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NBA FINALS: CELTIC v LAKERS

June 9, 2010

Kevin Garnett

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Practice Day

Q. Can you just looking at the first three games talk about your play in Game 3, and why you thought it was a lot better than in the first two games for you, if you did, just overall what you think was the difference in your play, Game 3 versus Game 2? Glen Davis was saying he thought maybe you got in more of a rhythm, and maybe you can explain.
KEVIN GARNETT: I wasn't in foul trouble, one, and I was patient. I took what they gave me, and I didn't think about a lot of things. I was just patient, a lot more patient than the first two games versus Game 3.

Q. How frustrating has it been that you, Ray and Paul haven't all hit a rhythm in any one game so far?
KEVIN GARNETT: It's a bit frustrating, to be honest. But different series are going to call on for different guys to step up, and in a way some of the calls go sometimes, two or three guys might be in foul trouble just from a flow standpoint, it's just not there.
If you look at our series, I don't think there's been a point where all three of us have had huge games. If not one of us, something is going on. There's always a dilemma with one of us. There's never been a situation where it's been multiple. But from a sense of frustration, yeah, it is. We've just got to continue to grind and continue to do things and continue it work hard.

Q. Do you think you need all three of you to hit your stride in one game to --
KEVIN GARNETT: It definitely would help. I just don't think defensively we need a stride, I think defensively we need to have a bit of consistency with that same stride. But the fact of -- any three, not just myself but if it's Rondo, Ray, someone off the bench, whatever, I think it needs to be something solidified and something consistent with the scoring.

Q. Doc was saying you took 16 shots last night, Doc was wishing you took 25. What is it that starts you guys to get away from establishing more, especially late in the game?
KEVIN GARNETT: The play calling. You know, whatever Doc is calling, whatever is working, we pretty much try to go to that. You know, you've always got to count in ball movement and making the defense stay honest in the things that you're doing. You've got to assume that they're going to make adjustments part of the game or some point in the game they're going to make adjustments. And at the same time, you know, with the success we had in Game 2, you're still trying to solidify and put Ray's mark on the game, and then you can't forget about Paul. That's pretty much how we've always done it here. And Rondo, you know.
But for the most part the theme is to stay aggressive, move the ball and share the ball. So that's been the thing.

Q. If Doc is saying that he wants you to have the ball more, do you kind of have to say to the guys the same thing?
KEVIN GARNETT: I think yesterday wasn't a force-fed type of thing. I thought the flow called for it. We got fast breaks, easy buckets. It was just flow. It had nothing to do with force feeding and shoving the biscuit down the baby's throat, so to speak. I can't believe I just said that. (Laughter).
But anyway, it's just flow. When Paul is going, a lot of the times the plays are not even called for him. He's coming off a second and third pass and he gets it and he's being aggressive and it's the same thing. I think the first two games Kobe was coming on me a lot. He wasn't really guarding Rondo, he was really kind of zoning up or whatever. Yesterday he wasn't doing as much as that.
All those things come into play.

Q. A couple of years ago Paul obviously had a great Finals. As captain this time around as he was then, does he need to really step up early in this game, get in a rhythm almost and take charge even before he could get in foul trouble?
KEVIN GARNETT: You know, it's crazy because I've been there, Game 2, with the fouls, and it really takes a toll on you from a momentum and a rhythm standpoint. You're trying to do whatever you have to do to create a rhythm on top of that if another guy has it going, then it supports your play.
I tried to do something different versus being offensive throughout, moving the ball, setting solid screens, rebounding, and I think when you don't have that momentum or you don't have that flow, then you have to look to do other things. You know, we need Paul. We need Paul to be Paul Pierce, The Truth. But it has to be something that is a flow and within everybody's flow of the game.
He's right, he did have a great Finals, and I thought in that whole run he had a great momentum, not a lot of times he was in foul trouble and all that.
But the game has a feel and you have to go with that feel.

Q. Big Baby gives up a lot of inches to some guys down low. How much do you admire his will to keep at it down low?
KEVIN GARNETT: Well, he does give up a lot in height, but I think he makes it up with a lot of his hustle, a lot of his positioning. No, he's a block down there, and it's hard to move him and it's hard to -- once he's established where he's at, he does a pretty good job of keeping guys in front of him. You know, this is nothing new to him. He knows he's not the tallest guys out there, and he plays I think exceptionally well with his height. He plays very well and very solidified for his height and who he is against the guys that he has to play, versus Shaq and Pau and guys that are if not taller than him, a lot more probably effective on the offensive end or whatever. But he does a great job of what he has to work with.

Q. Lamar Odom said you give him two seconds, he's scoring.
KEVIN GARNETT: Yeah, I think Baby is -- I think people don't really at some point respect his scoring ability, but he can score the ball. He has a lot of confidence in himself, and well deserving of it. He works really hard.

End of FastScripts

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