	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE: CLIPPERS vs WARRIORS

April 18, 2019

Doc Rivers

Los Angeles, California: Game Three

Warriors - 132, Clippers - 105

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Where did things go wrong today?
DOC RIVERS: When we showed up. Honestly, they dissected us. I just thought they were the more physical, intense team. You felt like, at least I did, they were going to come in and try to throw a punch. They did. I don't think we just responded very well to it.

We had a lot of poor shooting tonight. The one thing against them, almost a replay of Game 1 in a lot of ways, if you don't score against them, you can't beat them, no matter how your defense is. But part of the reason scoring was a struggle was because we were taking it out of bounds the entire night.

So a little bit of both.

Q. Before the game you said, If we go down 31 this time, it's not going to turn out as well.
DOC RIVERS: Yeah.

Q. Why did you think that? They put their foot on the gas and left it there?
DOC RIVERS: Well, I don't know if they did or didn't put their foot on the gas last time. We just came back, to be honest. It's just not very smart to get down by 31 (laughter).

Honestly, I don't care who you're playing, if you get down, it's hard. The better the team, it's harder. So to think you're going to do that against them is fool's gold.

I don't think that was our guys' game plan tonight, to get down and make a comeback. That wasn't in the plan. Give them credit, they just played better and they played shots.

Q. Can you talk about the decision to start JaMychal in the second half?
DOC RIVERS: I just wanted to see if I could stretch the floor. I actually liked it beginning the third. We got great shots. Remember the stretch? I think we had four or five wide-open threes, but none of them went in. Again, it's the same thing: I liked our shots better at the beginning of the third, but unfortunately they didn't go in.

Film-wise it will look good, but it didn't help us.

Q. What can your team learn from this game and what is your message heading to Game 4 on Sunday?
DOC RIVERS: You got to keep punching. That's what I told them in the locker room. You're going to get hit. We got hit tonight. We didn't throw any punches back. But that's what you have to do.

We win Sunday, it's a tied series. Again, it's a series. Thank God this is not college.

Q. Considering Zu's struggles offensively, JaMychal's good open looks at the start of the third, would you consider making that a permanent change in the starting lineup?
DOC RIVERS: I doubt it. Listen, all plays are available for us. We are trying to win each individual game. That's something we'll consider, but I doubt we'll do it.

Q. The Pat Beverley-Kevin Durant was a story in the last game. Sort of didn't show up today.
DOC RIVERS: No. I didn't like early. You could see it was going to be a tight-called game. One of our coaches saying, This is good. I said, No, this is bad. This is not going to be in our favor. Not that it was in either team's favor.

What we were at times was the more physical team. By the way, I just thought they were by far the more physical team tonight. The energy gets the advantage. I thought it was them.

Nothing materialized there. We said before the game that they're going to post some more. They did that. And he made shots.

Q. Warriors talked a lot about the defense. You see Kevin Durant have first half points without a single three. Was that more of them breaking through the top-lock defense?
DOC RIVERS: Yeah, a little bit, for sure. Instead of having them at the elbows, we said it before the game, they're going to bring him to the right box. He's going to score from there most likely.

We didn't mind some of those twos. What I didn't like was everyone was getting shots, it wasn't just him. If he gets going, and you take other guys out, then you got a chance. But everyone was getting open shots tonight.

I got to watch the film. I did see things that I thought we made mistakes on. But give them credit, they were ready for it.

Q. Obviously shooters got to keep shooting. On a night like this, does it get tough? Warriors in their heads? One of those nights? Gallo's haircut?
DOC RIVERS: Probably all, all of the above. We'll do a hair weave tonight (smiling).

We did get some good shots, but I don't think we got a lot of good shots. I thought their defense was better than our offense tonight. I think you got to give them credit. So when that happens, you start rushing shots, taking forced shots. I thought that's exactly what we did.

I don't think we made a lot of plays for each other tonight. I thought everybody wanted to win the game. That happens. But everybody wanted to win the game doing it not the way we usually do it.

Q. Are there any positives that you can take from this game that can carry over to Game 4?
DOC RIVERS: Yeah, yeah, for sure. We ended the game healthy (smiling).

Listen, Game 4 is a different game. I don't overdo these games. We won by 1, 50, still Game 4 is a new game. We have to be ready for that.

Q. I want to know how much the game transformed -- the series transformed from one game to the other? What is your message on Sunday? How do you have to come out to get this win? Jump on them early?
DOC RIVERS: Well, I don't care if we don't jump on them early. I'd like to jump on them all game. I just really thought they were the more physical team tonight, so... That will be one of my messages.

Q. Gallo was 2 of 13 offensively. Was there something you didn't like about his flow or just missing shots?
DOC RIVERS: Probably both. I always think when Gal is missing shots, number one, it's got to be something they're doing. I think we always just say, He missed shots. He did miss some shots. He had some wide-open shots.

But we got to get him even better shots. We got to give him more shots. Gallo is important offensively. Struggled in Game 2, as well. In the fourth quarter, I think he had 17 points, we win the game. That's not a coincidence.

If Gal doesn't score, we're going to struggle. We need his scoring.

Thanks, guys.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297