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NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE: JAZZ vs CLIPPERS

April 25, 2017

Quin Snyder

Los Angeles, California: Game Five

Jazz - 96, Clippers - 92

Q. Quin, can you talk a little bit about the production you're getting out of your bench? Seemed pretty decisive tonight.
QUIN SNYDER: Yeah, I feel like Rodney -- when Rodney was out for a little while, we ended up moving him to the bench and feel like he's a guy that can really impact the game making shots. You know, Derrick has been good. Hood gave us something tonight, and obviously Joe Johnson. So I'm probably forgetting somebody because our team has changed around a bit. But we've got a lot of guys that are coming off the bench that have been starters. I don't think -- for me, I'm not really differentiating who's coming off the bench and who's starting the game. If anything, we finished the game with Rodney and Joe Johnson, two guys that aren't starters. I think that's one of the good things about this group is I don't think guys care that much whether they're starting or not, and everybody is behind each other.

Q. One of the bigger story lines coming into the series is how a young core would handle this kind of a playoff series, but you guys have been a team that's been young, been able to make the plays under pressure, and been able to be composed under pressure, even when the Clippers made runs. How have you been able to do that tonight and throughout the entire series?
QUIN SNYDER: Well, I think we were the youngest team in the league last year by certain measures. I know people evaluate that in a number of different ways, but we were right there. I think pretty simply adding Joe and Boris and George has given some confidence to our group. That didn't just happen in the Playoffs. That happened throughout the course of the year, so that you see a guy like Gordon, who I don't think the moment is too big for him. Rudy is not wired that way. If anything we've got to tone him down. But we've got some guys that like playing, and any time you like playing basketball and you like playing together, I think your focus is on that as opposed to any particular level of pressure.

Q. You guys were up 11 early in the fourth and they went on an 11-0 run to tie it. How did you guys respond?
QUIN SNYDER: Well, I think we were playing really good defense, and Chris Paul hit some really tough shots. I thought we put them on the line. At that point they were -- we were defending them very well, and we made some undisciplined fouls on jump shooters, which hurt us. I thought it gave them some momentum and gave them some rhythm. Again, like you said, we just had to keep playing, really. Nothing magical. Teams make runs, and we talked about it, whether it's an 11-0 or a 13-2 or 9-0, whatever it is, that's going to happen.

I think that it's more about how you respond to it, and we responded pretty well.

Q. When you have a 3-2 lead and you're playing at home in Game 6, how excellent a position is that for your team?
QUIN SNYDER: I don't know yet. I'm just going to -- we're thinking about processing this win, and it's a good win. Every game, after every game, before every game, it's a position our team hasn't been in. We haven't played a Game 1. We've never been 1-1. We've never been up 3-2. We were up 1-0. It's different. We know how difficult it is to win a series, particularly against a team like this. We still haven't done anything yet. We're just competing, though, and I like that.

Q. What's it like to have a guy like Joe Johnson; he just seems to deliver.
QUIN SNYDER: Well, it's a luxury as a coach. I've said it before; I think his baskets, because of the timeliness of them, really lift the group, and he's so willing and wanting to take those big shots. I think our guys know that, and it doesn't mean other guys don't want to contribute. I mean, I think tonight when he's kicking the ball out, Rodney hit a couple big ones, Gordon obviously in some big situations. It's not like anybody's not wanting the ball. It's just that we have confidence in him with the ball, and part of it's because he's a play maker. He's able to create shots for himself, but he also does things for other people.

Obviously good to have him. I can't -- I don't know how to say it any more than that.

Q. What is it about the fit with you guys that has allowed him to be at his best with this team right now at this point in his career?
QUIN SNYDER: I'd actually, I think -- a couple things, as we talked about it this summer. He knew that we had wings and understood that his role would be -- I think he -- I think he started every game since like 2003. I think that's right. That's a long run, and we talked about it. I was like, are you sure? And then when he came, Gordon got hurt. So initially he was on the perimeter, which has kind of been his natural position his whole career. So I think as the season evolved, it took a while for us to kind of adjust to him finding the role that really fits him right now, so we basically got a 2 guard that's playing, quote-unquote, power forward.

I think he's able to defend bigger guys. That's something we've kind of figured out, and then that allows him just to be a play maker. I'm happy he's here, and I think we're trying to use him the best way we can at this point in his career, and he's allowed that to happen, because really, we're giving him a hard time about being iso Joe. He's like a point guard out there when he has the ball. I think that's part of what he's doing right now. That really helps our team and helps him. I think he's really enjoying it, too.

Q. You guys went for significant stretches with no conventional point guard. What are the considerations you have when you're making that decision?
QUIN SNYDER: Well, we've played a lot of different lineups because we've had -- we have four point guards on our roster. There was a point where I think two or three of them were hurt. We've used Joe Ingles at that position. I'm confident in our wings' ball handling ability, and then when you put Joe Johnson on the floor, also, you've got four guys. If it's Rodney, Gordon, Joe Ingles and Joe, there's no pure point guard and you worry a little bit about guys getting pressure. But hopefully they can just share it, and it makes us pretty good defensively at times. I felt like Hood did a great job tonight, but we still wanted to use that lineup, and particularly George Hill looked fatigued to me tonight at certain points, so we're trying to get him a little bit of rest. It's always a little nerve-racking for me to do it, but our guys have confidence in it, so usually I just go with it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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