NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CLIPPERS VS. SUNS

June 28, 2021

Chris Paul

Phoenix Suns

Game 5: Postgame

Los Angeles Clippers - 116, Phoenix Suns - 102

Q. Tough loss. First of all I’d like to ask, how is the tailbone? Are you okay from the fall?

CHRIS PAUL: Yeah, I'll be all right.

Q. Curious then about the energy and pace. Was it what you wanted to see consistently throughout the game?

CHRIS PAUL: Not at all. Definitely got to be better. They came out and they were the aggressors. They sort of looked like us in Game 4 and they hit us. They were a lot -- they were too comfortable, we got to be better.

Q. What did you make of Paul George's night and then how he's been playing in this series without Kawhi?

CHRIS PAUL: Yeah, he got it going. Like I said, he was getting to his spots, making shots. Twin [Marcus Morris] and Reggie [Jackson] got it going early, gave them a chance to sort of settle into the game and we got to make it tougher on him.

Q. You guys took the lead and then got tight there at the end, what do you feel like was happening there?

CHRIS PAUL: We've got to close quarters better. Like that's been a problem for us all series long. Closing quarters, that last two and a half, three minutes of quarters. We took the lead and then maybe cut it to one or two, and then they get a bucket and go on a run.

So look at it, see what we need to do better and get ready for the next one.

Q. They actually stayed with Zubac more than playing small ball, and you guys had out played their small ball lineups through the first four games. What was the difference in them shifting to a smaller lineup and having more success?

CHRIS PAUL: I don't know, I got to look at it. Got to look at it. We gave them a lot of open shots early. They got their threes going and I think that's a team that plays off confidence when they're making shots. So we got to try to get the right people shooting. And our offense feeds off our defense, so we just got to remember that.

Q. I know with your position you take pride in getting Deandre [Ayton] the ball. What were you seeing with the way the Clippers were sending bodies at him?

CHRIS PAUL: Got to do a better job getting it to him. Get our spacing right. Knowing that they are undersized. They got like three people sort of boxing him out or trying to hold him down. So we just got to pick our spots better and be more aggressive.

Q. Monty during his pregame kept preaching kind of first quarters, first quarter, first quarter, I imagine that's what he was telling you guys the same. So when it doesn't quite click in that first quarter, how surprising or frustrating was that for you?

CHRIS PAUL: I mean, it's frustrating but you realize it's a long game. You settle in and guys came in, we fought back. It seemed like every time we get there or whatnot they do another run or whatnot. So we'll look at it, like I said, and we got to come out better.

Q. What's the mood after this one? Monty Williams just said that you guys are going to be better next game. Is that what you guys talked about right after this?

CHRIS PAUL: Absolutely. Absolutely. We know we'll go in there, a place where we won last time, we know they’re going to be excited and ready to go, so we'll be ready.

Q. I asked Monty about desperation. It's not really something that you guys can practice. He said that you guys really aren't going to need to practice it anyway after getting your butts kicked. What do you think the response level is going to be like in L.A.?

CHRIS PAUL: We'll see tomorrow. Yeah. That's why you play the games. We'll see day after tomorrow.

Q. You guys have been so good at protecting the ball. Tonight the 14 turnovers, they turned it into 23 points.

CHRIS PAUL: Yeah, that was uncharacteristic of us. Especially me. I had a couple turnovers early in the game, first, second quarter and they converted on all of them. So, like we said, that's uncharacteristic of us and we got to be better Game 6.