	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v WARRIORS

May 27, 2016

Billy Donovan

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Practice Day

Q. You were saying last night that some of the problems inside with mainly because of Steven [Adams] in early foul trouble. After looking at the film, was that it or were there some other issues down there at times last night too?
BILLY DONOVAN: Yeah, I mean, I think both teams have fought very, very hard on the glass, both offensively and defensively. Steven did pick up a couple quick fouls and had to go to the bench. But he still played significant minutes in the game.

From a rebounding perspective, it's got to be a collective effort by our group, and we've got to do a good job in that area. I thought last night they did a good job of generating some offensive rebounds and some second-chance points and some and one opportunities.

So that, I think, is probably more of a team collective group effort more than I would face it on Steven's foul trouble.

Q. How much pressure do you feel going into this game knowing that if you don't get it, you have to go back to Oakland for Game 7?
BILLY DONOVAN: Yeah, I say this all the time: We're involved in a series right now. We have to come out of this and get better from the last game. I thought we stayed connected and together as a group during the course of the 48 minutes. There are things in the game that we need to do better going into this next game. But we've got to play the 48 minutes tomorrow night. That's really what it comes down to. You can get caught up in thinking about the future and what the results mean at the end of the game, but the bottom line is the result at the end of the game will happen, and what you don't want to do is be focused on the result and forget to do your job during the course of 48 minutes.

Q. You guys displayed toughness home and road. What do you think about the physicality in the series in general?
BILLY DONOVAN: Well, I mean, the playoffs have been physical, obviously going through the Dallas series, that was a very, very physical series, and this is as well a very, very physical series. My feeling on that is the league and the NBA set the guidelines of the rules of where that physicality line is drawn, and our job is to play through whatever it is going on.

I've been really pleased with our guys the way they've handled themselves and the way they've been composed and trying to move to the next play and move on to the next possession, but, again, that's something that's out of our control and something that the league looks at and deals with.

Q. How much does it change things for you guys when [Andrew] Bogut is that active offensively?
BILLY DONOVAN: He was able to get to the glass and get some offensive rebounds. They found him on a couple slips back door. He had some rim protection defensively. He played a very, very good game for their team yesterday, so give him credit for how they played.

Q. Where do you need to limit him tomorrow night?
BILLY DONOVAN: Listen, he's a terrific passer. He generates their offense for them and he's unselfish, has real good feel of how to play. But, again, at the basket, I think trying to keep a body on him and his ability to rebound the basketball, that will be important. Also understanding he's a very, very good help defender in where there are open areas and creases and seams to try to get into good areas to be a receiver, to finish plays or to offensive rebound. We'll have to react to how they're playing defensively.

Q. Whenever they either tie or win the rebounding battle, that seems to be a good indicator for them. What do you need to do to get back that rebounding edge, if anything?
BILLY DONOVAN: As I said before, there have been some games in this series where we've done a really good job, and there are some games we need to do a better job. I've said this during the course of the season, you've got to be intentional about what you're doing. We'll have to go back and start over and understand that that's really and has always been in this series, a very, very important ingredient for both teams is rebounding.

I think in any game, the rebounding is always going to be pivotal and critical. Although it was a wash in terms of total number of rebounds for the game, there were certainly, I think they created some more second-chance point opportunities than we did.

Q. Offensively there have been times where you've gotten into a nice flow and a nice rhythm. Last night both ways it seemed a little choppy, little funky. How do you reestablish that flow and that rhythm?
BILLY DONOVAN: Well, I think by first trusting the pass and understanding that how they're going to help. Everybody's defense is built around help and support and rim protection, and building out the three-point line, and understanding and recognizing and reading defenses and making those kind of decisions, I think help things. We had some really good moments in the third quarter coming out of the locker room where I thought we generated and created good shots. We had good moments during the course of the game. But we've got to do a better job maybe more consistently being able to do that.

Q. With Draymond Green looking more and more like he's trying out for the Rockettes. He almost kicked Russ in the face last night or maybe he did catch him in the face. Is that anything you guys can talk to the League about or do you just have to put up with?
BILLY DONOVAN: Like I said before, those are decisions -- we're asked to play. My biggest thing is, and I'm sure Steve [Kerr] feels the same way, you're always concerned first and foremost about player safety when they're playing. That's the biggest thing. Because listen, the game is physical as it is already. There's going to be physical contact in there, and there's going to be some pushing, shoving, holding. Those are like what I would classify as like normal basketball plays and it's going to happen. But it's the league's responsibility to look at those things that they deem to be maybe non-basketball plays.

So for us, whatever they choose to decide of what is or is not past the point of physical contact, they've got to make that decision. For us, we've got to be able to really move to the next play. I've been really, really pleased and happy with the way our guys have tried to stay focused and tried to concentrate on moving to the next play and not getting into a point of being distracted or retaliating into situations like that. But, again, that's something that the league will have to look at.

Q. Home court has looked to play a significant role in this series with the exception of Game 1. How important were the crowds here in games 3 and 4?
BILLY DONOVAN: Well, listen, the crowds there at Oracle have been terrific. The crowds here have been great. It's been great environments to be a part of. But, again, the players are going to have to play the game in between the lines. And there were some things that we really need to do better, but I felt like we gave ourselves a chance. We were right there certainly coming out of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter wasn't a great start for us. We got down by double digits. We fought our way back. I thought Kevin [Durant] had a good look there late to cut it to three. And I give our guys credit staying together and battling through against a very, very good team, and a very good environment.

But at the end of the day, we can't rely on that, and I'm sure Golden State doesn't either. You've got to play in between the lines.

Q. But specifically games 3 and 4, would you credit that crowd in any way of helping you guys?
BILLY DONOVAN: I think for a crowd, it's a great, great environment. But I think as a player, if you're looking for the crowd to inspire you to do your job, I think you're making a mistake. I've always been a big believer. The performance on the floor creates the crowd.

Now our crowd has been great when we've had moments where maybe we haven't played particularly well. They've tried to lift us back up. But as players, as coaches and as our team, I think we're responsible for how we play inside the lines. And we've got to be able to focus on that.

Q. They say role players play better at home in the playoffs, do you subscribe to that at all or do you think some of the guys had off nights for you, and any ancillary roles that will arise tomorrow night?
BILLY DONOVAN: I hope so. For us it's got to be a total team collective effort. I thought last night they got great production from their bench. Their guys stepped up. [Mo] Speights, knowing him so well, he gave them a huge boost in a very short period of time. [Shaun] Livingston did as well. They've got some really good minutes from their bench. I think throughout the course of the series our bench has done a very, very good job as well.

But I think in a game like this, going forward, I'd say that we need all of our guys to be ready and be able to contribute.

Q. The way that they kind of membership those off-ball screens with their guards is to dive to the rim, flair out for threes. How important is even just foot work and technique amongst your guys and how they guard those situations?
BILLY DONOVAN: Yeah, it really is understanding positioning, what's happening. Again, I think all that stuff comes back and starts with communication. If communication's not good, it's really, really hard to get the technique down. Early communication allows you to create the technique that you need to play specific screening and cutting actions in a particular way that helps you. We've, I think, done a pretty good job during the series of trying to communicate and defend, and have given very, very good effort.

Q. The last games are always the hardest especially against the defending champions. Is there anything the team's are able to take out of Game 5 that will help them in Game 6 to be able to take them out whenever they get a chance, I guess?
BILLY DONOVAN: Yeah, we've got to do things inside this series that are going to be important to playing against this team. They do a lot of great things. There is a reason they've won 73 games this year and broke an NBA record. They have a lot of answers to a lot of different situations on both ends of the floor. So we have to do things on a very high level on both ends of the floor. I think we've shown we've done that throughout the course of the series, and we'll have to go out there and, again, improve from last night and play better than we did in Game 5.

Q. With the exception of that one quarter in Game 2 and last night, obviously, are you pleased with how you guys have defended Steph Curry in this series?
BILLY DONOVAN: Yeah, I've said this about he and Klay [Thompson]. Listen, and it's like the same thing with Kevin or Russell [Westbrook], there's times you're going to play really, really good defense and they're going to make shots. I think what you try to look at is what kind of shots are you giving up? And there have been some times where he's gotten loose and gotten some open looks that we probably wish we could have had back.

But it's like Klay Thompson in the third quarter there of Game 4. I mean, we're in his face on several shots, and he knocked them down. You've got to be able to move past that because sometimes they can't be defending any better. That's what makes those kind of scorers who they are. Klay Thompson shooting the ball.

Kevin, Curry, Russell, those guys when they start playing, Russell went on a splurge in Game 1 in the third quarter of like shot making of 19 points. Sometimes there's not a lot you can do with that. But you've got to try to closely contest the best you can.

Q. Does he [Curry] look healthy to you?
BILLY DONOVAN: Yeah, I don't know. I would leave that up to them. We have great respect for him and their team. So I'm not looking at it that way at all.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297