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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: WARRIORS vs ROCKETS

May 20, 2018

Mike D'Antoni

Oakland, California: Game Three

Q. In the last game some of your guys were typically catch and shoot, three-point shooters who were getting off the dribble, getting to the rim a little bit more. Is that something in switching defense you need Trevor [Ariza] to look for his chances to drive and penetrate or PJ [Tucker] move without the ball and that kind of thing?
MIKE D'ANTONI: Well, it depends on how hard they close out. If they close out and run you off the three, we'll do it. If they give us a three, we'll take the three, obviously. It's just every situation, make a good basketball decision.

Q. We talked to James [Harden] about the importance of bringing the energy before the shots begin to fall. How important is that when you're on a road environment, particularly maybe this environment against this team?
MIKE D'ANTONI: Well, you know, so far the team that's the most aggressive out there has been the winner. It's doubly important now that they're in a hole, and they're going to be desperate. It's important for them and so are we. I just think the team that can impose their will and have a sustained energy of 48 minutes, and we try to do what we do, I'm sure they're going to try to do what they do harder, and just see who does it best.

Q. What have been the keys to keeping them from their transition game that they want to go to so much, like in Game 2, that allowed you guys to not give up so many threes in transition?
MIKE D'ANTONI: I think two things: Obviously, we make a point of getting back, but it starts with not turning the ball over, and then we made shots. Now when you make shots, the less rebounds, the less chances they have to run. So three things that we try to do and hopefully we do it again.

Q. As you said a minute ago, the team that brought the most force won the game in the first two. What happens when force and force --
MIKE D'ANTONI: Should be a great game, shouldn't it? I mean, it's just whoever makes the big shots in big times, big plays. Sometimes, you know, you get two very good teams, and it should be a great game.

Q. You talk about you, understandably with it being the playoffs, you come in a day earlier than you would in the regular season. Why did you guys do that? Also, are you -- with basketball being indoors, do you subscribe to the Hoosiers' theory that it's the same court, same rims or --
MIKE D'ANTONI: Wow, you're really reaching, aren't you (laughing)? We have a lot of great outside shooters, right, but we play indoors, that's the problem?

Q. No, my point is, is home court really that big of a deal?
MIKE D'ANTONI: Not home court, per se, no. Somebody asked me, Oracle's tough to play, isn't it? Yeah, because the Warriors play here. Yeah, it's going to be hard. It would be hard on any court. But there is a certain energy that their fans will give them, and moments that they hit two or three threes, you can get a buzz going that helps the he home team. You just have to try to keep the crowd out as much as you can. That's why veteran players are good, because they can feed off that energy too.

It's an energy out there. It's not for you, but our guys will try to lock in on that and try to run with it.

Q. And on the coming in a day early?
MIKE D'ANTONI: A day early is just, it just eliminates if something happens to the plane. We could, why not, get in at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. It's a two-hour time zone, why not. It just made sense, and it's San Francisco.

Q. Yesterday you mentioned because you play every other day now, you might extend your rotation. What are the challenges of rationing minutes in this situation?
MIKE D'ANTONI: Just make them good minutes. We're not saving anybody for later on. We've just got to make sure we're efficient with it, and if we can steal a couple minutes for guys to be able to finish the game at a very high level, that's what we'll try do. But everybody's prepared to go in the high, minute-wise, high range. But we have guys that are capable and ready to go.

Q. Eric Gordon, what type of player is he in your system? What are some of the positive things that stood out in your mind about him?
MIKE D'ANTONI: Well, he is a big key why the last two years we've done really well. One, he stayed healthy, which he has been very good. When he's been healthy, he's been very good on any team, so we knew that. He came off the bench without posing any problems. He's a starter in this league. He has always been, so he was willing to do that for the team.

He's one of the better defensive players. You can't back him down, so now we can switch because that's not a mismatch when a big guy drags him down. As a matter of fact, he gets ticked off if we try to help him or send help, he gets mad at us and he wants to defend. Then, obviously shooting and deep playing and put it on the floor. I mean, he's just a very good basketball player, so one more guy that we have that has played at an All-Star level. He's been really good.

Q. Game 2, even with the blow up that you guys had, it was really about a seven-man rotation. What do you need to see from Ryan [Anderson] and/or Luc [Mbah a Moute] to be able to stick with them a little more, because at some point you might need either of those guys or both to step up the rest of the series?
MIKE D'ANTONI: I mean, Luc especially, we talked about it, he's battling coming back from an injury that happened to him twice. So it's not easy to throw him right in the middle of the playoffs. But I know that he can, for almost three-fourths of the year before he got hurt, he was really an important part, if not -- I mean, super important. So we definitely want to keep him in there and try to get him back to the level that he was.

What keeps you in games is you better play well. Especially the second game, that was a must game, so I'm pretty tight anyway. So as soon as an error in something goes up or you miss an assignment on defense you might be coming out, because we do have guys that have been playing well. So just be more consistent, be steadier, just do what they do and be who you are.

Sometimes also the matchups dictate it. Ryan's ready to go, but it's a different type of series, so he'll just have to wait until his time or today or same with him.

Q. Chris [Paul] seems to be dealing with a little bit of a nagging issue down his lower leg, his foot area. I know he's not on the injured list and he's going to play. But do you have to watch him more than you normally would because he's dealing with the issue there?
MIKE D'ANTONI: Oh, you know, we'll always watch him; but, no, we talked, there is nothing wrong at all. He's just made sure he's fine going in. He knows his body really well. He knows how to regulate it. We talk about it, but we're not going to win without him. So if he's got to limp and drag his leg to the finish line, so be it, and he's ready to do that. I don't perceive any problem, but you never know with anybody. But he's ready to go.

Q. Just a follow-up on Luc, are some of his struggles physical that he's still dealing with with the shoulder, or how much of it is just you miss a month and you have to now get it full speed at a time you're halfway through the playoffs?
MIKE D'ANTONI: I think it's a combination of both, without a doubt. Very little practice because we don't practice a lot in the playoffs. He is dealing with an injury that happened twice to him, and I'm sure I've never had my shoulder dislocated, but I'm sure it's not pleasant. He's just trying to get through that. Especially with the shoulders when you have to get through picks and you're hitting people and you're using force, sometimes he wanted to dunk and at the last minute said oh, maybe that's not a good idea, and it kind of throws you off. So I think he's just dealing with it and we've got to get him through it.

But I'll stick with him and trust him because he deserves that. He's one of the reasons why we're here, and we won 65 games. So we'll just see how that goes.

Q. Curious who are the guys that you depend on when things get kind of chaotic and crazy that can help you and the coaching staff keep the rest of the guys kind of calm and focused and even keel?
MIKE D'ANTONI: I don't know. I guess they're even keeled. I don't know. You mean guys on the team?

Q. Yeah, yeah.
MIKE D'ANTONI: They all bring something to the table. They're all veterans and they've been there. Like PJ Tucker is a big voice on defense, and he's also -- he holds people accountable. James both ways. Chris is one of the smarter point guards ever, and he brings what he knows. Gerald's [Green] just happy to be here, you know.

We've just got some good guys and each have a role. Luc is [one of them] but he's quiet. Clint [Capela] understands where he is on the totem pole, and there is nothing but positive things coming out of them. These guys understand the larger, bigger objective, and we're heading toward that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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