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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: RAPTORS v CAVALIERS

May 19, 2016

Dwane Casey

Cleveland, Ohio: Game Two

Cleveland - 108, Toronto - 89

Q. Dwane, defensively these first two games, what is it that the Cavaliers have done to you guys to limit you under 90 points and go up 2-0?
DWANE CASEY: Well, one thing, they're making shots, they're making tough shots, and we're doing some things that's uncharacteristic, putting them on the free-throw line, what, 37 times, made some -- especially toward the end of the second quarter, right before the half, we just marched them to the free-throw line. We've got to continue to play defense without fouling, putting them on the free-throw line, and they made some tough plays. They made some shots. But again, we can't let our lack of offense go to the other end and lose our defensive energy, and I thought that's what we continued to do. We make a game out of it in the first half, and then we do some uncharacteristic things.

Q. Kyle has been so great for you guys, has had kind of a seesaw shooting postseason, but how do you explain what he's going through right now?
DWANE CASEY: Well, again, he's our guy. He's had -- I think he's one of the examples. He's missed some great looks, and he's taken some of that defensive -- some of those looks down to the defensive end. You know, he is an impactful player, but he can't let that go to -- none of our guys can, and I think that's what we're doing, we're losing some of our zing by missing some shots, missing some looks. We got, what, 33 three-point attempts, probably too many. There are some alleys we can take to get to the paint and then kick it out for threes, but we're settling a little bit too much, which is not good for us.

Q. How much of what's happening in the first two games of this series is a residual effect of what you went through in the last series?
DWANE CASEY: Well, again, everything has a cause and effect. They earned the fact that they had two weeks of rest, or eight days of rest or whatever it was. They earned that, and we made it harder on ourselves. We had two tough series, two seven-game series, but again, that's no excuse. We've got to come in, we've got to regroup. We've got a day off, game, day off. Somehow, some way, we've got to find a way to cut down things we can control, the fouls, the back doors, the offensive rebounds that they got, some of those things that we can control. You can't control some of the tough shots they're making. We can't do that. But the things we can control we've got to clean up to make sure we take care -- they did what they were supposed to do. They took care of home court, now we go home and we've got to take care of our home court.

Q. Can you compete in this series if Kyle isn't great?
DWANE CASEY: Again, we have. I think we have to. And again, he's missed some shots. To us he's still our motor, he's still our engine, he's still our leader. So yes, we can, because he can do other things to help us win.

Q. LeBron seems to be playing in a different gear right now. What have you observed about the energy that he is exemplifying during these two games?
DWANE CASEY: Well, all great players at this time of year are going to play at that level. He's not doing anything that we didn't expect or didn't think he was going to play. He's been -- their whole team is playing at a great level. But again, that's no excuse for us not to come in and do the things we characteristically, normally do, have a defensive presence, take care of the basketball, and play smart.

I think tonight we played harder, but again, we hit that lull, hit that area where we make some uncharacteristic mistakes, fouling too much, back doors, offensive rebounds, things that you've got to do to beat a very good team like Cleveland.

Q. The physical nature that your guys seem to be opening the game with, how is that affecting the game plan that you want them to play for four quarters?
DWANE CASEY: Well, I don't -- what do you mean?

Q. In terms of getting physical, is that getting them out of what you want them to be doing?
DWANE CASEY: I don't think we're being physical. I think we're setting screens, boxing out, have some little heated scrums. I don't think that's physical, though. I think it's one of those things where we're trying to compete. I don't think we're doing anything dirty or uncharacteristically physical. Both teams are playing physical basketball. I don't think that's taking us out, just our mental mistakes that we're making in certain parts of the game, and they're taking advantage of. You have to give them credit. When we make a mistake they take advantage of it and score off of it. They get an offensive rebound, kick it out, three ball. We turn it over, they get a dunk. We've got to make sure we control the things we can control to give ourselves a chance to win.

Q. The other day we talked about how maybe LeBron's scoring numbers are down a little, and talked about them again before the game. When Kevin and Kyrie are playing as well as they are, is there any way that that makes LeBron more difficult to guard or makes him better somehow?
DWANE CASEY: Look, you know, he's a great player. I don't know how many more adjectives I can give him. He's a great player. He's playing great. He's assisting. I'm more concerned about the Toronto Raptors. They're a great team, and we respect them, but again, we're here to win. We're not here to increase his legacy or anything like that. We're trying to take his legacy. We're trying to win.

I've given him all the adjectives you can give a great player that I've ever coached against. I'm more concerned about our team.

Q. You said before the game that sometimes you have to give away something because guys are so good. In the case of Kyrie, he got a lot of mid-range jump shots. Maybe you want that. Is that something you need to live with or does there need to be better defense?
DWANE CASEY: Well, you always make them take tough twos. I thought they got going a little bit against us with LeBron in the post, kick-outs. We didn't get our rotations crisp enough and on time enough. We didn't have high hands out of the double teams. I thought that got them going a little bit, but again, some things you've got to live with. We want contested twos. We want to make sure we take away the dunks and the threes, but you've got to make them work for those tough twos and try to make those as tough as possible.

Q. Can you give an update on Valanciunas and whether he's going to be available for a fourth game even?
DWANE CASEY: I really don't know. We'll see. He'll be back getting rehabbed tomorrow, trying to see if he can go. He got on the court today, so we'll see.

Q. You just mentioned the mental aspect of the game. In your experience, what's the key in a turnaround like this to get that mental frame of mind where you needed or wanted to be for Game 3?
DWANE CASEY: Well, the thing about it, they've done what they're supposed to do. They've won two games. They won their home games. What's the old saying? The series doesn't start until you lose at home? The first game was ugly, tonight was not pretty, but still, we're not quitting. I don't sense any quit in that locker room. Everybody can bury us and put us under, but we're not quitting, so I'm concerned about what we can correct, what we can do once we go back home, and once you approach it that way and be positive, you know, nobody thought we'd be this far, so again, be positive, keep working. We've been here before. We've had our backs against the wall before. We've got to come out swinging and believing. You've got to believe. If you're not, we're in the wrong business.

Q. It would appear without Valanciunas you're looking for that third offensive option. Seemed like you had that with Terrence Ross in the first half, then he picked up his third foul. How did that change things to finish the second quarter?
DWANE CASEY: That's a good point. The thing about it is we need that third option when they're trying to take away DeRozan and Lowry, making it tough on them. We need that other wild card, and T-Ross was doing an excellent job, again, and we've got to be smarter. We've got to look at the film and see how we're collecting all these fouls. I think it was like 7 to 22 in the first-half free throws. Those are shooting ourselves in the foot, and that comes from not being proactive, not being ready to catch the first move, and then you react and you foul. Those things we can try to clean up, but again, we need that third option from someone, and tonight it was T-Ross, once he got going early in the game.

Q. I know it's a quick reaction, but there's already a perception out there that some of your guys look defeated. Are you sensing anything from that as the game goes on, that maybe your guys feel that they're out-manned or anything like that?
DWANE CASEY: I don't see that. I think they're hurt because they lost the game. I'm watching OKC last night, they look hurt. If you don't look like you're upset that you're getting beat, I don't think that means that you're defeated, unless you're mind readers or something. Again, I don't think our guys have quit. I refuse to believe that. I've been around these guys. We've won 56 games. We've been down before. We've had some rough patches, and they've bounced back. I think this is the first time we've lost in the playoffs two games in a row, so again, this team will bounce back. I believe in them, and they've got to believe in themselves, and I think they do.

Q. Toward the end of the Cavs-Hawks series, Bud [Mike Budenholzer] tried a bunch of different things. They worked very well for them, and it didn't matter. What's your margin of error right now, and do you feel like you guys almost have to play a perfect game?
DWANE CASEY: Again, I don't want to say a perfect game. I don't think it's ever a perfect game, but we've got to up our level of play as far as controlling the things that we can control, the fouling, the offensive rebounds, the transition defense, getting back and loading up, things we can control. We can do better.

Again, I don't know what adjectives you want me to give, whether -- that we're going to go ahead and give them the series; no, it's not over with. Until they throw that final buzzer, I don't care what Bud did, whoever else coached, we're not giving up until they put us under, until that final buzzer goes off. If we do that, we're in the wrong business. Why are we here? Again, you may be seeing something I don't see. I don't see quit. They beat us two games, okay, but it's not over with yet.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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