	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 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: RAPTORS VS. BUCKS

May 25, 2019

Mike Budenholzer

Toronto, Ontario - Pregame 6

Q. How have you tried to help the guys channel their emotions heading into this game?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: I think even though it is obviously a must-win, you still keep a lot of your normal routines. Go through film, look at areas where we can prepare, do your jobs. Just think about what we need to do a little bit better to have the outcome that we want.

Q. Nick Nurse was here talking about how the personality of his best player, Kawhi Leonard, sort of trickles down to the other Raptors and it sets a tone. Does that dynamic play out for your team as well, and if so, what's Giannis' personality going into a game like this?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: I think certainly Giannis is such a great competitor. He will do anything to win. He's done it from the start of training camp through this morning's shootaround. So I think that spirit, that competitive spirit that Giannis has at a high level -- I think his energy, his activity, the way he plays sets a tone for us, especially defensively. But I like the tone for our whole group. I think it's not just about Giannis. Our team needs to play well. Our team's personality needs to show, and I think that's what we expect tonight.

Q. Your message to your team has been: Be us. I'm curious when you have a three-game losing streak, how do you still try to preach that message when maybe there might be a lack of confidence after losing three straight?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: Being us is being great defensively. I think that's always our calling card. I think we were a lot better in Game 4 defensively. Every close game, every close playoff game, there are a few possessions, a few things you need to do a little bit better. We just need to do a few of those little things better and change the result.

I think we harken back a lot to our defense. That's who we are. That usually puts us in our best position to be good offensively. Can we execute better offensively, space better offensively and let it fly and make shots. That's who we are.

Q. In Game 5, we saw Eric Bledsoe from the start be aggressive, get out in transition. He looked like he was himself early in that game. Is that more what you'd expect to get from him tonight, and what has the conversation been with him?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: It was great to see Eric play well, for him to get off to a good start, to see his first basket go it. Then other situations like you referenced -- pushing it in transition, attacking the basket, getting kick-outs from Giannis and driving it, shooting it, playing a little more pick-and-roll.

Just generally he and I -- I don't know if you'd call it a laugh or just, Let's go out and play well again. I think when he plays hard, when he's active, when he's engaged defensively and he lets that activity and aggressiveness carry over to his offense, that's when he's at his best.

Q. Any particular threats that jump out in the three losses? Is there something in common that you've kind of nailed down that you think you can adjust or address?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: I think the three-point line and VanVleet is certainly -- I don't think it was just Game 5. I think he's played better. Norman Powell has played well off the bench. Ibaka in stretches has been really impactful. So I think maybe tracking those guys better. And again, I thought from Game 4 to Game 5, with VanVleet being the exception, we were a lot better defensively.

If we can, again, just be better in a few either possessions or situations and turn those in our favor and change the result tonight, then that's what we're looking for.

Q. Niko [Mirotic] played nine minutes last game. I'm curious how you anticipate using him tonight.
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: Yeah, obviously everybody is available. We'll do whatever we can in Game 6 to win. Niko has been great for us since we got him -- great shooting and floor spacing and a feistiness defensively. Whatever it takes tonight is what we'll do, and Niko can be a part of that.

Q. You've been talking all season about letting guys play through rough patches. Do you have to have a little bit tighter with that tonight because of the importance of every minute?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: Tonight we've just got to do whatever it takes to win a game. I think you've just got to play guys, give them confidence, let them know you believe in them. But I think there are also going to be certain guys that need to get their stretches, get their minutes. It's most important probably those core guys, and we need everybody to feed off of them and play well when they do play. But we need to do whatever it takes to win tonight.

Q. George [Hill] has played the most playoff games by a wide margin on this team. How do you try to lean on him tonight?
MIKE BUDENHOLZER: Yeah, obviously when he plays well, that's probably the most important thing we need to lean on. Just make sure George is aggressive. Be sure he's impacting the game defensively; he does so many things on that end of the court. Just the way he flies around. I think he gives us a good spirit, just a willingness to do anything. And then make shots, get out in transition -- he's done well there. And then his voice in timeouts, his voice in the locker room, I think the guys appreciate that he's played in a lot of games in multiple different organizations and on good teams and with great players. I think he's been invaluable to us, and he will be tonight.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297