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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v SPURSMay 25, 2014Scott BrooksOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA: Game Three Q. First of all, will Serge be playing tonight? SCOTT BROOKS: Yes, Serge will be playing, and Serge will be starting. Q. When was this decision made? SCOTT BROOKS: Today. Q. What all went into the decision to not only let him start but just get him on the court? SCOTT BROOKS: Well, obviously the medical team gave us the go‑ahead that he can play, and we're excited about it. The last couple of days he's progressed very well, he's improved. The swelling went down the last few days, and he got a better handle on it. Give our medical staff and Serge all the credit. They put themselves in this position to be cleared to play tonight. Yesterday, the last couple of days obviously, he's increased his activity, and then yesterday he did a lot of good things, in basketball, game‑like situations, not in practice because we didn't go live in practice, but he did a lot of things off to the side that we felt that if he came back better today, he might have a great chance to play tonight, and he came back good today and went through most of the shoot‑around. Q. Any other changes in the lineup? SCOTT BROOKS: Yes. Reggie is going to start at the 2 guard, 2 spot. KD is still staying in. Q. Your decisions with Reggie, what do you hope he brings? SCOTT BROOKS: He gives us another guy that can attack. He gives us another guy that can play pick‑and‑roll offensively. He gives us another guy that can get opportunities on the weak side to attack their defense, and he's done a great job of improving his three‑point shot, and he's shooting over 40 percent from the three. Q. With both Reggie and Serge in the lineup, does that give you some more options to deal with their pick‑and‑roll and your coverages there? SCOTT BROOKS: Yeah, it gives us obviously more offense, having Serge and Reggie in the starting lineup. I thought Reggie has really improved his three‑point shooting all year, and like I said, he's shooting over 40 percent from the three in the Playoffs, and Serge is one of the best mid‑range shooters. Not only Serge impacts the game defensively, he impacts our game offensively. He's a tremendous threat off of pick‑and‑rolls because he can pop as well as anybody in the league, and he does a good job of rolling and catching balls around the basket and finishing. Q. Even if Serge isn't 100 percent, what do you think his presence is going to mean for your team? SCOTT BROOKS: Well, he hasn't played in an NBA game in over eight, nine, 10 days. He's probably going to be a little winded. That's expected. And he might have some‑‑ he might be a little tight at times. He's probably going to be on the elliptical machine or a bike when he's not in the game just to keep his body warm and loose, but we expect him to play like Serge plays. He blocks shots, he alters shots, and he's been a force on both ends of the court for us. Q. Is there a psychological boost by just having him out there? SCOTT BROOKS: Yeah, having one of your best players back obviously helps our team, not only from the mental standpoint of it but from the actual playing standpoint of it. We're down 0‑2, and they did a great job of beating us on their home floor. We have a great opportunity tonight to do the same, but we're going to have to play a lot better, and Serge obviously helps us play better. Q. I don't know if I missed it, but did you say there's any restrictions on Serge's minutes or anything like that? SCOTT BROOKS: No. Q. No restrictions? SCOTT BROOKS: No. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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