Willie Green recaps win over LA Clippers | Pelicans vs. Clippers Postgame 3/15/24

Willie Green recaps win over LA Clippers | Pelicans vs. Clippers Postgame 3/15/24

Coach uh just start off what did you think about just your your team’s defensive effort in this one how big was that to come out with them uh it was fantastic uh we’re all super proud of uh how we responded taking care of home floor and our guys collectively they

Made winning plays after winning plays it was it was a fun game to be a part of and you know we we mentioned it a few times over the past few weeks but how much uh was that defensive ever kind of fueled by you know bi and Z kind of

Taking on the challenge the way they did all night bi and C they they were great uh they like you said they took on the challenge um Garden Kawai Garden Paul George um making those guys have to take tough shot after tough shot we know that

They were coming off a back to back uh but we we loved our energy our effort our togetherness and uh it was great to carve out a win against a really good team yeah in a relatively lowc scoring game how what did you what were you guys

Able to do to just to put Zion in position you know over and over again to where he was able to get to his spots and get to the basket as much as possible we saw something that was working and we just stayed with it putting the ball in Z’s hands allowing

Him to attack make decisions for his teammates get to the free throw line and we just stayed with it and um you know great to have him on the floor playing as well as he’s playing and then the guys around him are all you know ready

To point five shoot the ball drive it you know share the basketball um really good win for us on our home floor Willie what do you like best about the way that team finished I think it was 196 score with about 6 minutes to go what stood

Out to you over that remaining stretch I thought our our um defensive winning plays contesting shots boxing out we had three four guys diving on the floor for loose balls um going after 50-50 basketballs that that those are winning plays that was a playoff like game you

Guys can feel it in our building and uh that’s what’s gonna take that type of togetherness that type of sense of urgency and and endurance to do it for 48 minutes what do you think of Z’s competitive fire usually there’s other guys pumping out everybody else on a

Team like herb and everybody it seemed like Z was really the main voice tonight Z definitely had a big part in carrying us on both ends of the floor you know I thought he was fantastic um and then like I said for with with his teammates rallying around

Him ready to take open shots Drive the basketball things that we worked on in practice we were we were a little stagnant against Cleveland so it was good to see us respond with with the effort and the togetherness like 0 five mentality that we had tonight offensively hey Willie we keep talking

About herb Jones but the block he had on the Paul George side what you what you kind of say on there what did you think about it it that block was incredible um I didn’t even know he could get to it you know it looked like he had a wide

Openen three and Herb comes out of nowhere uh but herb has been one of our most consistent steady um High character players all season long uh he was playing through a little bit of a you know bump bruise or something like that and to have him on our Squad uh is is a

True blessing and um they just don’t make a lot of guys like him tough um attention to detail that he in selfless goes out every game and and plays his heart out and um he’s not going to come up here and boast about himself but he in in our opinion you

Know he’s definitely First Team all defense um your second unit was really good tonight uh Z Trey Jose Naji line up with Larry um what do you think about it what did you kind of see from those guys yeah they brought it uh across the board everybody that touch the floor Off the

Bench like you said I love the fact that Nai kind of was struggling a little bit off offensively got some fouls and he just stuck with it and he hit some he hit some big shots for us down the stretch same with Jose early in the game

He hit some big shots and then Larry and Trey um feeding off Z feeding off bi um collectively as a team really solid game for us uh Zion’s growth has been kind of misconstrued a little bit uh mentally I think he’s getting stronger uh it seems

Like the game is slowing down for him what do you see from Zion would say the last you know couple weeks since the All-Star break like is he getting better or is the game slowing down for him from your eyes I think he’s he’s continuing to get better and better as the season

Progresses um it’s it’s actually truly a joy to be around him um he wants to be coached he wants to be the best that he could possibly be um his teammates like I said they’re they’re all rallying around him and he’s taking a challenge

On both ends of the floor uh he he’s a competitor he wants to win and um you know that’s what it’s about for us it’s coming out every game competing and giving ourselves a chance to win games what about 3 minutes left we went to

That lineup with Z at the point with the three wings and N at the five what did you like what made you kind of decide to go with that group and what did you like about the way they executed those couple to your point I liked our size out there um

With Trey bi herb Larry and then Z kind of handling the ball making decisions him and bi kind of feeding off each other you got Trey and Herb space Larry and the dunker um it’s it’s tough offensively and then on the defensive end all of those guys can switch screens

Um and and our mentality is when we’re small not you know Larry still a five but we we all have to rebound the ball when we finish possessions contest shots you know we can get out and still play play with for so we like what we saw

With that group The Rhythm that they had and we stuck with it uh you’re probably similar to her that you don’t want to Big yourself up too much uh but how much you know is that a part of growing as a coach kind of figuring out maybe unconventional lineups or doing

Something different in a big moment and just pushing that button and going with it instead of you know maybe going to something you you’re more comfortable with for sure I I’m I’m definitely I definitely feel like I’m um continuing to learn I’m learning from our players learning

From our staff learning from you know our Management Group we’re all working together to try to make this season the best possible season that we can have and um with that you know there’s sometimes you got to make some uncomfortable decisions and I believe that that’s where the most growth

Happens is when you you’re uncomfortable and you got to do something that’s probably against the norm but you know sometimes that’s what the moment causes um Zion we mentioned his intensity and his growth throughout the season how important is it for him to go through an

Atmosphere like this it kind of was a playoff like intensity like how much do you feel like that’s important going into the postseason it’s extremely important it’s important for Z it’s important for all of us um these games high level high intensity games they prepare you for what’s to come or or the

Games that we want to be involved in and so you learn from them you learn what works what what what can you execute offensively what are teams trying to do to us um how to get stops how to rebound got to make a free throw so just the

Small details you get these high level games and um they’re they’re fun to be a part of and then how important is it to obviously keep the momentum rolling tomorrow against Portland it would be extremely important uh we want to enjoy this one tonight first and um you know

We’ll we’ll get back to work tomorrow morning getting ready for Portland for tomorrow night coach you talk you asked a couple times already about how Zion has played in this game and of course he’s not yet played in the playoff match up but his ability to rise in these occasions and

To play at this high level in these playoff like atmospheres what are you seeing that really shows him rising to the occasion first it’s it’s him it’s who he is he’s a competitor and anytime he touches the floor you know he he’s going to do everything he can to win that

Doesn’t always mean we’re going to win but we we give our we try to give ourselves an opportunity more times than not and then we try to make scenarios when we can in practice as competitive as possible um so our guys are getting accustomed to doing it

We’re continuing to work at it and you know we we like what we see but we know we still got a ways to go thanks okay thank you

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green speaks to the media following the team’s win over the LA Clippers on Friday, March 15, 2024.

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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
Matt Ryan #37 Forward
Dereon Seabron #0 Guard
Jonas Valanciunas #17 Center
Zion Williamson #1 Forward
Cody Zeller #44 Forward-Center

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