NBA FINALS: LAKERS VS. HEAT

September 30, 2020

Frank Vogel

Los Angeles Lakers

Game 1: Postgame

Los Angeles Lakers - 116, Miami Heat - 98

Q. What did you notice after that first time-out when Miami came out with the 23-10 lead and you came back without LeBron, and how that unit turned the game from that point?

FRANK VOGEL: They just played with great energy and confidence. We got off to a little bit of a slow start with our pick-and-roll coverages to start the game, but our bench has been good for us all year. Kuzma and Rondo came in and Alex, those guys brought great energy. Helped us get stops and get out on the break some. Rondo orchestrated a few buckets for us and helped turn the game around.

Q. You emphasized the defense all season long, second and third quarters especially. What did you notice about the way that those units played?

FRANK VOGEL: The effort. Our guys are just hustling their tails off, flying around on the defensive end, and then playing effort offense, as well. Really pushing the tempo on the break, attacking the paint, and crashing the boards. Just the pace of the game really picked up in those two quarters, and obviously they were the difference makers.

Q. Knowing what you know about these guys, is there any chance that there could be any complacency that comes in because of a win like this? Do you have to guard against that or do you not even need to worry about that with them?

FRANK VOGEL: Well, we always guard against that but in particular because of how much respect we have for this basketball team, not just their starting group but for their bench. The guys that came in towards the end there, really got them off to a great start in their season, Nunn and Olynyk, Solomon Hill was acquired later, but we have great respect for those guys. We know that this is just one win. We are happy that we got one win but obviously we have to keep our foot on the gas.

Q. Anthony Davis said, KCP saved us, and he was referring to the two threes he hit when you were down early that seemed to get you going. Zooming out of that, how big has his shooting been in these playoffs? I think he's above 40 percent.

FRANK VOGEL: Yeah, it's been needed. It's been a great lift for us in this playoff run. In particular in the first quarter we were struggling to score a little bit. We got some clean looks early, but couldn't knock them down. But I think Kenny had 10 points in the quarter. When you're struggling to score, for a guy to step up and make some plays like that on the offensive end, just gave us a big lift. With the guys that came in and subbed in, they helped turn that quarter around.

But Kenny's value is on the defensive end. The tone he sets and how hard he plays defensively, really is infectious to our group and I think that carried out probably most in particular to start the third quarter, but throughout the game as well.

Q. What's the key to sustaining a run? All teams go on runs but to be able to extend it out, 75-30, the run you guys went on, is it keeping the guys' energy up in time-outs? What allows you to make it be that long?

FRANK VOGEL: Our guys are just motivated during that stretch. Obviously, we didn't sustain it into the fourth quarter, but it's tough to do, especially in the playoffs against good teams. I think the key is keeping fresh bodies in, understanding the threats that are coming at us. Every time you go on a run like that, the other team's coach is going to change the game. The next 10-point run is going to be different than the first 10-point run. They are going to put different guys in there. They are going to change coverages. They are going to change defensive scheme, run different action and you have to win each segment of the game a different way. That holds true for the series, as well.

We are going to have to win Game 2 differently than we did Game 1. That's probably the biggest key.

Q. A lot of guys were talking about, and especially in the first half when you were getting shooting from all over the roster, it's their first time playing in this setting -- well, not this setting, but the Finals. You were talking about guys sort of being champions before they are champions, but is there a part of you as a coach that's just sort of waiting to see like when they get in that situation how they are going to react, and what do you make of how those guys reacted?

FRANK VOGEL: A little bit of me is eager to see what guys are made of, but honestly, we talked about it this morning, when you have big games throughout your career, you really just think about it all day. But once the ball is thrown up and you get between those lines, you're just playing basketball.

You know, this is our 27th game in the bubble, played three exhibition games, 8 seeding games, 15 playoff games, so this is the 27th time we went through our process. You watched film in the morning, walk through a couple of actions. Some guys get shots, some guys go back to the room, go through the process of the pregame stuff, and the ball gets thrown up and we play and do what we've done for the last three months.

I think you think about it a little bit in the days leading up to it, but once you get in that moment, just play basketball.

Q. A lot of talk has been about LeBron trying to win a title for the third time with a third different team, but Danny Green is also a three-time Finals guy. What is it about his skill that fits so well when you're trying to win a championship?

FRANK VOGEL: Well, he's a winner. He makes winning plays on a regular basis, provides a defensive toughness, rebounding, all those types of things. His great IQ and understanding. You know, he's either going to blast you from the three-point line or carry the threat to blast you from the three-point line and that just helps your offense.

No surprise Danny has had so much team success throughout his career. He's just a winning player.

Q. We've gone all this way and we haven't really mentioned Anthony Davis's game. What did you think of his play in his first Finals appearance, and what allowed him to have such a big game tonight?

FRANK VOGEL: I mean, they play small a lot. Obviously if we start big, he's got a smaller matchup on him. I think it starts there, but in terms of like his success tonight.

But he's just a great player, you know what I mean. The moment doesn't change things for him. His approach is the same. He's focused, locked in, can really hurt you in a variety of ways offensively. Leads the charge for us to play effort offense, running the floor, crashing the boards, rolling hard, attacking it in the post. His ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter, the way that's grown throughout our season has been invaluable to us, and he's a Jack of all trades on the defensive end. He really just impacts both sides of the ball, and obviously the bigger the moment, he's just raising his play.

Q. Before the game, you kept it close to the vest in terms of the starting center. What ultimately led to the decision with Dwight and the thought process behind it?

FRANK VOGEL: Well, we wanted to win Game 1. We typically start a series kind of traditional, the way we would throughout the regular season, and we've done that a few times throughout these playoffs. But this team is 6-0 in the first two games of the playoff series in each round. They went 2-0, 2-0, 2-0 in the first three rounds.

There's a little bit of added importance for me in terms of Game 1, and as to why we made that switch really came down to their second unit. Their second unit plays small with either Iguodala at the five or even Kelly Olynyk, who is a three-point shooting big.

We liked what our lineups looked like with Markieff Morris at the five or AD at the five against the small ball look that we saw in Houston.

Came down to really only playing one of our two centers. Dwight had a great finish in the Denver series. He's a physical, imposing presence on one of their best players in Bam Adebayo, so we decided to go with Dwight in the role.