“Power Basketball” | Doc Rivers Postgame Press Conference | 03.24.24

“Power Basketball” | Doc Rivers Postgame Press Conference | 03.24.24

Doc um I mean third quarter I think they missed 12 shots in a row um and you guys it’s like an 18 to two run with Chet’s free throws thinkig bees has a dive out of bound steel and I mean just the connectivity their offense defense that

St I I thought it was our most connected game uh you know both hands um I I just thought we were defensively we’re so physical tonight like you could literally see it uh switch is were aggressive you know um and then offensively we took what was there

Instead of forcing it like they’re they decided they’re going to trap Dame every time and they’re going to trap Giannis and and we told them that like in instead of forcing it just give up yourself keep moving the ball and keep making the right plays and and we did

That so um we had two minutes of bad basketball I thought that was right before uh three minutes right before the first the half going into halftime I thought we took first shots um good shots you know even but there were great opportunities and and we talked about

That at halftime and I thought our guys did a great job in the second half I’m sort of off the you know playing good offense and and not forcing it Chris and Dame particular I think they each only hit one shot in the first half but yet

Didn’t really try to force it on their own they still kept Distributing and even rebounding playing defense yeah um and both of them defensively you know um it’s just a good thing like you know I said at halftime every night everybody doesn’t get to have a night you know uh

There’s G to be nights where the defense is just going to take someone out of a game or or you’re just G to struggle because you’re human uh and don’t worry about it just keep playing the right way and it all work out and it’ll work out

So uh I thought both of them when you look at you know Kristen is up with a triple double Damons up having the bigger second half but they just both played right you know you couldn’t see see the stress on their face they didn’t care uh the team was doing well uh you

Mentioned the physicality um just defensively mentally to to be as sharp as you were for that whole night just what did you see from the guys that I thought uh we had a really uh active practice shoot around yesterday uh um you know we talked about the switching

Off the ball which we don’t do we did that tonight a lot uh but if we’re going to switch switch to block meaning switch and make them go the other way they got a two two or three back cuts on that which you know filmwise we would have to

Look and see why but it was just so much more physical than we’ve been and and we have sides I keep saying it we’re not we’re not track stars but but we are physical when we when we play that way and I thought we did that tonight I know you mentioned giannis’s unselfishness

But it also just felt like he was too big for them multip yeah listen we had Bobby Brooke and Janis and we talked about it before the game um you know there’s games you know the I don’t know what game it was when I said hey guys

We’re going to need to score 140 tonight um and so you have a different mindset tonight we said hey guys this has to be power basketball tonight power basketball I need our bigs some big to run down the middle of the floor and just bury yourself and and we have to

Find you and I thought uh we did that several times tonight and that’s what we have to do they had one big on the floor for most of the game so once one of our bigs had a match up uh and I thought we did an excellent job of that it had been

A minute since you obviously had your starting five and and guys on the floor you know was it surprising to you almost to see everything click and everybody play together so smoothly or considering I mean there’s still things you see as a coach uh that we don’t see and you know

There’s always something you know but overall yeah I just love the passing uh Chris is such a smart player uh kind of plays at the right tempo for us um Dame as well you know both of made just incredible passes tonight and Yannis the entire night so uh it’s a good sign

Dame obviously struggled a little bit tonight but just talk about the performances from Bobby Jay and Pat you find for 36 points Off the Bench just how big was that struggling our bench was huge you know and again none of them got it off the dribble they just got it

Off the pass um Pat Conan is so important to our team you know you see that every night but like he created more points than he scored tonight uh with his Cuts he just knows when to cut um best guard and he’s been this way for years

Um uh his ability to read the dunker spot and where the go was just amazing and our guy’s ability to find him um I mean but he had two cuts where he didn’t touch the ball but it created a three because they reacted to it it’s just his

Timing is uh he’s so important to our team I was just about to ask you about the dunker Jay and Pat Uh there’s that one where Bobby spins Baseline Jay’s cutting there um just what was it like to have Jay do that as well and to have

Bobby commit to the pass to it we drill it every morning that’s you know we do two drills every morning dunker spot drill finding them uh Blitz pick and roll drill and then the third is uh post uh trap we literally do it that’s our warm-up drill and now they’re they’re

Getting joy in it and finding the guys and it’s nice um going back to the third I think you you went with your starters much longer I think six and a half seven minutes and then Yannis for the entire quarter yeah just did you was it because

You like the way they were playing it just a score uh sometimes when you have a lead like that you’re looking at the score and thinking uh we’re going to get this up higher they may not play again uh and so you use you use it that way

You know end up putting them back in for like two minutes didn’t really like that to be honest um but I thought it was the right thing to do 10 days ago you said you’d rather be a mud wrestling team than a track team yeah was this what you were exp this is

A mud wrestle yeah yeah we like that yeah it’s a better better for us we can catch you in the mud but we can’t get you on the track let me put it that way and then thoughts on your Alma M it’s awesome uh talk to Shaka after the game

And just really proud I I listen I I thought um like uh they uh Colorado is good like they’re I think they’re the best offensive team that I’ve seen and there were five times I thought tonight where Marquette could have let go of the Rope because they kept scoring Colorado

Just puts pressure on you uh and we didn’t uh you know Chu and I were talking about you know you can see your team has decided that that they want to be great like they just didn’t waiver uh it’s so fun to watch them um it’s cool

To be here uh and watch it too like I’m usually cross country watching games and now it’s really cool to be here and watch them play very proud of them uh but in particular Shaka shifting back to the Bucks I mean this team is closing out harder sorry one more all right all

Right shifting back though uh this team is closing out harder than earlier in the season they’re hustling they’re switching they’re rotating dropping what’s changed since you got here that’s got these guys so locked in on that side of the ball yeah you know listen I just

Think they needed to know who should do it you know um and I referen the D I always reference Don Shula because uh he’s the guy that I following a lot of things but when you take away thought you become a lot faster um and so I think it’s really important like our

Guys knowing the rotations and talking them out yesterday we did some stuff and they were confused and Chris milon like raised his hands like I’m not I’m not sure what we’re doing here and that’s what we need like that’s good for us like talk it out let’s be on the same

Page and then there’s no thought there’s no hesitation and and that makes you a lot faster so I think that’s what we’re doing thanks guys

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