NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS VS. HEAT

May 17, 2022

P.J. Tucker

Miami Heat

Game 1: Postgame

Heat 118, Celtics 107

Q. P.J., we know it's not easy and it shouldn't be easy in the playoffs, so I'm not saying that, but what you guys did in the third quarter, when you turned into your best version of yourself, what's that feeling like when you get it going on both ends like that?

P.J. TUCKER: It's like, what took us so long? And that's what we got to figure out. We got to get to it faster. Took us a long time to get aggressive. They were the aggressive team in the first half. We were way too soft and they got to pretty much everything they wanted, and we finally picked it up in the third quarter.

Q. They were breaking down your defense and getting in the paint in the first half. What exactly was fixed in the third quarter that kept them out of the paint?

P.J. TUCKER: Started guarding. Started taking pride in getting kills. At the end of the day that's what it comes down to, getting into situations where they call people up, it's having the right coverage, being aggressive, staying in front of, moving feet, not fouling, doing all of that. You have multiple efforts. It's Conference Finals. Can't just do one thing; two, three, four, five things, in a single possession sometimes, whatever it takes. But we finally got that effort in the second half.

Q. You've talked about being impressed by Jimmy this year and him doing things that maybe you even didn't think he could do. The way he raises his game in the postseason, they say there are guys who are 82-game players, playoff players. What have you seen in his game that allows him to do that?

P.J. TUCKER: He's a pro. He's a pro. He really is. Takes care of his body, comes in and works on his game every day and he does everything he needs to do to be able to be a great player. I see it every day. You see him come out and have games like he's having, it makes sense.

Q. You mentioned it the other night in Philly, but how would you describe the emotional lift that everyone else gets when you have a guy like Jimmy who consistently keeps playing at this level?

P.J. TUCKER: I think his aggression just puts everyone else in their places. You can't expect him to get 40. He's consistently being aggressive, whether he's making shots, missing shots, whatever the case is, and that puts everybody else in position to be able to rebound and get open shots with people helping and him making plays for everybody else and them having to overreact. It lifts the level of our team and it lifts the play of everybody. That's something that everybody on our team has a part in in their own role.

Q. Can you describe for us what happened in the second quarter? Was it your ankle?

P.J. TUCKER: I rolled my ankle.

Q. Did you know you would come back or where did --

P.J. TUCKER: Always come back.

Q. What happened in the locker room?

P.J. TUCKER: There's a genie back there. Took one of my wishes.