NBA PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT: PELICANS vs CLIPPERS

April 15, 2022

Trey Murphy

Larry Nance

New Orleans Pelicans

Postgame Press Conference

Pelicans 105, Clippers 101

Q. Larry, Willie basically said he knew coming in this was possibly going to be a Larry night because of the way the Clippers play. Coming in did you expect, they're going to need a lot from me?

LARRY NANCE: I approached it -- it's been a struggle getting back in shape, getting back in rhythm from surgery, but I tried to approach this one like I approach every other game. I knew it was going to be -- with their switch-heavy lineups and guard play and wing play that it was probably going to be a heavier minute night for myself, but I just tried to provide energy and effort, and fortunately that helped us tonight.

Q. Since that trade, it seems like you and CJ both were really all in from day one. What --

LARRY NANCE: We're thrilled about it.

Q. Why did you guys feel like, okay, we're all in?

LARRY NANCE: You look at what we've got. This is a situation that anybody can look out from the outside. When I was in Portland I knew it, and then when I got here I really knew it. Willie Green is a heck of a coach. Like I said in the interview out there, we played three rookies. That doesn't happen, in big minutes, and they played well. I would never say this to his face, but they played in this kind of playoff atmosphere and situation. We have Brandon Ingram, who's an All-Star at 25 years old. CJ is playing like an All-Star and a freak on ice right now. Who wouldn't be thrilled about coming into this situation?

This summer I left and I wanted to go -- left Cleveland and wanted to go a playoff team, and look, here we sit. I'm thrilled to be here. Me and CJ both are.

Q. Willie said all season, shoot. He said tonight he said, don't shoot, at certain points. How did you feel out there? Did it feel like you got into a zone a little bit there?

TREY MURPHY: I can't lie, I didn't hear the don't shoots.

LARRY NANCE: They didn't exist.

TREY MURPHY: I kind of get a little tunnel vision when I -- no, just my teammates finding me. Larry was a big part of that. He said he was going to find me, and I was able to hit shots. That's all it really is.

Q. Just being down at the end of the third quarter, taking their best shot, how do you feel like you guys collected yourselves after that?

LARRY NANCE: This team is resilient. We started 1-12. I mean, 1-12. That's so hard to pick yourself up from. I wasn't here for that, so I can't speak to that, but he was, and I'm sure he will, but the resiliency to start 1-12, I've been in seasons like that. It's hard to keep going and keep striving forward and keep pushing to win. That's what you saw tonight was a resilient bunch.

TREY MURPHY: Yeah, I mean, I'll just say going off what Larry was just saying, starting off 1-12, 3-16, you're just thinking, all right, when is it going to pick up. Especially it being my first year I don't know what winning looks like, so I'll just come in every single day and prepare the exact same way and keep the energy in the building was a way that I knew we're going to be all right because it's a long season, anything can happen, and look at us now, we're about to go to Phoenix.

Q. Trey, you go back to that start, it wasn't easy for you early in the season in particular with the minutes. What does it mean for you to go from where you were then to playing major minutes in the fourth quarter and hitting these big shots like you were tonight?

TREY MURPHY: It's just growth, and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Corey Brewer and Coach Green believing in me in those times and giving me that opportunity. I'm very thankful for that.

It's just a testament to the work that we put in, and my teammates trusting me. That's really what it boils down to.

Q. It looked like Brandon had like a different look in his eye to start the game tonight. What did you see from him early on to set the tempo for you guys in the first quarter?

LARRY NANCE: When both starting lineups take the court and we do our little handshake pregame, I tell him the same thing every single game: I don't care who we're playing, you're the best player on the court. I believe it. I saw it in LA, and I see it now. I've seen it even playing against him. He's the best player on the court whatever court we step on, and tonight he played just like that.

The degree of difficulty on some of the shots he was hitting was unbelievable. We were sitting there on the bench or even in the game and he'd take a shot with Terance Mann and Norman Powell just draped all over him and Brandon is 6'9" with a seven-foot wingspan and a release that's super high.

He don't really see you. He don't really see you. If he misses a shot it's just because he missed it, not because you played good defense. He was a man on a mission tonight, and just like I tell him every game, he's the best player on the court.

TREY MURPHY: I would just say I'm very happy that he's doing this to other people because he did this a lot to me in Nashville and at practice and after practice one-on-one. That's all I have to say. I'm glad he's able to do this to other people, too.

Q. We got to see on TV the speech Willie gave going into the fourth quarter. What do you remember about his words and the way you guys responded to it?

TREY MURPHY: It was a different side of Willie that I haven't seen in all honesty. He got really fired up. Most of the time he's very even keeled in demeanor, but he got really fired up and lit into it us, and I think it really sparked us in that fourth quarter. At the end of the day we just didn't want our season to be over, and we just wanted to keep pushing and keep playing.

He definitely spearheaded that.

Q. Larry, all year the resilience this team has shown, the toughness, but what's it like, so many young guys being able to respond the way you have in these big moments, like Trey said, they haven't been in this before but they've been able to respond time in and time out in these big games.

LARRY NANCE: That's culture. That's culture, established from, again, like I said, I wasn't here early, but I can tell you just how these guys approach the game and how they're willing to play their roles and accept that role and play it for the team's best interest that it's a culture thing here. I've been a young guy with a rough culture. That's not always the case. Trey coming in, knowing exactly, hey, I shoot and I'm going to play some defense. Jose, scrappy, not -- he's not trying to iso and get into his bag too much. Herb is a first-team all-defensive player -- first-team all-defensive player, and he's comfortable. These guys are comfortable in their skin, and that is really hard to do as a rookie and as an NBA player as a whole. Everybody talks about being a star in your role. Not many people do it or want to do it. Trey, Herb, Naji, Jose, everybody that played tonight, everybody that played tonight was a star in their role, and look, even if it was an off-night, even if it was an off-night, I had an off-night the other night but we won so I did my job, right? Jax had an off-night the other night, but we won so he did his job. At the end of the day, when we win, everybody is happy and everybody eats. That's a culture thing that's been established here that is very unique.

Q. Larry, you mentioned how well you know BI and just your recognition of how great of a player he is. How rewarding is it for you guys to see him get into the Playoffs for the first time at this point in his career?

LARRY NANCE: I'm just thrilled I could be here with him. Yeah, like you said, I got to be with him a little bit in LA and I got to see the work he put in, and I tell everybody that asks, the two hardest workers that I've ever seen in my entire life, one of them is Brandon Ingram. He was up -- if we had practice at 10:00 he was there at 8:00 working out, going through sweating, heavy. By the time we got to practice he was warmed up and had already had a full workout in, and this was every single day his rookie year. To see him at this point and the fact that I get to help him and do all I can to aid him in this playoff run is -- it means the world. I think the word of him. Like I said, I don't care who's on the court, what team, what player. Brandon Ingram is the best player on it.

Q. The other one was --

WILLIE GREEN: Collin Sexton, those two.

Q. You being in LA or living here, when you come and play games of this magnitude, are there pros and cons to it? Is it all pro, just being familiar with this court?

LARRY NANCE: Yeah, a little bit. LA the city will beat a lot of teams in itself. It's just the facts. Guys get here and it's like, oh, we're in LA, you've got the weather, you've got beautiful people everywhere. It's Los Angeles, right? I've been here a little bit, so yeah, I was in bed by 10:00 last night. I watched me a little movie and got my rest.

Yeah, it doesn't necessarily have that effect on me anymore, the lights and whatnot, but yeah, it feels great to first play well against the Lakers and do what we did there and now do the same thing tonight. We've had pretty good luck here this year.

Q. Trey, speaking about Coach Green, how big is his impact to you as a team, and how does he help you to raise the level of your game?

TREY MURPHY: I would say Coach Green has had a really positive influence on me and he's helped me grow up a lot in my rookie year, probably a lot faster than I expected at times. At the beginning of the year he told me I would be an important part of this team. There was times where I was down, I'm going to be honest with you, at times I was down, I was thinking that I didn't see where I was going to be in my rookie year. But you always have faith, and you get an opportunity. I was able to hit shots. That's what it boils down to, and I was able to work through it and just stay even keeled through everything, and I really appreciate him for it. He's made me a much stronger person throughout this entire year.