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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v SPURSMay 31, 2014Kevin DurantRussell WestbrookOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA: Game Six San Antonio – 112 Q. Guys, start by talking about tonight's game. Was it a situation, Kevin, where you guys had to expend so much energy coming from 12 back in the fourth quarter, you didn't have a lot left for the OT? KEVIN DURANT: No, it wasn't that. We fought as hard as we could all night. We left it all out there. They made plays down the stretch, we didn't. Q. Russ, you guys had some good defensive numbers overall, but the 37 points in the third quarter and then them making plays in the overtime, I'm thinking especially the one you came over on Tim on and he still makes the shot. Did you just not have enough defensively tonight? RUSSELL WESTBROOK: You could say that, but like Kevin said, we left it on the floor. They made some plays at the end, and they won. Q. Kevin, in the third quarter obviously Tony is out. How were they able to get freed up so often to score 37 points? KEVIN DURANT: Well, they have a good team. Tony Parker is not their whole team. You've seen games where he wasn't playing and they still won. They've got a good system. They've got good guys that can plug in, and they came in and made plays. Q. What do you think that your team has to do to improve in order to take the next step to win that championship? KEVIN DURANT: Just to be honest, I haven't really thought about that right now. It's hard to say. Just reflect on the season, a great season. You know, losing like this is definitely tough, but I really don't know. Just get better individually, I guess. But it's just tough losing like this, man. There's not much more I can say. Q. Spurs got points from everyone but I think one player on their roster, and you guys only had five players score. Russ, how big of a challenge is that? What does that do to you in terms of making it more difficult? RUSSELL WESTBROOK: I mean, you know, we only played seven guys. Basically, the whole game, they played a lot of people. They played pretty much all their guys because one of their guys went out, which is just unfortunate. They made some shots and we didn't. Q. Kevin, that 7‑0 run right at the end of the third quarter, I know you guys got into OT, but looking back. Is that a stretch that still stings? KEVIN DURANT: No, we did everything. That's what basketball is about. They're a great team, they made a run, but that shows the character we have on this team to force that overtime and not give up. It's easy to give up, but you can say that about any run throughout our game. They could have put us away to start the forth quarter, but they didn't and we forced the overtime. Teams make runs. That's the name of our game. But we did a good job of bouncing back, but obviously we didn't finish off well. Q. Can both of you talk about Pop and your exchange with him at the end as you guys were checking out? He talked glowingly about both you guys and just what that meant for him to grab both of you as you left the game. RUSSELL WESTBROOK: I just congratulated him on a great season and on advancing. KEVIN DURANT: He's a class act. Just told him congratulations. Q. Two years ago when you guys were in The Finals and everyone was saying that you guys would be there for years to come, and I know you were saying that you had to take advantage of it at that moment, these last two seasons to not get back to The Finals, how difficult has it been, and do you wonder if your day is going to come? RUSSELL WESTBROOK: I mean, it's difficult, but we always find a way to get through it. You know, it's been a long season for myself and Kevin and the organization, and we still fought through it and got here. We're definitely not going to give up, come back next year, and be better and be stronger, be wiser, and we're coming back. Q. Russ, you had the knee surgeries and a minutes' restriction up until late, late in the season. How do you view your season in terms of the way you played, your health, and now looking ahead to next year? RUSSELL WESTBROOK: I mean, it was definitely an up‑and‑down season for me, but my teammates, Kevin, everybody in the city, made me feel like I was a part of the team throughout the year, so I kind of stayed close, stayed confident, and still, very unfortunate couldn't make it past this point, putting so much work into rehabbing and trying to get back to be able to help my team and help my team win games like this. Q. Kevin, with Russ only playing half a season, do you look back at that at all and wonder what might have been if he had the full season, if the team had had that full season? KEVIN DURANT: We can say what‑ifs in life all the time, but he went through what he went through. And you've got to give him credit for staying positive throughout it all. I'm not sure if I'd have stayed positive through two knee surgeries and playing so well and then having to sit out for two months and coming back and minute restrictions. But he stayed positive and level‑headed and came out and had a great postseason for us. I never think what if because it never happened. I'm just excited to play with such an emotional, fun, great teammate like Russell, and it makes me so much better. It makes our team and our city so much better. So everything that's supposed to happen this year happened, and we can move on and grow from it. Q. Can you talk about Serge and his challenge, because he put in 48 minutes tonight. He only had four rebounds, but it seems like even though he started strongly in those games when he first came back, it seemed like it was almost asking too much of him, that he was really hurt. KEVIN DURANT: No, I don't think so. If he was hurt, he wouldn't have played. I know Serge better than anybody in here. He gave his body up for his team no matter what. He didn't think about an injury. That was in his distant memory, so far away from him getting injured. He just tried to just release that all and go out there and play his all for his team, and that's what he did. You know, I think people were expecting him to be something different, but he came out and played well these last four games for us. You know, it was great to have him come back and play so well and give his body up for us. Q. Coach Brooks was asked did your team improve and has the organization improved. He said absolutely, and someone asked if you two would say that, and he says I hope they do because they've improved individually. Do you feel that way? RUSSELL WESTBROOK: Definitely. We've grown to trust each other, I thought, this season. With so much that was going on, we still stuck together, found a way to get it done. Everybody pitched in their part to get it to this point, and I definitely feel that we've grown as a unit. KEVIN DURANT: Without a doubt we've grown, from top to bottom, everybody. You know, around here we always, our goal is to win the big thing and go out on top. But, unfortunately it didn't happen for us this year, but we still improved, something we can always learn from. Just grateful to play with such great teammates in such a great building and for a great city like this. We've all got to keep our heads up and keep improving. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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