“We Gotta Make Sure That We Stay Hungry.” | Chris Finch Postgame Sound | 02.15.24

“We Gotta Make Sure That We Stay Hungry.” | Chris Finch Postgame Sound | 02.15.24

Had all the makings of a trap game for us um you know playing an opponent the second time U Break on the horizon um you know and uh guys we we we said one of the keys of the game was like got to focus on a great start and uh they were

They were awesome both sides of the ball this is your 20th Road Victory this team is kind of like really figuring out how to win both at home and on the road um is that just a natural progression that you had I think you know I think starts

With the defense you know defense goes everywhere um you know guys you know I think um are able to kind of keep the crowd out of it a lot of times when you’re able to get stops like we we can um and then it just comes down to Smart

Basketball on the other end of the floor you know um I’ve always like playing on the road I just there’s something about the day on the road where like everything you do leads to the game you know at home sometimes there can be some more distractions you know you have

People around things you know your routine isn’t as as as uh regimented as it is on the road so you had a moment in the second and third quarter where it looked like they were coming back and then you you get it back late in the third quarter what what

Kind of went haywire for you guys I mean our defense you know second quarter defense like 37 points I think they shot 56 from uh three and 65 from the field that you know we just kind of um you know let our defensive intensity drop um

You know I thought we can’t you know we we started well and then you know the challenge went against uh so we kind of got a little frustrated there for a few plays and then they they tighten the game up again um but you know a getting

Downhill and picking role was key we found our defensive intensity um just weren’t ready enough defensively like I thought they coming at us early and we just weren’t ready to take the first uh kind of thrust um but we did a better job you know of kind of winning that

Battle how hard is it to in a game in a game like this when you’re up so big they start coming at you to regain kind of the focus and what you had earlier and turn it into a comfortable yeah I mean at that point you’re fighting human

Nature a lot of times I think you see it on the offensive end I mean you like ball was really moving we were passing up wide open shots and then we were trying to drive into a crowd and make we were trying to make another play for

Somebody but we should have just taken the shot at times kept it a little bit more simple uh we had done a good job of creating those opportunities so we just should have taken them um you know then that led to some runouts some you know turnovers and some runouts that you know

We weren’t getting back so just overall this season you know 2/3 of the way through it you mentioned you know this had a potential to be a trap game just just overall how have you felt this team handling it’s it’s business overall I mean for the most part it’s been great

You know like we’ve bounced back from tough losses very very well um you know we’ve had a few slip ups for sure like everybody does but it’s not been like a a pattern of it you know um I think you know guys are locked in coming out of

Halftime guy you know I think there’s like a a course correct that we we we have are seemingly able to do pretty well I think a lot of that’s down to our leadership and our maturity um and and also like aunt and cat like getting you

Know getting busy you know I think I really really appreciate and approach their approach it’s been all business recently you know with um you talked about what an honor the All-Star game was for for you and the organization as a whole just what will it mean for you

To to coach C and ant yeah I think I mean I was thinking about this this afternoon um and I had you know had done um some media around that question and uh it’s pretty special really I mean if you go back it was basically right before the All-Star Game several years

Ago when I got this job three seasons I think it was or whatever two and a half I have no idea now but um and you know cat was so so gracious and like welcoming me um Anthony was just like you know kind of bright-eyed rookie uh

And you know the mission was to to help you know restore the the team around cat you know make him the center point um and then you know bring Anthony along and you know to to be here a couple years later it’s it’s it’s such a credit and attribute to that and their

Willingness to be coached and you know learn and grow and AD AP and all the things we’ve been through in that time so you know it’s going to be cool really cool Chris um you guys you haven’t really had a lull at any stretch of the Season extended losing streak or

Anything like that but does this recent last few weeks feel like you’re playing as kind of like you were at the beginning of the Season or as well as you have been I think so if you know it feels like we have that kind of that Swagger back that we had before

Christmas you know or up to that point in time um uh uh you know it’s all again it’s defensive lead but we now have like offensive kind of purpose and everyone’s really kind of contributing there so it does feel like we found a whole another

Gear um but you know we just got to maintain it after the break now I mean there’s a you know a bunch of games I think we have seven back to backs and we do we do have a bunch of games at home out of the break and we just got we

Can’t come in happy and fat you know we got to make sure that we stay hungry and then uh Carl had the two big blocks in in this game but kind of throughout the season it seems like he’s he’s had that wallup sort of game at at

The Rim I we talk so much about Rudy and what he is there but Carl’s a pretty important addition to the rim protection no doubt about it and um you know we we’ve been preaching from the beginning like you got to do the things that big

Teams do that’s be big where it matters most that’s at The Rim um and uh when we are really really good CAD is really good on defense you know and we we challenged him in January said we got you got to get back to playing defense

At the level you were up until Christmas time um and he’s responded he really really has and whether it be at The Rim or in actions or in rotations um he’s it’s been key it’s like this doesn’t work if cat doesn’t bring that defensive component it just doesn’t you know so

You the the the best record in the west any sort of message you tell the guys as they kind of all go to their own spots for a couple days to let them relax but also make sure they keep focused on kind of the mission here yeah I mean we just

Uh I want them to enjoy it want them to uh to recognize uh you know what we’ve done so far and and why we’ve been successful and I want them to come back laser focus you know um and we just we talked about you know how important

Seven games at home coming out of the break it sets up nicely for us we have to take advant of that and um you know this going to be a heck of a push coming up here we play a bunch of teams that are right there with us you know and um

They’re going to be swing games so think with that sweatshirt everybody’s got yeah I mean uh we were trying to name the different expressions like that expression belongs to this person’s mistake that one belongs this so but yeah I’m not a fan thank you appreciate it

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