NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: MAVERICKS VS. WARRIORS

May 22, 2022

Spencer Dinwiddie

Dallas Mavericks

Game 3: Postgame

Warriors 109, Mavericks 100

Q. Spencer, what happened in the third quarter? They're known for coming out in the third quarter and just hitting you guys in the mouth, and they did it again tonight.

SPENCER DINWIDDIE: Yeah, I mean, they've won championships. They've played at a high level for a long time. They're known to do that, to your point. We didn't necessarily respond. That's why you had the swing in momentum.

Q. How do you guys close that rebounding gap? It was at 18 at one point and it ended up 14.

SPENCER DINWIDDIE: I think it's just a collective effort. A lot of times we play small so that means we've all got to come in there together. Myself, I probably had a couple, could have got in there with the guys, and then Bull, JB, Dorian, maybe we all got going there and crash the collective.

Q. We know the numbers when you're down 3-0 in a series. What kind of attitude or mindset do you guys have and carry into a Game 4?

SPENCER DINWIDDIE: One game at a time. I mean, that's really it. We've had a chance to win -- technically all of them but really games 2 and 3. We didn't sustain 48 minutes of play at a high level, so you've got to make the adjustments needed, play for 48 minutes and take it one game at a time.

People come back from 3-1, so add a game on to that.

Q. Every time you're out there you're guarding an All-Star or max player or someone with a huge pedigree. Collectively do you ever feel overwhelmed from a talent standpoint that this team is really good from a talent standpoint?

SPENCER DINWIDDIE: No. I mean, look, man, people get paid in this league for a variety of reasons. It doesn't necessarily make you more talented than another guy. This is not to take anything away from the Warriors. Obviously they are phenomenal. They're a dynasty.

But no. For example, like Draymond, he's a max player. He's one of the greatest role players of all time, but he's not a traditional standalone max guy. Like you're not going to put him on the floor and be like, hey, go get 30.

They've got a great team makeup, great chemistry. They're essentially a dynasty, but no, you don't walk on the floor and be like, oh, damn, they're just so much more talented than us.

Q. Jason has said over the past couple games that the threes just aren't falling and they aren't going straight, if that makes sense. Besides just waiting for them to kind of recalibrate, if you will, is there anything you guys can do differently or anything that you guys can work on or do in practice to fix those things, or is it just a timing and a patience kind of deal?

SPENCER DINWIDDIE: I mean, obviously we can attack the rim for sure, and try and lay-ups and free throws, things of that nature. But at the same time we're constructed the way we're constructed, like at least since I've been here, the last half of the year.

I don't think you get to the Western Conference Finals and then -- obviously you stop missing shots, but you can't throw out the baby with the bath water. You've still got to trust Bullock and Do and Maxi and those guys to hit threes, and then obviously when it's not falling like that, then it's on Luka, myself and JB to be aggressive in the paint.