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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v SPURSMay 29, 2014Scott BrooksSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Game Five San Antonio – 117 SCOTT BROOKS: San Antonio played a very good basketball game. Give them credit. They came back home and played their game. We didn't have the defensive disposition that we've had the last two games and we don't have that. This is what happens against a very skilled offensive basketball team. We gave them everything they wanted. They got the dribble drive, they got the three‑point line, and they got to the free‑throw line. They shot 30 free throws. They're not a team that shoots a lot of free throws, but we fouled them enough to put them on the line for 30 free throws. Q. Can you explain five games, five blowouts, what's going on with these teams? SCOTT BROOKS: It's interesting, you really can't explain it because both teams are really good and both teams compete, but it's the way it is. We have to regroup and come back better in a few days. We've always had a great comeback with better energy and better defensive attitude, and that's what we're going to have to come back with. Q. In this house, you put yourself in position maybe in every game at some point, whether it's the first quarter or into the third quarter. What's been the culprit that you would have to overcome if you came back here or what's been the culprit? SCOTT BROOKS: The first quarter was fool's gold. We gave them 32 points. We were feeling good. I thought the last two minutes we relaxed, and they hit a couple of threes. It's about playing every possession, and we didn't have that mentality tonight, and we had that for 96 minutes the last two games. If we don't get that back, it's going to be a hard game to stop. We're not an offensive team that wants to try and outscore and outshoot teams. They got 13 threes to our six. If we're going to play a three‑point shootout, that's to our advantage. We're a defensive‑minded team that scores off of our defense, and we play with our defensive toughness and we have to be able to do that next game. Q. Manu had the dominant series against you guys. Was it his shot making or can you defend him better? SCOTT BROOKS: We have to defend him better. He's a future Hall of Famer. He's good. He's one of those guys like they have on the team, he's ageless. He comes in with great energy, he plays hard, he plays winning basketball. He's a winner every side of the ball. He competes on the defensive end. Every loose ball, he thinks it's his. Every opportunity to drive, he's going to challenge our feet and drive around us. We have to make sure that we are into him and stop him from taking straight‑line drives to the basket, and that's easier said than done, but we've got to be able to do that in order to stop him. Q. You mentioned you didn't have the defensive disposition. How do you get that back, and why is it sometimes you've had it because the last two games you did‑‑ SCOTT BROOKS: We didn't have it tonight. We didn't have it. One of the things we all know going into this game is that they're going to come out with a lot of urgency, and they did. I thought we had them in the first quarter, 32 or 29 to 22, something around there. And then we gave them a couple of open shots and threes and they closed that quarter out 32‑32. We have to have that coming back. They're a good offensive team. We're not playing‑‑ they have the best record in the league for a reason. You have to be able to compete against them, and you have to be able to deal with all five guys. You can't have two or three defenders on the floor. Q. Why wasn't Ibaka as effective tonight as he had been in the last two games? SCOTT BROOKS: Well, he's‑‑ he didn't have the games that he had the last two games. That's pretty clear. Not going to always play well. I thought his energy was good. He competed, he missed some shots that he normally made. He had a couple of little runners around the basket that those are his shots that he makes. It was everybody. It was everybody. We have to be able to have everybody committed to that end of the floor. Q. When they put four three‑point shooters on the floor at the same time, what are the challenges for you all and what do you need to do better in defending them? SCOTT BROOKS: That's basically all game. Their team shoots 40 percent, so everybody, it starts with the ball‑‑ it starts with the four guys being engaged, and if you don't have five guys engaged, that's what's going to happen. We have to get five guys that are committed to the defensive end of the floor. Q. Did you see them doing different things on the court, or was it more just they played with energy, passion and great execution? SCOTT BROOKS: Well, I think they played well. You've got to give them credit. They played well on their floor, and we played well on our floor. I mean, the adjustments they made, the starting lineup, I don't know if that was the reason, but their adjustment‑‑ they played a much better game, and that was our adjustments in Game 3 and 4. And we're going to have to come back and play much better. It's going to take everybody to commit to that end of the floor. This is a good team that scores in bunches and they close out quarters, and they get you running after the ball, and you have to be able to contain that basketball and not give them open looks and not give them drives to the basket, and tonight we put them on the free‑throw line. Q. You mentioned their starting five change. They basically kept two bigs off the floor at all times. Does that really change your thinking going into Game 6? SCOTT BROOKS: Well, we have to count Boris as a big. They throw the ball into the post and he scores, and they generate offense with his passing in the post and their cut. So we have to play‑‑ no matter how we play, it has to be better. We can break it down, our big, plus minus our small, plus minus our hybrid lineup, plus minus. What we have out there has to play better. I believe in all of our guys. Everybody has to have the ability to come in and step up, but you have to be able to do it on the defensive end, and you have to have all five guys. You have one guy having a breakdown, you're going to get punished with a three or a lay‑up, a roll down the middle. Q. Pop was talking about players aren't machines, they're human beings. How much of this is having potentially a Game 6 or a Game 7 in your pocket with the players' mentality? SCOTT BROOKS: Well, you have to ask those questions to the players. I know we talked about coming in and just worried about this game. We're not worried about going home Game 6, just like we're not worried about coming here for Game 7. We're focused on Game 6. Tonight we were focused on Game 5. We have to do a better job than what we did tonight, and all of our energy tomorrow is going to figure out ways to get better and come back better. Game 6 is our home crowd. Q. Starting Bonner and Diaw until the first half they clearly wanted to bring Serge away from the basket. Was that successful? SCOTT BROOKS: No, I don't think so. They played well and they shot the ball well and they got to the free‑throw line. The ball was being driven by their perimeter players, and it was catch and drive‑in stead of catch and hold. They did a good job. They put their head down and went to the basket. We have to do a better job of containing that dribble. Too many straight line drives. We want flat line drives and we want to be able to stay chest to chest with their offensive player, and we didn't do a good job of that tonight. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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