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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v SPURSJune 1, 2012Manu GinobiliOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA: Practice Day Q. Manu, did the film show you anything? MANU GINOBILI: No, we are saving it for tomorrow. So I still haven't watched it. Q. Did you wake up today and see anything last night? MANU GINOBILI: Well, we talked. We went to dinner, and we talked a lot about what happened and how we can improve, but players' things. Yeah, we thought about some things, which I'm not going to tell you guys, but bottom line is that they were better than us. They played harder, smarter. They made more shots. They did too many things better than us to have a chance to win in this building, so we've really got to step up and play a better game. Q. Pop said that the switch they made with you and Ibaka (No microphone)? MANU GINOBILI: Well, there were changes. It's hard to tell which one influenced the game the most. But they had a switch more on me, and it worked in that game. So hopefully we make them pay a little bit more in the next one. Q. What made that switch so difficult on you? MANU GINOBILI: Well, they're long, athletic, and they collapse the paint. We didn't find the role guy as we did the games before or the weak side and kind of made us play more one‑on‑one. So in that regard, it worked. We didn't make shots that we were not sharp enough. Of course, they accomplished the goal. Q. Is there a way to get out of that mode in Game 4? Do the same thing and counter that? MANU GINOBILI: There are some ways to try to make them pay a little bit more. So hopefully we find them, and we have a clear mind to read the situation better. Q. What do you do differently if you have a big guy on you? How do you take advantage of that in the next game? MANU GINOBILI: Attack better when they try to collapse the paint. Try to find the open teammate. It's basic basketball. It's not something X's and O's wise. I've got to be sharper, more decisive, the spacing has to be better. Q. The energy last night, obviously, they had the energy. You guys didn't seem to have it as you did in Game 2. Is that human nature, maybe? MANU GINOBILI: I think the building kind of helped them too, besides the fact that they are 22 years old and they can run forever. We are not that type of athletes. But they brought it. They really knew that this was a huge game. The fans fuelled them, and they got us on our heels. So now we know how it's going to be, and we've got to start the game on a sharper mode, make better decisions and try to contain them a little bit better. Q. What do you expect in Game 4 from the Spurs given the history after a game like this? MANU GINOBILI: Well, we have a chance to play a better overall game. There is not one area of the court that we've got to improve only that. We've got to improve everywhere. They really beat us fair and square everywhere. So we've really got to step up, play harder, better. Q. After a long winning streak like you guys had, how can a loss get a team to refocus? MANU GINOBILI: Usually it's easier to refocus after a loss than a win. Players usually have a tendency after a winning a few games to relax a little or feel complacent. So hopefully we'll react to wins. We'll see now how we do against losses. But even if we react well, it's a tough place to win, and they're a great team. So it may give us a chance to be mentally ready and physically for tomorrow. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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