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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v SPURSMay 25, 2014Kevin DurantRussell WestbrookOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA: Game Three Oklahoma City – 106 Q. Kevin, to start, could you talk about the lineup change and if that relieved some pressure off you and Russ to score the ball, and then just the intensity of the team overall in tonight's win. KEVIN DURANT: It was definitely‑‑ definitely helped having a lineup change, having Serge back is a plus and then having another attacker on the floor in Reggie, somebody that can create for everybody and also create for himself is good. I think the biggest thing that changed was the intensity on the defensive end. We still turned the ball over more than we should have, but I think we always had great intentions and we moved the ball from side to side tonight. Q. Can you just talk about the impact that Serge had tonight and what he was able to do, especially on the defensive side? RUSSELL WESTBROOK: I mean, he's done what he's been doing for us all season, came out with a great mindset defensively, altered some shots, blocked some shots, and he makes you think about going in there‑‑ he makes you think twice about going in there, and you seen that tonight. Q. You both said going into this game that you needed to play better. Can each of you talk about the other and what you liked most about you each brought? RUSSELL WESTBROOK: Well, I just liked Kevin's defensive mindset. I thought he was great, just locked in on whoever he was guarding, and he was focused on that end. Obviously he can score with the best of them and he stayed aggressive all night long for us. KEVIN DURANT: Yeah, I think I loved Russ's intensity on the basketball defensively, and wreaking havoc with his athleticism and strength on the defensive end. Played with such poise and resiliency after struggling shooting the basketball early but stuck with it and hit some huge shots for us and attacked all night but made the right basketball play. Q. Russell, what was the key to you guys doing a better job with Parker tonight? RUSSELL WESTBROOK: Just putting pressure on him. You know, we just did a better job of just staying with him, not giving him much space. I know he likes a lot of space and likes a lot of free movement, and my job was to stay with him all night long and try to make him feel my body, my size and make him do some tough shots. Q. KD, when you're out there watching Serge, he's limping around after he blocks Danny Green and he's waving off the bunch. What does that do for you emotionally fighting through pain? KEVIN DURANT: Well, when you talk about a teammate, that's everything you want your teammate to embody is a guy who gives himself up for the team, gives his body up for the team. No matter how this game would have went tonight, I gained so much more respect for Serge for laying it all on the line for us, putting his body out there and sacrificing his health for the betterment of the team. I'm glad we won the basketball game, but no matter what would have happened tonight, that's something you want to have beside you every single day. Q. With Serge being out for a few days, a few days, and practicing with you just for the last day or so, how could you see he played tonight, could you see that coming? Was he excited about coming out and jumping out the way he did? RUSSELL WESTBROOK: You know, I think Serge has put so much work in throughout the season, and him missing a few days didn't hurt him much. He did a great job of coming in every day and doing what he needed to do and taking care of his body. You know, we have an amazing staff, training staff here. They did a great job with him and keeping him confident, making sure he stayed in the weight room, doing different things to keep his mind right, and tonight he kind of transferred right over and he just kind of jumped back into where he was. Q. Russell, can you talk about Reggie in the starting lineup, the difference he makes and what he does when he's out there with you? I think it's the first time ever you two started together. RUSSELL WESTBROOK: He did a great job of just attacking, man. It gives me the opportunity to play off the ball a little bit, move around, just find a way to help my team win. Reggie did a great job of just playing the game, being aggressive, finding guys, rebounding, and just being Reggie. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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