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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: WARRIORS vs ROCKETS

May 24, 2018

Mike D'Antoni

Houston, Texas: Game Five

Q. You mentioned yesterday that you'd probably stick with the seven-guy rotation depending on how it goes. What are the things that you look for to sort of monitor whether guys need to get maybe more of their normal rest or they can keep going to the 42-44 minute range?
MIKE D'ANTONI: I talk to them and make sure they're okay and do they need a rest, use my timeouts where I can rest them. If somebody's crying over there, maybe I'll take him out. I don't know. Just kind of look at the face. A lot of them won't tell you.

But also look at how they're playing. If they miss a shot and I think it's because of tired legs, then I'll give them a quick blow and get them back in there. Just stuff like that.

Q. You mentioned the timeouts, so the long national timeouts?
MIKE D'ANTONI: Helps, yeah.

Q. They're a big factor?
MIKE D'ANTONI: Yeah. When you go with the two mandatories and we only have a minute timeout and the third one in the quarter, that would be nice if we get a two-minute timeout. But that's all right. We'll try to use all of them just to rest our guys.

Q. We asked you so much about defense and the improvements, but I don't think we asked you a lot about Chris Paul and just the impact it had adding him defensively with all of his defensive reputation. What did that do when you put him on your defense, and you're obviously trying to improve it week by week, game by game?
MIKE D'ANTONI: Well, it helps two of three ways. One, just he's smart and he talks through everything, able to adjust in a game, able to talk to the guys and understanding what a screw-up is. It's easier on film the day after, but sometimes that's too late. He's able to dissect it right there and talk about it, get everybody on board, make sure everybody knows.

So it's another coach on the floor, both offensively and defensively. One of the best steal leaders of all time, and he's got great hands. So he'll come up. Then he has a will that sometimes in the game you don't know when it will be, but sometimes he'll strip somebody or get a rebound and do something defensively that will change the complexion of the game.

So you can't really put a value. That's why I think at a certain point you just call people winners. He's a winner, and those are the intangibles that he brings that makes him a winner.

Q. Clint Capela was such a big part of what you guys did this season. But it seems like in this series some of the best stretches have been when you played PJ Tucker at center and stuff like that. Do you anticipate doing more of that? Have you kind of looked and found ways where you think Capela could make an impact?
MIKE D'ANTONI: I think he can make an impact no matter what. Because they're small and switching everything, and standing underneath him, it takes a little bit of the pick-and-roll away. We can get a little bit better hitting the bottom and slipping and stuff like that.

But, no, can't play PJ more because that means Clint has to play less, and we're only playing seven guys. So he has to play his share.

Last game was only about 22 minutes. He needs to play 30 to take some load off other guys, especially PJ. PJ played 46 minutes, and that's -- whatever he played, and that's asking a lot. So we'll keep going with Clint no matter what. He's valuable no matter what. He'll keep somebody occupied, or defensively he needs to be, you know, in tune, which he is, and he guards pretty well on the perimeter.

So there would be no reason not to play him a lot, other than the other lineups have been going well. Sometimes it's just matchups and you can't get around it.

Q. What's going on with your guys when after a blowout loss they assure us, hey, we're fine. After a great win, they say, hey, that was great. We've moved on. They just seem to have this unique ability to shelf what just happened and immediately look ahead. Have you recognized that, and what kind of advantage is that for your team?
MIKE D'ANTONI: No, that's something we've tried to talk about all year. But it's also got to be in the players. It's hard to instill something in them. But I think any team that gets this far has to have that mentality. I'm sure you go in the Golden State locker room they've got the same thing going on, Cleveland's locker room, Boston's locker room, they've got the same thing.

You don't get this far unless you stay emotionally calm, have short memories. It's almost play to play. Not even game to game, but play to play. Something happened where they had a run, like we're down 12-0, and so what, and now let's get something on. It's the players and their ability to be able to just put everything in a category and keep going over.

Q. This matchup this whole series coaching against Steve Kerr, it's a matchup of different ideologies of basketball. Have you talked a little bit --
MIKE D'ANTONI: You know, we're both trying to win, right? So...

Q. I just wanted to hear a little bit about what pushes a coach down a certain avenue, playing the way you play versus the way the Warriors do? Is it personnel?
MIKE D'ANTONI: Yeah, I think the obvious answer to your question now is personnel, you try to do certain things. Steve plays his guys perfectly, and there are a lot of catch-and-shoot movements, and getting guys open. Where we have some of the best one-on-one players in the league, so we try to maximize that, without abusing them, without getting too deep in the shot clock. But we try to put a framework out there.

I probably didn't explain it really well. But when we iso and everything and what we do, we still try to get threes, layups and foul shots. We think that's the best. Our iso guys gives James the unique ability to get to the rim and kick out, Chris's ability to read and also kicking out. Now, we do allow Chris to take advantage because he's so good at it. But there are little exceptions, just because they're efficient.

But we're lucky to have guys like James, who still has threes, layups and fouls. That's what he does. Whether it's isos, ball movement or whatever. And we'll stick to that philosophy.

Q. Any particular reason why home court means less in the Western Finals than it does the East?
MIKE D'ANTONI: No, not really (laughing).

Q. Care to elaborate?
MIKE D'ANTONI: Well, maybe. I mean, you've got a young team, and it's easier to play at home, I'm guessing. I have no clue. Just both these teams, our guys, them, they've been through every adverse element role during the regular season. I'm sure they're facing a hostile environment every game. With us, same thing. So it's not -- other than that.

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