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“We’ve Got To Get Our Identity Back.” | Chris Finch Postgame Sound | 01.03.24



“We’ve Got To Get Our Identity Back.” | Chris Finch Postgame Sound | 01.03.24

Chris Just Not much went right for you guys tonight just what did what did you feel out there in terms of the way that they were able to dictate kind of everything yeah I mean um well first of all um you know not a lot of teeth

Defensively they kind of went where they wanted to with the ball um you know which is a bit a big point of EV for us being way better at their point of attack this year um you know than they were just kind of dribbling around the middle of the floor and then obviously

Uh you know really only aunt and Kyle when matched up on Zion did a good enough job of closing his space down I mean um we we talked about being more physical taking away his Runway uh meeting him at the rim with multiple bodies and uh we were super reluctant to

Do that and then you know from there then uh we just got soft in the middle so first two game skit of the season does this feel like the first real kind of patch of adversity that that you guys are hitting how do how do you handle it

I guess right well I mean we we got to get our desperation back that’s the first SP we know I think we got to we got to play better we haven’t played like with a lot of pop and purpose uh since we went to Sacramento um we’ve kind of been you

Know maybe in second gear since then um so this you know this performance had been coming for a while in the sense that we just hadn’t been very sharp um and uh yeah I mean there’s going to be lots of ways of adversity there’s way there adversity in the game there’s

Verity in the season and this is just another one but we got to uh we got to fix it we got we got to get our physicality back got to get our defense back we got to get our identity back which is like being more physical being

Bigger um on the plus side you know we actually moved the ball R in the first half um and we really found a lot of really good shots and we just couldn’t connect on them either ones at The Rim or kick out threes so we did did a uh

Everything we talked about there um you know and generally our defense has been holding us up but you know we need to make shots tonight uh cuz our defense was not there so CHR you mentioned taking away kind of that runway for for Zion how did you approach this matchup

Differently uh guarding Zion versus Julius Randall in the last I know they’re they’re different players but it seemed like well we put an on him the start you know we tried to put a small on him and he did a good job of getting

Up under him um did a really good job of fighting though and making it hard and um you know I mean Julius uh you know was I mean fact can’t remember the game to be honest with you I mean uh yeah it was more traditional matchup with the

Bigs so about physicality asign is the same thing needed with Ingram I mean it seems like he takes tough shots but if you’re not in him yeah I think with Ingram uh you know he’s a definitely a tough shot maker Jaden um is does a pretty good job in Pursuit you know it’s

Our bigs needed to be up a little bit higher to contest I mean it’s not about just conceding those shots cuz they’re hard shots they’re the shots that he wants to get to so we got to do a better job job of like you know you know Valen

Is just hang us hanging you up he’s not really looking to roll so we got to get up and contest um yeah I mean you know of course more physicality you can bring on the ball the better but primarily I just thought our bigs were too far back

Even when they were encouraged to get up you talked about the ball movement being so good in the first half is that a message you would pound home now these next couple days that like the shots didn’t fall but those were good yeah absolutely yeah I mean we said it during

The game at Halftime I think we had 14 assists on 17 uh baskets you know 14 of the 17 assisted um and so you know I thought guys were really looking for each other um trusting the offense and and really making the next play Maybe made us a little tentative in certain

Situations but we got to keep playing that way and um you know things will break for us in a positive manner offensively the ball movement was moving around really good but a lot of it just seemed like they were learning their lessons you know I mean they they were

Thinking about moving the ball as opposed to like having it be that natural flow that you had before yeah I mean is that just the first step in that process do you think well I think so yeah for sure I think uh you know guys were really looking to pass I think at

Times uh maybe they passed up some shots or some Drive opportunities I thought were there um but you know all credit to them for trying to get everybody involved so and so much of the NBA season is when you play certain teams I mean New Orleans play play really well

Tonight I mean yeah they’ve been playing very well the last six weeks they’re top 10 team in the league so but you know we got to we got to be better we got to be way better and um you know if we want to do anything uh in the Western Conference

We’re going to have to go through all these teams that are playing really well so Chris an had six turnovers again tonight what do you see in his decision making and and what’s happening there yeah I thought uh you know it’s just again probably an extra dribble into

Traffic um you know when he was getting off of it one bounce earlier um it was was unlocking a lot of good things for us um so yeah I think that’s just kind of been the issue Chris jayen is typically on the perimeter not necessarily in a rebounding sort of

Position but he he didn’t have any rebounds tonight and his those have kind of been down recently do you do you make much of that because he’s so often guarding the ball or what what do you think that’s about yeah I think a lot of times he’s out in the perimeter he’s

Know guarding these you know guys are taking a lot of shot so it’s it’s not always easy for him to get back but um you know he’s never been a high volume rebounder to be honest with you anyway so but you know uh no rebounds is really kind of

Hard to hard to explain so

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11 Comments

  1. And there goes the coach blaming his players. This coach has no system and no plan. He want his players to create things by themselves. What does he even mean by being more physical? Does he mean throw a spinning punch? You have to know the techniques to being more physical, Finch doesn't know how to do it. There is a horrible technique Finch keep pushing them to do which is the chest bump but Zion cross them over and dunk on their heads. Stop doing the stupid chest bump it doesn't work because your foot is tangled up so you get cross over. Do the grab the ball, grab the ball when Zion is driving in or foul him if you need to. This coach is the worst at in game management.

  2. linsanity/passtronaut run is over. this is a middle of the pack team at best. no athleticism and a bunch of complacent players.

  3. post towns…that what you have to do…..use mist mach oportunity specialy when you have shooters in the court……i think they bet in the game….they force the game….terrible coach

  4. Finch is smart but players are not listening to him. The players need to grow up and play more physical. A coach can’t play for the players. It’s not his fault at all.

  5. Players are thinking they can beat the opponent by just showing up and expecting the other team to belly up. To loose at home isn’t a good result to ignore

  6. They are not playing a winning basketball. Key players starting to focus on their individual stats. Trying to look good. Forcing tough shots instead of creating situations and finding easy and open shots.

  7. This has been their problem this year. Lots of big players…no one that is willing to play physical defense against the dominant players. Doesn’t bode well for the playoffs where the good teams have dominant bigs. They are capable of playing tough defense. It is a motivation thing. Be tougher together. Play hard on defense.

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