Dallas Mavericks locker room interviews after Game 1 loss | Gafford, Lively II, Kleber, Washington

Dallas Mavericks locker room interviews after Game 1 loss | Gafford, Lively II, Kleber, Washington

thanks Joe we were here with uh Daniel Gafford after game one uh what did you see from that Celtics offense tonight in that first half when they got it going um three after three that’s pretty much it is there any way that you can stop that or is that just hoping that the well dries up uh really just sticking to our principles you know making sure we get them inside the three-point line that’s pretty much just like the main focus in all honesty we have to be better defensively when it comes to just like switching off to the guards and and during halftime what was the message from coach kid in the locker room I know know you guys were down a lot of points but the fight that you guys showed to claw back and get it to to eight points uh get back to having fun with the game that was like the main focus you know coming in they hit us in the mouth in the first half I feel like that you know he came in he told us to just go out and just do the same thing that they did to us and I feel like we came out in the third quarter to do that it’s just we had to uh just make that extra push you know they took care of business at home for the first game it’s a long series you know we going to adjust to this we going to find out ways to get get a win in this series did you feel any Jitters heading into the game did anybody have to shake off some cobwebs I know you guys had been off for a number of days too I mean I’m pretty sure everybody was ready to go it’s been a long stretch before we had this first game so I’m pretty sure throughout the team it was um so you know we finally got that out of our system so now we should be able to uh get ready to play for the next one Daniel you don’t want to necessarily but you guys have bounced back from game one losses in this play I mean can you rely on that that it’s worked in the past able to lose game ones and still come back and win these series ah of course you know this is something that you know we can learn from for sure and it’ll help us in the next game would you say with the switching it was poor execution or they were just kind of hitting difficult shots not necessarily difficult shots we it was just you know we just have to communicate a lot a lot better you know and just be better in our principles defensively and that’s what’s going to help us you know be able to withstand the stretch of just like the runs that they made you know so pretty much it what what can you say about Chris steps porzingis is performance tonight after missing the last couple rounds I mean he looked pretty healthy to me so you know we just got to find a way to just you know match his energy and match his physicality you know I feel like not just a third quarter but we know we can compete with this team you know they’re a great team and all but you know we got to be able to just lock in our principles lock in in the game plan be able to rotate and be able to communicate with one another first half you know we were just letting thing go that we shouldn’t let go and I feel like we started to correct it in the third quarter but we couldn’t do it quick enough so they were able to just keep that lead so all right they got the game one game two how much is that layoff playing a role in you guys trying to find that Rhythm quicker talking about the layoff where yeah been off for a number of days long you know it just it takes a second you know I wouldn’t say rust but you know you got to get back into the same mentality back in the same footwork and back in the same aggression that we was doing when we was playing Minnesota if it takes a game one to game two it already does but I know my me and my team are going to be able to lock in and do what we need to do what does the fight from going 29 down to eight show about about this team we ain’t going to quit we don’t care how much you up we know we can get come back by 30 points down we know we can come back by 35 points down we ain’t going to stop we ain’t going to give up we just going to learn we’re going to adapt we going to figure out what we’re going to do the next game what did forish U what challenges did he present specific tonight coming back pry healthy you know I feel like we all saw him shooting the ball he was comfortable we shouldn’t let that happen we let them get too comfortable too early into the game that’s on us we got to be able to be better than that we got to learn better than that you know I’m going to try to be able to make sure I talk to my teammates make sure my teammates know what we need to do it’s that simple you know he’s going to be he’s he’s a shooter we all know that so he just got to be able to limit his comfortability limit the amount of shots he takes I wouldn’t I wouldn’t say I we were surprised we knew exactly what he was going to do nothing that he did to surprise us so being able to know that look he’s going to hit his shots that’s what they do you know they all got a they they’re a team of great Shooters so we got to be able to just make them uncomfortable we let him get too comfortable too early into the game offensively it looked like they took away a lot of the easy buckets around the rim what can you say about their effort defensively it looked like there was a lot of one-on-one basketball too yeah you know I feel like they got us out of our schemes out of what we usually do and tone to them that’s a great defensive team right there you know they were talking they were switching well they were understand whose mismatches they was going at so be able to learn like I said we can’t be the same person who we were today tomorrow one thing this team has been able to do is come back from losing game once you know previously how much can you guys rely upon that going forward knowing hey look you’ve been this whole before you got through it the pass I mean hey we only won game one in what Minnesota that was only one so being able to know that we’ve been in this position before we know what we need to do we just got to execute the game plan we just got to be able to throw the first punch take a punch and then throw one back what you think of your switching on the perimeter just throughout the throughout the game I feel like it was part of our game plan you know I feel like switch keep them down make him in the rotation make him swing the ball make him feel uncomfortable make him try to put the ball on the floor so they’re not just spotting up shooting I feel like we did that better in the second half in the first half so as soon as we did that we came back in the game so we know what we need to do in the next game your fourth and fifth fouls could have gone the other way what were your thoughts on on those two you know I’m a rookie you know I’m not expected to get the calls I’m not expected to you know let this thing slip by because everyone got the eyes on me so you know it just makes me just want to be able to play that much smarter be that much more under control and have my poise you know there was times where I’m not going to blame the officials for the fouls it was stupid fouls on my part so I got to be able to be in the right position keep both hands up and now allow myself to bend over sound a little weird offensively defensively it just looked like we couldn’t miss and they were playing you guys one oneon-one um no I wouldn’t say it was surprising we just got to do a better job of executing on both ends off the floor um we got to take away the shots that they want to create um just be quick on the rotations and better no communication it’s allow place here so got to do a better job in that and on the offensive end just know who we going to Target and be on the same page for spacing reasons you played with Chris STS poring us here in Dallas what did you think of his effort tonight coming back from injury and shooting the ball like he did I mean he played great started off hot you know made his shots was a great rim protector um we like I said we got to do a better job and and picking the spots where we want him to be um and make make the shots a little bit harder on him you guys don’t really like to win game one it’s just historical but is that what what’s what you to take from that into the rest of the series and playing from behind this what we got to take away is that we just got to be on the same page do a better job of talking um on both ends of the floor um you know we got to keep our composure we know that there are a team um that just goes on runs and and makes a couple threes in a row so we just got to stay connected and play our game like we when we came back today um and just build on that and you know I think we can get better looks on offense to knock those shots down and and play with the right physicality next time what helped you guys claw back into to it I mean down 29 you guys got it to eight at one point I think playing a little bit more physical and then also like I said having the right spacing on the offensive side um you know and getting the stops on the defensive side which just got to be quicker as I said on the rotations we can’t give them any open looks because they’re too good of a shooting team um that’s how you get a run you know it’s just got to play with the right energy and they just made shots right it just didn’t miss it felt like yeah they made they made shots we know that um you know so that’s why we got to be better in taking it away okay okay so did anything about this the Celtics offense surprise y’all or was it just that they were hitting shots and simply could not could not miss tonight no um we know who they are we know they’re a great three-point shooting team uh I feel like we just got to do a better job of contesting their shots um they had a lot of open ones and obviously they’re great shooter so we expect them to make them so U we got to do a better job of contestant and our rotation seem to be better what kind of helped you guys settle in there I mean down 29 a lot of teams could just roll over and just kick the ball around for the rest of the game but you got it to eight it looked like you guys were going to you know really do something his what what spurred that uh we’ve been there before um earlier in the playoffs we were down 31 a couple times so for us at the end of the day we just got to keep playing um we can’t let any League get to us and um just stick together uh we’re a great team we know that and as long as we’re sticking together we feel like we have a chance adjustment wise what do you guys think needs to happen offensively it looked like they weren’t doing the doubles that some of the teams have been trying to throw at Luca and Kyrie is that what does that mean for the rest of the offense I guess in game two um I just feel like a little stagnant on that end um we just got to move more um and just help our Superstars and help them get better shots um by setting better screens um just running more sets um we’ll be fine at the end of the day I’m not really worried about it I know it’s just one game but it’s the NBA Finals right and so much riding on it uh what was the mood like for you you know before the game the crowd getting amped up going up 29 that place was rocking what was kind of the emotional state for you in this game how did you kind of handle all everything was there jitters at first uh not at all I mean this is where you want to be as a player this is where you want to be as a team so at the end of the day I think we’re all excited and still happy-hearted and and ready to go um I feel like there’s a bunch of things obviously we need to clean up on the defensive end um got to look at guys Tendencies better and uh we’ll be better game too thanks PJ thank you thank

Dallas Mavericks players Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, Maxi Kleber and P.J. Washington speak with WFAA in the locker room after Game 1’s loss.