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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: WARRIORS vs ROCKETSMay 24, 2018Eric GordonJames HardenHouston, Texas: Game Five Rockets - 98, Warriors - 94 Q. James, what does it mean to you, and what is the mindset now that y'all are one win away from reaching The Finals? JAMES HARDEN: For us, nothing changes. You know, we just take game by game, possession by possession, try to compete our butts off, and give ourselves the best chance. We've been doing it since Game 1, and nothing changes for us. Q. Guys, you know the saying it's more than just basketball. Can you talk about the moment before the game tonight, sharing the moment of silence for Santa Fe? JAMES HARDEN: Yeah, man, it's extremely emotional. What those kids had to go through, we can only imagine how devastated they were and just to be in their position. So we wanted to come out and give them light. Put smiles on their face. Clear their minds a little bit. But, you know, there is a lot of crazy stuff that goes on in this world that we've just got to be better. Q. James, as a great scorer, when you watch Chris Paul operate against the shot clock as it runs down, explain just the degree of difficulty, not only of some of the shots, but of working against the clock in some of those situations? JAMES HARDEN: That's the most difficult shots you can imagine. From the shot clock to Game 5 in the Western Conference Finals, over taller defenders. But he's been doing it all year long, and he just manages to get those shots off and make big plays. He was built for it. Q. For Eric, he limped off with the hamstring injury, and we don't know if he can play for the rest of the series. Mike said you'll be a playmaker if Chris can't make it. Are you ready for a role of that nature? ERIC GORDON: Yeah, well, my role doesn't change whether I start or whether I come off the bench. It's all about being aggressive and being a playmaker. So I'm always ready. Q. At this point of the series, you've played them so much, you know them so well, how tough is it to run the offense that you've been running for most of the year? Does it feel like for both sides you just know everything they're going to do and they know everything you're going to do? JAMES HARDEN: Yeah, it's about who can get the stops and the easy buckets. I think most of their points or a lot of their points were in transition. They're trying to do a pretty good job of, as we score or take bad shots or we turn the ball over, they're trying to push the basketball. So two really good teams, especially defensively, and then offensively just whoever makes the plays. Q. These last two games have been tight coming down to the last minutes. Defense heavy, slower than expected. How tough is your guys' mental toughness right now as a team? Again, you've been building toward this type of mentality for the last two or three years? JAMES HARDEN: We're showing it. We're showing it. Can't explain it, can't talk about it, we just go out there and show it. We've been having that motto all year. We don't really talk a lot. We just go out there and play hard and prove people wrong. I mean, that's all we can do up to this point as well. Game 6, we know the atmosphere. We know how crazy it's going to be. We know what's at stake. But we're going to go out there and shoot our shots. If they fall, they fall. That's a bonus. But defensively, if we lock in like we've been doing, yeah, we've got a chance. Q. Obviously you're not shooting the three ball the way you usually do. JAMES HARDEN: I'm not? Q. I'm being kind. Anything you feel -- JAMES HARDEN: Who cares? No. Nothing I feel -- Q. You can't look at anything -- JAMES HARDEN: Nothing. I'm just missing shots. But we're winning, and I'm trying to compete on the defensive end and do other things to help my team win. But if we've got a guy like Eric Gordon making shots and being aggressive, who cares. Q. Can you talk more about that? All season long you've been talking about your defense, and that's kind of the key to this game, to this team. Both teams, both shooters, a lot of shots didn't fall. Can you talk about the impact the defense has? JAMES HARDEN: Yeah, both teams are playing their guys heavy minutes. So, shots will fall or not, whatever, who cares. But I think whoever can buckle down and get stops consecutively and create opportunities with their defense is going to win or have a chance at winning games. The last two games, we've done that. ERIC GORDON: Yeah, you can't forget. We're a veteran team. We just know what to do. We know what it takes to win. We definitely pride ourselves on defense, so it can create a lot of opportunities on offense. That's what we pride ourselves on. Q. Eric, you made the late three, the last Rockets' bucket in the last game, and again, late three, even later tonight. Is there any different feeling as you're setting up and taking those shots in that situation than you might have felt throughout the game? Are you very aware of what's at stake as you take that shot, or is it just the next one? ERIC GORDON: Yeah, definitely. You know, like I said, this is a game full of runs. I remember the last game I had come off a set of screens with CP. He hits me and I'm wide open for a three. James, same thing tonight. Penetrates, they kind of sag off, and he hits me for a three. So it's more about chemistry and looking for me, and I'm just -- I've just got to be prepared to knock down a shot. Q. Kind of along those lines, throughout your career you've been on a lot of teams that have been rebuilding or losing. What have these last two runs in the playoffs meant for you personally later in your career to have these opportunities on this stage? ERIC GORDON: Yeah, definitely means a lot. Being here has just been a blessing, and really get to show my opportunity of what I can do. It's just been great. Been healthy here and we've been winning. It's just great to be a part of a situation like this. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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