NBA PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT: PELICANS vs CLIPPERS

April 15, 2022

Robert Covington

Postgame Press Conference

Pelicans 105, Clippers 101

Q. Rob, what were your takeaways on joining this team?

ROBERT COVINGTON: Joining here, I had the most fun I've had all season. It got back to the joy of just having fun. The team made it that way. The guys made it that way.

Like I said, it was a smooth transition. It's rare that you come from a team that has basically the same offense and defensive schemes as the team that you just left. It's rare that you can easily adapt in that manner.

The transition here was easy for me. Like I said, it was just getting comfortable in the rotations and learning the spots, getting the feel for everything. Like I said, a new coach. I watched Lue for years. What a great coach in this league. His schemes and everything.

It was fun to be a part of.

Q. Some decisions to be made this summer. Is this a place you want to be long-term?

ROBERT COVINGTON: Of course. Of course. As I said, it's been a great transition. Of course I would like to (indiscernible).

Q. You went through a lot of adversity, fought till the end. What did you learn about this group?

ROBERT COVINGTON: About this team, that no matter what, you know, guys step up, guys step up, make big plays. The next-man-up mentality. Guys proved that. Unfortunately we came up short tonight. We had guys that made big plays tonight. You had people that did a lot that impacted the game.

As I said, it's just having that mentality of next man up. Guys did a phenomenal job of that tonight. As I said, we just came up short at the end.

Q. When halftime comes and you are down, what was the assignment knowing you were going to have to go against that big lineup?

ROBERT COVINGTON: Wasn't really much conversation. He told me, You're starting. I already talked to Zu. You know what to do. That's pretty much what it was.

As I said, I knew how to guard V, pretty much everybody out there. We went to a small lineup. That disrupted them. He lasted a minute in the game in that third quarter. Ty trusted in me. As I said, I set the tone, guys picked up the energy, we made our presence known in the third quarter.

We came out, a 20-point swing.

Q. What did you enjoy about Ty in your time here?

ROBERT COVINGTON: Man, he's a great coach. Overall he's a great person. The way he comes in every single day. He has energy about him that he jokes around, he plays around with the guys. As I said, it's just his energy is infectious.

Like I said, he knows the type of team we have. He know how to pick guys up, keep them motivated. You want a coach like that.

For me to be a part of this, this organization, in the short time I have, I've learned a lot. I've had a lot of fun here. As I said, it's been the most fun I've had all season.

Q. Do you find yourself thinking about how you would fit with a team with Kawhi and P.G. on it?

ROBERT COVINGTON: Of course.

Q. How would that look?

ROBERT COVINGTON: The way that we played tonight, we went small, imagine P.G. and Kawhi in that lineup. That's a lot of versatility, a lot of toughness, that's a lot of guys that can sit down and guard. They can also make plays. We have other guys that can do the same thing, that can fill in that void.

Once them guys come back next year, if I'm here, I'm really looking forward to that.

Q. This deep into your career, as you weigh where you might land next season, what are your priorities?

ROBERT COVINGTON: To win. Everybody wants to at the end of the day go and have a ring on their finger. The main thing what we do in this whole time that we played is to win a championship. That's my ultimate goal.

I'm about to walk into my 10th year. Nobody thought I would make it 10 years. They said I wouldn't make it two. I'm getting ready to prepare for my 10th year. I've had a great career thus far, made a name for myself.

Like I said, I want to put myself in the best position to win a championship. That's my mentality because that's really the only thing for me. I take that. That completes pretty much exactly what I've tried to do.

Everybody steps in this league to win the championship. That's what everyone's ultimate goal is. That's why we put on the jersey, step on the court, play 48 minutes each and every night.

Q. At times tonight you shared the court with C.J., Larry Nance, Norm. Take you back to Portland?

ROBERT COVINGTON: I didn't think about it during that moment. Me and Larry did have some small talks during the game, but I kind of didn't pay attention to it at that moment. I was more on my assignments and stuff, just doing my job.

As I said, me and Larry, even though we're the biggest competitors, still my dog, still my brother. As I said, me and him in Portland together, we had numerous conversations. He even said that once we step on this court, it's a battle. Off the court he knows that's the type of relationship we have.

Like I said, he was a major impact tonight. He kind of disrupted what we was doing once he got back in the game. His presence on the offensive side, creating opportunities. He really got them back into the game.