Miles Bridges Discusses Return to Hornets
Miles Bridges Discusses Return to Hornets
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00:00 What was it like for you to check into the game and
00:03 kind of be greeted with the cheers you got tonight?
00:06 >> It was great.
00:09 Like I said yesterday, I missed these fans.
00:11 I didn't know what to expect.
00:12 And they missed me, so I was happy to just go out there, be able to play.
00:18 I know we lost the game.
00:20 But it was good to be playing in front of the fans again.
00:24 >> For you, just from a basketball standpoint,
00:25 playing out there for the first time in a year and a half, did it feel kind of surreal?
00:29 Just how would you assess how you performed tonight,
00:32 kind of given all the time off?
00:34 >> Yeah, I always feel like I could do better.
00:36 I know I had time off, but I feel good, so really no excuses.
00:39 I could definitely play better defensively.
00:43 So next game, I'm gonna try to fix that.
00:44 >> Miles, obviously your first game in over 500 some days, going through warmups,
00:53 going through getting ready to check into the game.
00:56 Did you have any first game jitters?
00:58 I know it's been a while since you played, but
01:00 did you have kind of that heart pounding moment or anything like that?
01:03 >> Yeah, just checking into the game.
01:05 But other than that, I did a good job of focusing on my breathing.
01:08 And it helped me, so after I hit my first shot,
01:12 I kind of got back in the flow of things.
01:15 >> Is that about the same time you fell back into your rhythm, I guess,
01:20 in terms of the conditioning and all that, or
01:22 did it take a little bit longer to kind of get used to it again?
01:25 >> It took longer.
01:26 That first quarter, I felt kind of winded, but
01:28 after I got some reps up and down the floor, I felt good again.
01:31 So it was good.
01:33 >> What's it just like being a part of this team again,
01:36 knowing how long it's been for you to sit out and not be number one at ratio?
01:41 >> It feels good.
01:42 Like I said, it just feels good playing with those guys.
01:45 Melo had 37 points, he for sure needed to help scoring.
01:49 So we just gotta go out there and be better.
01:52 It just can't be a one man show.
01:54 He's doing everything he can for the team, so we gotta help him out.
01:57 >> You guys, this is obviously your first game, but as a team,
02:01 you guys have lost, I think, five straight home games, something like that.
02:04 But now you guys are like one and five away.
02:06 How do you turn it around and just, you talk about that as a team,
02:08 but just how do you make sure you guys get better at home right now?
02:11 >> We just gotta have pride.
02:13 We gotta protect home court.
02:14 I feel like last year we did better, well, they did better at away games.
02:20 But we just gotta do a better job of protecting home court and
02:22 not letting teams come in and beat us by 30.
02:25 >> Miles scores 41 to 30, they go in a nine over on coach,
02:31 calls a timeout, didn't seem like you guys had finally ridden the game.
02:34 Can you talk about that series right there and maybe what went wrong?
02:37 >> Yeah, I mean, that's what went in the game.
02:39 They got their confidence up.
02:41 I feel like we started moving the ball as much as we were in the first quarter.
02:44 And that's what got them going, I feel like that's what went in the game.
02:50 >> And then following that, coach said you wanted to kind of keep your
02:52 28 minutes cuz it's back to back tomorrow.
02:55 You ended up playing 33, how do you feel after that game?
02:58 >> Yeah, I knew coach wasn't gonna play me 28 minutes.
03:00 >> [LAUGH] >> He was gonna play me over 30.
03:03 But it's just about the flow of the game.
03:05 I was playing well, so he kept me in the game, so.
03:08 >> Miles, were you surprised at all at the significantly
03:13 positive reading that you got?
03:16 And what would you say to people who don't think you should have been playing
03:20 tonight and shouldn't be playing at all?
03:22 >> I mean, I was happy for the response that I got from everybody.
03:29 And that's all that matters.
03:31 I'm just here to play basketball.
03:33 Like I said before, I gotta gain people's trust back.
03:36 I'm just here to play basketball and help this team get wins.
03:40 [BLANK_AUDIO]
03:42 >> Miles, just a quick turnaround, next tomorrow,
03:44 what are some of the keys to having a different result from the first time you
03:48 guys played and just different result from tonight in general?
03:51 >> Just being more physical on defense.
03:53 The Knicks, they're definitely a physical team.
03:56 So if we're not physical with them from the jump,
03:57 they're gonna come in here and do what the Bucs just did to us.
04:00 So, I say protect our home court, we just gotta be physical,
04:03 we gotta play with more confidence.
04:05 I feel like we'll be good tomorrow.
04:06 >> Miles, you told us before the season you wanted to be on all defensive team
04:11 this year.
04:11 Tonight you take the challenge of playing Giannis for much of the game.
04:13 What does that match up like?
04:15 And how do you take those strides defensively to where you wanna be?
04:18 >> Like I said, I could be better defensively.
04:20 I missed a few defensive helps I could have been in.
04:26 But Giannis is Giannis.
04:29 He's tough, what do you have, 18 a day?
04:32 Dane was doing a good job for them.
04:33 So I feel like I could have did better.
04:36 I feel like I've done a pretty good job on Giannis.
04:39 >> Miles, talking about the in-season tournament and
04:41 the special courts that they use.
04:43 I'm just curious from a player's perspective,
04:45 do you notice anything different?
04:46 Does it make you play different or is it all just kinda in the background?
04:49 >> I mean, it looks good, but the court is the court.
04:53 The court, you got two ropes, basketball.
04:56 And we're gonna play, but it looks nice though and it's good for the fans.
04:59 And good for the players too, just to be different.
05:02 >> What do you think about the in-season tournament in general?
05:06 Do you like the idea of it or do you feel like it brings an added juice to the game?
05:11 >> For sure, I like it a lot.
05:13 It brings the competitive nature out of people when you're playing for something.
05:16 So you've seen that they let their guys in with two minutes, 30 seconds.
05:20 >> [LAUGH] >> Trying to run a score.
05:22 So it really means something.
05:24 Everybody's playing hard, so I think the NBA did a good job with that.
05:26 >> Yes, appreciate it.