Full Post Game Media Availability | OKC Thunder vs Denver Nuggets | NBA Playoffs | May 7, 2025

Full Post Game Media Availability | OKC Thunder vs Denver Nuggets | NBA Playoffs | May 7, 2025

Shay, what’s the feeling out there? Uh, just from a concentration, urgency, focus standpoint, it just seemed like every possession, uh, you guys were extremely locked in. Yeah, we we we knew what was at stake tonight. Um, we we uh we came out desperate. We wanted to just take care and control the things that we knew we could and we did a pretty good job of that specifically to start the game and that uh that start carried us through the the rest of the night. Mark was saying, you know, the game plan was essentially the same just you guys did it for a full 48 minutes at an even higher level. Um what what’s that like for you guys to be able to amp it up and you know execute the way that you did? Yeah, it it’s it’s it’s good. It’s a good feeling. Um, good for our confidence, but like with in the series, especially this late in the season, every game’s going to look different. We know that every team’s going to make an adjustment. They’re going to throw a curveball. Like, we can’t um just like we couldn’t relish on the loss, we can’t relish on the win. We got to move forward, take the good things from the from tonight and and scratch the bad things and and be a better team come the next game. And that’s what we’re focused on. Sh, you talked last game about being interested in and seeing this team’s response. Um, obviously like early the the punches there early, you guys like Jay Wills getting into a skirmish with with Russ. Did you since last game in a row that that you got punked, so to speak, and and um how do you feel like you responded? um to the physicality and just everything this game. Yeah, I don’t think we got punked at all. Um we pretty much had control of the the whole game last game. Just didn’t execute down the stretch. But uh just as as a group, X’s and O’s, intangibles, game plan, we we clearly threw the first punch tonight, the first hit, and uh that’s why we got to the start we did. It’s just about trying to trying to replicate that and adjust as they adjust and and be a better team come game three. And then did you see anything change or what what do you see differently about the positions you sort of were able to put Jokic in as a as a team compared to last game? Uh like I think like coach said, we just exe executed the game plan at a higher level. Did it with more urgency, physicality, assertiveness. Um and it worked in our favor. Before the playoffs, you talked about how you didn’t feel like the playoffs were pressure situations for you and you just mentioned how you guys came into this this game desperate. But when you don’t feel like this is a pressure situation, how do you also as a leader of this team get your teammates not to feel like this is a pressure situation? Um um I think like like we all want to win really badly and that’s like the goal we set out for when you pick up a basketball when you’re a kid and you start the season at whatever level you’re that. But like at the end of the day, it’s still just a game. It’s still is a game that we all started just having fun with and it’s taken us across the world. And I I I try to remind myself that and remind the team that that like no matter what happens, like go out there, have fun, and give it your all and see where it takes you. And then from there, the chips fall where they are. And we we did that tonight. and we came out, we played free, we played aggressive, and the chips fell in our favor. Um, but yeah, and we’re also at our best when we play free and play confident. So, uh, trying to get back to that as much as possible is definitely, uh, top of our list. Yeah. Shay, you told us after the first couple games against Memphis that you felt great even if your shot was off. How much better do you feel now after the start you’ve gotten off in this series? And and how do you explain it? Uh, I feel the exact same. I feel like I’m getting to where I want to go. Like I said, I think I I answered that question with I don’t I don’t worry about makes and misses. Uh, it’s all about like the process for me. I try to put myself and my teammates in the best position I can every possession down offensively and defensively. and wherever wherever that takes me, wherever that takes our team, I’m I’m I’m happy with. As long as I, you know, make the right decisions night in night out, play in and play out. Um, that’s that’s more so what I’m focused on in the make. So, I I feel just as confident as I did those two games when I couldn’t make anything. Shay, one of the first things you said when you came in here the other night is it’d be fun to kind of find out what this team’s really made of. Correct. What What did you learn about yourself, this team tonight, or or what did you guys prove tonight? Yeah, I I didn’t learn anything new. I think we we were who we who we can be tonight. We played to our identity. We were focused. We were confident. Uh we executed the game plan. And I like when we when we do that uh and we check all those boxes, it it looks like it did tonight. And I think we just got to our identity and didn’t veer from it for the full game like coach said. Then you personally kind of seized control of the game right from the start. You know, 13 points, five assists, first quarter. Did you feel was it a priority for you to kind of seize control individually or was that just what what what happened in the flow of the game? Yeah, I I definitely I I definitely wanted to put an imprint on the game from from the get without trying to force anything. Um, and ultimately still just let the game tell me what to do. The game’s going to test me every possession down. They’re going to throw a coverage at me and I have to make the the right decision, make the right answer. And uh I think I did a pretty good job in the first quarter. That’s that’s basically what I was focused on in the first quarter. Just trying to do that every every time down the floor and uh let my teammates make the plays from there. Um yeah, Shay, wanted to ask you about Russell Westbrook. Uh two different things. The first thing is I wanted to ask you about what you thought about the way the crowd responded to him in game one and then the difference between game one and game two and how that energy might have impacted things. Uh how did they respond in game like with the the elevation? The ovation game one they moved him pretty loudly. Um the elevation is beautiful. uh the things he’s done for this city, this organization, like he deserves it no matter what. Um and what he’s done for the game period has has been special and that doesn’t just because he’s on the other team doesn’t change anything. Um now the booze tonight, I don’t I mean our our crowd, they they they got it, you know what I mean? They do what they want when they want. They always have our back. Um, and that’s all that matters to to to to me and to our team. As long as they always have our back will be great. Um, but they can cheer for us and have our back, I guess, is what you’re what you’re asking. Shay, uh, earlier tonight, Celtics lost to go down 20. Cavs are down 2. Uh, I know you’re following all this. Like, did that was that on your mind at all? just being another top seed and and not falling into that early hole. Um yeah, I mean yeah like like for me even throughout like the regular season I try to like always if we lose a game I try to like not turn it into a streak and that’s how I go about the season. Um, like if we lose one, I try to like have an emp emphasis on the next game to try to not lose two in a row. And and then in the playoffs, obviously even harder to win on the road and losing two at home puts you in a worse spot. Um, you completely lose homecourt advantage. Um but but yeah, like it’s definitely on your mind no matter what. But um regardless of what has happened, you have to like worry about what you can control going forward. And um I think last year Denver lost two at home, Minnesota lost two at home in their series, and then it ended up going to seven. And it was crazy. Like it at the end of the day, like you never know what the series is going to look like. You just have to worry about the next game and be better for the next game. And wherever it takes you, it takes you. Shay, you’ve said countless time how much the guys beside you are really a team as a leader. I wanted to ask you, excuse me, specifically about D. Jones and what it’s like as a leader on this team to see a young guy kind of continue to grow early in his career. Yeah. Um, Dylan’s been great. Obviously playing a lesser role than he’s used to playing in his basketball career. It’s tough for any kid that that’s talented like that to come in and practically not play, but he’s had great spirits. Um, and I think it’s only a matter of time the world really sees what kind of basketball player he is. He’s super smart, can really pass. Um, knows the game, works hard, and when you like when you have those things, things work out for you in in this league. Um, and I have full faith and trust that that things will work out for him, and I’m excited to see his growth going forward. Marshall Martin Shay, when the team signed Isaiah Harden sign in the offseason, a lot of people were immediately looking just towards the playoffs of like where his impact would be felt. I know it’s only six games in, but where have you seen his impact I guess most felt uh just throughout I guess this regular uh this postseason run? Um his passing ability, his rebounding, his playm, his communication, his camaraderie, his leadership. Uh, I think like I Isaiah is at the end of the day like just a really good basketball player and I think like whatever situation you throw him in, he’s going to flourish because of that. He does the right things. He has the right intentions and he’s just really good at basketball. I think that’s why you Mitchell Robinson got hurt. He came into the lineup, had a bunch of success in the playoffs, comes here, has a bunch of success right away. Had success in the G-League. like wherever he is, he’s going to make it work because of the character he is and the basketball player he is. And it’s no coincidence we made the jump we made from last year adding him and as well as Caruso. Those guys are uh big- time playmakers on both ends of the floor and in the locker room. Do you know the last question, Shay? I I realize it’s one and one. That’s the bottom line. But the way you won tonight in dominant fashion, does does it feel better than than it would have felt uh if you just win by 10 or 12? Does it mean more to you? No. I think it’s important to take the emotion out of it. Um like winning by 100 or winning by two is still 1-1. And I think that’s very important. Like I said, every especially in a series, like every game’s going to look different. Teams are going to make adjustments. It’s going to be a different crowd, a different feel. You’re going to start hot, you’re going to start cold. Like everything’s going to look different, and it’s important to turn the page, I think. So, regardless, it’s 1-1. Chad, um, obviously, so much of dealing with them is, uh, point of attack defense on post ups and them trying to fly off of of Joic. What would you make of just the execution uh by you all and the physicality that you were able to play with tonight? Yeah, I think a lot of the credit there goes to uh the guys that were flying off those chasing around those screens and then uh the guys that uh were putting a body on on uh Joic all night. So, credit to Hard and Jay Will and uh Lou Queso, everybody that was flying around. Um, you know, everybody was playing with a lot of energy and we we got to keep doing that going forward. There there seemed to be some great gang rebounding going. Would you feel on the floor just in terms of the way that you all were able to finish off possessions tonight? Yeah, obviously um you know giving up 25 offensive rebounds isn’t a win-in formula. So, uh, obviously as a collective, we felt like we had to clean that up and, uh, we did a good job of kind of offline in there, creating a pocket for the rebounds and then somebody going and kind of getting it up top. So, Chad, yesterday Mark said that you were the last person he was worried about being able to respond through adversity. I was just wondering where where do you think that that comes from in your mindset to be able to respond like this? Um, I mean, I was talking to uh to Kay last night. Uh, shout out to him, uh, coming over watching the games with me. Um, but I was just telling him, you know, I had five screws in a plate put in my foot, uh, shattered my hip in six, basically six places. And, uh, I was thinking about it. But I was like, if I could pick one of those three, uh, you know, missing a couple free throws is the least of your worries. Um, obviously it hurts knowing what’s on the line. You know, playoff game, you never want to lose. Um, but you also can’t be afraid to fail, I guess. Um, you know, I’ve been on both sides of it. Hit big free throws to go to overtime, hit I’ve hit gamewinners. Um, I’ve missed game winners, obviously. missed clutch free throws, too. Uh, it’s all part of it. Um, you know, I didn’t spend too much time on social media the last couple days, but uh, you know, I’m sure I was getting ripped, uh, pretty hard. So, just understanding that it’s all part of it. Uh, you know, obviously there’s a lot of basketball ahead of us and we have a lot to do, a lot uh, we got to get a lot better, but I mean, it’s all part of it. Uh I was also talking to Kay and he just said uh you know cuz you know he’s played a lot in his career too. He’s been in similar situations and been through similar things and he just said don’t run from it. You know like uh you know you got to want to shoot free throws again. You got to want you know when you make a mistake you got to want to be in that position again and then try and get it right. So uh you know that’s what what I’m trying to what I’m going to try to do going forward. Yeah, Chad. Uh Shay described tonight as he as a desperate situation for you guys. Um after seeing what happened to Boston, what’s happened to Cleveland, uh two other elite teams, how how desperate was this situation for you guys? Um every game’s def desperate. Uh it doesn’t matter if you’re up, down, tied, at home, on the road. Uh it’s the playoffs, so you got to come out uh with a level of desperation uh no matter what the situation is. Chad, last game you were after last game, you were saying that, you know, dealing with a guy like Yokic, you don’t want to be so timid, I guess, that that that you’re not being aggressive. You’re you’re scared of the the whistle. Like, how do you feel you managed him today? not just yourself, but just sort of the front court in in general. Um, yeah, I didn’t I didn’t find myself matched to him too much today. Um, you know, I think a lot of the credit goes to Hart and Jay Will on that one, but uh, you know, just being smart, understanding that he’s a smart player, so if you give him anything, he’s going to take advantage of it. And that goes not only for making plays, but also drawing fouls. So, just playing solid, understanding where you can be physical, where you can’t. Um, and then, uh, you know, don’t give them any of those advantages. Putting putting your hands in the cookie jar when you shouldn’t and, uh, leaving the floor on shot fakes, stuff like that. Just just being smart, being solid. Quick follow. What did you see specifically from Jar trying to, you know, the positions he was trying to put in? Yeah, exactly what I just said. just understanding uh you know where you can be physical, where you can’t be, uh you know, not biting for any of those plays, putting your hand in there, leaving the floor, things like that. Uh he did a great job of being physical where he could and then being smart where uh you know, typically you could give up a foul. Chad, a couple of questions ago, I’m trying. A couple of questions ago, you mentioned the es and flow of the game of basketball. You’ve obvious been obviously been playing this game for a while. what helps you maintain that kind of balance throughout everything? Uh just not trying to run from anything. Uh understanding that uh it’s all part of it. Um you know, when it doesn’t go your way, you’re supposed to feel like feel like When it goes your way, you’re supposed to feel good. But then understanding that uh you know, for as long as you’re around, uh which is it’s a blessing to be around for a long time. um as long as you’re around, there’s going to be another game. So, just understanding that you have another opportunity to go and be better. Uh and you know, if you had a good game or a good performance, uh you know, you have to go do it again cuz uh you know, once you do it, people don’t care until you do it again. So, just got to keep it rolling. Chad, when two more, Michael Barton and then Jenny. When the team signed Isaiah Hartenstein, a lot of people were immediately looking forward to the playoffs of like what would that look like? I think a lot of people were hoping that would be where his impact was felt. the most. I know it’s only been six games, but where have you seen him impact and help this team the most just in the in the postseason? Um, all over the place. Uh, you really can’t sum it up to one spot, you know, on offensive end. He does a great job of, uh, you know, creating offense for everybody on the floor, kind of quarterbacking a lot of things. Uh, you know, making reads with the ball in his hand out of the handoff and and back cut action. And then, uh, you know, he’s everybody knows he’s a really good screener. So, he gets people advantages and then, uh, you know, he’s good at finishing at the rim. Uh, he’s good at, you know, that little eight foot shot. Um, you know, he’s he’s really effective, uh, in his areas on the floor. And then on the defensive end, you know, he’s big. He can, uh, you know, put a chest on people. Uh, helps a helps a lot on the glass. Uh, but beyond that, he can move, you know, uh, he’s not just like a big stiff dude out there. he can move, make plays, uh, rotate out when he needs to. So, you know, he’s been he’s been all over and he’s been good for us. Last question, Jenny. Chad. Jaylen was the first guy off the bench tonight. He only plays two and a half minutes in game one and tonight he really changed the direction of things it seemed a bit. What impressed you most about just what he did and maybe what he does overall for you guys? Yeah. Um, what he does is is really impressive. uh just cuz he has to be ready for anything and everything either on a moment’s notice or without any notice at all. Um you know, he’s always ready uh coach can always know what to expect from him uh coming into the game and uh you know, he does a really good job uh of doing what he does, you know what I mean? uh comes in, makes big shots, makes big plays on defense, um makes the makes the right reads, similar to what I was saying about Hart on the offensive end, and uh really gets things turnurning, gets things going, and then uh you know, he’s somebody that uh is an energy guy for us, whether he’s on the floor or not. Um you know, can’t speak enough about what he does for us. Thank for you individually, how did you diagnose your game one and what did it take for you to sort of reel yourself back? Um, I thought I had good intentions and I was really aggressive. Um, didn’t shoot it the way I wanted to, but that’s just how life is. But there won’t be games where I look back and I wasn’t aggressive. So, that’s been my mindset the whole entire time regardless of the outcome. And then I can live with whatever results are. And Isaiah, I don’t know if you remember this, but in in December when you guys played the Rockets in in Vegas, guys were just saying that Mark showed you guys the the film of the sort of scuffle at the end of the game with with Kase and and Shangon. Do you remember that? I think so. Yeah, I do. Yeah. Okay. Just guys were talking about that him wanting to push that message of not being a team that could be pushed around. I know you were talking a lot about that. How do you feel like you guys have preserved that message throughout the year and do you feel like that’s sort of what you saw in the first quarter? Uh, I mean, I think we’ve always had it throughout the year. I mean, I think we’re a team that never backs down and I think we’re always there for each other. So, I think since day one, we’ve always had that mentality and yeah, I don’t think it’s changed now. For both you guys, uh, Shay had he was plus 51. some best plus minus in a playoff game since that stat’s been a thing. Uh what what stood out to you about his performance? He was Shay. Great answer to keep it 100 with you. Yeah. I don’t understand how the plus and minus stuff works to be they have a scoreboard. No, I get I get I get that part, but it’s like like to me I don’t want to say it’s one of those like useless stats, but like I feel like there’s games I’ve been negative and I’ve had some of like my best games and we’ve won games. So, I don’t I don’t really pay attention to that too much, but trying to like broaden the scope like he was just aggressive, picked his spots well, got other guys involved, like just did a lot of like little stuff. Obviously, he’s playing defense, too. So, when you like group all that in together, that’s probably why he was plus 51. And I feel like there’s a lot of other factors that go into that, too. But he’s just doing stuff the right way and trusting us to make plays, too. J here. Damn, plus 51 is kind of OD. Cruise. Were you even up 50, though? Jay Will’s the first guy off the bench tonight. Um, obviously then you guys rotated in bigs pretty consistently with with Joic. How did that affect your strategy? Um, I’ll start there. Uh, Isaiah, just what what did that look like from your perspective using all three of you like he did tonight? Um he was big tonight. I think him coming in um setting that energy, setting that tone, I think was was was amazing for us, especially um maybe not playing that much in a series before to now to come in to play such a big game for us, I think, was huge. Um him staying ready, him mentally staying ready is uh was big and he did a lot of great stuff for us tonight. Jaylen, what what impressed you most about what Jay Will did tonight? Yeah, just stay ready. It’s hard to maybe play three minutes one game and then, you know, be the first person off the bench and have to guard Yokic. So, it’s like it’s a very hard thing to do and you have to take your hat off to him for being ready and staying involved in the game. And um he’s been doing that all year. Like I’m pretty sure everybody sees it, but like the way that he supports us playing, not playing. Uh he just does a great job with it and I think that keeps him engaged in the game, too. Yeah. Isaiah, crazy three days in the NBA. Home teams haven’t been winning since Saturday. Really, how desperate were you guys tonight to make sure the same fate didn’t befall you? Um I think we did a good job of just resetting. I think we also didn’t want to come in and change our mentality too much. I think that’s how you approach a playoff series in general. Um, at at the end of the day, the reality was we lost one game and so we wanted to come in um, play how we always play. Um, be a little bit more focused on the details, but I don’t think we kind of came in and try to change our mentality. I think that’s the biggest thing with the playoffs. Like even next game, we’re not going to change how we approach the game. Um, and we just got to come out and just try to execute. And that’s that’s the biggest thing. Yeah. Uh Shay before the postseason talked about how the playoffs for him aren’t any pressurized situations because he tries to take the emotions out of the game. He also when he was in here talked about how you guys came into this game desperate. With him being leader of the team and having that mentality of these aren’t pressure situations. How does he impress that on you guys and what does that do for you guys? Um, yeah, just the position he’s in, it definitely leaves like an imprint and when you see how desperate he is to win the game, like it almost like drags you along with it and we have a team full of guys that play that way anyway. Um, tonight was no different. Uh, I think even the first game, like I think that’s just how we it’s kind of like our DNA. I think that’s what makes us stand out, but tonight was probably just a little more, you know, back against the wall. you’re just kind of bound to play that way. And uh you know, like you said, Shay, being the leader of the team, it’s just one of those things that like when he’s like that, which he always is, it it kind of like affects the whole team. Wanted to wanted to ask you guys both about the young guys getting some run tonight, specifically Mitchell and Jones. Um obviously they’re early in their careers, everything’s being thrown at them, but what have you seen from them? Um I think they’ve been great all year. I think um they’ve been doing a good job is staying ready and I think that’s that’s the hardest thing especially when you’re not always playing playing time is inconsistent. So I think they’ve been doing a great job just staying ready being mature with the process and um also you have to give a lot of respect to the coaching staff making sure putting them in positions to when they get this the chance that they got tonight to make the most of it. Uh yeah. Uh I just I think as like one of the leaders on the team, it’s just I always try and like keep that in the back of my mind that like some guys aren’t playing and they’re still here every day. And you know, I try and take my hat off to the the guys that do like our high intensity every day and in there ready for these moments. And you never know when your your number’s going to get picked and I’ve been heavy on telling them that. You know, you never know with the playoffs like injuries, god forbid, or you know, kind of like anything. You never know like when your number’s going to be called and Mark is not afraid to put people in. So, um yeah, definitely hats off to them, especially AJ just coming back with like he had a long injury and then now his first game as backer in the playoffs. So, um yeah, just staying ready and there’s a lot of like behind the scenes stuff that they they do day in and day out that they’re really good at. Isaiah, I think you checked out after only like four minutes. ball swings to Jay Will a few possessions later on the wing and I don’t know if you know if you even realize this but you’re up off the bench, you know, saying that that thing’s going in before he’s even taken it. Uh coming in, you know, your reputation was like ultimate teammate. What are those moments like for you? Um it’s great. I think the thing with our team, it’s not fake. Like it’s genuine. We’re not doing it to make the media think that we’re all team players. We really want each other to succeed. And so I think just kind of giving back to what he’s been do given to us all season I think is the least we can do. But again it’s all genuine. I want him to succeed the the same way he wants me to succeed. And so yeah Deb with some superstars are relatively hard to play with. Shay’s not one of those guys obviously but I just wanted to ask what is it about his game and your game that allows it to be so cohesive because it doesn’t feel like you guys are taking turns out there. It feels very natural. Um, from my viewpoint, if he calls for the ball, I usually just throw it to him and that works out pretty well. Uh, yeah. I mean, he’s just unselfish. Like, he trusts us to make plays and that just comes with like time and this is my third year playing with him. So, it’s just one of those things with like trust and it just it grows. And I think he understands that in order for us to be successful, like he has to like, you know, kind of trust us the way we trust him. and he’s done a great job of it. So, it makes it really easy to play confident and play off of him. But, um, heavy on the first part like usually throwing the ball, move to an open spot and let him do his thing. Is a obviously the way you guys manage your physicality with Joic is one of the, you know, subplots people are watching for in the series. Did you sense a change in sort of the way he was being managed by the officials and and sort of the physicality you guys were allowed to dish out to him? I think the main thing with us this game, we were more disciplined. I think we we followed the game plan a lot better than maybe the first game. I mean, with the refs, you just kind of have to see how the game is called each game, and you have to adjust to it. Um, we never want to be controlled by by the refs. So, I think that’s the biggest thing. You just kind of have to adjust to how the game is being called and just kind of go from there. Uh, did you guys notice a change in the crowd from game one to game two? And if so, what was the biggest difference? That was probably the loudest that I’ve heard. I can’t lie. Today was very loud. And then how do you guys feel about um booing Russ? I don’t know if anyone’s asked that question yet, but how do you feel about the crowd booming Russell Westbrook after you get the corner three? I didn’t hear it. You heard it? I don’t know. I mean, he got a standing ovation the game before, so I don’t think it matters too much. Obviously, he’s a legend here, so I think the crowd is just trying not to like it’s hard probably hard to like not cheer for him. I mean, he did a lot here. So, um I’m sure he had fun with that, but I don’t think it’s any like real ill will towards it. I think obviously we all know what he means to the organization here, but I actually didn’t even really pick up on the booze for real. You have the last one. Yeah, Chad was just talking about Kenrich and kind of how he was kind of helping him the last couple days, you know, after missing the two free throws and kind of trying to give him some perspective. Is that something that you see Kenrich doing throughout the season for everybody? Is that kind of his role in the locker room? Yeah, big. Yeah, he’s he’s good. Gives good life advice, too. But, um, just one of like the older guys on the team that this gonna sound funny, but like he you know, he got kids, wife, you know what I like he’s got the whole thing kind of mapped out. So, he’s been through a lot of experiences and just like his upbringing. So, um yeah, he does a good job of helping us be where our feet are at and um he really helped me my second year just being somebody to talk to and kind of he’s good at like keeping perspective on what’s going on throughout the NBA and um yeah, just a vets vet. He’s very good for us. Yeah, Mark, can we go back to the fouling up three? I think we’ve covered everything with following up three. Mark, uh the paint protection tonight and that combined with how efficient you were on the other end. Um philosophically, just you know, how important was that for you in this series? Um given the matchup and being able to execute it tonight, how big was that? Yeah, they pound the paint uh with the ball and leads to fouls. It leads to um offensive rebounds and it leads to efficient shots. Um, even some of the floaters they shoot, especially Jokic obviously are highly efficient looks. So, um, you know, I thought we did a really good job, uh, tonally in the game with our energy uh, and effort. Uh, obviously um, that wasn’t their best. They’re going to play much better in Denver, but um, yeah, I was I was impressed with the way we came out. Mark, with with Jay Will specifically, what you what do you think he added to that early punch and and the the Jokic defense? Yeah, he was awesome. You know, he was really good. He uh he’s just a guy that um is really connected to the team. He’s got a lot of pride in in being on the team, being a member of this team. Um and he has a lot of pride in how he plays. I don’t think he thought he played great last game. I can’t read his mind, but I’ve been around him long enough to know I think he was he was pissed uh with how he played individually. Uh and I knew he’d be ready. He’s a competitor and a gamer. So, um, he’s a guy that no matter when you go to him, you can you can be sure he’s going to be ready to rock. And I’m I’m not sure if you remember this, but I I I remember in Vegas when you guys played the Rockets that that uh it was a late skirmish and and the guys that the following day were talking about you showing that clip to them and and trying to preserve that message of like not backing down to to teams. How have you sort of tried to preserve that message throughout the year leading up to this series? And how do you think that that showed today? I didn’t really look at tonight as a response as much as I looked at tonight as just us being who we are and that’s how we’ve been all season. Um, you know, I I we don’t really respond to the last game. You know, when we win, um, we don’t have more confidence when we lose. We don’t have more urgency. I think this team has a really good baseline that we just try to return to every day when the sun comes up and we have a game. Uh, and I thought that’s what tonight was. Yeah. Mark, you guys talk about all season how you want to be a fast-paced team. After last game where they controlled the pace, how important was it for you guys to come into this game playing extremely fast as you guys did? Yeah, I thought we controlled a lot of the pace in the first one, just to be clear on my opinion of it. I thought our pace in that game was pretty good. Uh, I thought it was good again tonight. I thought tonight might have looked faster. is cuz we were getting stops. You know, that was, I think, a big difference between last game and this one, uh, is we were able to get stops. We were able to secure rebounds, especially in the first half, and that allows us to be faster. You got stops again tonight, but didn’t lead to as many offensive rebounds. What did you feel like was working for you guys? Their offensive rebounds or ours? Yeah, I just thought we did a good job on the glass. Um, you know, they really, that was a huge part of game one when you really unpack it. Our first shot defense uh was really good. You know, the free throws hurt us. Um transition hurt us, rebounding hurt us. I thought we got all three of those things uh back under control tonight in that game. Mark, I know you try to be unaffected by anything else going on in the league and and maybe you are, but it’s been a crazy three days where home team can’t seem to win. You guys broke that streak tonight. Was that a you even aware of that? And what do you do when just kooky things like that seem to keep happening? Um, I’m aware of it. You know, I’m checking the scores. I I I’m not under my bed, but um, you know, at the end of the day, every game’s different. Every team’s different. You know, tonight uh was an unwritten game, and you know, we went out there and competed together. Mark, uh, related to the early Jwell minutes, just how valuable is that for guys like Hardenstein and Chet just to, you know, manage their minutes and have another body to throw at Jokic? Um, it’s it’s helpful, but I think it’s more helpful to the team. You know, I think when you we lose um game one and then we come in and we’re betting on him, we’re betting on Isaiah, we’re betting on Wiggins, I think it breathes life into the team. Kase. Um, and those guys delivered, you know, and I think that breathes life into the team and we have a team that’s, um, been highly connected all season and, uh, every time a guy, like I said, I don’t think he was pleased with how Jay will I don’t think he was pleased with how he played last game and for him to stand up that that really gives the team a lot of oxygen. And then just what did you think of Sha’s overall game? I mean, 34 points on 13 shots is hard to do. So, that was impressive. Uh, but I thought his floor game was really good. I thought his pace was really good. I thought he was off it early. Uh, he made them pay when they overh helped on him. He had the ball ahead of him all night. So, he got his teammate shots, too. It wasn’t just a a one-man show. And, um, yeah, he was just he was super efficient. I mean, he had an unbelievable blend tonight. Mark, you’re with these guys day in and day out. So, you know, the work that they put in every day, but what does it do for the young guys like Ken Ridge and Jones that get to get some run tonight? I It’s great. And you know, we need I mean, Kri played minutes in the Memphis series, Mitchell played minutes in the Memphis series in in the balance of the game. Um there’s we haven’t gone to them yet in this one, but there are situations uh when we would use those guys. And so their ability to stay ready is critical. You top to bottom, we need everybody. Mark, I get what you’re saying about you didn’t necessarily think this was a response, but Shay comes in here the other night and says basically it’s going to be fun to see how this team deals with their their first real taste of playoff adversity this season and then he comes out in the first quarter and you know basically was as dominant as you could be. What did you think about the way that you know the guy who’s the leader of your team came out and set the tone? Yeah, I mean he’s he was he set a great tone in the game tonight. Um was outstanding, you know, he’s done that time and time again. My point with the response was just that we have a a pretty high baseline. Um and we want to play to that win or lose, you know, and I thought that’s what we did tonight. We just we were who we are. What were your thoughts on how Chad responded tonight? I thought he was great. you know, he was another one. You know, him Dub I thought Dub’s force uh in the game was a real tone setter. Um I thought Chad’s competitiveness in the game, real tone setter. I thought he was really competitive on the glass, even the ones he didn’t get. Um offensively, he had a good blend as well. I I thought everybody, you know, you know, contributed to the game. Yeah. And then the starting lineup was really clicking tonight. Just just thoughts on how that lineup works. Well, as I said to you pregame, I wouldn’t like overreact to samples this small. You asked about the same lineup before, small sample. Tonight’s a small sample. We’re playing the guys we think um would give us the best chance to win. Um and they performed great tonight and you know, game three is a new game. How valuable is it to have a guy like Jay Will who can also space the floor so you can go five out spacing while also not having to sacrifice, I guess, size and rebounding? He’s pretty unique in that way. You know, he’s he puts them in dilemmas. they have to close to him. You he shoots it with, you know, unbelievable confidence as teammates find him. Um at times they had guards on tonight. They cross matched even off of him. They usually do that with Chad, but they did that with him, which is a sign of um his shooting gravity. Uh but then he’s a great, you know, physicality player, defensive rebounder, point of attack, defender on bigs. But the biggest thing with him is he’s just like a total compete together player. You know, he’s unbelievably competitive. He’s an unbelievable team guy. Um, and when you let him touch the game, I like I said, I think it breathes life into the team. Coach, it’s one thing to win by 10 and a half points as the experts would have thought, but by dominating in this fashion, does does this switch the momentum in this series. Score is one to one. That’s it. You know, that’s the score after tonight. 15 made threes the other night, 16 tonight. Shot better, but didn’t take as many uh tonight as you did the other night. What did you feel like the difference was in the the attempts that you guys or looks that you guys got tonight? I thought the looks the other night were really good. Um I thought the looks tonight, you know, just I haven’t looked at the data on that yet, but I thought the looks tonight, you know, looked pretty good. Obviously, we shot it well. Um like I said, I thought tonight the game’s interconnected, so I thought our stops tonight really put us at offensive advantages and uh this is a great offensive team, Denver, and so that’s easier said than done. Um, but I thought we did a really really good job on that end of the floor and it it gave us a thrust coming up the floor on a lot of possessions. How should it help that the fact that you’re basing getting foul trouble like some ticky tack fouls like in the first quarter uh like they did the other night? Yeah, it’s helpful, you know. Um, at the end of the day, you know, the game’s going to get called how it gets called. We were in foul trouble early in the third. I was a little worried. The only way the only pathway for a team to come back in a game like that is to stop the clock, put them on the line, and they were in the bonus like 2 minutes into the third quarter. So, um, that was a little concerning, but um, those guys did a good job. We just have to find our rhythm against this team. You know, they’re a really good offense, obviously. Great offense. You know, Joic and Murray are great top end players. Um, and that takes some getting used to. You got to be really, really physical with them. Otherwise, they have their way with you, but you got to do it with great discipline because they do a really good job of drawing fouls. And it seemed like I mean maybe tried that in game one, but seemed like tonight Jokic was kind of confused. You had some doubles coming from the baseline and when he turned baseline, there was a guy coming late and kind of confused him where where it was coming from. Yeah, the schemes didn’t change. You know, this was the same plan. Uh I just thought, like I said, we get a little bit more used to the opponent, which is what happens in these series. you know, you get more familiar that that was game one. We hadn’t played in a in a period of time. Um, and we certainly haven’t played them, this version of them, uh, in a minute. And so, um, we didn’t really change much. You know, I just thought we we were a lot sharper and I didn’t think they played their best. You know, I think they’re going to be a lot better in game three. As young as this team is, and it’s talked about a lot how young this team is, uh, there’s a couple of times where the physicality, there was some pushing, some shoving, chance for some skirmishes. They seem to handle it pretty maturely. Do you want to talk about the maturity of this team? Not kind of taking the bait on some of that. Yeah, they’ve always showed maturity, but you know, physicality is part of the playoffs. You know, it’s it’s going to be physical out there and if you want to win in the playoffs, you have to rise to the level of physicality that’s going to be allowed in the game. And so, um, you know, we understand that, you know, that’s not new to us and that’s what we’re going to do. Uh coach, in terms of uh just coverage on Jokic, was that a point of emphasis? Just the way you guys were able to collapse on him, not just, you know, one player in particular, but just as a team and of course the way you were able to finish those fast break opportunities. Uh what did you see differently uh tonight compared to what happened in game one? Like I said, I just thought um we were just a little sharper. Um you know, there’s a familiarity thing. You know, in the first game of a playoff series, you know, you’re introducing yourself to the opponent and vice versa. And um you know, we had we rolled out the same plan. We didn’t change a thing tonight. You know, all we did was um learn from the first game, you know, how we could execute better. We actually there are some adjustments we can pivot to uh that we feel like we can go to at this point, but we wanted to see how this plan worked first. Um and I thought we were just a lot sharper in it tonight. Emmer, anything you didn’t like about tonight? Um yeah, there’s there’s obviously there’s always plays that you don’t like. I thought there was times where we weren’t overly organized on offense. There was times I messed up on offense. Um, couple of the players were very quick to point that out. Um, and so there’s always things you can learn from and there’s positives from losses. It’s a long game. Mark, I know you said the scheme on Yokas didn’t change. You just felt like the intensity or the sharpness maybe changed. Did you sense a swing in sort of the way the the officials maybe managed him and and you know the way you were able to you know be physical with him? Not really. I thought um you know the beginning of the second half I think you know showed this was they they called the game very consistently. They did a really good job but um tighter than some of these other games that you’re watching. You know I thought that whistle again the first two games these games were called tighter in my opinion than some of the other ones that I’m seeing. Uh but both were called consistently. Tonight was consistent, which is all we can ask for. If if they come out and set a tone in the game for how it’s going to get called, we can adapt to that. And if it’s fair and consistent, which it’s been, um, then we have no problem with

Hear from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein and Coach Mark Daigneault following the Thunder’s 149-106 win over the Nuggets in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.

0:00 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
12:00 Chet Holmgren
20:30 Jalen Williams & Isaiah Hartenstein
31:43 Coach Mark Daigneault

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