NBA FINALS: HEAT VS. NUGGETS

June 8, 2023

Jeff Green

Denver Nuggets

Practice Day

Q. Would you say that the dinner at your house could be called the greatest meal in Denver sports history?

JEFF GREEN: Yeah. I mean, I can. Do I want to take credit for that? No. The dinner had nothing to do with it. The guys went out there and we all executed what we needed to do.

Q. Do you think you could have another dinner/celebration if you get two more wins for the squad?

JEFF GREEN: At my house? No, not there. If we're celebrating that, no. My house would be destroyed.

Q. Christian was just saying on this team that's so unselfish, nobody cares who is getting minutes. Nobody cared he got more minutes. You guys were encouraging him. Has that always been the identity of the team or have you seen that grow?

JEFF GREEN: It's always been. It trickles down from Joker to the last guy on this roster. We all wish for the success of each individual. When they're on the floor, we're cheering. We're giving them all the support they need to go out there and perform. It was evident last night, when you saw Christian go out there and perform like he did and get the praise that he did. It was well deserved.

But we all support each other. We know that if a guy or the five that are on the floor play well, we play well and we do well. We all support each other.

Q. They tried to get physical last night, especially in the first half, but you guys pushed back. Is there something about --

JEFF GREEN: Man, they've been physical. Like, it's the Finals. They came out since Game 1 playing physical. That's the nature of playing in the Finals. It's all or nothing.

Q. Christian and KCP talked about the motivation that Michael Malone has been giving you guys. I know there are signs as you walk out to the court, all motivational quotes. How important do you think that mental side of things is here, especially in the Finals?

JEFF GREEN: At this point in the season, a lot of it's mental because physically the only thing you're doing is pretty much the game. So mentally if you stay strong, if you stay locked in, that's part of the battle right there. The things that Coach has been doing to keep us in that mold mentally have been great.

Q. Obviously the last night the Nuggets were in a championship run was 1976. Do you have any interaction with the players that were on that team?

JEFF GREEN: I'm going to tell you now, I don't know who was on that team. That's no disrespect to the team. I just wasn't aware of that.

Q. Is that something that you guys have talked about this year?

JEFF GREEN: No. No. I think all our focus has been on the now and trying to accomplish now and the present time and what we have right now and trying to make the best out of that.

Q. When you look at this Miami team, they let Boston win three games and then they still came back and won that series. Is this one of those things you can't let up for a second with these guys?

JEFF GREEN: No, not at all. Not at all. This team is going to fight, fight until the end. They're going to fight all 48 minutes, every game, every play. You cannot let up. You saw that last game. You saw that Game 1. You see it every game. You've seen it every series they've been in throughout these Playoffs. That's just the Heat culture, Spo, Pat Riley, they have done a great job of implementing what they want their players who walk through that door to be like, to play like. The players, they've done it. So it's our job on our Denver Nuggets team, organization, to come in and to battle, to battle them, to match their effort and energy. I think we've been doing a good job of that.