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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: WARRIORS vs ROCKETSMay 14, 2018James HardenChris PaulHouston, Texas: Game One Warriors - 119, Rockets - 106 Q. Steve Kerr said he couldn't make it in the NBA today because both teams are absolutely amazing. What do you think about that? And how do you see yourself playing in the '90s? CHRIS PAUL: In the '90s? I was born in '85. I don't know. You were born in the '90s. JAMES HARDEN: Chill out. I was born in '89. CHRIS PAUL: Really? Close. JAMES HARDEN: I can't answer that question. Next question. CHRIS PAUL: Sorry. Q. James, Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant took 60 of their 80 shots. How do you force their other guys to have to do a little bit more offensively? JAMES HARDEN: Just like that. We've got to be aware of who is on the court. At the same time, they made some tough shots, which we know they're going to do. But we've just got to do a better job of knowing who is on the court and trying to rotate and trying to make them take tougher shots. You look at that first half and Nick Young gets two or three open threes. We gave up a couple open layups. Those mistakes can't happen, because that's 10, 12, 15 points where they're not allowing us to get those points. They're going to make some tough shots, but we've got to do a better job of knowing who is on the floor as well. Q. James, in what ways did Draymond Green affect this game? JAMES HARDEN: I don't know. Q. He gets the technical right when he comes out of the gate, but Steve Kerr said he had a strong third quarter. Just wondering if you had any thoughts on how he impacted the run they had? JAMES HARDEN: They're a good team. Not only Draymond, but they made tough shots. I mean, I don't know. Q. You've been pretty open about the process to getting home-court advantage to the build-up to facing the Warriors. Now that they've taken the 1-0 lead, what is the reset process in the next 48 hours for you guys? CHRIS PAUL: Look at film, see what we could do better. We lost a home game first series or last series? JAMES HARDEN: Last series. CHRIS PAUL: I don't know. Obviously, it's a different team and whatnot. But for us, our focus right now is just on Game 2. Q. Mike D'Antoni was saying you guys can live with Durant scoring. They're going to have the offense. But it was the turnovers and the mental miscues that hurt you guys tonight. What is your perspective on that? JAMES HARDEN: They did a really good job. If you miss the shots or if you turn the basketball over, they're out. They're getting dunks, they're getting threes. I'm not sure how many transition points they had, but it was too many. That's what they thrive on. So we've got to do a better job of not turning the basketball over, taking better shots and getting back and matching up. There were a couple times where we didn't guard anybody, and they got a dunk or an open three. That can't happen. Q. You mentioned some of the turnovers. Those combined with some of the missed layups, how much pressure is there playing this team to have to be as close to your best, this team's best, for as much of the 48 minutes? How much pressure do they put on you to be that way? CHRIS PAUL: I don't think it's about the pressure of it. We had a lot of makeable shots and that happens in any given game. Defensively, we've got to be better. You know, it's funny, I got caught helping a couple times in the first half, and I think Nick Young hit three threes off those plays. Some games, some series, you may make those mistakes and guys don't make the shots. But tonight every time we did it, they made the shot. So for us, we're going to look at the film. A lot of it we already know. We've just got to do it better, because obviously they make you pay when you make mistakes. Q. You guys always talk about how defense is really kind of the key for you, and it's about communication? CHRIS PAUL: Right. Q. Was there some of that tonight that was just a breakdown in communication? It wasn't a lack of effort. CHRIS PAUL: Yeah, some of it was just breakdown, and we know we've got to be better. We've got to communicate better. Off some of those missed layups, you get caught in transition. And Klay would pop open and such and such. And KD and whatnot. So things that we think we can clean up and do better, because, like I said, every time we made a mistake, they made us pay. Q. You obviously had it rolling tonight. But you know you're going to need some of the role players to contribute offensively to beat the Warriors. How do you kind of manage that fine line between being aggressive and trying to keep other guys in rhythm? JAMES HARDEN: The same way we've been doing it all year. Making sure those guys have confidence going into every single game. We're all in this together, so it doesn't matter who has a bad game or who is missing shots. We're in this, whether it's myself, Chris, or anybody, keep going, keep shooting your shot and keep being aggressive. We got this far doing that and having that mindset. So we're just going to continue it. Q. How did you feel Clint Capela did in the first half when it was back and forth, switching out in space on Steph and Klay? CHRIS PAUL: He did a great job. Clint did a great job. He's moving his feet. He had a few blocks there in the first half. We're going to need that. We're going to need his energy. The lobs James gets him at the rim. So Clint was Clint. Q. What happened toward the end of the first quarter when you and Kevon Looney seemed to get tangled up there on the right block? JAMES HARDEN: I just got hit in the midsection. Couldn't really breathe, but I'm fine. Q. You had a really good view of KD tonight at both ends of the court. You played with him and you know him so well. To expend that much energy just even defending you, the way you had it rolling, what was your thought about how he was able to produce so many tough shots in the mid-range for them in this game? JAMES HARDEN: He's been doing it for so long, man. He's, what, 6-11? He can shoot over anybody. So we've got to do a better job of being more physical. Getting him off his spots. But he's going to take tough shots. We've got to do a better job of contesting and make it even harder for him. Q. Chris, you and him had a little verbal spat in the second quarter at the inbounds play. What was that about, and do you think that might have kind of lit a little fire in him after that? CHRIS PAUL: Who? Q. KD CHRIS PAUL: When? Q. Second quarter on the sideline. You told him to play ball? CHRIS PAUL: I don't remember. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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