NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HAWKS VS. BUCKS

June 24, 2021

Nate McMillan

Atlanta Hawks

Practice Day

Q. I know last night you mentioned you guys kind of needing to do a better job defending the paint moving forward. I was just wondering what stood out to you on film today in that regard.

NATE McMILLAN: It all starts with controlling the basketball, doing a better job of keeping the ball in front. They had 70 points in the paint last night, which is a huge number. We know they are a downhill team that gets to the paint. So it starts with us controlling the ball. Weak side has to do a better job of being connected, taking away cuts and rolls to the basket.

So even though we won that game last night, we know that we're going to have to be much better on the defensive end of the floor.

Q. How close were you to pulling the trigger on Cam Reddish last night and getting him in the rotation? And then what kept you from not getting him some minutes on the floor?

NATE McMILLAN: Cam has been out for three, four months. We've got guys that are in the rotation that have played well and done some good things for us. Cam being back on the bench, we're not going to throw him out in a situation like that solo. Tony [Snell], Gallinari, those guys have done a great job being in the rotation. So it was no rush or sense of urgency to put Cam back out there.

Q. John Collins' play in the second half of a lot of playoff games this year has really been strong, particularly on the boards with some key offensive rebounds. Can you just sort of talk about his evolution in this postseason, what he's meant to this run?

NATE McMILLAN: He's been great for us. As you mentioned, second half really being aggressive on the boards. When teams are switching and doing the swings that they are trying to do on the defensive end of the floor to really cover Trae, a lot of times they are trapping and switching a small on John and the big on Trae.

John has taken advantage of that in the post scoring, or he has taken advantage of that on the offensive glass. So when teams are playing small ball and trying to guard John with the smallest player, he has really done a great job of taking advantage of that, whether he was posting up or getting on the offensive glass. His ability to spread the floor in pick-and-rolls, the versatility of the pick-and-pop game when a five is guarding him, he has done a great job of recognizing that and taking advantage of who is guarding him out on the floor.

I think our guys as a whole, they've done a better job of recognizing what the defense has given them and going to that matchup. And you have to win those matchups when you get them.

Q. The other thing is it's easy in sports for athletes to say I'm going to put the whole contract situation aside and just play, but it's sometimes not easy to carry out. John has done a really good job doing that. Is that something you had to talk to him about, to not be distracted by what might be down the road?

NATE McMILLAN: Honestly, the first time I've thought about John's contract, you mentioned -- really.

Q. I didn't mean you being distracted. I meant him.

NATE McMILLAN: The reason for saying that is because he has not once showed a concern or talked about his contract, or I've [never] felt that he is out there playing for a contract. He's not asking for the ball more. He's not complaining when he's not getting the ball. He's been just playing this entire season. I really haven't thought about John's contract. His play is not something that we're seeing because of his contract.

The kid is just out there. He gives everything he has when he's out on the floor. I have not thought about his contract not one moment until you just mentioned that here with that question.

Q. That's the good news, right?

NATE McMILLAN: Yeah, that's great news.

Q. You all have done so well in close games in these playoffs. It seems like every time it's down to the wire, you pull it out. Why do you think you've been as effective as you have down the stretch in some of these down-to-the-wire games?

NATE McMILLAN: I think our guards have done a good job of getting us organized. We are executing down the stretch on both ends of the floor, and that's what it takes. Defensively, you've got to get stops. You've got to be connected on the defensive end of the floor with getting stops, rebounding the basketball and offensively executing. The guards have done a good job of getting us organized.

Last night they went to a switching defense. So you've got to find where your mismatch is at, and you have to take advantage of that. You've got to win your mismatch, and we were able to do that. If we did miss, John did a great job of really rebounding the basketball with smalls trying to box him out. It's execution, and we've been able to do that.

Q. It seems you all have been really loose, with Trae with the three-pointer and the dunk off the backboard pass. Do you like seeing your team playing as loose as it is in these kind of pressure situations?

NATE McMILLAN: I like the way my team is playing, whether it's loose or -- I like the way they're playing, playing with energy, executing out there. I like the way they're playing.

Q. What's the most impressive part on last night's game about the way that you handled that situation? Also, what are the steps, especially from the second half of the season, to being a championship-caliber team right now?

NATE McMILLAN: Again, I think Trae is showing growth. I think our team is showing growth, in the sense of how to handle situations like that going down the stretch and playing in close games. They're pretty clear on what they need to do on both ends of the floor, understanding the time and score situation. They're connected. They're getting organized on the offensive end of the floor, running sets. They have done a good job of recognizing what the defense has given them. They've done a good job of recognizing where we want to go with the ball, who we want to get involved in our sets.

So a lot of that starts with our point guard. Starts with Trae on the offensive end, getting us organized and executing the sets. Then on the defensive end of the floor, all five guys being connected, knowing what we need to do going down the stretch.

Q. I hate getting into percentages of guy's health, but you've got Bogey at less than 100 percent. Is a less-than-full-strength Bogey still better than no Bogey at all?

NATE McMILLAN: Absolutely. Absolutely. What he has given us in the last few games has been -- I think has been a difference in us winning these games. He still is able to raise his arms and let that ball fly. Defensively, he's still given us some good play on the defensive end of the floor. I think last night he gave us 20 minutes.

Absolutely, having him out on the floor helps us tremendously.