NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: WARRIORS VS GRIZZLIES

May 7, 2022

Jaren Jackson

Memphis Grizzlies

Game 3: Postgame

Warriors 142, Grizzlies 112

Q. Jaren, from your perspective what was going wrong for the Grizzlies defensively tonight?

JAREN JACKSON: Well, just a step behind on a lot of things. Had to just chase them a lot. They were running the actions that they usually run, but we just kind of were a step behind.

In the beginning we were all right, but as the game went on they were just getting hot. Too many guys were getting hot. They were hitting a lot of shots, but we'll regroup and figure it out. We know how to bounce back.

Q. Jaren, Coach said that they threw a zone at you guys and that seemed to throw both you and Z off, you couldn't get your shot. Is that the way you saw it out there on the court? Because you started out hot early.

JAREN JACKSON: I just missed. I was just missing. I made my first couple and then I just -- I should have made more. Kind of the name of the game. It just wasn't bouncing for me. But it happens sometimes. I don't think it was anything defensively. I just was missing.

They all felt good, they just didn't go in.

Q. What's it like when they're -- they got to the paint a lot tonight and you guys were obviously committed to kind of trying to take away the perimeter. What's it like in your role when they're getting to the paint and you're kind of responsible for protecting the rim but also making sure you limit their threes?

JAREN JACKSON: Yeah, you've got to be able to do both. You've got to fly around, protect the rim, tag so you don't get three seconds, and then if you see them do like a get action or if you see the big going up to set a ball screen, you've got to be able to run up and either switch out or put a hand up or just make it hard so you can take away some of those threes because you know that's what they're looking for. You'd rather give up certain things than certain guys coming out for threes.

Q. Coach told us that Ja is getting evaluated now. Were you able to talk to him after the game?

JAREN JACKSON: Yeah, I just saw him.

Q. How is he doing? Did you exchange any words? Is he in any pain?

JAREN JACKSON: He's good. He's going to do whatever he's got to do. War mentality. He has the same mentality he always has. Yeah, we'll bounce back, play great. We've got to finish the game.

Q. You mentioned at the top you've got to respond. This is obviously a situation you all haven't been in just because you haven't been this far in the Playoffs before. When you have a loss like this where a lot of things go wrong and it kind of snowballs, what is the key to making sure you guys remain confident?

JAREN JACKSON: We don't have a problem with that. You don't base your confidence on the game. That's not how it goes. Even if we were to win this game, it wouldn't have -- it's the same. We've played a lot of games, so trust me, confidence ain't a problem.

We're just moving on to the next one and correct it like we know how to. Response is just -- you can respond to a win. Response is everything after. You always look forward. There's no looking backwards. There's no staying level -- there's none of that.

Q. Your coach was just up here, and he mentioned Jordan Poole; he said it looked like Jordan Poole grabbed Ja's knee on that play. Ja just tweeted "broke the code" with the replay of it. I'm just curious what the team reaction was to that play.

JAREN JACKSON: I mean, we didn't know -- we obviously didn't know during. There was a lot going on, and there was a bunch of stuff going on.

But I mean, you've just got to -- we're going to ride for our own. You know our mentality. There's going to be a lot of plays during the game. Just got to keep going. He's going to do what he's got to do. We did see it late. You know, make a play on the ball, it's unfortunate. You never want to see that type of stuff. Obviously it's not done by -- no one is out here dirty. No one is out here like that. But it's just unfortunate.

You know the code. Talk about the code all series at this point.