NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. MAVERICKS

June 11, 2024

Dante Exum

Dallas Mavericks

Practice Day

Q. A few times you've got an open space in front of you, they're not really guarding you tight and you have a chance to drive. What about Boston or what about what you're doing that leads you to think, I'm going to drive or I'm just going to wait and shoot?

DANTE EXUM: Yeah, I think that the biggest thing is we know they're going to collapse when we drive, so I think the biggest thing for me and what we've talked about is playing off two feet, whether that's a lay-up, going aggressive, or knowing that they're going to collapse and finding open shots. That's the biggest thing going into this game.

Q. You saw that shot Pritchard hit at the end of the third. What's your thoughts on those types of shots? He obviously is a guy that wants to shoot it. What's it like in those situations?

DANTE EXUM: Yeah, I'm a guy that no matter the situation in any game, I'm always going to try and put up that shot. Like it happened that other game, I think it was an important basket for them, kind of cut the momentum a little bit going into the quarter. But yeah, I think a lot of the times it's shots that we practice a little bit, and I think we're good enough players to make it. He obviously got lucky on that one.

Q. How many times in your career have you hit one of those?

DANTE EXUM: I've hit a few. I've hit a few. Mine are mostly deep, past half court.

Q. What is it like practicing those shots? Do you just kind of like heave it up there?

DANTE EXUM: No, actually last year, I actually kind of went through a thing with one of my teammates about kind of a process of what I would do to shoot, and I think he was kind of a launch type, and I'm a shoot. I'll stop off two and kind of shoot and aim it.

Q. In Game 2 you guys took out their three. You almost had Gafford and D-Live all the way up by the three-point line. Was that the thought there, just to take away the three?

DANTE EXUM: Yeah, obviously they're a team that shoots a lot of threes, and I think the biggest thing for us is making sure that they're all contested. To our credit, they didn't shoot the ball as well.

But I think credit to Live and Gafford; they're playing in a role where they have to defend out on the perimeter, but as much as we can get them back to the basket, we will.

Q. Are you giving them any tips how to guard in the perimeter?

DANTE EXUM: No, I think they have enough guys talking to them. I think it's a lot of process. We've been watching a lot of film and making sure. But I'm confident in their ability.

Q. I was just asking Dereck Lively about being mic'd up. He's done it a few times. He said that he has to remind teammates not to say anything too wild. Is that actually how it goes down?

DANTE EXUM: No, I think some people get lost in the emotion of everything, and yeah, you have to kind of remind guys to, hey, I'm mic'd up. But I think it's just the moment and everything. Even mic'd up or not, I think guys, we're going to say what we want to say. But I'm always pretty calm, so I won't say too much.