	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: WARRIORS VS SPURS

May 18, 2017

David Lee

Oakland, California - Practice Day

Q. Are you guys game-planning for Kawhi?
DAVID LEE: You know I'm too far down the totem pole to answer those questions.

Q. Was he out here today? Can you give us that much?
DAVID LEE: Kawhi was in the building. I had a nice conversation with him. I said hello to him this morning, he said hello back. As you guys know, that's a step in the right direction. Yeah, he was here today.

Q. What's the mindset of the team right now?
DAVID LEE: We obviously had a frustrating last game. We see from the regular season and from Game 1 that we can be a lot better against this Warriors team than we were in Game 2. So it's just a matter of coming out and playing our best in Game 3. I don't think we're really that worried about what they're doing at this point. Instead, we have to be much better at our execution on both ends, and I think we will be in Game 3.

Q. Pop obviously, talked a lot about belief after Game 2. Can you sense a difference around here for Game 3?
DAVID LEE: Well, I personally think that we had a good mindset going into Game 2. We just didn't take care of business. It's similar to a couple of those games in the Houston series where, if you look at our pregame huddle or look at our preparation in the locker room, there was really no difference in mood; it's just we didn't play well, and the other team did play well.

With that being said, if we had won that game by 30 or lost it by 30, we have to come out with a fresh start for Game 3 and continue to be at our best because we're playing a very good team. We've just got to rally the troops a little bit here and get ready.

Q. You talked before the series about their defense kind of being overlooked. How much has that come to bear, their individual defense?
DAVID LEE: More than anything I think they have a different kind of defense than a lot of teams in the league. They go smaller a lot and scramble around. It's a very fast defense. They're constantly covering for one another and scrambling.

You saw some of the schemes they used against LaMarcus in the post. From the bench I saw a few times when LaMarcus turns he has three guys literally sprinting at him. They do some different things, and among some of the chaos we've made some turnovers. I think as the series goes on, hopefully we'll be a lot better with that.

Q. When you're down 0-2, psychologically is there sort of something to overcome?
DAVID LEE: No, I think Patty [Mills] said it best. They took care of their home court. Now we come back home and we have to do the same here in San Antonio. We've played well at home all year, and we just need to continue that. I think there's a bunch of different ways to look at it. But for me I'm going to be positive about it and say they took care of their own court, and now it's time for us to do the same thing.

Q. Everybody will assume that there is a sweep coming. When you hear that word sweep ...
DAVID LEE: Everybody is assuming that?

Q. I'm just telling you what people think.
DAVID LEE: That's what's good in the streets right now? (Laughter)

Q. A sweep is coming -- when you hear that, does that motivate you more?
DAVID LEE: That's a good question. I think that more than anything, for me, I just try to look at it one game at a time. I know that sounds kind of clichÃ©, but we did the same thing in the Memphis series and in the Houston series. There were times when it's 2-2 in the Memphis series and everyone's saying who has control now? And obviously they're up 2-0 and in control of the series. But we come back here and we've got to take Game 3 as if it really is a must-win for us, as far as you don't want to go down 3-0.

So we have to come back and give our best performance in Game 3. That's what's important.

Q. Does Game 1 still linger. You should have won that game. Does that still linger?
DAVID LEE: I know for me personally Game 2 is a lot easier to throw away and flush away after it's over. Was it fun losing by 30-something points? No, absolutely not. It was a really depressing day as well. However, for me, that's easier to let go because we didn't play our best. I thoroughly thought that we had Game 1 and we had great momentum.

Unfortunately, Kawhi goes down in that game and the tides turn, but we still had our chances. Yeah, that's a little more frustrating to look back on.

But, once again, we can't change that, nor can we change who is going to be available for you. Instead, you've got to come prepared mentally and physically to play your best in Game 3 and roll the dice and see what happens.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297