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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v SPURSMay 20, 2014Nick CollisonSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Practice Day NICK COLLISON: It was just we had extra effort, extra energy, and we did a better job of getting back, getting set, and there was a lot of clips early in the game where we'd get a guy back on the ball but we didn't have the guys behind him that were able to get to the basket. Really poor effort defensively for most of that game. We saw a little stretch where we played better, so that needs to be our new normal, and that needs to be how we play for the majority of the game. Q. There were a ton of things you might have identified in the pick‑and‑roll (inaudible). NICK COLLISON: I think the effort and the focus is what allows us to do what we're supposed to do. It's a real fine line.  It doesn't mean we came into that game lazy or totally out of it or anything like that, but it is, you have to play really, really well at this level against a team like them, and you have to really be on and be really sharp, and we weren't like that at the beginning of the game. Like I said, we had a decent stretch in there, but we need to be able to do that for much longer. Q. (Inaudible) physical force and more of a forward attack sort of mentality? NICK COLLISON: Yeah, we want to make it hard for them to make all their cuts and their passes. They're really good when they're running through their offense and the ball is flying around and guys are wide open. We want to be able to throw their timing off a little bit, and some of that is physicality, but a lot of it is getting back and start playing at the beginning of a possession instead of being back on our heels and letting them run where they want to run. Q. I know obviously Serge wasn't there last night, but can you talk about Duncan? Does it amaze you at age 38 he's still able to do the things‑‑ he's one of those vintage‑‑ NICK COLLISON: Yeah, I think he's doing a good job with his body to where he's always been a really good, incredible basketball player, really skilled. But I think he's moving well, and yeah, it's impressive at his age. But he's been doing it a long time. I think for us, him like all their other guys, we just let him play too freely and let them play in space too much. Q. As much as you guys experimented last night with different lineups and different sets, does it still feel like there are more cards to play, more options out there for you guys? NICK COLLISON: Well, if we don't play well and if we play like we did early, it doesn't matter what we put out there. We didn't play at a high enough level. We didn't defend. We weren't even close on how we needed to defend against this team. The lineups, there's no magic. I don't think there's any magic lineups if we're not going to have the effort and the concentration. That's our job as players, and then Coach will figure out what works for us. But for us we've got to be really engaged and ready to go when the game starts. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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