Darius Bazley | Orlando Magic | Mar. 20, 2022
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00:00 run their lead.
00:02 Anything that you noticed just kind of in that final five minutes
00:05 or so that they were able to get to?
00:07 [inaudible]
00:09 Um, I think kind of like the way--
00:12 the way the game was going, like the flow of the game,
00:15 there were like some like rough stretches,
00:16 like some rough patches of the game where
00:19 we would turn the ball over, they would go down,
00:21 you know, turn over on their end and like
00:23 neither one was really converting
00:25 or it just was like just ugly, you know,
00:27 it wasn't like our style or really our way of like--
00:31 ideal way of trying to get a stop, you know what I mean?
00:34 And then coming down, it's like transition,
00:36 you're not really getting anything like going,
00:39 you know, trying to start offense around like 15, 12,
00:42 whatever the case is.
00:44 Like I said, we had some rough patches in the half court too,
00:46 like turn the ball over.
00:48 Um, I think when a game's like that,
00:52 um, getting ourselves centered
00:55 and getting ourselves back to like a place where
00:58 we can like lock back in mentally
01:00 and like forget all of the like mistakes and stuff
01:04 because it just kind of gets you like out of your groove,
01:07 you know, when like things are like that
01:09 and the game's going like that.
01:11 I think that kind of played a part a little bit,
01:15 especially, you know, defensively,
01:17 you know, they got a lot of offensive rebounds.
01:21 A couple of guys started hitting shots,
01:22 you know, late in the game, you know, we fouled some.
01:25 Um, but I think we just got to do a better job
01:28 of being able to like getting back on the ground,
01:32 you know, like just letting all that go
01:35 and trying to lock back in,
01:38 doing stuff like fundamentally on defense.
01:40 To me, I think that's where it all starts.
01:42 Like, you know, offensively,
01:44 I don't think we've had, you know, much problems
01:47 all year like getting what we want.
01:49 Um, I think it all starts on defense.
01:52 You seem to really be trying to help with that
01:54 with all your teammates.
01:55 I know that you have a little group of side
01:57 for like a little new problems to cuddle on the floor.
02:00 You're telling us the other night,
02:02 age is not an excuse not to get done.
02:05 -Yeah. -What's your--
02:08 what's your mindset out there?
02:09 Is your role and your opportunity to deal with that?
02:12 Um, whatever I see, you know, going on,
02:16 if I, you know, through my little experience,
02:18 I have, you know, um,
02:21 I've taken a bigger challenge defensively this year.
02:24 So I've been able to grow and learn a lot,
02:26 you know, from there too.
02:27 So, you know, if I see something or if I, you know,
02:30 if it's just like a miscommunication
02:32 that just happened on the other end,
02:34 you know, just kind of getting that like squared away,
02:37 um, you know, but also just kind of like
02:40 thinking for the future, you know what I mean?
02:42 Like, I think like the habits we build now,
02:44 like will stick with us and, you know,
02:46 follow us along the way.
02:47 Um, you know, when we-- when we really get going,
02:50 you know, the stuff we did now is going to matter,
02:53 uh, down the line.
02:54 So I just try to make sure like I'm doing the right thing.
02:58 I mean, it's never perfect doing the right thing
03:00 or trying to help whenever I can.
03:02 Because I mean, ultimately it helps, you know,
03:04 the guy and then it helps the team too.
03:07 I just wanted to talk about the defense for you guys tonight.
03:10 I know you guys had a force 21 turnovers
03:15 throughout the night.
03:15 Did you feel like you guys are clicking at any point
03:17 on that into the floor to kind of, you know,
03:20 force some disruption for them?
03:21 Um, yes and no.
03:26 Uh, it's kind of hard for me to like get my mind out of like
03:32 what I like, like I said, the rough patches,
03:34 like I feel like there was a lot of that tonight.
03:39 Um, I think there were times where we got it
03:43 under control a little bit and, you know,
03:46 like getting back in transition, getting matched
03:48 and stuff like that.
03:49 But, um, I mean, defensively, we could have been
03:54 a hell of a lot better than that.
03:57 Here's the--
03:59 You guys are missing a ton of numbers,
04:01 but with Seh out, particularly--
04:03 I know this sounds like an obvious question,
04:05 but how good has he been on that?
04:08 Where do you feel it falls?
04:09 I mean, knowing that, you know, that creation,
04:12 those points are gonna happen.
04:14 Um, down the stretch, you feel it.
04:17 Um, I think you feel it in moments where like,
04:23 say the offense is a little bit like discombobulated.
04:27 Like I said, like those rough patches where, you know,
04:30 he said we forced them to turn over 21 times.
04:33 I mean, I'm sure our number was probably high too.
04:36 Um, I don't know exactly what it is.
04:38 But, um, you know, just him being able to,
04:42 you know, control the game, having the ball in his hands,
04:45 you know, be able to make the right decisions, right plays.
04:48 Um, and it opened-- I mean, obviously opens up
04:51 so much for everyone else because you draw
04:54 so much attention, you know, wherever he is on the floor.
04:57 Um, but you definitely miss it down the stretch.
05:00 And then, you know, the point guard is the other coach
05:03 on the floor, you know, not to say that
05:05 whoever else was out there, you know, wasn't getting it done.
05:07 But Shea obviously has a lot more experience
05:10 and stuff like that.
05:11 So he definitely would have helped us in those moments too.
05:14 Reporter 3: From the looks of it, you guys are staying positive
05:17 out on the floor and you're playing a tough stretch of game.
05:19 How important is it for you to not keep your head up?
05:22 Um, at the beginning of the year, um,
05:25 all the guys, we all, you know, agreed that no matter what,
05:30 um, we were going to make sure that we, you know,
05:34 created an environment that, you know,
05:36 guys could get better, guys could learn,
05:39 you know, learn from mistakes and stuff like that.
05:41 Um, and, you know, I feel like we carry that with us,
05:45 like, not even just when we go back home
05:48 and we come into practice the next day.
05:50 Um, it's in the locker room, on the flights,
05:53 you know what I mean? Like, even in the midst of the game,
05:55 like, we just try to, you know,
05:57 and the coaches have done a really good job too
05:59 of kind of like putting in a mindset with us,
06:02 you know, like, last year you heard the term,
06:05 like, what else a lot, um, you know,
06:07 just trying to keep that alive.
06:09 Um, you know, but we know it won't be perfect.
06:12 And, you know, at the end of the day,
06:14 like, we do know we are young, you know,
06:16 we're still learning and stuff like that.
06:18 So all you really can do is learn, you know,
06:21 so keeping it positive
06:23 and just trying to uplift the next person,
06:25 um, because, I mean, you're only as good as,
06:28 you know, the next person you have.
06:29 So just trying to keep that push and keep that forward
06:32 and, you know, learning from all this stuff.
06:35 -Thank you, guys.
06:37 -Thank you, everyone.