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NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE: SPURS vs WARRIORSApril 24, 2018Kevin DurantDraymond GreenOakland, California: Game Five Game 5 Warriors 99, Spurs 91 Q. Draymond, that's your second straight night of setting a new career playoff high in rebounding. What was sort of your mindset and energy heading into tonight's game? DRAYMOND GREEN: Well, one thing we spoke about coming into this series was trying to control the glass. They put little guards on me, crash the offensive boards and then make sure we finish our possessions on the defensive end. You know, sometimes the ball tend to bounce your way. Had to go get a few of them. But you know, just really trying to find the ball and ignite our break. Q. When you came into the league, your first year in the playoffs, the Spurs were the gold standard and you guys took them to six games. What has their standard meant for the development of this franchise and your team? DRAYMOND GREEN: A lot. It's meant a lot for us, you know, with kind of watching what they were doing, playing against them that first series in my first year and winning two games, it was a big deal at the time. To go two games -- and we felt like we should have won Game 3 but we didn't. You know, just gave us a lot of confidence, and to know that, all right, we got something, and we continue to get better, continue to grow together; that you know, we can possibly be them one day or better. I think that's kind of coming to fruition now. Q. You know, the Spurs tried to come back but you got a big shot, what's going through your mind? KEVIN DURANT: Just trying to get a stop the next possession. Q. Kevin, how do you view this series? How do you think the team played? A lot of talk going in, can they flip the switch. Do you feel like you got to a definitely or you're going to have to play better the next rounds? KEVIN DURANT: Definitely play better. I mean, teams get better as you move on but I like the energy and effort we played with all series. I think offensively, we did a good job of moving the basketball but if we didn't make shots we guarded on the other end and rebounded well. Obviously each team is looking to get better as we move on, so it presents -- we've got a different challenge in front of us now so we've got to focus and have a different game plan going into this next series and we'll see what happens. Q. Question for either one of you guys. You seem to have found your defense in the first round and during the regular season, it was up and down. How do you kind of keep that consistency going for the rest of the playoffs on the defensive end? DRAYMOND GREEN: We're a championship team. We know what type of defense we need to play. I think throughout the regular season, you want to get there every night but it's just not realistic, especially coming off a championship. Last game you play, it's like the peak level of intensity; the peak level of focus, and everything that you could possibly reach, you come into the regular season expecting to start that over again, it's tough. But nonetheless I think we were okay periodically throughout the season. But like I said, we know what it takes to win a championship. Q. Kevin, you were productive throughout the series, but how do you look at the juxtaposition with how efficient you've been overall but then when you look at your three-point shot? KEVIN DURANT: I'd be more concerned in my mid-range wasn't working. You want me to elaborate? (Laughter). I can easily just like stop taking threes and just, you know, shoot when I'm open. I thought I'd try to find it. I just try to search for it and I miss some, and I made one in the third I thought got us a nice little lead. But I'd be more concerned if my mid-range was off, but I feel good with my mid-range, and I know my three will come out. It's a matter of time and I've just got to keep working. I'm fading a little bit on some, I rushed a few, I didn't leave my follow-through up on a couple, and they were doing a good job of getting a hand up. So you know, it was a series of events, I guess; the reason why I was missing some threes. But you know, luckily I kind of knew my form and knew what gets me back, right back to center, and that's the beautiful part about finding your game out. Q. You guys are probably going to tag-team guard Anthony Davis in the next round. Wonder your early thoughts on that challenge of guarding Davis? DRAYMOND GREEN: You know, great player. But just like any other great player, you want to make him take tough shots. Live with the results. KEVIN DURANT: Yeah, I think more, so he got free this last series in the pick-and-roll a lot, catching lobs, the shooting a jumpshot out of the pocket from penetration, getting wide-open threes. So we've got to do a good job on Rondo and Jrue Holiday and those guys, as well. I know AD has had some big numbers but those guys create for him a lot, along with post-ups and drives to the rim, stuff like that. That's what makes him dangerous is that he's getting a lot of stuff rolling to the rim off the ball, as well, and some tough in the post. Q. Actually that's what I was going to ask, what kind of problems do the Pelicans present, and Draymond, since you are familiar with Alvin Gentry, Klay said after the game that he expects him to have some tricks up his sleeves. What are you expecting? DRAYMOND GREEN: He definitely has some tricks up his sleeve offensively. Defense ain't really Gen thing. He don't love it -- Gen will tell you, a million times in a row, ain't nobody ever won a game 0-0. KEVIN DURANT: Facts. DRAYMOND GREEN: That's who Gen is. However, I do think has a defensive mastermind with him in Darren Erman. And I know Erm probably been watching film on us for the last -- since the first round started. I mean, obviously he know a lot of us, coached us early on in our careers, but I know he'll have some stuff up his sleeve. Nonetheless, we have a great coaching staff that will have some tricks up their sleeve, as well. Gen want to out-coach Steve, so good luck. KEVIN DURANT: No. No good luck there. (Laughter). Q. Along with the 19 boards, you had 17 points, and there was a remark made on the broadcast today about -- came from C-Web. Said if you're on other teams and asked to score, you probably wouldn't start. I don't think he meant it as a slight, but do you still feel like your point production is underrated in this league? KEVIN DURANT: Man, you're trying to start a beef, Bro. DRAYMOND GREEN: I don't have a scorer's mentality, especially for the team that I play on. I think if I did have a scorer's mentality, it would throw all this off and it wouldn't work out. You know, I think there are times in the game where I probably need to score more, but it's hard to turn a scorer's mentality on and off. I've had that once before in my life. You don't just click that on or off. Nonetheless, I do know when I need to be more aggressive and that helps my team out. But I don't care. I've done some great things in this league. I've been to All-Star twice averaging like 11 points, ten points or something like that. Look, you know, I don't need to score. However, I don't think he can find many GMs are coaches that wouldn't say I wouldn't start on their team, and you know, my -- I'm fine without scoring the ball. I think I've created a new lane for guys in this league to where you don't have to score 20 points to be an All-Star or be a starter in this league and it is what it is. That's fine and my jersey fit well. So I'm doing really pretty good. You know, much love to C-Web, though, from Michigan, State of Michigan, you know, we good. One other thing, man, I think when I look at life -- you know, seriously, this is dead serious. When I look at life, when somebody pass away, we tend to think we're there for one day or two days and then we float away and think like their problem go away. So I just want to send my love to Pop and his family, again. It was kind of a thing the first day and happened and then it's like gone. That probably don't leave for him so much. Love Pop and I send my prayers and best wishes to him and his family. Q. Can you take one more question? I want to ask both of you guys, if you can just share with us, if you've seen the video about the incident in San Antonio about this jacket or anything and what's your thoughts on it, because you know, it could go each another way, and I know you guys had some issues about it, if it had went a different way. You have seen the video? Would you like to share little things about what you saw? DRAYMOND GREEN: Yeah, I ain't saw the video. I think we got great security staff in Ralph, Tony and Jeff. But did they find out what happened and found where the jacket was at? Obviously it's unfortunate. I think, you know, what it boils down to it, it's a jacket but I think it's more so the principle. You're in your own space and you want to return your jacket, and all of us do and so I think it's more so the principle than the actual thing. Like, you know, if I got a dollar sitting here, it's a dollar, but it's my dollar. I wouldn't expect nobody to take it. That's an unfortunate situation. We got a great front office and great media PR staff that will figure it all out. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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