NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. MAVERICKS

June 11, 2024

Dereck Lively II

Dallas Mavericks

Practice Day

Q. What's the mentality being back home?

DERECK LIVELY II: Defend the house. When we went out there, we were trying to do what we could. We couldn't get the two wins, couldn't get a win. All right, cool, move on, next play, next game. Now we've just got to bring a different energy, a different light and a different positivity coming into Game 3.

Q. What can you do to get the lob game going tomorrow night?

DERECK LIVELY ii: Just really getting out in pace. I feel like whenever they slow us down and we end up playing one-on-one, we can't get into our pick-and-roll game because the defense was pulled in and they're expecting it. But whenever we are out in transition, I set a high screen at half court, and Tatum doesn't know if he's going to step up or Porzingis doesn't know if he's going to step up, that's the game we need to get into. Just being able to move the ball, get out and run and make sure that we're not so stagnant with the ball.

Q. What's the challenge of facing floor-spacing fours and fives?

DERECK LIVELY II: It's just understanding the defensive principles. Instead of me protecting the paint, it's me rotating to either wing or rotating to the corner. It's just understanding where you are on the floor, understanding if you see where you need to rotate, it's getting there. There was one time Jaylen Brown cut, I was supposed to rotate corner. I thought he was there, but he was at the rim. It's just always moving your head, keeping your head on a swivel and understanding where you are and who's in the game.

Q. It was loud in that building for Games 1 and 2. What are you expecting from your crowd tomorrow?

DERECK LIVELY II: They're going to be loud. I honestly didn't think it was that loud. There was a bunch of rumors about how Boston is going to be so loud, so nasty. I thought it was going to be worse. So just knowing that, it just makes you want to go out there and perform in front of your own crowd.

Q. Boston hasn't lost a game on the road so far this postseason. What do you guys need to do to make it challenging for them here?

DERECK LIVELY II: Come out there, punch them in the mouth. I feel like we were doing a great job of guarding them, a great job of just going shot for shot with them the majority of the game. A lot of the game just came down to us not being as sound on the defensive end in the fourth quarter, us making free throws and us being able to take care of the ball.

Q. Except for Kyrie, you guys never played in the Finals. Is there something that you have learned that you didn't know about the Finals?

DERECK LIVELY II: I feel like whenever you're in games like this, you find out who you really are. You understand what you really want out of this, who you really are, just understanding that whenever you're on the bench, you're here, your teammates just lock into the game. There's nothing else going on in the world that can take your focus away from what's going on in the Finals. There's no other feeling you want to be in and no other place you want to be in.

Q. You've been mic'd up quite a few times this postseason. What's that process like?

DERECK LIVELY II: You know, it's kind of hard to make sure I don't slip up and say anything too inappropriate. But I'm just out there trying to make sure my people hear me. Everybody on the team knows that if I'm mic'd up, making sure you don't say anything too crazy to me. But they know I'm going to talk to them on the defensive side, talk to them on the offensive side, and even if they fall down, I'm picking them back up and giving them positive words of encouragement.

Q. Have you enjoyed doing it?

DERECK LIVELY II: I mean, I feel like they keep coming back to me because they like what they're getting, so I'm going to continue to put on a show, continue to do what I do.

Q. What are some of the keys to beating a team that hasn't lost a game in a long while?

DERECK LIVELY II: Just continue to be aggressive. Try to win each possession. Try to win the little battles -- the rebounding game, the diving on the floor, the loose balls, all the little things are going to come down to a win. It's not just the big shots. It's not just the big plays. It's the little plays that are going to give us the boost to give us the extra steps that we need so we can get a breath of fresh air.