NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: NUGGETS VS WARRIORS

April 27, 2022

Aaron Gordon

Denver Nuggets

Game 5: Postgame

Warriors 102, Nuggets 98

Q. What did you show not only in winning Game 4 but in the way you competed tonight?

AARON GORDON: That you can't ease your way into a series. That's one thing we learned. In Games 1 and 2, we eased our way. That's one of the things we talked about. We just need to have a greater level of urgency from the jump, play like our back is against the wall from the start. It would have been a different series.

Q. Is there frustration because of that, thinking this could have been extended to six or seven?

AARON GORDON: Of course.

Q. Coach mentioned after the first two games here you wanted to redeem yourself. You showed it tonight. Is that what you want to put out there?

AARON GORDON: Yeah, I figure like I figured out a new way to play in this league. Especially on the defensive end. Every night bringing that physicality, that intensity. That's just something that my team needs from me for us to be successful. That's just how I got to play.

It was just like getting back to my roots.

Q. Aaron, they started a little smaller, it seemed like you were attacking right off the jump. How much of that was a conscious effort on your part?

AARON GORDON: Yeah, I mean, I felt like they couldn't stop me getting to the rim. I went away from that in the second half. The results showed.

Q. What is your plan this off-season? Is there any areas of your game you want to refine?

AARON GORDON: Take a couple of weeks off, three, four weeks, five weeks, let my body heal. Other than that, it's less about working harder, and much more about working smarter.

I mean, to elaborate, I'm playing with Joke, who is one of the smartest basketball players in the world. Got to raise my level of IQ to help him, to help everyone, to help the coaching staff.

So just becoming more a student of the game. I've relied on my talent for so long, just natural talent, not enough on the cerebral part of the game. So I think now is the time to switch.

Q. Do you allow yourself to think about what you will look like when you're whole?

AARON GORDON: Yeah, we'll see. Not going to put too big of an expectation on what it can look like. We just want to get those guys healthy first and foremost. We just pray for their health. I'm glad that pretty much everybody got through this season healthy.

We're going to call in the reinforcements (smiling).

Q. The mental side of the game, when you think about the physical it's reps, it's the weight room, obvious things. To try to elevate the IQ side, what does that look like?

AARON GORDON: Studying film. Just study, study, study. Everybody that's in the league, every game, every set, just leave no stone unturned. I feel like it will slow the game down even more for me and really allow my natural talent to excel.

Obviously I'm going to continue to work on the jumper and just rounding out my game. That's part of it. But the cerebral part, being a student of the game, that's my main focus for this off-season.

Q. Is Joker somebody that can convey that to you in terms of y'all's communication, sharing the way he sees the game?

AARON GORDON: When you play around guys like Will, Monte, Jeff, Nikola, all these guys, you want to be better for them. That's the way that I'm going to help improve this team, improve this roster.