NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: CLIPPERS vs SUNS

April 20, 2023

Tyronn Lue

Pregame Press Conference

Q. Ty, I'm wondering, from watching the film in Game 2, Game 1, what did you make of the three-point shot profile that you guys got overall from both of those games but specifically Game 2?

TYRONN LUE: I don't understand.

Q. What did you see from the three-point --

TYRONN LUE: I can't really hear you.

Q. From watching the film from Game 1 and 2, what did you think about the three-point shot profile you guys got, the looks you guys got? Did you like the looks that you generated from three?

TYRONN LUE: Yeah, I liked them, but I think we've got to generate more. But it also comes from attacking the paint, getting to the paint, making the right play. So we've got to play faster. That's one thing. But we do got to generate more threes. I think we've got to get more three-point shots up, and by doing that, you've got to play fast and you've got to attack the paint to get that.

Q. Is it kind of tough because they foul a lot? You guys have been able to get to the rim a lot. You don't want to just start jacking up threes. But is it a weird challenge for you guys to get those threes up?

TYRONN LUE: We definitely want to attack. Like I said, if they're going to foul at the rim, we'll take those for sure, but when we get to the basket, they've got three or four guys collapsing, we've got to make the right pass and the right play, and then we've got to take our open shots, as well.

Q. Lawrence had mentioned the symptoms of Kawhi's injury just weren't getting better at Game 2. How long have you had to prepare to have to switch your game plan this much, life without Kawhi?

TYRONN LUE: How long did I have?

Q. When did you know that you wouldn't have him and you had to switch things up dramatically?

TYRONN LUE: Right before shootaround.

Q. How much does this sort of change the rhythm of the day? Have you communicated with the players who will be in?

TYRONN LUE: I mean, it is what it is. I feel sorry for Kawhi because he's worked so hard to get to this point. But you know, all the guys, we've got to step up, and they understand that. We've been in this position before, and we've just got to control what we can control.

Our guys are upbeat today. I think it was great in the shootaround. We had a really good shootaround, and they're locked in and focused, and we'll ready to go.

Q. When you look at this series and Nico has gotten off to a slow start, he's only made one of his seven threes, and in a game like this where you need to replace so much offense with Kawhi being out --

TYRONN LUE: I can't really hear -- can you take the microphone away?

Q. Asking about Nico, Nico has gotten off to a slow start this series. It's not like you give him the ball and ask him to produce offense, but he's a key part to what you guys are doing. How do you support him and get him an opportunity to kind of break out the slump that he's been in?

TYRONN LUE: I mean, I wouldn't call it a slump. I think Nico brings more to the table than just offense. In certain games he might get two shots, he might get five shots, he might get ten shots. The biggest thing with Nico is just taking his shots. We're confident that he can make shots, and that's the biggest thing, he can't pass them up because it's too hard to get open shots in the Playoffs.

When he's open, he's got to make sure he takes those shots, and it's a miss or make league, but we need him to take those shots, but we need him to be really good defensively is what we need from him.

Q. I know you said before the series that a player like Marcus was going to need to be ready to play, be in the rotation. Obviously you're down a big piece. How do you guys like Marcus and Robert Covington figure out contributing to this team right now with the way the roster is?

TYRONN LUE: Yeah, I like both of those guys, and both of them will get an opportunity tonight.

Q. How much do you lean on what you saw from Russ when those guys were out and what he did in, say, the game at Memphis?

TYRONN LUE: Yeah, we lean on Russ a lot. What he brought to this team, we've definitely needed that. I talk about it all the time. He's been great for us all year long.

He has a lot of experience, probably the most playoff experience I think in the locker room. He's been good with our young guys. He's definitely been good for us.

The guys is going to lean on him a lot, so he's going to make guys better. He's going to make sure guys are ready to play. We've just got to be ready to go.

Q. Even by your standards in Playoffs, when you like to get creative and change things up, how creative do you have to get tonight?

TYRONN LUE: (Laughing) I wouldn't say that -- I got confidence in our guys. I know it's a tough challenge, but I've got confidence in our guys, and so we're going to do some things different. Like I said, we had a really good shootaround, some things we've got to adjust and do, but I feel confident in our guys that we still can get it done, and they feel the same way.

It won't be anything crazy I hope, but I will do something crazy if I have to.

Q. I understand this might be too early to ask, but I'll ask anyway. What's your level of optimism that Kawhi can come back for Game 4?

TYRONN LUE: I don't know much about it.

Q. You spoke about attacking. In the first two games, while we saw the four-guard lineup with Bones, Norm, T-Mann and Russ, is that something you're going to try to utilize more, especially without Kawhi being out there today?

TYRONN LUE: I'm just going to utilize whoever is playing well. I mean, I just think when you're playing a good team, you've got to just -- you're in the Playoffs, whoever is playing well is going to play. We're going to push a lot of buttons to see who has that rhythm, what guys play well together, and then just kind of go from there.

Q. How is Kawhi doing? He's got to be so frustrated.

TYRONN LUE: Yeah, he's frustrated. His spirits are down, but like I said, we'll hold him down and hopefully we get him back sooner than later. You know, he's given us everything he's had this year, and like I say, I'm optimistic that anything can happen.

We've just got to take care of our business tonight and then see where we're at for Game 4.

Q. When did you first realize that Kawhi maybe reaggravated that knee, and what were the conversations like leading up to the decision to him not playing today?

TYRONN LUE: Last night.

Q. What were those conversations like?

TYRONN LUE: I don't know.

Q. Was last night when you were made first aware that he kind of reaggravated that neo owe?

TYRONN LUE: Yes, ma'am.

Q. What have you seen out of Phoenix's lineups with KD at the 5 so far through two games?

TYRONN LUE: It hasn't really hurt us. I think the biggest thing that's hurt us is their ability to play 46 minutes Booker and KD. When we was getting Kawhi out, trying to get some rest, they still had KD and Book on the floor, which posed some problems for us. We've just got to figure out a way to kind of slow that down a little bit.