Mavs’ Tim Hardaway Jr. Speaks After Win vs. Spurs: Dec. 23, 2023

Mavs’ Tim Hardaway Jr. Speaks After Win vs. Spurs: Dec. 23, 2023

All right cool it’s open with the bike oh Luka gave us that for Christmas everybody everyone everybody got a bike everyone mhm everyone is there any meaning behind that nope no a great teammate very appreciative too everyone we didn’t get where’s that where’s that ranking Christmas presents you’ve got from teamate

Number one hands down you need to ask my ke that same question see what he says okay answers that’s a good challenge yeah that’s a great challenge I give you a hand he was with the Wizards when it happened okay there you go see you just gave

Up little yeah how do you feel about the way you guys have held this thing together pretty well during a pretty serious ration I mean guys are just battling man I mean it’s it’s it’s tough but we’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves I mean we

Still got to go out there and play I mean we got so many injuries so many guys out right now key components to to these to this team and helping us win ball games that um we just got to hold down the fort hold it down until these guys get back

Our guys get back so we’re trying to do that as best of our abilities and we’re going to keep on fighting when did you find out that when vama got hurt during warm-ups did not know I went in halftime and I saw on my phone that everything was

Going crazy and I was like what happened and kind of the video showed for itself so I was like okay you being one of the leaders on this team what have you kind of invoked in these young guys and guys that haven’t got that many Eves to feel

Confident when they’re out on the court yeah I mean they have to I mean yesterday for example in Houston you know I think the great guys did a great job of of competing you know even though it was a tough situation the guys were competing that were out there for the

Whole fourth um and then need continue to do that I mean like today for example you know if you have that opportunity up 30 40 points come in the game you got to still play the right way you still got to go out there and and then do what we

Do uh uh when we’re in practice and when we watch film you got to try to go out there execute everything on both ends of the floor and um you saw coach you know know you know pull the guys out and put some of the starters and some of the

Guys back in so just learn experience you know they’ll get better when the team is healthy and complete again what do you think this stretch will have done for this group in terms of guys getting a chance to try different roles as you say the young guys coming in having to

Prove themselves in some of those games I think I think it helps out tremendously especially down the road uh guys knowing what to do out there on the floor knowing their role uh knowing what they have to do on both ends of Florida to be successful to help the team win um

At this point I think in this during the season you start to see guys you know find their Niche find what they do great for the team and and um they just got accept it and and and move on and and uh do what they can to go out there and

Pre- productive do you have a favorite memory of NBA basketball on Christmas whether it’s you playing or seeing your dad play uh I think my favorite memory was you know I think it was me playing on Christmas when I was in New York uh and being able to have them sit there uh

Courtside and then watch me play him and my mom it was it was awesome I mean even though we lost that game it was something I really cherish you know MSG he used to play against them and and uh now he was watching me as a spectator as

A fan as a father um so it that was something I really cherish uh you guys have used more small ball lineups with you know Derek sideline with injury you started tonight and uh you know there was success against the Clippers but at times tonight you know you guys uh I think

Went with pow uh like kind of Midway through how do you think that’s been going with the small ball groups and what do you think could be uh kind of improved upon as you guys get more reps with that you know I think that’s a great question for Coach um to answer uh

We’re just out there trying to compete man if he calls our number we got to go out there and execute the the game plan uh I mean small ball for us it really helps you know we get to pick up the pace a little bit more switch a little

Bit more so it helps us out you you and soan exchanging Christmas gifts yeah I keep receipts first thing I didn’t forget about the elbow

Dallas Mavericks wing Tim Hardaway Jr. spoke to reporters after the team’s blowout win over the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 23, 2023.

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