|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: TRAIL BLAZERS VS. WARRIORSMay 20, 2019C.J. McCollumPortland, Oregon - Postgame 4 Golden State 119, Portland 117 Q. Can you just give us a little bit of a look inside what the team feels after coming off a season where a lot of people didn't expect you to make the playoffs? C.J. McCOLLUM: It was an interesting year to say the least. Obviously went through a lot with Mr. [Pau] Allen passing away before the season started. Our team masseuse, Annie [Peterson], gets diagnosed with cancer before the season starts; and Nurk [Jusuf Nurkic] goes down with a gruesome injury, and our video coordinator gets in a horrific car accident, and not to mention, like you said before, we weren't picked to make the playoffs, let alone get out of the first round. I think overall we improved as a team. Obviously there was some growth internally. Our organization did a good job of acquiring some key assets for us to continue to evolve and get better with some of the injuries we had. The season didn't end the way we wanted it to, getting swept, having 17-point plus leads in the third quarter in three consecutive games basically. Have to do a better job finishing games, but overall we lost to a team a lot of teams have been losing to, and we have to figure out ways to get over the hump. Q. You've lost to these guys in the playoffs a few times over the past few years. Does anything stand out to you as different about this particular Warriors team? C.J. McCOLLUM: A lot of the same. Their role players are stars in their role. They don't take shots that they are not supposed to take, they do a great job of getting their best players open, constantly looking and screening for Steph [Curry] and Klay [Thompson]. I think they have mastered how to manipulate the pick-and-roll. Once Steph gets it out of the trap, Draymond's done a great job the last seven, eight years, figuring out when to drive and attack versus when to hit the corner or throw the lob. I think that was difference in the game. Draymond made a lot of big plays. Their role players, [Kevon] Looney stepped up. [Quinn] Cook hit some big shots for them overall but the biggest thing, their championship pedigree and figuring out ways to always be in games. They shoot so many three pointers and make a lot of three pointers. They are always in the game but you can always comeback at times, as well. Overall they are a really good team. There's a reason why they have won so many games. Q. Dame [Damian Lillard] was up here talking about detail being a key factor in the Warriors game plan and this series and in the playoffs and general. Would you resonate with that same attitude, as well, that the level of detail has risen to a different level in the postseason? C.J. McCOLLUM: Yeah, they are a smart team. Defensively rarely do you get situations where you're on an island and able to attack by yourself. They are always loading up boxes and elbows and Draymond did a great job of helping throughout this series. Before Iggy [Andre Iguodala] went down, he was another guy who was active but also being in help. They force other guys to beat you, as you seen tonight, Meyers [Leonard] had a great game. But part of their game plan is to get to you get rid of the ball and put it in other guys' hands and allow them to make decisions. I think throughout out this series, we got better progressively at it, but ultimately that's what makes them a great team. They leave certain players open, and hope they can beat you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|