Coach Brown Postgame Presser | 1.16.24

Coach Brown Postgame Presser | 1.16.24

Uh man uh tough way to lose you got to give Frank vogle and the entire Phoenix Suns team a lot of credit uh the reality of it is they went small uh and we couldn’t score um we couldn’t score inside uh KD did a heck of a job uh or

We took some bad shots I thought we drove in traffic two or three times and instead of playing the way we normally play you drive the ball you touch the pain if help comes play off of two and spray it uh we tried to

Go for the foul and shoot over uh two or three guys at The Rim um and then we took some tough threes and they forced us in the top threes uh we had no Pace in the half court to end the game uh we were holding the ball a lot and so uh

Their ability to play KD at the five and still match up with us uh because we couldn’t score uh really slowed us down and we have to figure that out cuz that’s happened to us in the past so great great uh Learning lesson for us

All uh and and then on top of the tough shots and the inability to score in the paint uh Andor spray the ball at the right time uh we just we just kept turning it over we had some bad turnovers I thought we were really uh

Lazy a couple of times with the ball instead of making sure we were passing on time passing on target with two hands and and uh it was just a recipe for what uh what happened and uh hopefully it uh it’ll be something that we can learn

From uh in the future future cuz we’re going to face teams that uh that uh go small and put a small guy on domas that first then I’m sorry the last thing too is they were able to hit threes down the stretch because uh they had five Shooters on the floor five

Playmakers and we didn’t want to switch a guy like domas on to uh Devin Booker or switch a guy like domas on to ktie so we had to Blitz and we couldn’t switch one through five to just keep bodies in front of bodies and and when we’re blitzing we’re running all over the

Place and they got great Shooters and they made us pay when we blitzed but go ahead uh I mean total opposite in terms of those halves I think first half was 23 assists and three turnovers how how tough was it watch to to watch that just

Kind of unravel over the course of the especially again I I thought we played a a pretty good we played a good 42 minutes of of a basketball game so they’re they’re really good team they got three 20 plus scores on their team so you know they’re going to go on a run

Uh we’re going to make some mistakes we had three turnovers at the half okay uh so you know it’s going to happen what was disappointing is the stuff that I said in the last six minutes you know we took some tough shots at The Rim we

Couldn’t score at The Rim uh instead of just continuing to move the ball and move bodies um everything was really really really stagnant offensively uh we turned the ball all over and then on the flip side uh you know we we couldn’t we couldn’t guard him defensively we had to

Blitz uh because like I said we we we couldn’t just switch one through five to to counter because all they were dols coming down and playing pick and roll they putting domus in the pick and roll and and daring us to Blitz and and uh so

We did and uh they moved they just moved the ball and and shot open threes and made them at the right time so I I mean I I I got to say that I I I I’m pleased I was pleased with our guys and what

They did up to a certain point in the game and then the last six to seven minutes you got to give uh Phoenix credit because uh they did everything that they needed to do to win a game and and we we did not finish the game like I

Know we’re capable of that’s what’s that’s what makes it tough Mike when they they did go small yeah did you want to take advantage of that with doas down low and try to get something that way or were you still running the same stuff as when they were big uh so you don’t

Remember us throwing the ball to domas no I’m I’m just asking no I’m saying I felt like you did yeah w a low block but they did a good job though yeah we I mean we we we we couldn’t score whether uh he tried to finish or he went inside

And out and we shot a shot I mean we we we we just couldn’t score so we we we went to uh went to the post a handful of times in a row and it wasn’t working so I had to try to find something else and

Uh uh and you know that was tough Then I then I went small and we had two quick turnovers so I put him back in and you know like I said we we had to Blitz the their pick and roll and they they just move the ball and and hit open threes

When we were blitzing them and we were frantic about it is anything um the end of a five-game road trip is there there any validity to just a team running out of gas a little bit or or would you not point to that at all yeah I I would I I

Wouldn’t point to that I because like we had the ball in the right people’s hands at the right time down the stretch and we just uh got real uh laxidasical and or we just couldn’t finish or we didn’t stick with our principles you know like

I said when we touch the paint if a a second guy comes uh Hey play off a two and and kick it um and then you know the tough part about it is like I say is shoot we we had to Blitz and we blitzed and when you Blitz you’re going to give

Up open shots and they they hit their open shots talk about the last shot is that what you were looking for uh either that one we had a second option to it so either uh Malik if he’s open or uh we had somebody else that was coming off a

Screen and and you know you give Phoenix credit cuz they bodied us and and uh we didn’t didn’t even get you know if I’m if I recall right we didn’t even get to the second look cuz they you know they bodied us or stood us up and couldn’t

Get open you guys did a pretty good job on their their big three um you know most of the night and then obviously KD especially Beal these guys hit some big shots down the stretch just chalk that up to that’s what they do like I said we

Had the Blitz and when you commit two to the ball Jay it’s it’s tough because now uh and you know for instance if you put if Booker has the ball and they come up and they set a screen with uh um Dom’s guy we don’t want to switch domas on the

Booker so now we’re blitzing him and that means that they’re getting the ball out and and now maybe we rotate to that guy and then they’re swinging it one more time we’re rotating and contesting but they’re great Shooters and so they’re shooting shots with their feet

Set and it’s it’s like playing horse and those guys I mean everybody they had on the floor was was a really good shooter Grayson Allen at one point was 6 for eight that’s what Gordon’s known for you got bill you got book you got KD and so

To get the type of shots that they had the only way you could only way you could probably counteract that is is to switch one through five you know and and it could put again switching one through five could be just as tough as well um

To what do you want your guys to learn from this experience when when you feel everything kind of coming apart around you like as you guys go forward in the season like what how do you want them to to handle that situation differently what can they do uh well we got to take

Advantage of of uh any mismatch we have like most teams do uh so we got to figure out how to score inside okay when we do kick the ball out or somebody else drives the basketball uh we can’t think just because they have a big they don’t

Have a big in the game that we’re going to score over the top we got to touch the paint and then spray it and and move it and um and then uh and then we can’t get LAX days go with the basketball that you know the last five six minutes of a

Game and a team’s coming back and the crowd’s in it you can’t be lacks of days AG go with your turnovers and you have to be sharp offensively you can’t pick up uh offensive fouls or anything like that everything has to be crisp and then defensively you know we we just have to

Figure out a better game plan than you know than blitzing uh if they have five Shooters out on the floor thank you guys thank you guys

Coach Brown speak to the media following a loss to the Phoenix Suns on January 16, 2024.