ama below. There's been a lot of discussion, I guess, about Marcus and Rob. And now in terms of like all defensive team consideration, but it seems like Jalen and Jason have, you know, deserve to be in that conversation as well, just based on the role they played. And you guys have in the best defense, if you had to make a case for both of those guys individually, what is stood out to you about their defensive impact this year?
Well, their willingness first of all, you know, when you look at them, just from a physical standpoint, they should be great defenders, I think it gets overlooked at times, because their scoring prowess. And, you know, Marcus and Rob are more known as defending defensive players. But that's why we know we have strength in our numbers is a defensive team. There's no real weakness out there from a personnel standpoint, and like I said, just because they score can score the ball. So Well, I think they've kind of been labeled as scores, but obviously very capable, and have been willing to do it all year. And that's why we're as good as we are
in having two guys who are such great scores, who are also willing to, you know, guard the best scores on the other team. I mean, how does that kind of set the tone for the rest of the rest of the guys in terms of, you know, looking up to what they're doing?
Yes, it's following suit by our leaders. You know, Marcus and Rob, they do that on night tonight basis from defensive standpoint, you know, setting the tone, but to have the willingness of your two top scorers be out there doing the same thing every night and buying into what we've been preaching throughout the year. It's kind of how the results have shown and why we are so good, because, like I said, no real weaknesses across the board. And when your best scores and best players are leading by example, it kind of trickles down to the rest of the day.
Ama you know, teams must be getting pretty inventive with Jason. I mean, there are teams that still can get to him. Like last night, the Dallas game comes to mind just how much do you guys still have to combat the different ways that they're going to blitz him and double
it, we, you know, looking at Miami and some of the things they do, we're prepared for that. Understanding that the hot streak is all right now back to back Player of the Week, and, you know, averaging around 3334 teams is going to come after him and make other guys proven and so what we've done a good job of and I met Nick, you mentioned the Chicago game early in the season, it's our first time really seeing and we've had a lot of practice since then. So having our guys prepared behind it to make plays to be confident be aggressive, and you know, kind of be in attack mode when they get those numbers and so it's an area that we know is going to come up in the playoffs we've seen it quite a bit this year and got to have our guys in the right spots to make plays behind it
is you know, this just sort of increases the standard for him of how he's trying to beat all these double teams I mean just how much has he improved in that respect all season,
he's been great, he's made the right plays, he gets off the ball trust his teammates and like I said he's enjoying the success that they have because of you know, the attention that he commands the passing has been you know, noticeable that some of the passes he's making he has a size to do that and in general you can use them as a bait to you know, have the numbers behind or we can put them in certain positions where it's harder to double team and we move them around quite a bit and so you know Miami was coming after him pretty strong Dallas did as well and was a few games that do stand out where we didn't attack it as well in the fourth quarter specifically but overall we've been really good at it and you make a team pay once or twice they'll back off and you miss a shot they'll stay in and so it's kind of up to the other guys to make the right play behind there make the shots same thing like a zone or whatever and so Jason understands it sign of respect that he's scoring this well and playing this well and just trust his teammates and make the right play as he has all your
look like you and Jason are having kind of a longer chat down there anything you can share with us.
No just touching on last night and what which we did with the team in the film session and looked at the all the opportunities we didn't play our best basketball and we were up or down one at halftime you know 11 three run two and a half some of the things we could have done better the fouling you know seven seven Fritos laden that late in the second quarter and then being up for going into fourth quarter. Like I said, not playing our best a lot of mistakes on there three point shooters they made 13 I think nine or 10 and then we're all for our mistakes and still being still having a four point game and not playing our best basketball so a lot of positive take away from it but understanding you know the physicality of the game was different. I think like I said, I was telling we got caught up a little bit and complaining too much. And then our execution down the stretch wasn't the best. So areas we can, you know, be encouraged about not playing our best and basically holding the team to about 102 Minus the free pose at the end and, you know, 27 to 15/4 quarter, we can improve in a lot of ways and it's very winnable game. What stood out about the
those crunch time minutes? Do you guys had like two points in the last four minutes? Yeah,
a lot of missed shots, easy miss shots at the room. You know, we, J, Jalen had to Jason had one, you know, going against Lowry or Strauss inside. And so we got a lot of really good looks at the basket when it was a two point deficit. And then the other part was when we had a five point lead, giving up some of the threes that we gave up on Lowry and some of those guys. So execution wise, we did get some good shots. We hurt the zone. And they got out of that pretty quickly in the fourth quarter. And then just the finishing at the basket, and we had our opportunities.
And he said several times, your focus is staying healthy and playing well. Is there anything you want to see from these final five regular season games?
Yeah, lineups and rotations. Taking a look at Daniel now, the guard kind of double big there. We know what grand is. And we've seen him throughout the season with guys who've been in and out. So taking a look at Daniel out together how that works. And then Derek as well with certain combinations. So you know, we want to be more Christian than we were yesterday, offensively and then defensively get back to our standard, which is, you know, good hold the team to 90 if we didn't give up those threes. And so to hold them to 102 as poorly as we get defended. The three point line shows that we can be elite team on that in
I think you mentioned rock, start doing stuff today who it is and all that, like what what is he able to do initially, I guess after the surgery
was initially just the movement, the movement part, you know, getting back into music, he's in the meetings in the gym in good spirits. And so getting them around and just getting that flexibility back in off top. And then you can kind of build up pretty quickly from there.
And Juwan Morgan tender contract, I guess. What did you like about him and bringing him back? I got off to training camp.
Yeah, we had him in camp. He was he was banged up a little bit in camp and then had a good really good year with Maine. Another guy that can do what we're asking on the defensive end with some of the switching and you know, he's he's done a really well, good job down in Maine. And obviously, that translates here with the same system. So guy that was close by the faders do is played well and can jump right in if need be in a snap.
And it's been about it's been more than two months, as you guys lost back to back games, I guess. Is that something you feel within the season? Just I guess, especially during the grind of it, feel as far as what I'm sorry. Just like, you're like, oh, shoot, like we actually lost two games. I just Yeah, I
mean, it's different situations. And some of those, obviously, Toronto, we didn't have anybody and, you know, felt like we still should have won that, you know, played hard. And that game, this game was a little bit different in the sense where we got caught up in some other things that we hadn't in a while. And so we want to get back to what we've done well, and playing through physicality and contact and understanding how teams are going to defend come playoff time and what they're going to do with Jason in different guys. So we've been really good at that. And obviously, last night wasn't our best, especially in the fourth quarter. But we didn't take a ton away from Toronto with all the guys we had missing, but love the effort and fight up there.
You may in this post COVID in NBA as a coach, you have to have a discussion with some of your guys who might not be vaccinated or night be questioned about it, say, especially the heat the carries taking about the public scrutiny or Hey, get it cleared up or I got I get your personal choice. But you'd have to go successions, since you've taken over even as an assistant last year with guys who were against it or might have been?
No, I mean, you don't have those discussions? Honestly, it's a personal choice. And everybody, you know, it's up to them. That's their decision. But you know, it's been two years now that that's all been on the table. And as everybody knows the restrictions or whatever. And so we leave that up to the eyes, it's their personal choice, and there's not much discussion that we have with them.
It just seems like you got to be willing to suffer the consequences. Let's say you do have a series in Toronto, maybe a guy can't play me is that something you're willing to accept? is accepted some new deal with down the road?
I think everybody in NBA knows the restrictions in certain places. Obviously, the New York and Los Angeles mandates if you're a player there and Toronto changing their restrictions lately, so it's something that's well known around the league. And like I said, Everybody's personal choice, but it's not something that we try to influence or discuss with anybody.
And what can you do over the next? I mean, we get enough practice time, over the next week or so, to be able to implement some of the things you'll We're going to do changes or we just have to do it in games. Little bit of both.
We have some time in between, obviously the back to back coming up on the road trip. But we have days off after that. And today was a good chance to watch some filming and see some mistakes we made yesterday. And so teaching points for sure we can get on the court and as much as we can help Daniel in that regard and and even Derek's to some extent, I think we need to take advantage that they're out there playing with some lineups and groups that they haven't as much and Jason Jalen Marcus as well playing with these guys that they haven't seen as much as here. So takes a little bit of time. Not a ton of practice time now. So the film sessions are crucial, obviously and then the in game adjustments that would kind of do an on the fly will be beneficial.
Turnovers in Toronto, they were kind of ripping you guys midcourt and getting run outs, but it seems some most of them last night were unforced. What did you see with the 18 turnovers,
some carelessness for sure, you know, try to make some homerun passes, and just sloppiness overall. And that's why I said our fourth quarter execution wasn't the best. We had 18 As a team, they scored 18 off those bad 18 We scored 24 So we technically won that battle, but a lot we're unforced you know. And so just keep in keeping a simple making the right play as we have in a while and understanding their team that's very physical and looks to you know, get out, get out get steals, and so just Kyp with Butler and some of those guys that reached and grab and had to be strong with the ball and make better decisions.
And Jason had three shots in the fourth quarter. Is that okay? If he makes all the right plays, or do you go Jason You got to be more aggressive? Like how do you approach that when teams are trying to stop him from shooting but he's your best scorer?
Yeah, it's a mix as I said him continuing to make the right play getting guys wide open looks as he has throughout the season. But also us putting them in spots where it's harder to double team simple actions that they can't take away as easy so keeping them aggressive and you know, part of it was he got to the basket and fell he got fouled at times and we want him to get downhill and play through some of that but not just use them as bait obviously he's a big time scorer for a reason and you can only do so much at times when teams do double team and take him out of it and trust his guys behind it but at the same time we can find some opportunities for him to get more shots and that for sure.
Wrap it up right there. Thank you Coach Thank you. recording stopped
