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00:00 (footsteps)
00:02 - Jason, why wasn't the effort and the effectiveness
00:07 that you guys saw in the fourth quarter there
00:08 for the first three?
00:10 - Noon, probably noon game.
00:13 You look at being desperate, you know,
00:19 understanding you have no room for error.
00:22 I thought the guys in the fourth quarter
00:24 played at a high level.
00:27 The execution defensively, a lot of our schemes
00:30 we didn't do until the fourth,
00:31 and when we did execute them,
00:33 they went the way we thought.
00:37 And then offensively, I've said this early in the year,
00:41 our offense is our defense.
00:43 When we score, we're gonna be one of the best teams
00:45 in this league.
00:46 When we don't score, we're one of the worst teams.
00:48 And so when we struggle to score,
00:51 we tend to not do anything on the defensive end,
00:54 and we're trying to find a way to score,
00:56 and we're getting great looks,
00:58 but they're just not falling for us.
01:00 And in the fourth, we have a 40-point quarter,
01:03 and it's one of our better defensive quarters
01:05 of the game this afternoon.
01:07 - So you said the noon game?
01:10 Is there anything--
01:10 - I was joking.
01:11 - Okay.
01:12 Is there anything more you can do to motivate the scene,
01:15 to get them engaged for the whole 48?
01:19 - Yeah, I think, again, with being healthy,
01:24 you gotta go through a rhythm,
01:26 and understand we got guys coming back.
01:29 We were looking at different combinations,
01:31 and we're still trying to win.
01:33 We got two new guys.
01:34 We're trying to get them used to the schemes,
01:37 and so there's gonna be some breakdown,
01:39 and we gotta continue to keep working through that.
01:42 The one thing that we are trying
01:43 to encourage our group to do is talk.
01:45 We can't take our phones out there to text one another.
01:49 We can't look at Instagram or Twitter while we're playing.
01:52 We gotta be able to talk to one another to help each other,
01:56 and right now, or this afternoon, it was at a low,
01:59 and so we have to be better at talking to each other,
02:03 and being able to take that criticism,
02:05 and be positive, and move forward.
02:07 - Are there any specific adjustments,
02:08 or anything you plan to implement moving forward?
02:11 - Yeah, well, right now, I gotta go back and look.
02:16 We all know Timmy's not shooting the ball well.
02:20 Maybe we'll watch Major League,
02:21 and get some Kentucky Fried Chicken,
02:23 and put that in his locker,
02:26 but no, we trust Timmy's gonna get out of it.
02:32 The beauty of sport is you gotta fail to be successful.
02:37 We just were in Boston,
02:39 and I give those guys a lot of credit.
02:40 They didn't just start off winning,
02:42 and going to championships.
02:44 They had to struggle, and right now, we're struggling,
02:47 and we gotta stay together, and stay positive,
02:50 and understand when the ball goes in the basket for us,
02:52 we're really good, so the next step is,
02:54 if the ball isn't going in the basket,
02:56 how do we get stops,
02:57 and that's what a young team is going through,
03:00 and that's what we're going through right now.
03:02 - You mentioned this sense of desperation
03:03 in that fourth quarter.
03:05 Is there a sense that this team doesn't feel
03:06 that sense of desperation where they are
03:08 in the standings, and the time of the season?
03:10 - Yeah, I think a lot of this is new.
03:13 We got two guys who have taken on the world,
03:17 and Ky and Luca, and understand what it means
03:20 to be hunted when you're playing for your life.
03:23 Some of those guys in that locker room
03:25 haven't been in this situation,
03:26 so we're going through that right now,
03:29 and we're trying to help them understand
03:31 that you gotta try to win every possession.
03:33 You can't just take one or two off,
03:34 and as a team, we'll be stronger by going through this.
03:39 Every team goes through a part of the season
03:42 where they struggle, where things just seem
03:44 like they're not gonna go right.
03:45 It's just a test, a game test.
03:47 Basketball will test you to see if you're a true believer.
03:51 In that locker room, we got a lot of guys that believe,
03:54 and we're gonna work our way through this.
03:56 - Luca and Kyrie both had fairly good stat lines,
03:59 a lot of turnovers, but do you feel like
04:00 you're running out of options to turn to
04:02 to try and get that offense going
04:04 when they've got it going but nobody else does?
04:06 - Yeah, I think it's just understanding
04:09 that those two are going.
04:10 We did have a lot of turnovers.
04:13 When we are one for one and assist to turnovers,
04:17 that's not gonna be a recipe for success.
04:20 So we have to be better.
04:21 We're a team that doesn't turn the ball over.
04:24 Here of late, we've been having some turnovers.
04:25 This afternoon, we had a lot of turnovers.
04:27 So if you're not getting shots,
04:29 that's gonna put a lot of pressure on your defense.
04:31 And so we have to be better with the ball,
04:33 and we'll be better on Tuesday.
04:35 - You talked so much early this season
04:37 about increasing the pace.
04:39 Is this an example of a game where it would've made sense
04:43 to dial it back?
04:44 Is that something that you guys are able
04:46 to still toggle between?
04:48 - Well, we can slow it down with the best of 'em.
04:51 That's not the issue.
04:52 If we could play with pace
04:54 and just understand that taking care of the ball,
04:58 like tonight or this afternoon with Philly,
05:01 anytime you're gonna touch the paint,
05:02 they're gonna reach,
05:03 and Lowry's gonna get benefited or doubt.
05:07 We gotta understand that.
05:08 And when you drive it, Lowry's in the game.
05:10 He's gonna be there for a charge.
05:12 We have to do better of recognizing
05:14 who's in the game and what they can do.
05:16 Again, I thought D. Jones was great for us.
05:19 We're gonna need that again on Tuesday.
05:23 But right now, we don't have someone
05:25 who's been consistent as your third scorer.
05:28 P.J.'s trending in that way.
05:29 We're gonna need him.
05:31 But looking at what,
05:33 Timmy, the way he's shooting the ball right now,
05:35 and he'll be better Tuesday.
05:37 We need someone else to be able to step up.
05:39 - Jason, you mentioned the struggle
05:41 your team's going through right now.
05:42 With leading them through this,
05:44 how much of that dynamic is within your control,
05:47 and how much of that is just on the players?
05:49 - Yeah, it goes both ways.
05:51 My job is to put the guys in that can help us win,
05:54 and who are playing.
05:56 But you never turn your back on someone
05:58 if they're struggling.
05:59 Timmy is struggling, we know that.
06:01 And our job is to get him open shots,
06:05 try to get him some easy ones.
06:06 But when you're playing,
06:08 the opponent is not just gonna let him shoot.
06:10 So we gotta continue to put him in a position
06:14 to be successful.
06:15 Today with the turnovers,
06:17 that's just something that's not what we do.
06:20 We normally take care of the ball,
06:22 and this afternoon we did not.
06:24 So we have to be better there.
06:26 But I thought our pace to start the game,
06:28 we came out in the right energy, right spirit.
06:33 But for 48 minutes, our energy was a roller coaster,
06:37 and we gotta be consistent with our energy.
06:40 - Thanks.
06:41 Thanks.
06:42 - Thanks.
06:43 [BLANK_AUDIO]