NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CLIPPERS VS. SUNS

June 24, 2021

Reggie Jackson

LA Clippers

Game 3: Postgame

Los Angeles Clippers 106, Phoenix Suns 92

Q. How did you guys get over the hump?

REGGIE JACKSON: Just found a way to make some shots. Started taking care of the ball. They are a great team. They are a great team. They are here for a reason. We can't give them any extra opportunities, give them any easy baskets, any opportunities to transition. We had to shore up things, take care of the ball, and then we found a couple sets that we wanted to go through at the end and we were fortunate to get good shots and get them to fall.

Q. What is it about being an 0-2 team that this team is able to bounce back from 0-2?

REGGIE JACKSON: This team is resilient. We always believed. We never give in. We never say die.

Like I said, we never really have doubt. We continue to just chip away, try to chip away, try to figure out ways we can be better and try to figure out ways to impose our will on our opponents. This team is just hungry. It's always hungry to get better.

You don't know what the result is ever going to be, but I love our approach. I love the way we come out and we continue to fight and we continue to find ways to get it done collectively and we are fortunate enough to make it this far.

Q. Can you talk about Zu starting?

REGGIE JACKSON: He showed a lot of heart, a lot of heart, a lot of fight. I think getting his footing, getting comfortable in this series, you know Zu, he's intense. He's going to come out and do the best he can and he's giving everything he has for his team.

I think he's just figuring out how he can make an impact in this series; playing against Ayton, great guards over there, attacking them, Booker, Chris Paul coming downhill, Cam Payne. We are trying to find ways to foul them out and Zu is a big part of it. He's the captain of our defense and he's getting better at it.

And offensively did a great job screening and making sure that he gets downhill. Like I said, he's fearless attacking the baskets and making kick-outs when he needs to, but he had good intentions each and every time he touched the paint. So I was happy with the way he attacked. And even the dunk that came off the backboard, it's a great intent.

So like I said, it's never the result. It's always the approach. His approach was amazing tonight. He's a big part of what we do and big part of reason we got a win tonight, and hats off to the team the way they battled. Luke had big, clutch shots, timely. Everybody came in, Marcus contributing. Everybody's dealing with bumps and bruises. The way that he competed and the way that he wasn't combative about not starting today. He just came in and did everything he could.

So this team, we fought. It's been a lot of ups and downs throughout the season and we just found ways to stay alive, and that's what I'm proud of most of this team.

Q. Ty was talking about moving on; what was the plane ride like and what was the moving on process like to get ready?

REGGIE JACKSON: Plane ride was cool. Flights, I try to stay up, stay up a little bit. Just try to keep positive energy. Go around keeping positive vibes. Guys are still pretty loose. It was tough that we had a tough loss. But I think it hit us, it hit hard for a little bit, quickly. It hard quick and then guys were over it. We were already moving on to figure out how we could be better. Not just the tip play that ate at us a little bit, but plays throughout the game how we could be better, limiting their offensive rebounds, limiting their mistakes, Ayton going to the basket. Limit the paint, so many paint touches that they had.

We knew that there were so many other mistakes. We knew that one was going to be highlighted because it was the last play but that wasn't what lost us the game. I think guys were comfortable moving on from that and figuring out how we can be better, and I think it showed and it carried over to today.

And we're going to watch film again and try to figure out how to be better in Game 4, because we know this team has been great team all year; the Suns, they are going to fight and make adjustments and they have got great players.

Q. You came out playing hard but the shot PG hits at the end of the half, what did it do for you guys? And what is the conversations like in the locker room at halftime because you picked it up, the hard play, like another level in the third quarter and were able to sustain in the fourth.

REGGIE JACKSON: I think Paul gave us a little more comfort in that shot. It kind of probably killed their momentum a little bit; they started to feel good. We're very fortunate to have a guy like that who can do it all, can do everything in this game. You know, carry the weight on his shoulders, a lot of the load. That was a big-time shot by him to give us just a little sigh of relief on his behalf.

Once we let go late in the second, we wanted to come out late in the second half even better. We know we haven't been particularly amazing in third quarters at times. So it was just everybody in there talking about let's get better, let's go ahead and find a way to continue to push this, particularly Pat Bev was energized, fired up about us not letting go, not letting our foot off the gas and figuring out how to be better.

It's an amazing locker room we have. Everybody tried to collectively lead from their position, from their role, and everybody has, like I said, pure intent. It doesn't matter who is on who, who is saying what. We know where it comes from, from the heart and at the end of the day we want to win.

Q. You talked before about your late clock offense in particular, but they cut the lead down to six in the fourth quarter and you get the transition layup, you finished it and get that open three. What was the team, as far as feedback and as far as the importance of creating offense and especially intense moments like that in particular?

REGGIE JACKSON: They have empowered me. Honestly this team has empowered me and this organization has empowered me since I've been here, from playing early, roles changing throughout the year. I think I started finding some comfortability and just practicing and having roles throughout the game change, finding some success.

It was really our leaders. It was really Kawhi, Paul, Pat and collectively, everybody, coaches. They were just on me about being aggressive; stay aggressive; stay aggressive. I've gone through my career trying to make the right play and not necessarily just being myself and coming out and playing the game. Makes it a little difficult.

But the more I just continue to be myself, the more this team empowered me to be myself, I've been able to find success fortunately and I've been able to healthy. At the end of the shot clock, a lot of times they definitely are on me about searching for the ball, staying aggressive, attacking if I made the right play but just be aggressive.

Hats off to them. I definitely tried to put a lot of work in my career to be ready for those moments and they are working, on my mind for over the last few years trying to be mentally strong. But you're only as great as your team, as your team wants to be and as they empower them. Hats off to them, they have been pushing me to be my best and I've been fortunate to be playing well. Without them, this doesn't happen.