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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: RAPTORS v CAVALIERS

May 26, 2016

Kyle Lowry

Toronto, Ontario: Practice Day

Q. Kyle, the discrepancy between home and away, can you get a handle on it?
KYLE LOWRY: No, I mean, we've got to take care of home. I think last night was a different game. We've got to, I guess, play the same way we played the two home games we've had so far tomorrow. That's all we can do. I mean, can't worry about the road. Can't worry about the road. We might not get a chance to go back on the road if we don't play the right way tomorrow.

Q. Given your numbers combined with DeMar, there's such a big difference between Games 1, 2 and 5 versus 3 and 4.
KYLE LOWRY: Yeah, well, last night they took the ball out of my hands. I think I was in a good rhythm, but they did a good job of taking the ball out of my hands all night, having two bodies on me. That's what their adjustment was. I mean, if they would have let me -- if they didn't be super aggressive, I would have been probably more effective in the game. But they were aggressive on me all night, two guys on me, three guys around me. I just feel like if they didn't -- but they did. They did a great job of doing it, so give them credit. Now we have to make an adjustment.

Q. What's your reaction to the story that's circulating about DeMarre [Carroll] and Cory [Joseph]?
KYLE LOWRY: Well, think about it, we work differently. Sometimes I'm up at 3:30 in the morning just because we just landed at 2:00. You know, I might be watching film. Our clocks are different. They got plenty of rest, I'm sure. I mean, whatever time they got out, it doesn't matter. That's what they do. Whatever they did, they were prepared for the game. We just lost. We didn't lose, they won. People wouldn't say anything. Our internal clocks are different. I'm not making any excuses, but they did what they do, and they were prepared to play. Even if they was -- I'm still going to war with those guys. I still believe they were prepared to play.

Q. Where were you at 2:00?
KYLE LOWRY: I don't even remember.

Q. The first six minutes of their fourth was off the charts. How do you sort of match that, and did you expect it was coming?
KYLE LOWRY: Well, we were 20-16 with like the three-minute mark, and then I think they went on like a -- yeah, crazy, and that's offensive rebounds, turnovers, pushing the ball, getting out in transition, fouling, us standing in the backcourt, everything. We helped them. But Game 5 is over, so we've got a Game 6 so really focus on just being us and playing better.

Q. Do you have that force in you as a group?
KYLE LOWRY: Yeah. I mean, we've shown it. I think we have a great force, especially, I guess, at home. You've seen how we've played. We've just got to take care of home and play our game at home like we usually do.

Q. You've talked early in the Playoffs about emptying the clip. You said that before and after Game 7 with the Pacers with DeMar. How do you replicate that tomorrow night, especially with the amount of shots that you and DeMar get?
KYLE LOWRY: Well, honestly yesterday they did a great job of taking the ball out of our hands and we didn't get as many shots as we could have got because of their aggressiveness. We're not selfish basketball players, so we're not going to just shoot shots. We're going to play the right way, and that's how our team is always going to be built. We're going to play the right way. But what can help us is getting stops and getting out in transition, and they can't double-team us, they can't do this, we can get out and get shots that way.

Q. The way you guys have won the two prior elimination games is getting the two most shot attempts in games than at any point this year. Does that have to be the formula?
KYLE LOWRY: I think getting stops and then getting out and going. I think when I guess Indy and whoever, Miami, they weren't as aggressive double teaming so we were able to get him the ball and get him out in the flow a little better, but I just think we've got to play aggressively. It all starts on the defensive end. Everything starts on the defensive end. We get stops, then they can't set up their defense.

Q. Whenever you guys have won or lost some of these Playoffs, we always sort of come in here and say, will this carry over, can this carry over, and seems like the answer is always no. Do you believe in momentum, and have these Playoffs sort of disproved that momentum exists?
KYLE LOWRY: I believe that every single game in the Playoffs, round 1 to Eastern Conference Finals, every single game is a different game. I mean, we've proven it, literally. You watch this, we've proven every game is a different game, so you can't -- you learn and you make adjustments and you go on and prepare for the next day, next game. Every game is completely different.

Q. How quickly do you learn how different the game is?
KYLE LOWRY: I mean, you look at the film and you see, okay, this game -- last night --

Q. Like tomorrow, for instance, how quickly are you going to realize what the game is going to be like?
KYLE LOWRY: In the first five minutes. We'll see. Honestly the first five minutes -- last night the first five minutes you could see the game, they were aggressive, they were physical. Games 3 and 4, same thing with us. We were aggressive and physical. Games 1 and 2. So it's definitely within the first five minutes of the game. It can change throughout the game. Second quarter might be different. But the first five minutes can definitely tell a game.

Q. When is the last time you were trapped that aggressively?
KYLE LOWRY: Washington last year. I mean, throughout the season a little bit, but last year they did a good job of just blitzing everything in the Playoffs last year. They took me and DeMar out of the series just by having two bodies on us.

Q. 30 points off of 19 turnovers, so a lot of live ball turnovers, obviously. Presumably they are going to blitz you like that. What do you have to do to make sure that you're making them pay?
KYLE LOWRY: I've got to be better in knowing what they're doing, and I know what they're going to -- we've just got to, as a team, everyone has to be on the same page. I might be thinking one thing but somebody is not. I've got to get my mind on the same page as that guy. We've just got to be on the same page. I think two games here, we haven't had that many turnovers and we had probably 19 last night, and we got out-rebounded. There was a lot of things that went bad last night, but knowing they're going to blitz us or whatever we're going to do, we all have to be on the same page, and as a point guard I have to know what my guys are going to do.

Q. Those live ball turnovers --
KYLE LOWRY: They're drastically bad when you've got LeBron coming at you.

Q. Being on the same page, you mean knowing where the roller is going to be --
KYLE LOWRY: Yes, knowing where we are when we're -- so if it's me and four other guys on the floor, whoever that is, I should know, or we should all be on the same page and know, okay, this is going to happen, let's get here, get here, get here, and that's what the coaching staff has done a good job of making those type of adjustments all year and throughout these Playoffs.

Q. What about the adjustment with getting JV [Jonas Valanciunas] back after missing eight games? Is it natural because you played so many games with him, or does it take some time?
KYLE LOWRY: Well, his position is right now, if we can get him the ball, we get him the ball, he can score, get him to post-up. But we've got to understand what he can do for us, and he's just definitely that guy coming back from injury. Some minutes are going to be taken from someone else, and shots are going to be taken from other people, but if it helps us win games, that's all that matters.

Q. Are you all on the same page on the court?
KYLE LOWRY: Oh, yeah, we all understand what -- he's been out for a while, but he's been here active and still being a part of the team. I think we all have the same -- we're all on the same page from that standpoint.

Q. What's harder for you, the kind of game like last night where they do such a great job on you, or the kind of game where you throw up shots and don't make them? What frustrates you more?
KYLE LOWRY: A loss frustrates me in general, to be honest, no matter if I shoot 40 times and miss all of them, and even if I -- it's just a loss in general is a frustrating thing. Me personally, I care about my teammates and my team. Last night we did some things -- I did some things that -- I passed the ball, I made some shots, but shoot, they got the ball out of my hands, so I trust my teammates to make the plays at times and make shots. We make shots, it's a big difference.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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