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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: TRAIL BLAZERS VS. WARRIORS

May 17, 2019

Damian Lillard

Portland, Oregon - Practice Day

Q. Where are you at mentally?
DAMIAN LILLARD: I'm in a good space. I mean, obviously we look at last night and we let one get away. Played much better in the second game than we did in the first, and they won both games on their home floor. I think that's the best approach to have is understanding what we did to give ourselves a chance and what hurt us and allowed us to let the game slip. But now we've just got to protect our home floor like they did.

Q. What stood out to you on the film when you watched it?
DAMIAN LILLARD: I mean, I thought we -- our defensive game plan was really good. Our communication, our activity was really good. Obviously we led for a lot of the game. But just the second-chance opportunities, I think they had like 13 offensive rebounds and they were 9 for 11 for like 20-something points in the second opportunities. That really hurt us. I think down the stretch when they made their run and kind of took the lead at the end of the game, offensively we were getting good looks. We didn't make shots, and to beat them you've got to play great offense. And I thought we played good enough offense, we just didn't finish with makes at the end of those possessions, and when we missed, we kind of struggled defensively in that same stretch. We had some miscommunications that were back-door dunks. Two guys go to the ball, they throw it to the guy setting the screen and then it was like two on one on the backside. So we had been sharp in that the entire game, and then when our shots didn't fall down the stretch, that was when we had the slip-ups at the same time and that really hurt us.

Q. Knowing that you were getting the shots that you wanted as a team, does that make you feel happy with sort of where the game plan is at going into Game 3 or do you feel like you still need to make adjustments?
DAMIAN LILLARD: I wouldn't say you're happy with it because we ended up losing the game. But I think we're encouraged by that being the situation, knowing that we had our opportunities, and also understanding what allowed us to break down at the end of the game. You know, maybe against another team, we had that situation, maybe we still squeak out of there with a win. But against a championship team, a team with really smart players, they're throwing the ball to Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala who are championship players. They're thinking, they're seeing what's going on, and then they've got two great all-time shooters out there, as well. This is not the team you're going to get away with those slip-ups against. But we should be encouraged. Going into the fourth down six in Game 1 with an opportunity in that game, and then last game we pretty much had the game. We had the game, and it was more of us breaking down and missing shots than it was them just coming and taking it away.

Q. You had a series against them, three years ago, second round series. You guys led for like 60 percent of the series. This kind of has that feel. What is it about them that is hard to kill?
DAMIAN LILLARD: I mean, they go on runs. I mean, we had a 15-point lead at halftime. They're a third quarter team. They go on big runs. Even when they went on that run, we still went into the fourth tied and we took the lead in the fourth quarter, so we weathered that storm, but it's just always that possibility of them having a quick run. You've got to score points when they do that.

Obviously you do your best to slow them down and they do a lot of running around and screening and they crash the glass, but you've got to score back, and I thought down the stretch, we got looks. We got shots. They just didn't fall. And when they don't fall, you've got to go on the other end and be that much sharper, and we just didn't come up with the stops for the amount of shots we were missing.

Q. What did you think about what Meyers gave you last night, especially in the second half?
DAMIAN LILLARD: I thought he played really well. Obviously having a guy out there where you're throwing it back who's a really good shooter. Him, ET [Evan Turner], I thought both of those guys did a great job. But Meyers was aggressive. He was assertive. I think that's how you've got to be when you're playing in this type of series.

Q. Knowing the adversity this team has sort of already overcome and the way you guys have come together as a team, does that give you some confidence despite being down 2-0 to a team like the Warriors?
DAMIAN LILLARD: I mean, our confidence is there. I think that showed in both games. Obviously the first game we didn't play like we wanted to. Last game we were the better team in Game 2, and we let the game slip away. They won the game. But I mean, like I said, it was both games on their home floor, and in the Playoffs you always say protect your home court, and now we've got the opportunity to do the same thing. We've just got to focus on tomorrow, go get this first one at home.

Q. I can't remember all the plays, but like late -- there was that one where you and ET went with Curry, and then there was also an inbounds where you guys got all mixed up. I think you were on Iggy, Seth was on Looney and they ended up getting a lob. Is that you guys or is that something that they're just good at doing and getting you guys in the wrong place?
DAMIAN LILLARD: I'm not sure about the first one. The first one what happened?

Q. You and ET both went up with Curry.
DAMIAN LILLARD: I mean, that's just communication on our part. I mean, it was Steph and it was Iggy, and the whole game we had been switching that out. But when I saw Evan, his head was turned, so I didn't want to put him in a position where I said, you take him, and then I take Iggy --

Q. Because you both went 'my fault.'
DAMIAN LILLARD: Yeah because his head was turned, so I didn't want to put him in a position where I said, you go out, and then he's kind of caught off guard, and then I'm in position where I'm in a good spot but then I put him in a bad position. So I assumed he wouldn't see it, and then at the last second he saw Steph coming off and he went and I was already pursuing. That was one of our slip-ups. That was one of the things that happened. And then on the other end we had just missed a shot, know what I'm saying?

Q. What about on the inbounds, though? Do you know which one I'm talking about?
DAMIAN LILLARD: I'm not sure.

Q. Ended up getting a lob --
DAMIAN LILLARD: To Looney, Draymond threw it to Looney.

Q. You got caught on Iggy, Curry was on Looney --
DAMIAN LILLARD: I mean, we did a lot of switching, you know, and it was probably somebody got caught behind, and it was working for us, just got caught in a bad position.

Q. It seems like it's been a while since you guys have been at home.
DAMIAN LILLARD: Man, it does. Like a week.

Q. How excited are you to get back home and what do you think that atmosphere is going to be like?
DAMIAN LILLARD: I was just excited to get back in my bed, man. Like you said, during the regular season you go on road trips, but in the postseason it's two games max. We just basically had a three-game road trip, all tough games, so it felt good to be back home. It'll be fun to get back in front of our crowd, get that energy on our side. Our mentality just has to be to be sharp, be focused and go out there and play to win. Let them know we can beat you and play with that type of attitude and that confidence, and also understand that just because we're at home it's not going to happen. We've got to go out there and make it happen.

Q. Do comments like Kevin Durant's at the end of Game 2 last night kind of give you extra motivation going into the next game?
DAMIAN LILLARD: What, when he said Finals or whatever? Hey, man, people can say what they want to say. He can do all the talking he want to do. I mean, it is what it is.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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