NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: LAKERS VS. NUGGETS

September 19, 2020

Michael Porter

Denver Nuggets

Practice Day

Q. Malone just referred to your growth over these last three rounds as remarkable, specifically on the defensive end. How would you assess your postseason through its ups and downs? How would you grade where your postseason is at?

MICHAEL PORTER, JR.: I mean, I'm not really thinking about that right now. I'm just trying to get through it and help our team win a championship. I'll grade myself after the season is over.

Q. Coach Malone was just talking about how obviously transition defense is going to be a big adjustment for you guys going into this Game 2. But when it comes to preparing for that, is there actually any practice you can do towards transition defense, or is it just a mental thing that you have to have going into the game?

MICHAEL PORTER, JR.: It's mostly just an awareness that we have to have, especially for us guys that crash the offensive glass, be selective with that and just make sure we're getting back because they are a great transition team and they hurt us last game with that. So, we've just got to be more aware.

Q. Along those same lines, how important was it that you saw that firsthand and were able to feel what that looks like out on the court to now be able to know what you have to do to slow it down?

MICHAEL PORTER, JR.: Yeah, first games of a series, you always try to see what the other team comes with, and you want to win every game. But we saw them firsthand how they are playing and we just made our adjustments and hopefully we come into the next game and execute a little better.

Q. After Game 1 what about the approach would you like to change?

MICHAEL PORTER, JR.: My approach or the team's approach?

Q. Team's approach?

MICHAEL PORTER, JR.: We just have to come in and be more aggressive. They came in and they were the aggressors last game and they got what they wanted and they executed their game plan and in some ways took us out of ours. Next game, we need to try to be the imposers and stick to what we know, stick to our game plan and we will be all right.

Q. How much more confident and comfortable are you at this juncture of the postseason than you were at the beginning of this playoff run?

MICHAEL PORTER, JR.: It's about the same. I try never to lose my confidence. You know, shots, I'm going to miss shots. I'm going to make mistakes, but you can never let your confidence leave you. And for me, I've just got to -- we've just got to calm down as a team this next game and execute.