|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HEAT v PACERSMay 19, 2014George HillINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA: Practice Day GEORGE HILL: It's a new year. We can't pull this on all the past things and records after they lose and things like that. Only thing we can focus on is Game 2. We know that they're a good team, and they're going to come out with a lot of energy, and we have to try and match that. Q. Do you feel this is a better team and you learned a lot, even from that seven‑game series a year ago. Do you think it helped this team? GEORGE HILL: Do I think this Pacers team is a better team? Q. Against the Heat, yeah. GEORGE HILL: I definitely think we're a better team. We're a more mature team. We picked up some great veteran leaderships in Rasual Butler and Luis Scola. It strengthens our core five unit from last year and the previous year. So this is definitely a better team. I see it. Q. Is this a better matchup for you guys? Everybody talks about this Pacers team is really built to match up well with this Heat team. Q. I don't know, man. I just know it's a good basketball team. We've had our ups and our downs. It's been shaky, but we're still here fighting, and we're a close group. So I feel like we're a good enough team to be in any situation in any matchup. Q. How much does it help the confidence to really play one of your best games from start to finish yesterday? GEORGE HILL: It's great. I still don't think we've played some of our best basketball. Giving up 54 points in the paint is not us. 21 points on the fast break is things we can control. As good as it was, we still have a lot that we can get better on. Q. Everybody's talked about home court. Do you put a lot on this game tomorrow night for the importance of winning this, taking care of home court? GEORGE HILL: I mean, definitely so. Game 2 is just as much as important as Game 1 was. We'll try to come out of here 2‑0 and go to Miami and get one there. Q. George, what do you expect differently defensively in their rotation? GEORGE HILL: I don't know. He's a good coach, and it's a good team. I can't tell you what to expect. Q. Do you feel like they were a little bit slow with their rotations yesterday? Do you think they could be quicker? GEORGE HILL: I don't know. We moved the ball very well. You've got to give that credit also. Q. How much is [indiscernible], even though his field goal percentage wasn't great, but he was in great position underneath the basket to get a lot of foul shots. How important is that to get him going early? GEORGE HILL: That's definitely important. He helps this team. He's the reason we're at where we are now. We don't tend to look into stats and worry about field goal percentage. We just try to say get the job done, and that's what he's been doing. Q. Do you feel they have an answer for Roy and David West around the basket. They're not a big team. Do you feel like they have an answer for those guys? GEORGE HILL: I don't know. They're the champs for a reason. Whatever they've been doing has been successful for them in the past. I'm sure they're going to come back with a little more energy and effort, and we have to try to match that. But who knows? Q. Do you ever feel like the forgotten guy in this lineup? Other guys get more attention for good reasons and bad reasons. GEORGE HILL: I don't care about that. I'm just here to play ball and do my job. That's it. Q. Do you like being out of spotlight, so to speak? GEORGE HILL: Definitely so. I'm not the spotlight kind of guy. Playing in San Antonio, it's not all about the spotlight. I don't think the Spurs ever got recognition. We were always good there. So I'm used to that. But never my type. I just want to do my job on the court and let everything else take care of itself. Q. Do you sometimes have to kind of force yourself to assert yourself? GEORGE HILL: I don't have to prove anything. This team knows who I am. My organization knows who I am. Like I said, I'm just going to do my job. Q. Are you interested to have a bigger role in the offense, to look for your shot? GEORGE HILL: My role is fine. Like I don't want to be the star. That's Paul's job. He's the all‑star here. You've got D. West, and you've got Roy, and you've got Lance. I'm fine being where I am. As long as we're winning and everything's going well, that's my job is to keep it all going well. Q. What have you seen from Lance since the last regular season game against Miami where he got kicked out? He got wrapped up in staring down D. Wade and everything. GEORGE HILL: That's the past. We're not worried about that. That's the past. Q. But the progress he's shown between then and yesterday, what's happened during that period of time? GEORGE HILL: Like I said, that's the past. We don't worry about what happened earlier. All we can focus on is where we were yesterday and tomorrow. It just shows he's turned into a good player. He's mature. Q. Was there a lot of conversation from teammates about that? GEORGE HILL: Lance is smart. He knows what he's doing. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|