DeMAR DeROZAN: Yeah, yeah. Like I said, even though we beat them twice during the regular season, they're definitely a different team. Q. Talk about the matchups because you can guard LeBron about four different ways, but what does that do to the other four guys on the floor? DeMAR DeROZAN: You know, when you focus in on LeBron, sometimes you can't worry about him scoring. He's so great at getting the other guys involved, and it kind of puts everybody else at high alert as well, because you can't relax on no other guy, whether it be a shooter, a cutter, big man, whatever it may be. You've just got to be more focused even if you're not guarding LeBron because everybody else is just as much of a threat. Q. Because of all the minutes you guys have played, do you look forward to some changes in rotation in the lineup? DeMAR DeROZAN: No, we're playing -- there's only so many games left, so we can't. We can't make fatigue as a factor at all. We've just got to go out there -- whatever lineup coaches put out there, we've got to go out there and give it all we've got. Q. I know you don't want to make that excuse, but did you see it as a difference how fresh they were? DeMAR DeROZAN: I mean, yeah, that's obvious. We've been playing every other day for the last month it felt like, and they've been off for nine days and just waiting on their opponent. We were expecting them to come out like that. Now we know what to expect. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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