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NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE: JAZZ vs THUNDER

April 18, 2018

Quin Snyder

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Game Two

Jazz - 102, Thunder - 95

QUIN SNYDER: We know what Coach Pop has meant to us, and we just want to offer our condolences for his loss.

Q. They go on a 19-0 run there in the third, but y'all were able to respond. What was the key?
QUIN SNYDER: Well, I think as much as anything, I think our team stayed together, and there was a time-out when there was just a determination, and I think we felt like we just needed to rely on our defense, and that's what we did. Donovan, obviously, his aggressiveness on the offensive end fueled us there, and the combination of those two things, I think the determination on defense was I think a function of that run, and we were really stagnant offensively. The ball wasn't moving. It was sticking. When we do that, we have to defend.

Q. You talked about your defense and determination on defense. Holding the big three to only two points in the fourth quarter, that's incredible.
QUIN SNYDER: Well, that's -- we've said the strength of our team is our team, and obviously we had some really good individual performances defensively, but you don't -- that doesn't happen unless collectively you're connected and you're defending as a unit.

Obviously those guys, Carmelo had a stretch in the first half and early second where he was really hard to guard. They can do that. And Game 1 was a different story. Sometimes you can play as well defensively as you can, and those guys are so talented that they're going to score anyway, and tonight we were fortunate that some of the shots that they were hitting in Game 1 earlier weren't going in, and we were getting the rebound.

Q. Steven Adams picks up two quick fouls in the first quarter, goes out about the 6:40 mark and then is out of the game for 11 minutes, and Derrick Favors is able to pretty much feast on the offensive glass. Do you feel that was an emphasis going into Game 2 that you didn't have in Game 1?
QUIN SNYDER: Well, Rudy was in foul trouble, too, so those things happen in the game. Jae Crowder picked up three fouls in the first half, so I think regardless of who's on the floor, we have to defend. Rudy obviously anchors us, and I thought -- we felt like Derrick offensively was really good in Game 1. He was really good on the offensive glass especially during that stretch. A couple times he had it and he was going up strong, going strong. He was just relentless.

Q. Can you talk about what Ricky meant to you tonight, especially spacing the floor and just general overall effectiveness running the offense?
QUIN SNYDER: You know, Ricky is really, really competitive. I think in the first game he didn't feel like he played as well as he can. I remember sitting by him yesterday, he was watching film with Igor and just digging in on not just offensively but defensively, as well. He did a great job, especially early in the game, finding people on the floor and getting everybody involved, particularly in pick-and-roll, just making reads that we didn't make in the first game. And when he does that, he starts a chain on our offense that we need. We're going to have to move it, and guys are going to have to drive it and kick it and share it for us to generate shots, and our guys know that, and they have to be committed to that.

Q. Did you feel that Donovan was conserving energy at all or was there any way you felt his play was affected by his injury?
QUIN SNYDER: It certainly wasn't apparent. I think if he was feeling something, he didn't show it, and he played through it. As I said, I think the thing about Donovan's game is he just continued to attack, and I thought when he really got aggressive going to the rim, some other things opened up. I don't know what he was from three, but during that stretch when we were getting stops, he was really aggressive attacking the basket, and that's what we need to do. If we get stops, we have to try to take advantage and convert. We haven't been a great conversion team all year, and that's something we talk about and work on, but Donovan converted.

Q. Do you consider it somewhat of a luxury that you can have segments in the game where Derrick is great early, Ricky in the middle, Donovan at the end? Is that kind of a luxury?
QUIN SNYDER: I wouldn't call it a luxury as much as an identity. I don't think any one of those guys -- they all need each other, and they all know that, so if one guy is making plays, I think sometimes we see the guy that's scoring, and with our group, there's usually a couple people that have done something previously to generate an opportunity.

We stay committed to that. It's not easy, because everybody has got to be unselfish and be willing to attack on their teammate, for their teammate. That's been the balance we've had this year, and I think our guys identify with it.

Q. Rudy making those free throws, he struggled in the last couple games. What did you feel when you saw him step to the line?
QUIN SNYDER: I was glad he got to the line because either it meant he went strong to the basket and got fouled, or he got a defensive rebound. Rudy believes in himself. We believe in him. It wasn't long ago that people were fouling him at the end of the game to put him on the line, and he's probably upset right now that he didn't make more of them. I think when he gets it down there and we come away with one of two or whatever, he takes great pride in that. He works on it. And I think our whole team has confidence in him when he steps to the line.

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