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NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE: WARRIORS v CLIPPERSMay 1, 2014Mark JacksonOAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: Game Six Q. Mark, is there any chance that Ezeli is able to play this game? COACH JACKSON: I haven't spoken to anybody yet, but I would say no. He still hasn't done any five‑on‑five. He did get up and down two‑on‑two full court controlled, and I would say no, not tonight. Q. (No Microphone) do you expect him to be more involved early on? Would you like him to take a few more shots at the start to get your team a jump start? COACH JACKSON: I want him to be aggressive, but I want him to be smart. Do what the defense dictates, and he's done a great job of doing just that. I think it's important for us to get stops, and it makes it easier for him to get it going in transition, but they do a good job in half court sets trapping him and forcing him to get rid of the basketball. But I fully expect him to be more aggressive tonight. Q. You said you liked the platform this provided to discuss bigger issues. But is part of you happy that things have kind of moved back towards basketball at this point? COACH JACKSON: Oh, absolutely. I applaud both organizations, the ownership, management, leadership and players of both organizations and the stance that they've made and the comments made. I think it's something that I'm proud of, proud to be part of. I think without play in this series, it's spoken volumes also. I'm glad that now the spotlight is on a great series. And what better way than to see a Game 7? Q. I want to ask you about your reasoning on Curry. Do you think if they're trapping him and double teaming him you like him to pass it off. It seems to me sometimes that a playoff game, superstars emerge and assert themselves. I don't think Michael Jordan said I'll just pass off the ball. They sort of take over. Isn't this the time for Stephen Curry to take over? COACH JACKSON: I appreciate that question, but this just in. Steph Curry is not Michael Jordan. He's not my Michael Jordan. He's not anybody's Michael Jordan. I love him to death and he's a heck of a basketball player. At the end of the day, Michael Jordan is 6'7", freak athlete, tremendous strength, cat‑like quickness, the ability to maneuver, get to his spots and, in spite of great defense, shoot over them. Steph Curry is being trapped by a 7‑foot freak athlete in Jordan or a 6'10" freak athlete in Blake along with a big‑time defender at the point guard position and Paul and whoever. There are times he's going to be aggressive. Then there are times he's going to look to make plays. I would argue the case that being too aggressive can force turnovers also. So he's got to use wisdom, and I have confidence that he'll do just that. Q. You were with the Clippers in 1992 when the L.A. riots broke out and your series got disrupted. What are your memories of that and how you guys handled it, 30 years later remembering that? COACH JACKSON: The guys here that know me know I'm not good with going back and remembering stuff like that with all due respect. I do remember it was a tough moment, a tough time, and it was shocking. But I do remember also that statement was made at that time by the leaders in the group, by the organization, by the league and by the people. I think that is the similarities in this situation where wrong will not be tolerated. Q. Do you at all believe in pressure in a series where maybe the pressure was on you guys because you were facing elimination, but if you win this game it switches to the Clippers because it's home and they're supposed to win this is series? Do you believe that? COACH JACKSON: I'm crazy enough to believe the pressure is on the Clippers. I've been in this situation before and it's tough to finish a team off. We are in our building. We'll play with passion, force, and try to keep our season alive. What you don't want in this situation is a Game 7 because anything can happen. So I don't think that the Clippers come in here with the mentality they've got one to bury and they can go back home. So I believe the pressure is on them. Q. Based off of DeAndre Jordan's performance the other day, did you do anything in particular in preparation to try to maybe slow him down? I think Blake Griffin said himself he's never seen him play that well start to finish. COACH JACKSON: You've got to give us credit; we've got something to do with it. If you want to give us credit for keeping him scoreless and not having an impact in Game 4, then give our bigs the same type of credit for him dominating. We did not meet his force with force. We didn't stay connected. We missed assignments and we paid the price. So the key is to get back to who we are, get back to game plan discipline, and not allow him to dominate the game in the fashion in which he did. It's as simple as that sometimes. You try to look at the film a hundred times, but at the end of the day, what it shows you is we didn't fight the same way. Q. There are three other great Western Conference series going on, including one that might impact your team next week. Are you able to enjoy those series at all as a fan, as a coach in anyway, or is your focus totally on your series? COACH JACKSON: No, as a fan, as a coach, I'm certainly enjoying those series. I think it's great basketball, it's great stories, it's great coaching, great playing, it's fantastic for the league. So in between time I'm certainly watching those games, whether it be a series that is of importance to us moving forward or just regular playoff basketball, I am a fan of the game and I continue to try to improve as a head coach. I think it's important to watch games the same way I always did, as a player, as an announcer, as a coach. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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