NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. MAVERICKS

June 8, 2024

Derrick Jones Jr.

Dallas Mavericks

Practice Day

Q. One thing people have come to expect of your team is the lobs, the alley-oops. What's going on there? That's such a signature for you guys.

DERRICK JONES JR.: They just helped off the right people in order for us not to get the lobs, and we just got to get out and move the ball a lot more and get on the break a lot more because that's how we get our lobs and how we get our space right and get our lob dunks and our highlight plays.

Q. When you have that stuff going as a team, is it almost like the offensive version of blocking shots? There's an intimidation factor. It sort of gets right into the heart of the defense.

DERRICK JONES JR.: I don't think that's an intimidation factor. I feel like it makes the defense break down a little more if they leave out open shooters. That's when we get our threes, wide-open corner threes, wide-open wing threes. That's when we get our shots off.

Q. How much do you think for your team that Game 1 was a feel-out game?

DERRICK JONES JR.: I don't think it was a feel-out game. I feel like we didn't execute the game plan the right way. We didn't play how we should have played. So we got Game 2 tomorrow.

Q. How do you go about putting a game like that in the rearview, focus on Game 2 and move on?

DERRICK JONES JR.: Watch the film and just learn about it and play.

Q. Do you have a routine that you do that you normally do, and has that changed for the Finals?

DERRICK JONES JR.: I don't change my routine. If I'm out of the game, I ain't going to change my routine.

Q. Could you feel a difference with Al at the five versus KP?

DERRICK JONES JR.: He did his job well. Protected the rim how they supposed to. They sat down on our bigs legs so we couldn't get our lobs off. Like I said, we have to move the ball a little bit more so we can get our bigs open and we can lob it to them.

Q. You look at the history of the NBA Finals, teams that lose their first two games rarely come back and win. Is there an extra intensity in Game 2? Is there an extra focus to win this game?

DERRICK JONES JR.: We haven't worried about what's happened in the past. That's not us. We go out and play the game like we supposed to play it and live with our results. Previous teams that lost the Finals, being down 0-1, 0-2, that's their problem. We have a whole new situation front of us and we'll play how we are going to play.

Q. Is there a different type of focus, or is it just every game is the same?

DERRICK JONES JR.: I wouldn't say it's a different focus because we know what we need to do and we have to lock into our game plan.

Q. What are your first impressions of the Finals in the Garden?

DERRICK JONES JR.: It's another game in here. No different than any other game for me.

Q. Any comments for the Mavs fans that traveled to see you?

DERRICK JONES JR.: We love them and we are thankful for the support, and we are always going to be thankful for the support.

Q. What's Kyrie's message been to you guys after Game 1 and how he is approaching things?

DERRICK JONES JR.: I haven't talked to him yet. We all came to agreement that we all got to play better. It's not just one person.

Q. Anything they did that surprised you, or what you expected?

DERRICK JONES JR.: No, nothing.

Q. In the way they chose to play Luka and Kyrie and everything else?

DERRICK JONES JR.: We knew that they was going to play. Nothing different.

Q. How do you stop a performance like Porzingis when he's going off from all over the court?

DERRICK JONES JR.: Make him take tougher shots. Limit his catches.