Mavs’ Daniel Gafford Speaks After Win vs. Thunder: Feb. 10, 2024

Mavs’ Daniel Gafford Speaks After Win vs. Thunder: Feb. 10, 2024

What was that like for you guys when you first came in you got that standard Ovation from the fans a that felt amazing you know um we I’m pretty sure PJ felt great because you know being back home and just me being so close to home it just felt like you know we

Already had like I got drafted by this team and all um but no it just it just felt good you know stepping on the court hearing the crowd and hearing the cheers it just really just kind of like fueled the energy that I had throughout the game

Most definitely how were you guys able to execute so well seem like you’ve been here all all year long well playing with guys like Luca Kyrie and all the other guys that were on the floor it just felt like that I was already a part of the mo

You know just being on the opposite end look like looking through these guys when it comes to just like our pregame stuff and how to defend these guys so on and so forth and just seeing like what they get throughout the game playing against us it just feels like you know I

Already know coming into the team and just being in the right spot at the right time doing the right thing setting the right screens and just getting guys downhill you know after the trade Luca said you’re the backup w for three years and then today he was so excited every

Time you had big play what’s it like to have that of player in cor I mean it it’s it’s amazing because a guy of his caliber you know liking somebody like me is it just feels like you know I’ve never had that happen before but you

Know just at the end of the day I’m just really excited just to be a part of this team and just be with guys like him and just come out and just you know you mean he had 30 points in what three quarters tonight that was amazing to watch I’m

Not going to lie to you I was like really having a great time then all the stuff Kyrie was doing of course too you know it’s like one two punch and I was just out there just picking up the trash that’s what I always do so your first

Offensive possession you catch a lot from LCA what what’s running through your mind there I mean like I said that’s probably going to be like all I say throughout my time here is right spot at the right time you know one thing for sure when I got here is what

We worked on when it was Lucas on that side of the floor whatever side of the floor he’s on and I got somebody behind me seal him he’s just going to throw it up to the rim and you know when I was in Washington I always said you can throw

It up to Moon I’m always come down with it so you had an emotional 24 48 Hours you going today what you going to do I almost definitely out sleep but before I do that I want to get on the phone cuz I’m pretty sure my mom my dad all my

People from my hometown and stuff going crazy so almost de kind of like you know wi the L of that but other than that I’m going to get a lot of rest today D you were all over the offensive last night you were bringing tons of energy talk about the energy you brought

But as well as the fans cuz the place was going nuts when you were going off on the offensive man it kind of remind me of my Arkansas days in all honesty you know there’s no other Arena like Bud Walen but it almost felt like it tonight

And then just coming to the sideline and see you know guys like Mark Cuban and Kyrie dabing me up LCA dabbing me up all my teammates dabbing me up that that was really special fell it made me feel real good just to really just kind of like

You know work hard and just kind of like be energized by the crowd because you know at the end of the day you ain’t got a good crowd you ain’t going to really have good good energy in all honesty um obviously the Mavs has some holes that’s

Why they brought you and PJ in do you think that you two have fixed those holes of the match almost definitely I mean you know it still is room for improvement there is a lot of things that I feel myself could most definitely be better at especially being like cross

Matched down the stretch when it comes to not being on just like the initial match up with the five but most definitely we feel the couple of holes you know I like I’m just like a defensive minded guy I’m always the one that’s kind of like in the back being

The anchor so at the end of the day just pretty much send anything down to the Bas and I’ll take care of the rest you mentioned getting on the phone with your family before you get the you need from the last 48 hours how much have you

Leaned on them to get to you to this point where oh I lean on him as much as I can you know just kind of like my story and my career and how went you know I wouldn’t be where I am today without my family most definitely

Without my wife my mom my dad brothers sisters my whole city everybody’s been behind me pushing me to just be the best that I can be and I just give them props because it ain’t hard dealing with a guy like I mean it is hard dealing with a

Guy like me I’m always in my head I’m always frustrated with myself so being able to be pushed by so many people that care about me really gives me that edge to just come out every night and just go 110% because I’m doing it for them not

Just doing it for me and I know you have bigger aspirations within your career but do you think about how you’re inspiring the Next Generation from your hometown as well oh yeah most definitely because just because with my energy you know it’s not every day that you see

Somebody from our hometown do this we’ve had guys most definitely they got there but it just never worked out in the end game so really I just Tred to do as much motiva motivation like motiv as I can because it don’t matter where you come from it’s pretty much it matters where

You’re going at the end of the day you obviously have seen Luka and Kyrie play even we have his fans but playing with them what was that like and did you was there anything you didn’t expect that they they did when they were playing oh no I expected everything just with just

Like you know watching film on those guys and all that stuff I expected everything and just what I liked on the floor most definitely everything they came out and they showed you know especially with just like all the stuff that they did in the pregame warm up and

Whatnot you know I was not expecting that so the guys on the team was like it’s part one part two and part three I see all three parts today and I was like okay I’m not I’m going just make sure I remember this down the stretch so I

Don’t mess it up whenever I come out for the two line layups from now on how feel that you had a big game tonight the next up you get a chance to take on Washington how’s that I mean it feels great you know um most definitely not

Going to take it easy on them so just going to come out and just be me you know uh love those guys to death they gave gave me an opportunity at the beginning of my career that honestly I didn’t think I was going to get so you

Know it’s all love to them but it’s ready for the next game that’s kind of like my mindset night in Night Out always be ready for the next one you said you were ready for anything with Luka were you ready for that alley dunk in basically the first minute you were

Off the FL oh yeah for sure look look I’m going back to what I said right place at the right time most definitely and then once we kind of once I kind of like you know put myself in position we just kind of like locked eyes um and at

The beginning of it he just threw it up you know I could honestly felt like I almost go tended but you know I still finishing so what about that second one though it was all m p length of the past Court pass yeah usually I don’t get

Those type of passes but you know I came up with that one for sure yeah Dan going off his question a little bit Luka was showing tons of trust in you tonight whether that’s throwing up lobs throwing that hail Mar pass what does that mean to have your first game with Luka donic

Him having that Bunch trust oh man that means a lot because it gives me the opportunity to just kind of like show just like what I’m good at running the floor catching lobs rebounding screaming you know at the end of the day I’m just doing my job and pretty much he was

Helping me do my jobs now second most points scored in said off Ben in history in M franchise history how did you feel being that guy uh a bat on the back on to the next most death um I mean really ain’t got nothing I really ain’t got

Much to say on the energy that you’re bringing and you can tell the fans this love I mean do you feel expectations do you feel the weight of the expectations um you know with me I’m always up for a challenge so if there’s any expectations

You know if I don’t exceed it I will work to exceed it the next time but if I do good job Daniel and keep moving thank you very much

Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford spoke to reporters after the victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 10, 2024.

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