Coach Malone Post Game Press Conference vs. Pacers 🎙

Coach Malone Post Game Press Conference vs. Pacers 🎙

Uh coach let’s I guess kind of start with the third quarter and what shifted at halftime for you guys oh energy yeah I felt in that first half it wasn’t really uh anything technical by any means it was more their effort their Pace their attack aggressive mindset was

On full display the entire first half and uh I think our second half we came out to start the third quarter I think we started 26 to9 and we became the aggressor we became the team that was attacking and having them on their heels and it was great because then they made

Another comeback I think they went on a 21 to7 run to take a one-point lead and then we closed it out 12 to six with Nicole making a couple of just clutch clutch plays and that’s what great players do another triple double for him I thought Jamal was great tonight um

Reggie Off the Bench so and I thought Pope Pope’s defense and the hustle playes like he had a couple plays in that third quarter that I felt were just were winning plays uh that kind of helped us get the momentum back going to sound like a strange

Question but could you be any more confident in the two-man game between Nicole yic and Jamal Murray down the stretch in games like this no I mean for nine well eight years now obviously uh you know Nicole and Jamal have been playing together for eight years um and

How many close games have we won just letting those two play and uh you know we down the stretch we went Twan game I wanted to get Nico in the post force a double team or play straight up he’s going to make the right play and then

Once we had a a two fourpoint lead flatten the court out let them play two-man game and uh you know nicoa popping for a three was just um you know kind of the cherry on top so tremendous win you know what I liked about tonight

Was it wasn’t easy you know I mean we had to work for this and we had to pick up our energy and uh we’re able to do so now we have one game left on this Odyssey of a trip and hopefully we can

Find a way to go to New York and um and try to get one more coming in that their bench was number one in the league and you look at the second and fourth quarter where they just and all they do is play downhill and attack it how tough

Was it to surprise you at all and how’d you try to cter that in the last three minutes yeah well as I mentioned at halftime we showed a couple of clips of make Miss turnover they were just they were gone and you know they were sprinting we were kind of jogging back

Not communicating and they were getting whatever they wanted I think they only had four fast break points for the game on paper we had 18 and that’s a great running team uh I just think most importantly scottt it was us um understanding who we’re playing and

If we’re going to try to win this game we can’t let them be the aggressor we have to Sprint with them and we have to Sprint back at them and I felt in the second half we had uh examples of us getting out in the open court finishing

Attacking the basket so um again you know your two best players Jamal and Nia play that way we become a very tough team to uh to beat how do you feel about the trip so far this victory give you a lot of confidence before the next game

Yeah I mean I regardless of this road trip you know we’re three and one right now on this road trip you know having won the last three in a row uh but I have all the confidence in this team you know this team just won a championship

And when you have Nicole yage as a starting center Jamaal Murray as your starting point guard and the display they put on in 20 playoff games last year um you know we walk into every Arena fully expecting to win um now we know New York’s going to be a tough

Challenge the last game of a road trip guys are tired they miss home so we got to find a way to be mentally tough and concentrate on the task at hand and that’s going in and winning a game in the world’s most famous arena yic has a

Triple double now against every team in the NBA but the Washington Wizards Indiana was a team he hadn’t had a triple double against that’s a great trivia question so Washington’s the only one only one left yeah he missed it by one last game all right well next time

We play Washington I’m playing in 48 minutes so he can just he can cross that off the list is that um as absurd sounding to you as it is to us watching it every night yeah I mean it’s um I mean think about 10 assists one

Turnover you know I mean um and the crazy thing is I think we’re 17 and five now in our last 22 games my math is correct and I just I just want you to people look up his his efficiency the guy’s shooting D there 70% he’s not

Taking two shots T night you know he’s not one of the guys that I led the league in fi go percentage I average three shots a game no this guy is a high volume player and you know there are other great players that do it in different ways but

Nola the efficiency the unselfishness and his ability to make everyone around him better is just um he just continue to Marvel at it coach you you know that there’s no NBA players ever committed a foul um you win you well I know I did you you wi two challenges both on fouls

Called against nla when he comes over starts doing the little twirly thing to you I mean are you I mean what do you think is I I got to CAU CH or do you feel when he does this I think we’re going out after the game to get a drink you know I

Mean that’s what I think um I remember the first summer league they put in the uh on a trial basis the The Challenge and I remember I was talking with Becky Hammond who’s now the head coach of the Aces and as a hell of a coach and she

Was coaching the Spurs summer league team and I asked her about it I said you know what what was your take on the coach’s Challenge and she said I learned this players are all liars every one of them said I didn’t foul him and they’ go

To the TV and watch it and say yes you did foul him but you know Nia we’ve been together for nine years and uh he has proven to be very trustworthy and uh I think the coaches are saying after the game I think that’s five challenges in a

Row that we’ve been able to to win you know I mean I really don’t keep track of that stuff we take it just one challenge at a time but you know those can be you know game-changing type of a play and I thought that late one was um so yeah it

Works out in our favor and he was being held before the foul so I’m glad they saw that and they they overturned it obviously the so much emphasis on kcp defense rightfully so but when he’s able to have a little surch hits a couple threes gets going offensively how much

Does that uh sort of spark the rest of the team it ends up sort of feels like sort of fueling the transition game I think 10 of the Fast Break points were in that third quarter this yeah I mean it’s um you know when we can find a game

Where you get all five starters playing at a high level in terms of shooting scoring efficiency then we we already know that our fiveman starting unit is an literally I think the best analytical efficient fiveman unit in the NBA and so when Pope is knocking down threes he’s

Driving and finishing at the basket which he did tonight and then he’s giving you the defense and the hustle and the five rebounds um you know he’s a he’s a two-time world champion you know he he has a way to finds a way to impact the

Game in a lot of different ways without me calling many place for him and that speaks a lot to his mindset and being completely selfless for this team in franchise question is the rock paper scissors with him and Jamal for uh for the right to take the technical free

Throw is that coach sanctioned or no I let them they they can figure that out I mean it’s uh I think Pope’s free throw percentages just through the roof and you know Jamal lives for those moments so um and we used to have a rule that if

You go up there and you you shoot it and you miss it you go get to the back of the line because you just messed up your opportunity but um yeah I mean Jamal was 6 for six we were 15 for 17 and we don’t get there at time about our free throw

Percentage is really uh a drastic change from where we were the first month month and a half the season when we were dead last so Ryan Bowen lift to coach another day coach they did that rock paper scissors twice did they they

Hear what Coach Malone had to say after the win.

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Coach Malone Post Game Press Conference vs. Pacers 🎙