LIVE: Clippers vs. Pelicans Pregame w/ HC Willie Green 2/7/2024
Just coming out with physicality to start and um they’re one of the hottest teams in the in the NBA playing great basketball so it’s going to take a collective effort on on everyone’s part um to come out with a sound defensive presence when you look at how their team
Has changed with integrating James Harden what do you see that’s different now than when he started well the biggest thing is that they’ve they’ve won a lot of games and um with him playing point guard he’s you know we we have to remember how good he is and he’s showing everyone that he’s
Capable of setting a table for the rest of the guys and then when it’s when he needs to make shots or score he can do that too uh I think what’s really impressive is their defense you know all all Five Guys plus their substitution guys they come in and they play hard
Defensively they play together they get stops and they get out transition and Runk it has U collectively you look at their roster They’re all playing well and so you know it’s going to be a good test for us tonight how about Z or na uh
Na’s out Z is in and uh you guys end the Clippers like couple season before this two seasons before this you and Tai both dealt with just the lineups changing a lot and not something you can control and this season you know both of y’all have had continuity is that something
You ever talk to him about is that something you just notice as kind of a similarity or anything like that between yall’s teams we talked about it a little bit this summer um you know sometimes you have injuries you have guys out and you’re constantly making adjustments uh
This year you know both teams have have had a little bit a little bit more continuity as you spoke about uh it just it allows guys to get in a better better Rhythm team Rhythm and you know you can see you know both teams are having
Somewhat uh of success right now and you kind of talk about this just want to have a better showing against some of these Championship level teams how much did you kind of address that with the team going into this one well we continuously talk about it um you know
We want to win the games that quote quote we’re supposed to win but you know making sure that we look at the the the top teams and and come in and feel like we’re we’re confident enough to win those games and doing what it takes and that’s why
Defense is important rebound and and then multiple efforts you know you these type of teams you you know you may stop their first action they swing it go second side you have to Contin continuously play throughout the plays and and that’s going to be the key for
Us to tonight and during this time of year with trade deadline tomorrow do you even take time out to talk about that with the team or individual players uh how do you kind of handle that as a coach with it kind of hanging in the air
You know for all the teams around the league yeah and you know it’s tough um I haven’t really said too much about it with our group um you know I I I really don’t know what to say right now as well and the reason is because you know there’s there’s
Nothing concrete with our group um if that were to change then those are discussions that you try to have uh but it’s a part of our business we understand it it’s extremely difficult when you’re hearing rumors or what have you and we try to negate them if we can
But the biggest biggest thing for for us for myself for our group is to really concentrate on the things that we can control and and we can’t control any of the rumors or if something were to happen uh over the last couple years developed a roster that has a lot of
Long forun their Defenders um and you talk about the three-pointer and the impact of trying to defend a very difficult not just shot but just the aspect of three-point shooting and what it creates for spacing and interior play like how do you kind of use your personnel to affect that part of the
Game defensively and you know how much of how much a three-point defense do you try and just cut out the whole make a miss aspect of yeah great question um the biggest component to guarding the three-point line is what we call two-way stunts if if I’m in early um protecting the paint it’s
Easier for me to make one dart out to the three-point line to contest a shot and those are things that we work on defensively um and we want to have long active Defenders across the board so that we can contest those shots because they change the game when teams are making them
How does uh VI gting this season compar others giveaway are talking about that there’s more continu with the group the biggest thing for us is that we’re all we’ve been pretty much healthy and um it allows us to have a bit more continuity but how how about with Brandon’s game specifically this season
Like how do you assess where his growth is because of that context same thing um last year I think bi played 45 games and the year before that it was like 50 and so far he’s been doing a a ton of work off the floor uh when no one sees
Him lifting extra treatment rest and it’s allowing him to be on the floor be available and when he is he’s he’s one of the best players in the NBA coach when you saw this team about a month ago you said at the game that they were very aggressive and physical and
They got their hands on you got they’re very physical team and they like to run they play fast but when they go small I think the same applies with the physicality what do you guys do what do you guys do to kind of combat that to
Try to give your guys yourself a chance to win tonight we have to play fast and forceful any team that is physical and use their size and strength on you the way to negate that is to play faster it’s harder to hold and you know you won’t get those calls if you’re playing
Slow uh so number one we got to get stops rebound the ball and then when we whether it’s transition or half court getting into sets and plays with a with a force and physicality offensively that doesn’t allow them to to be at their best and they’re at their best when you
Slow slow the temple down and they can set their defense coach what’s you that’s like a staple in every tyo Le team a staple what do you see in every tyo team that that he coaches what do you see in that kind of team uh mental toughness all the teams that he’s
Coached uh in my opinion they’re they’re good defensively uh no matter what they go through adversity they they’re mentally tough okay thank you guys
LA Clippers vs. New Orleans Pelicans pregame interview with head coach Willie Green ahead of the Pelicans’ game on Wednesday, Feb.7 at 9 p.m. CT during the 2023-24 NBA season.
#NBA #Pelicans #neworleanspelicans
New Orleans Pelicans Roster
———————————————–
Jose Alvarado #15 Guard
Dyson Daniels #11 Guard
Jordan Hawkins #24 Guard
Brandon Ingram #14 Forward
Herbert Jones #5 Forward
E.J. Liddell #32 Forward
Naji Marshall #8 Forward
CJ McCollum #3 Guard
Trey Murphy III #25 Guard
Larry Nance Jr. #22 Forward
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl #50 Forward
Dereon Seabron #0 Guard
Jonas Valanciunas #17 Center
Zion Williamson #1 Forward
Cody Zeller #44 Forward-Center
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