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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: NUGGETS v LAKERSMay 26, 2009Lamar OdomLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Practice Day Q. Lamar, there's been a lot of talk now about the tactics of the Nuggets. Are they borderlining dirty play? LAMAR ODOM: I wouldn't say the Nuggets. I wouldn't define a team by their actions or how one person is playing or no two people. But it's playoffs. So you've got to expect anything. Q. Something like that, can it get under your skin? LAMAR ODOM: Well, we'll take care of it on the court. There's no reason for us to talk about it, retaliate with words. Q. In Game 4, Denver played like they were a desperate team? LAMAR ODOM: They were. Q. Will you play like you're a desperate team in Game 5? LAMAR ODOM: We need to. Especially protecting the basket and rebounding the basketball and getting after it and being physical, playing with a certain precision, we need to. It will be a dogfight or a catfight. Q. We hear you're pretty swollen in the back, lower back how much are you limited? LAMAR ODOM: I wouldn't make excuses, especially if I'm out on the court. If you're hurt and you go out there, it's a true sportsman when you're hurt. I won't blame not playing well on being hurt or an injury. I'm just not playing well at the time. And for this team to be good I need to pick it up. So if I'm knocked down, playing 100 percent, give it all my effort and do whatever it takes to win. Q. Do you plan on being out there tomorrow? LAMAR ODOM: Yeah. Q. In spite of? LAMAR ODOM: Yeah. Full throttle. Q. When you look at the rebounding spread yesterday, what do you think? LAMAR ODOM: I think all of us missed rebounds, of course it hurt. We missed a lot of shots. They got rebounds and they got ferocious rebounders in Nene and Andersen. Carmelo Anthony is also a great rebounder. But that's what happens, when you get behind you take quick shots. Of course, it's the offensive rebound, it's not the defensive rebounds. Q. You think you're currently being tested as a team? LAMAR ODOM: Of course. The whole season was a test. Anytime you get to these series that go seven games, one of the best teams throughout the regular season, teams are prepared, ready to play against you. Q. How much does rebounding come down to effort and desire? LAMAR ODOM: That's what it is. It's effort. Of course, when you get behind you take quick shots. You tend to give those guys some numbers when it comes to rebounding, but we want to clean up the defensive boards. Q. (Indiscernible)? LAMAR ODOM: Of course, you know, when they have like Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith that are good at getting to the rim, when the shot goes up. Another big guy open. As well as the 3-pointers they are taking, getting the wrong bounces, some of the rebounds, we have to find a way to adjust to that so it won't happen. There's no excuses. We won't make any. Q. Going to do anything different tomorrow? LAMAR ODOM: We'll just do it. Get the rebound. You gotta push, fight, scratch. Q. Even though you're not making any excuses for it, how much does the problem you have with your back hamper you on the court? LAMAR ODOM: I just gotta get the rebound. No matter what it takes. I was able to get some treatment. Q. Can you talk about the bench play right now, how important it is to improve, especially against this team, seeing how many -- LAMAR ODOM: It's important for all of us to play well if we want to win this game tomorrow, eventually win the series. Everybody's working hard. Focused. We gotta get out there and everybody is just looking forward to this game tomorrow. We've got to have production. Q. Can you say the bench play is struggling right now? LAMAR ODOM: When we win, everything's cool. When we lose, you say the bench is struggling. Depends on the outcome of the game. We all have to pick it up in order to win. Q. How is your back compared to like before Game 3? Worse since then, gotta protect it? LAMAR ODOM: They've got a physical team. I wouldn't want any one of them to take a shot at my back. Q. Are you going to walk to the arena again tomorrow? LAMAR ODOM: Probably not. I'll be there a little earlier getting treatment and getting myself ready to play the game. End of FastScripts |
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