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NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE: NUGGETS v WARRIORSMay 2, 2013Andrew BogutOAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: Game Six NUGGETS – 88 ANDREW BOGUT: I don't have any glasses I can wear to fit in with the rest of the NBA guys. My apologizes (smiling). Q. How satisfying is it to have your best game of the season in the biggest game of the season? ANDREW BOGUT: It's very satisfying. It's an emotional game for me. You know, the season for me has been a nightmare individually and personally. But I've had a lot of success. As you come into a playoff series that nobody picked us to win. First, no one picked us to be in the playoffs, we had that chip on our shoulder, we got through the first round, and no one picked us to win this series and we did. We have a young, emotional group that really thrives off each other. Couldn't be happier. I'm just glad I started to play better basketball. I'll just keep working at it. Q. After everything that went on during Game5, after Game5, throughout the series, does that make closing out the series tonight at home that much sweeter? ANDREW BOGUT: Of course it does. We go back to Denver, I hate to say, but we lose momentum. We probably struggle to win that game. We almost let it go at the end. There was a big run for us in the third and fourth quarter that got us over the line. Just a huge win in front of our fans. I've only been here a year, but I know the nightmares they've been through in the last 20 years. They're enjoying this as much as we are. Q. When you're rehabbing last summer, I know this is the goal, but did a performance like this in the playoffs seem realistic to you? ANDREW BOGUT: Not so much thinking about it the summer, but during the season. Bouncing back with one day's rest during the season, I couldn't handle the ankle during the season. It was a struggle today, as well. But it was very satisfying to have a good game and close out a team that we weren't supposed to beat. We matched them throughout the series pretty much in all the things we needed to, in physicality, playing hard, sharing the ball. I think we did a great job of it. Q. Could you comment on the impact of the rookies, Draymond Green, what that means for your club going forward. ANDREW BOGUT: Draymond Green, I heard a quote in the pre‑season, he's a winner. He's a three, a four, a two? What does he do? He wins games. He went to a school that prided itself on winning games and playing hard. His energy, his effort, he could go out almost one through four. I love the kid. He's going to be a great player. He deserves all of that. He didn't play a lot of minutes, but he provided some energy for us all year, physicality. Like I said, we have a young team with only a couple veterans. Making the second rounds of the playoffs is incredible. Q. Mark Jackson talks about how the young players bought into his system from the get‑go. What was it like for you coming in? It reminded me of the 1975 team, they talked about togetherness. Togetherness has carried you through the first round of this playoffs. ANDREW BOGUT: It has. We're a loose group. I think we enjoy being around each other first and foremost. Coach Jackson, you guys know, he's a pastor, he preaches. He's a very well‑spoken individual. The pep talks before the games are sensational. He gets us riled up the right way. He's very close with all the players. I've never had a head coach sit down at a lunch table after practice and sit there for hours talking to different guys. It's unbelievable. For him to come in, it shocked me when I first got traded here, he's talking for three, four hours with different guys, laughing, joking. He's a great person. Q. What does it mean to you having David come in after being injured? Was it an inspiration? ANDREW BOGUT: I think so. The crowd obviously loved it. It got them up and going. It provided a bit of a lift. A lot of guys are playing hurt, but he showed, I'm going to come back and give it a go. As long as he doesn't go out and hurt himself, I think he'll try to play limited minutes hopefully and work his way back in. He's two weeks away from his expected six‑day‑a‑week rehab, so it's a great job on his part. Hopefully we can get him back sooner or later. Q. Big moment for everybody on the team. You think about your time here, doctor's offices, sitting in a whirlpool. What does this mean to you? ANDREW BOGUT: Like I said, it's very emotional for me because I've had an absolute nightmare of a six to nine months. There was no light at the end of the tunnel. It was pitch black for months. I questioned a lot of things personally. Mentally I was in a pretty bad place for a couple of months. Guys on the road, I'm stuck at home. My day consisted of rehab in the morning, go home, ice. I don't go out. Go home and ice. Haven't had a beer or drink or alcoholic beverage. I've given up a lot. To just go home and getting my ankle right, it's taken a lot out of me in that sense. That's what you do when you're a professional athlete. I try to take every minute I can away from the court to get it right. It's been tough. I love being part of this team. To win a series like this, it's given me a lot emotionally. Q. In the third quarter you and Steph got a thing going. Do you think he's developed some confidence in you and you have that rapport, a game within a game? ANDREW BOGUT: Yeah, a little bit. I think a little bit. I think early on in the season, he was probably thinking, What did we trade for? Rightfully so. I struggled. He's starting to understand that I can do different things that most seven‑footers can. I can pass the ball, handle the ball well. They're starting to get confidence in me. When that comes together, I can provide more offense than I have. Right now my offense needs a lot of work to get back where it was. If I can set good screens and get him open, you never know what can happen with our team. Q. How long do you celebrate this before you start thinking about Tim Duncan and the Spurs? ANDREW BOGUT: We're going to enjoy it. A couple of the fellows are going to go out tonight and enjoy it. You don't want to be a hermit, but you want to enjoy it. Like I said, this is something that we've done collectively. Enjoy it for a night more two, then I think we start preparations the day after tomorrow to go out to San Antonio and start that series. Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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