NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CLIPPERS VS. SUNS

June 28, 2021

Devin Booker

Phoenix Suns

Game 5: Postgame

Los Angeles Clippers - 116, Phoenix Suns - 102

Q. Tough loss, thanks for your time. I saw you were as aggressive offensively as I can recall seeing you. I'm curious how do you try to transfer some of that to your teammates to bring more energy earlier?

DEVIN BOOKER: It's on all of us. They came out, they punched us in the face to start the game and I think we showed it at spots tonight and certain times, but they're not going to go away easily, so we have to be locked in from beginning to end.

Q. Monty said the defense giving up the points in the paint he said it was too many open looks. When you guys were able to cut it to four, what did you see defensively from your group?

DEVIN BOOKER: I think they spaced us out well running their small ball lineup, which will open the paint. But as a team we still have to guard with five people. It's never a one-on-one matchup. So all five have to be locked in and even the bench has to be ready. So we need to show bodies and help each other out out there.

Q. The mask, was it a better fit for you tonight than the other night?

DEVIN BOOKER: I just made a couple adjustments, opened up the eye pocket. I can see a little bit better, but, yeah it's a little bit better.

Q. Coach Williams said a game like that, as he called it, getting your butt kicked will click in the sense of urgency. How much do you agree with that?

DEVIN BOOKER: I think we'll be ready to go for Game 6. That's a tough loss for us at home, with a chance to clinch to go to the NBA Finals, so we're going to be ready.

Q. You mentioned the small ball lineup and them kind of spacing you guys out. You guys had actually fared well against it through the first four games and they had actually been better when Zubac was on the floor. So what was kind of the difference in their small ball approach in this game?

DEVIN BOOKER: I would have to go back and watch it again, but at the same time, 50 points in the paint, you know, I think we still helped each other in that area, even when they spaced us out in the previous games. But a lot of -- I mean you can blame it on everybody, a lot of straight lines drives and no help at the same time. So this is a five-man defense, it's been that way the whole season and we have to be better.

Q. You guys have done such a great job all season of responding after losses. Just what do you anticipate the next 48 hours are going to be like?

DEVIN BOOKER: Yeah, just we're going to be ready. We're going to look at the film of the game and make the adjustments that are necessary. But still having fun with it. The process of this and the journey of it is second to none. I said it after we lost the first one, obviously didn't want to lose any games, but coming back into the film session, getting together as a team and talking everything out, that's part of it too. So once you start enjoying that and having fun with that, then good things happen for our team and we have responded well all season.

Q. Monty talked about not wanting to flush games like this, take it in a bit. How much does that help your guys' success in these situations this year in terms of taking the emotions after this one and turning it into a positive?

DEVIN BOOKER: Honestly it's communication. We all have the same goal in this locker room, that's to win basketball games. So when we don't do that we look at what we did wrong, or when we win basketball games we do the same thing. We go into the film sessions and still try to figure out where we can be better.

Q. What do you think you guys did wrong in terms of not having the urgency? Is it a matter of a mental thing or you got punched in the face as you said and you didn't manage to get back in the game?

DEVIN BOOKER: We managed to get back in the game a few times. I think they stretched it to 10 multiple times and we fought back. It was just that last stretch. We don't want to spend the whole game fighting uphill, so just come out with a sense of urgency and be ready to go.