Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves | 2025 NBA Playoffs Game 4 Post Game Interviews

Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves | 2025 NBA Playoffs Game 4 Post Game Interviews

No, no, I am sick. But Chris, uh, to get two here, I mean, how do you how do you kind of process it? It was a battle in in both games, but es especially this one in the fourth quarter, the way it hung around there. Yeah, I mean, I thought I thought a lot of the game we were um not as sharp as we needed to be, particularly on the defensive end. And um and uh you know obviously the big third quarter uh was huge. I thought we came out at halftime with the type of uh focus and intensity and purpose on offense and attention to detail on defense is what we needed uh from the start. But for the most part I I thought like um you know we were lucky to be just down a bucket at at halftime. I thought we could have been down more. Thankfully, Ant makes the, you know, the the end of the half three to keep it a little bit tight. So, what did you see just offensive execution in the third quarter that allowed you to kind of solve what they were doing much better? Yeah, we just moved the ball. I mean, we didn’t pass the ball. There was so much holding and surveying and holding and surveying, going nowhere, not doing any of the things that we talked about when they were in that zone. And then we just got, you know, got better ball movement and made them chase it around. and then, you know, got to the other side of the floor. Just the basic stuff that you need to do when teams are playing the zone. So, um, but it was uh not um not there in the first half for sure. So, mentioned maybe lucky to be knocked down more defensively. What were some of the some of the adjustments? What was the message at half? I mean, the message at halftime, I thought we were shortcutting our I thought we were shortcutting our game plan. Okay. You know, um I didn’t I didn’t like our on ball physicality for one. Uh, and then I just thought some of the routes we were taking on defense, we were just kind of too uh too loose. Too loose, you know. So, uh, Chris, yeah, I know you had a halftime break there, but how much do you think Ants shot there at the end of, uh, half set the tone for his third quarter there? Well, I mean, um, I think it it was huge because, you know, I it felt like one of those games where we just we were going to struggle to find a rhythm. Um, and like I said, I thought we might be down 810 at halftime with the way that we had played, but fortunately, you know, I thought his shot kind of made it pretty much an even game. And if we came out and played with the type of purpose that we needed to, you know, felt we were going to be okay. So, how uh have Aunt and Julius complimented one another since the trade and and what did you get out of them both tonight in particular? Yeah, I know you Julius had the great start to the game. Aunt obviously had the great third quarter. Um, you know, you know, Ant, sorry, Julius has found Ant a lot early in some, you know, DHOs and seeking him out in transition, early attacks. Uh, he’s, you know, he’s found him in, um, uh, you know, driving kick situations or just kick out situations. has led to a lot of catches, shoot threes, which you know, Ants obviously upped that amount this year. Um, and then Ant’s done a really good job of trying to find Julius in the post and that’s led to a lot of really good offense for us, too. Um, so that, you know, they they’ve done a really good job of playing off each other. Chris, they got a lot of offensive rebounds and a lot of second chance points in the first half. McDaniels in particular had one rebound in the first half and a dozen in the second. What were what kind of adjustments were made? Was it just effort or was it was it was just Yeah. Go. I I thought we were just kind of doing 85% of the job out there in the first half. We needed to to finish the plays off, but we knew that they were going to be all over the glass and they were and um you know, we just didn’t go pursue enough. So, it was no adjustment. It was literally just we had to had to lock in and had to uh finish plays off whether it was getting rebounds, whether it was, you know, winning a a one-on-one battle at the end of the move, that type of stuff. So, how do how do you approach that with Ant, you know, kind the the first in the first half of the game, it seemed like he was kind of floating through defensively and then and then in the second half he was looked super engaged defensively and his offense came with it like Yeah, I think he was one of the guys that was most vocal at halftime and realized what was going on out there and how we needed to be better. So, it started with him really um and setting the tone. So, any other questions? Thanks. Thanks. What did your view happened in that third quarter? Obviously pretty much analyzing. What did you see? Well, uh, Ant got going and, um, you know, we decided to to, uh, go to a bigger lineup with, um, JK and Trace, Draymond, Jimmy, um, just to try to slow them down and, uh, slow Ant down and, um, obviously didn’t work. They they kept scoring and we couldn’t score. We just lost our ability to connect the game there in that third quarter and they got loose and that was the difference in the game. Where did you see the main issues defensively tonight? Well um you know they went 16 for 34 from three. Um you know it felt like um there were there were some in the third quarter where we got disconnected uh defensively and they got they got wide open looks. I also thought they hit some some really tough shots as well. They played a great game and um obviously took it to us and um you know that the we’ve got to bounce back. We got um a flight to Minneapolis tomorrow and a chance to uh extend the series and and that’s the plan. Steve, hypothetical, but if Steph on game day said, “I I feel I can go. I want to give it a try.” Would he go then or would he There’s a possibility he would be overruled. When are we uh giving the update? Wednesday. Wednesday. We’ll have an update. Steve, after taking 26 shots in game three, Jimmy only has nine tonight. What were you seeing from him? What the Wolves are doing defensively and just how he was playing overall? Well, he wasn’t as aggressive tonight. Uh but I I didn’t see a lot of um openings either. You know, it’s um ideally we we we could put more shooting around him to open up the floor a little bit. Um but uh you know with with Steph out um you know the we’re not we’re not going to be able to do as much of that. Um but with that said, we’ll we’ll look at the tape and see where we can find some openings for him and I know he’ll be aggressive for game five. Stephen, another tough shooting night for for Brandon. I know he does other things, but at what point does he just have to make shots for you guys to be successful in this series? Well, again, it’s uh the this the series changed with with Steph’s injury, so they so everybody’s shots are going to be more difficult. Uh there’s just, you know, Steph’s the guy who breaks the defense down uh for us and and creates that offensive flow, and I think the end result is that um shots are more difficult for every every single guy. Um so, uh I thought BP Ped really hard tonight, did some really good things. Um, we pushed the tempo, you know, we scored 60 points in the first half. Uh, so we did some good things. We just couldn’t sustain it overall. Do you know yet if Steph’s making the trip regardless? Like I assume he is, but I I haven’t asked him. Um, you mentioned it and you’ve kind of alluded to it in a few of your answers, but you 27 from three tonight. Um, and I know even at the beginning of the year you guys wanted to be really high volume of threes. Um, and that’s with Steph obviously in the mix, but can how much of an issue is just the straight volume of attempts right now and the the the lack of Yeah, I mean it’s the uh you know the the the fact that uh you know we’re we’re playing some lineups that don’t have a ton of spacing um by necessity uh to be able to guard and to be able to to hang defensively. Uh there’s just not going to be as many openings and we know that. So, um, we do feel like if we can push the tempo, um, you know, force some turnovers, we can get some some open looks, um, in transition, but, um, yeah, without Steph, the game changes and and, you know, we have to adapt accordingly and we’re probably not going to take as many threes. Steve, you obviously saw Anthony Edwards for six weeks last summer in practices, not just the games, but how much did you see his three improving the way it it obviously has and how much has that changed the equation? I mean, he was always a tough cover, but I imagine now when he’s making threes like that, it’s very, very difficult. Yeah, this has been an amazing uh shooting year for him, you know, um shooting uh as many as he is. I think 10 or 11 per game. that’s way up from his first few years in the league. So, u I think the last uh last couple summers have been great for him with with USA basketball you know working out every day with all those guys and and um Chris has done a great job with him with that team and it’s a natural progression for Anthony to uh to to be doing what he’s doing given how talented he is and what a good shooter he is. So, um, his threes obviously he hit some really tough ones tonight. Some the one at the end of the first half was, um, incredible. Um, so he’s a great player and, um, you know, that’s the challenge. We’ve got to try to slow him down in game five. One quick followup. Um, he said on his ESPN interview that, uh, he he worked with Steph a lot last summer. How much did you see them interacting in practices? You know, every day, all those guys. Um, you know, that that’s one of the really u fun parts of that whole experience is seeing all these world class players feed off of each other. And um yeah, Aunt was right in the middle of all that with with Steph, with Bam, um Book, all those guys would shoot, you know, after practice every day. And um but like I said, you know, he was already a great player. Um but I think the experience probably helped him. and um you know his shooting has um dramatically improved volumewise, percentage- wise. Coach, uh pregame I asked you about possible sidebars that you’ve had with a few of the players. When it comes to Jimmy, are you asking him to be more aggressive or do you pretty much appreciate his ability to kind of pass up on his own shot and try to I don’t have to say a whole lot to to Jimmy. you know, we collaborate all the time and we we talk about ideas and um I always feel like he has a great sense for the game and um and he does whatever is necessary to win. He’s proven that um you know, not only here since we traded for him, but over the years he’s uh he knows what’s uh what’s needed and um you know, I’m I’m confident that uh you know, game five he’s he’s the ultimate competitor. He’ll be ready to roll. Steve, you guys, I know you like to close halves and quarters a certain way and at the end of the first half, you guys really had a nice thing going until the very end. And how big you mentioned a shot. How big was that shot at that time? Yeah, it was a big shot. I I thought the way we defended it was great. I mean, um, you know, Gary uh was all over him. Draymond came out to double um and he hits a step back 30-footer. There’s not much you can do about that. Steve, you talked pregame how you were expecting Dremon to bounce back and kind of give you the spark like he did at the start of this game. Um what did you see from him throughout the game and and how do you expect he’s going to go into this next game? I thought he was great. I thought u the way he pushed the tempo um his energy um his approach uh his competitiveness. I thought Draymond played a great game. You mentioned how Steph obviously that changes the shots. Is that also I mean some of the reason or all the reason why Moody and and Quinton have been so hard to get into this series or how you know they’re basically out of the rotation right now just because the flow is so different for them. Yeah, that’s part of it. I mean, I I think uh as I said after the the game one uh injury, um we’ve had to sort of reformulate everything to put the the best possible two-way lineups on the floor and and um you know, it’s just the way it’s shaken out and um we have to reconsider, you know, given the result tonight. We’ve got to look at game five and and see if we want to make any lineup changes and rotation changes, but those guys will both be ready. I thought the last four and a half minutes was was fantastic. You know, the the young guys going out there playing the way they did, forcing Minnesota to keep their starters out there. Um, that’s important. It’s always important to close games well and I loved what those guys did and um they they all played well and and that matters to me looking at, you know, what’s next for game five. Thanks. We all know the math on being down 3-1 in a series, right? What’s the mindset as you go into game five? Before I start, I want to apologize to y’all. I didn’t talk the other day. Um um I was quite a bit frustrated and very careful of didn’t want to get myself fined, but more so say something and make it sound like an excuse when you struggle and lose. And um I didn’t come up here and talk. I felt like a coward when I got home. So wanted to apologize to y’all for that. Um as far as three, we just got to win a game. Win one game, take it from there. I think that’s our mindset. Uh do all that we can figure out a way to win one. You win one, everything changes. So that’ll be our mindset going into game five. Draymond, players like Ant are going to get theirs at some point in the game, but do you think that tonight was more a lack of a defensive effort on you guys or just some star power that they had that? They hit shots. Um, they shot the ball extremely well. I thought we defended good in spurts, but you know, they they got going and we never was able to pull out the fire. So, got to give them a lot of credit. kind of felt like they were due for a great shoot tonight. Um, sucks that it had to be tonight, but it was and we just got to figure it out coming back in game five. You guys were closing the half really well and then of course Ant hits that big shot at the very end and you and Gary defended it like he should, but how big was that shot for him that to go down at that time? It was huge. Um, I think you know, one thing we talked about at halftime is like, yeah, he hit a tough shot. Uh, but what what could we have done differently? you know, cuz we have not let him walk up to the spot, you know. Um, but it’s like every time we’re on a run, we’re we’re letting Ant break the run up and um somebody can break the run up, but it can’t be their best player. You know, like our defense should be so keyed in at that point during a run that it can’t be their best player just getting to a spot and raising up. And I’m not just talking about that play. there were several points, you know, we’re on the run and he get to the even last game he get to the free throw line and just raise up, you know, and it’s like, so I think we got to do a better job there. And that’s not one guy, that’s a complete team effort when you’re guarding a guy like that. So, I think we got to be better there. Um, once we get the run, just got to put up more force defensively. You guys only got up 27 threes and it was pretty low volume last game, too. How how do you generate enough offense basically in 2025 with when it doesn’t seem like you guys can get up that many threes? Yeah, I think uh number one, everybody got to be ready to shoot. You know, you get the opener, you got to let it go. Um I think sometimes we’re passing some up. uh you’re without Steph at times the the first good looks often times will be the best look you know and um when you got Steph out there you can turn down looks because you can go and play on the backside and he creates so many do causes so many dominoes to fall but when he’s not um you turn down that first open look and then go looking for something else and it may not open up again you know and so I starters, we got to take the first open ones. Um, you know, not mildly contested ones, you know, but if they’re open, you got to let it go. So, um, I think that’s where it starts for us. You guys are obviously facing elimination. It’s it’s later stage of yours and Steph’s career. Um, do you expect him to almost try to push himself back considering the circumstance and and do you have to be part of a conversation of like, you know, him maybe having to protect himself from from rushing back? No, we not going to Superman this thing. If if if he’s in a place where he could play, I’m sure he will and him and Rick and everybody will figure that out. But we don’t need Superman. Got to play the long game. So, if he can, we know he will, but there’s no pressure. We got to figure out how to win whether he play or not. Draymond, you uh were talking about defending Ant. Uh he was obviously a tough cover his first few years in the league, but now that his three is so much better, how much tougher is he? And is there anyone really in the league who has that combination of three-point ability and and dynamic drives to the basket? No. Uh there is no one. Um he is a one-on-one. Uh but I think um you know with the increased volume uh the ability uh that he you know that he’s worked his tail off for to be able to shoot the ball like that. Um makes him a tough cover for sure, but I think we also got to do a better job like his first ones can’t be off of offensive rebound, you know, kick out threes. I think he’s using some of them to get going the last couple games. So, we got to do a better job there at taking those away. And if we don’t get the rebound, he got to go into a scramble, not give up them open threes. Draymond, with Jimmy, what’s the difference tonight when he takes nine shots as opposed to the last game when he’s taken 26. Um, I mean, we obviously need them shooting the ball, but you know, their their defense, they were collapsing on them today. Uh, so you know, we tried to pick up that slot. Um, but I know he’s not feeling well. Uh, been pretty crappy all day. So, that also affects the energy as well. But, you know, no excuses made here. Um, I think that’s on me. I got to find a way to get him in position uh more position to score. I think tonight I was just trying to get him the ball and I don’t think I got him the ball in good spots which then allowed the defense to load up on him. So I got to do a better job there getting him the ball in better spots to where it’s not as easy for the defense to key on him. And Draymond, can you uh talk about just just the morale of Steph at this point? Like how’s he holding up? um you saying you don’t want to be Superman, but I it’s I’m sure he’s putting the weight of the franchise on him and just you overall just uh your thoughts on just how I guess unlucky the playoffs can be sometime Tatum look like he’s done for the season. Uh I don’t know if you saw that or knew that, but just I guess the life of the playoffs. Yeah. um when you’re competing for championships or trying to uh the most important thing you can have on your side is health. Um you start getting a month, two two and a half months longer into the already long season and um injuries are more likely to happen. So, you try to do all that you can to prevent that. Uh, send my love to JT. Um, never wish any injury on anybody hoping that it’s not what everyone thinks it is. Um, such a great young talent in this league. Does everything the right way. Uh, so hate to see him go down. As far as Steph, he’s working his tail off every day. you know, he’s in here eight, nine hours a day working, doing what he can to try to get back. So, you know, his morale is great. Um, obviously, nobody’s excited right now, but he’s working uh to get back. It’s all you can do at this point. Draymond, this is the thing, third straight game where Jonathan Kaminga had a good scoring game. I was wondering for you, what is what is it about this series where the spacing hasn’t been ideal that he’s been able to get to the basket, get to the rim, and what do you expect to see from him in in game five? Same thing he’s been doing. Um, putting pressure on the rim, getting out in transition, attacking seams where he can, but I’ve always said he’s a special talent. You know, you get the ball in his hands and let him figure it out. That’s what I try to do. um expect him to have a big game for us on in game five, but you know, we need him to continue to play with that same aggression. Uh so, we definitely need it. Jayon, if Steph can’t go in game five, what what’s the non-negotiables you guys absolutely have to have to in order to come out of Minnesota with a win? We got to get loose balls, long rebounds. Um, I thought we did a pretty good job of pushing the pace for parts of the game today, but if you get loose balls and those long rebounds, that ramps that up even more, you know, um, they get offensive rebounds, get the loose balls, we’re taking the ball out the net, we’re already missing our number one guy who makes the dominoes fall, so it makes it that much tougher. So, got to come up with all the loose balls and um, set that type of tone. And then defensively got to be really good. You know, you can’t you give up 117 points without Steph, you probably losing cuz the likelihood that we’re going to score 117 points without him is not that high. So, everyone has to commit to the getting it done on the defensive end, everybody being on the string. That’s how we can give ourselves a chance. to follow up from the other night. Um could you elaborate on what you meant by the agenda uh you know statement you made? Uh I’ve moved on. What has it been like for Steph on the bench watching these games he can’t play in? Is he silent? Is he talkative? Is he angsty? What do you feel coming off of? Uh he’s not silent. He’s talking, communicating with everyone. Uh he’s kind of a voice between the coaches and the players. um you know at the moment. Uh but you can tell he’s antsy. You know, he grabbed the ball here and there, start dribbling, want to shoot. Um he’s definitely antsy, but you know, he’s as involved as he can be. All right, we got Looney ready to go. No doubt, Jaden. Uh first half you guys are getting outrebounded 2515 you have one you got 12 in the second half yourself like what was kind of the switch or thing that you’re able to flip to to get it going in the sec in the second half there. Uh just knowing that uh they was getting a lot of second chance so just willing to hold them to one shot one shots each possession and just making an effort to go crash every time like offensively defensively and then just being relentless while doing it. Their defense has been hard to solve for a lot of this series. Did you do you think you guys figured some things out in that third quarter that can you can carry over to close us out? Yeah, we just uh just ball movement versus the zone. That’s what helps uh break the zone. So, we just had to figure that out after like a couple possessions. Then when uh I feel feel like when we did that, they got out of it. Then we was just able to play freely how we usually do. Jane, you’ve seen Ant get on one of those roles many times before. What was it like to be on the floor when he’s kind of in that moment? Nah, I’m at that moment. I’m a fan like y’all to be honest. I’m watching him kill like it’s exciting and I just I mean he put in the work every day so it’s not a surprise to me. And you know start starting at third quarter but what did that you think that shot he made right there at the end of the first half did in terms of getting you guys going? I mean it’s just a shot he worked on. He worked on his step back three and he worked with people contesting them. So like I said it’s it’s regular for me but it just you got to uh yeah he just took a good shot I guess. Jaden, as a grinder, does it give you a lot of satisfaction that in these last couple playoff series you’re doing pretty much grinding the other team down and you can see how their energy it kind of disappears in the second half? Yeah, I’ll say that’s kind of the goal throughout the whole series, just uh making their main guys tired and just being relentless, picking up full court, like knowing that people don’t want to face that the whole how many games we go. So, just continuing to do that and just being physical while we’re playing. to be able to grab a dozen rebounds in one half and only one in in the other half. Does that um muck up your defensive assignments? I mean, do you have to pay more attention? No, not really. It’s just me going to the rim and just some of them was lucky bounces just came right to me, but most of the time it’s just me going back uh when I’m contesting, just getting back into the paint. Jaden, how um impressive was um was um Randall tonight? Came out, set the tone for you guys offensively. Um, just talk about what you’ve seen from him, especially the adjustments from game to game. No, I mean, his aggression, that’s what we need. He came out hot. I mean, whole time he was scoring. I’m talking to him the whole time. Like, keep going. We going back to you. So, I mean, I like to see it and just just the work he put in. It’s just coming out. Before you before you came here, you said you like playing in front of the the road crowd. Has this been the environment you expected? Uh, yeah. I mean, it’s more than what I expected really. playing here in the regular season, they’re always like got a good fan base, but now like fans talking to you, chirping at you and stuff like that. So, I mean, it’s it’s cool. Someone call me like McDonald’s down the court like just goofy stuff, but it’s all fun in games. J, the fourth quarter, did was it a little relaxation or there’s just kind of it seemed like you had them dead to rights and then just kind of didn’t have as sharp of a of a quarter? I feel like we just start playing down the competition when they subbed everyone out and I mean, we can’t do that. They almost came back. If there was more time, they probably could have put their starters back in and made a run. So, just just finishing the game out like how we start. And what’s Can you hear uh something in the crowd when Ant gets going? Like in the in the road crowd and just like how they react to him hitting a couple threes. Yeah, sometimes they I be seeing people It’s hard not to cheer when you see Ant do stuff like that. So, I mean, yeah, they try to trash talk them, but they still fans. They still be cheering for us sometimes. Hey, uh Jaden, you mentioned being able to to wear on an opponent, you know, over the course of of multiple games. Last game, Jimmy Butler had took 27 shots, was really aggressive. Tonight, um took less shots, especially in that first half. Did you sense anything from him and said someone who has to guard him quite a bit? You know, what was the game plan coming in to try and limit him? Uh just just really slow him down. I feel like this game he wasn’t as aggressive, but uh just I feel like during the game we did our coverages the right way. if it was someone showing or someone switching. Feel like last game we kind of got a little sloppy and that’s when able he was able to get to the paint and break us down. But I feel like this game our coverages switching showing me staying with it was all sharp this game. Obviously Jay you talked about the road games. You like the road games but uh you’re going back home 3-1. Just talk about what you need to see from the from the crowd at home, the target center and what you expected when you go back home to play. Uh just a lot of energy. I know I know they ready for the series to be over. So, I feel like it’s going to be too loud for me to talk to my teammates in there, but uh just just have a bunch of energy. Thanks, J. Thank you. And uh you really got going in the third quarter both individually and as a team. like what did you find or what changed to get you guys rolling the way that you did? Uh at halftime, uh coach came in and just said we playing like we already won the series pretty much and um I don’t really like that. Um and I I didn’t like how we was playing uh overall and I didn’t like how I was playing individually. So I know I had to pick it up. What had to change the most or what did you change? Our defense. Um we was letting Jonathan Kaminga just get everywhere he wanted to go. Um Draymond was pushing the pace. we wasn’t uh impacting the ball unless he was crossing half court. Um offensive rebounds, we wasn’t boxing out. We wasn’t limiting those guys to one shot. Just game plan mistakes that can’t happen if you want to beat a championship team and if you want to go to the finals or what’s the conference finals at least? You can’t you can’t let those things happen. So, we got to be better. And what’s it what is it like when you get in one of those runs like you were offensively there in the third quarter? It’s the best feeling ever. Did did it start with that shot that you made at the end of the first half to kind of get you going? Uh Probably. I pro. Yeah, probably. Yeah, that was a that was a nice shot for me. It got me going. Aunt Fitch was saying that you were one of the most vocal guys at at halftime tonight. Was were you delivering some of that message you were just talking about before? Like what was your what was your message to the team at at halftime? Yeah. Um I told him we only got two wins. Um I’ve never seen a series and two-1. So I told him uh you know we got to get two more wins and right now we playing like we already got four wins. like we playing like they gonna lay down and knowing this team, knowing their head coach, they’re never going to lay down. So, we had to we had to figure it out, man. Because if we would have kept playing like that, we would have lost tonight. And I was inside talking to a couple of your teammates about your run in the third quarter, what it was like. And they said you could hear the pain in the crowd. When you’re on the road, you can hear the pain in the crowd. What does that do for you when you hear that? Oh, it’s just satisfaction. Just the best satisfaction ever. And uh what’s your leadership role and Julius’s leadership role on this group and how do you guys play well off of each other’s games? Um leadership roles is not really I don’t really it’s not really about it. I don’t think I don’t really think it’s about like our roles. It’s just about certain things have to be said at certain times cuz you know um you can’t get comfortable man. You can’t get comfortable in the NBA especially not the playoffs. And um just learning how to play off of Jude. Just um when he in the post, knowing when to cut, knowing when to space for him, just reading him, man. Just and I think the the more we play together, the better we’ve got been for me being able to read him, when to be ready to shoot, when to cut, when to scream for him, when to get out of his way, cuz man, he a force. He for he a force when he going downhill, man. He he had it growing tonight. It was uh it was exciting to watch. I told him he called. And I I heard you when you were coming into the locker room at halftime just telling your teammates that they got to do a better job of finding you so you can help them. Do you feel like that was something that happened and helped get you going in the third? Yeah, for sure. Um and it was all Jaden honestly. Uh cuz me and J I talk to Jaden the most. Like I I tell Jaden all the time. I come up to him in timeouts like, “Hey, these dudes the way they guarding you, boom, you got to be be in actions with me, you And uh he I think one play he drove to the corner, strung the defense out and then curled around and DHO to me and set a great screen and I walked into a tray ball. So um yeah, it usually it’s usually Jade most of the time because he gets the ball, he pushes. If he ain’t got nothing, I tell him come right back to me and trust me. So big shout out to Jaden. Hey Ant, in the first quarter looked like after you hit a three, you were talking on the sideline to to Steph and saw video of you pregame having some fun with the night night. You know, how tough is it to not have that player on the court competing against you to have someone to to have that game within the game against and how do you keep that even though he’s not in the game? Um, sometimes it’s tough, but uh, trust me, man. I I wish he could be out there um, to play against him no matter how it goes. Um, but yeah, just from working out with him in the summer, that’s what I told him uh, after I hit a Tracy. Cuz he told me I had missed one. He was like, “You ain’t going to make that. You was too open.” And I was like, “I ain’t going to never stop shooting him.” I learned that from you this summer. So, um, yeah, man. He, um, he’s the greatest greatest shooter of all time. So, I would definitely love uh, to compete against him, man. But, you know, he got hurt unfortunately. Um, and I hope he gets better. And just wanted to talk about that moment you shared with Gary Payeyton. Obviously got his jersey and him. Just, uh, talk about that moment, how dope it is that you got these legends, you know, coming up to you, kind of giving you your props and stuff, too. Um, he didn’t really come up to me. I came up to him. Um, I don’t think he’s the type of guy to go up to nobody and give anybody props anyway. So, uh, I went up to him because, um, I of course I hear all the stuff about him and then I go watch film on him and he was really like that. So, um, I told him like, “Man, I’m a big fan and I love the way you guard it, man.” And even offensively, he had a lot of game, you know what I’m saying? So, and, uh, his son kind of played defense similar to him. His son super handsy, physical. So, yeah, big shout out to him, man. And at what point of this maybe the regular season, did you did it like register in your head that Julius had like this level of offensive game and being able to do what he’s been able to do in this series? Um, you said during the regular season. Yeah. Like when did you realize I think when he came back from injury, man, when he came back from injury, it was just like I don’t it was like a whole different person. Yeah, pretty much. I don’t even really know what else to say. It just when he came back from injury from that for that Phoenix game, it was like, “Oh yeah, we might be on to something.” So yeah, I think that was that was a turning point. Hey, and even when you’ve had big games, you’re conscious about saying Jaden’s MVP or singling out, you know, Nas or Julius or whoever. Why is that important to you to be like their biggest cheerleader? Um, that’s what it’s about, man. Um, you want to see your teammates uh succeed, want to see your teammates shine. Not even my teammates, my brothers. I mean, we’re going to battle every night. We play 82 games. We be we be with each other eight, nine months out of the year. So, those guys like my brothers, man. And it’s nothing it’s nothing like seeing them uh compete and um produce at a high level cuz, you know, that that makes everybody happy. And I can’t I can’t wait to come here and praise him every time, every chance I get. Um cuz I know everybody want to give me the credit, but I can’t do it without those guys. So um yeah, they the MVP every night. Every single night, man. They they come and play. They play their balls off and I can’t ask them for nothing better. And a last series you you mentioned a couple times uh the late night conversations you and Se Hind would have trading clips, reading defenses. H how are those how’ those late night sessions come about with you two? and and how important, you know, how frequent are they and how important are they just that conversation late at night between you two to your success in breaking down a defense and and navigating the playoffs? Uh it’s super important cuz um I mean he’s a he’s a psycho, man. He uh like he he breaks stuff down like to ways that I’ve I’ve never seen before. And it it helps me, man, cuz I be struggling sometimes. Like I go out there and I’m not playing well in the first quarter and then he come bring me some film and he’s like, “You got to do this.” So, um, just being able to to I think listen, be willing to learn. I think that’s the biggest thing for me. Um, cuz most guys don’t want to listen or they they think they know it all already. And, um, having somebody like that in my corner is big for me, man. Cuz, uh, he gets on me when I’m messing up. And, um, he never gives me too much credit. So, I appreciate him for sure. Awesome. Thanks, man. Julius is going to be right here, guys. How uh how can you guys find a way to score? Um, you know, without Steph, which is obviously the the life of this series is without him. Uh, no, we trying to push the tempo. Uh, you know, know get extra possessions. Uh, you know, play through Jimmy. Uh, you know, I think JK’s been really aggressive. He’s been scoring. I think everybody else got to, you know, take the open shots, different things like that. Uh, I think we scored decent today. I think we didn’t get enough stops to win the game. We uh we talking about winning with our defense now. I don’t think we did a good enough job to get the win. What do you feel? How do you um what’s it like battling with Goar and you also got Julius Randall out there uh and even McDaniels getting into pain. What’s that like? Uh it presents it challenges. Uh you know uh Randle had it kind of had it going today. Uh know he hit a bunch of tough shots. Uh you know uh he tipp your hat off to him. He made some tough ones. I felt we guarded him decent. Uh we still do a better job. Uh but you know him uh Rudy know they all they’re caring a lot of put a lot of pressure on the rim uh which just causes a lot of kick out for threes and different things like that. So, we got to do a better job of protecting our paint uh and uh being able to defend the three-point line. What What do you feel like went wrong in the third quarter? Uh I think we got a little bit between turnovers. We talked about uh winning the possession game and I think in that third we kind of turned the ball over a little bit and uh that led into some uh Elish threes and you know they got their confidence and uh you know we was having a tough time uh scoring. So I think uh us getting a a good shot every time and uh getting back in transition is going to be was was big in the third. Kavon Draymond talked about you just got to win one game. Um what gives you the belief and the signs that you can get the game five win in Minnesota and get it back here? Uh we feel like we can play a lot better. Uh you know we feel like we got a a good game plan to win a game. We just got to execute it. You know we done did it for you know 36 minutes 40 minutes. is we got to do it for a whole 48. And I think if we do that, we can go out there and win. Uh we have we have belief, we have faith. Uh we take it possession by possession, quarter by quarter. Uh we got to put together a full game and not just, you know, 40 good minutes of basketball. Gavon, how does your guys’ offense change when you’re getting nine shots from Jimmy as opposed to when he’s taken 26? Uh I mean, Jimmy uh is a a great manager of the game. He kind of knows when he needs to shoot more and know when to uh know when he trying to pick his spots. Uh so, you know, we never really say, “Oh, you got to be more aggressive.” He he he knows when he needs to push the buttons and when he needs to go. Uh so, you know, we got the ultimate faith that he’s going to make the right decisions when he’s in the paint. Uh cuz he gets to the paint when when he when he wants to. Just uh deciding when he’s going to take the shots or he’s going to kick it out to other guys. So, uh we’ve kind of just follow his lead and do whatever he does. How have you seen him battle through what he’s been dealing with physically? And it sounds like maybe he was under the weather a little bit tonight. Uh definitely he’s a he’s a tough guy. He don’t really talk about everything that he has going on, but we know he’s fighting through injuries and other ailments, but you know, he’s a our leader and we kind of got to follow what he does. We we can’t complain about, you know, it’s that time of year where where guys are hurting and uh and we know we give a lot of credit for him pushing through the injury that he probably a lot of guys probably would sit out with. So, uh, you know, he’s been, you know, a blessing for our team and we’ve been just got to follow his lead and we going to keep following him and hopefully follow for a win next game. Kavan, you’ve been teammates with Steph for a long time. How would you characterize his mood as he’s trying to get back and and have a chance in this series? Uh, no, he’s been he’s been Steph is same as always. He’s pretty upbeat. Uh, you can tell it’s killing him not being able to be on the floor, but he’s, you know, trying to, you know, keep a positive spirit. uh cuz we need his leadership, we need his energy even though he’s not playing, we need to, you know, he brings that uh he still gives us that confidence and that you know that wealth of knowledge that he has on the sideline and you know the everybody kind of looks to him still for you know for guidance and and uh you know for his his wisdom. So uh he’s been starting to stay positive but we know he’s he’s extremely frustrated not being out there but uh you know when he’s on the court he’s just trying to coach us up. Uh what are some of the controllables you guys feel like you could manage better in game five? uh the turnovers, uh the second chance points, uh those are the biggest thing we we keep talking about. Uh you know, trying to keep the guys off the free throw line. I think we fought a little bit too much today, too, as well. So, uh those those are the the things that we got to we got to win in the margins and uh I don’t think we’ve been doing a good job of that the last few games. Is there anything the Wolves are doing to to force those turnovers? Anything particular special they’re doing? Uh they’re a great defensive team, you know, uh especially when we get in half court. uh you know they’re they’re long athletic and you know they’re putting a lot of ball pressure on us so it makes it tough but we just got to be more organized uh get to our spots and get to our space and uh we’ll be able to [Music] Julius, you uh got off to a huge start tonight while everyone, it seemed else was trying to find their way in to the game. just how important was it for you to set that tone and just make sure you could keep the thing afloat while everyone else was kind of joining up with you? Uh, super important. Um, I always think, you know, for us as a team, um, when we get off the good starts, it kind of sets the tone for us as a team, uh, for the game. So, um, I always try to come out, uh, with the mindset of just being aggressive early, uh, whether that’s, you know, me scoring or or getting my teammates involved. Um, and uh, I mean that’s just just really my mindset. I know how important it is for our team. Uh, the Warriors defense has been physical with you guys all through the play. What did you find in the third quarter as a group collectively that allowed you to kind of blow the doors open? Our defense um, they basically they averaged 60 I mean they averaged 30 a quarter for the for the first half and we held them to 17 points um, in the third quarter. Uh, so I mean I think it was really as simple as our defense. We got stops and we were able to get out, you know, in transition, get some easy looks. Um, obviously Ant went crazy in the third quarter as well, you know, hitting multiple threes. So, um, you know, that kind of, you know, gave us some good separation and, you know, we just got some consistent stops. Julius, you’ve you’ve, uh, talked to us over the the course of the season about overcoming physical things, right? You had the injury coming into training camp and then the the groin in the middle of the season. What’s the like mental battle been like this season and to kind of come out both physically and mentally? You know, seem like you’re in a really good spot. Uh, I don’t know, man. I I’ve battled through a lot in my career, uh, to be honest. So, um, I mean, my first game in my career, I broke my leg, you know what I mean? So, it’s, um, I I’ve been through a lot. Um, I I had a great mentor in Kobe. um you know that didn’t necessarily let me pout or get down on myself. You know, his thing was always, all right, what’s next? You know, how can you get better? Um how can you improve? So, I always just kind of took that mentality with me. Um I mean, growing up, my mom raised me to be a hard worker and, you know, not feel sorry for myself. So, I mean, I just think it’s in my DNA and it’s just a part of who I am. Um so, I look forward to to challenges, adversity, all that different type of stuff. You know, it’s room for growth. Julie, along those same big picture lines, your first press conference in Minnesota, you talked about how when you with coach Finch in New Orleans, he used you in ways that were the best you had used at that point in your career. And now all these months later, you’ve been given a a bandwidth to utilize your entire skill set um with a lot of quality teammates. What has that been like that whole process of going through and having your, you know, being able to play all aspects of your game? Uh, it’s been great. It’s been great. Um, like you said from the beginning. Um, I knew what type of coach Finch was and you know what type of basketball mind he was. Um, so I was I was extremely excit excited to get here and play uh for coach. Uh, I think along, you know, the season it was more about learning my personnel and the players that I’m playing with, um, and and where they like the ball, what they like to do, you know, just tend tendencies and stuff like that. Uh, so it it took me a little bit, uh, to figure it out, um, and adjust my game, but uh, I think now we just kind of like reaping the benefits of it um, and and just being able to be utilized and, you know, do many different things on the court. Um, so I’ve always in my career prided myself on my versatility and being able to do everything on the court. Julius, uh, Finch said Aunt was really vocal at halftime tonight. Ann said Finch told you guys you were playing like you had already won the series. Just on a night like tonight, what what is halftime like? And is it is it intense? Is it vocal? And what how did that maybe produce the response you guys were were looking for in the third quarter? Uh, it was extremely vocal. you know, we were just talking about um you know, what we need to do better. I don’t think it was like any panic or or or tension. It was um who we are as a team. You know, we’re like, “All right, we need to do this better. We need to play better defense.” Like, we weren’t guarding anybody in the first half. I mean, that was first and foremost, and that’s where we hang our hat at. Um you know, they had 60 in the first half, and I think every game we’ve held them under 100. um you know so far if I’m if I’m not mistaken but um we just knew that we had to turn it up a notch. You know we weren’t executing the game plan. We weren’t doing things with intention and you know um full on effort and all those different type of things. So you know if we change that um we can get control of the game. So we just couldn’t take the opportunity that we had lightly. You know we had a chance to go 3-1 on their home court uh game five you know have a chance to close out on our court. So, you know, we got to take advantage of these moments. Julia, so many times in this series, especially the last two two games here, um the Warriors will go on runs and then you’ll have a response. Is that something that you kind of take pride in doing? Uh I just try to uh be in tune and be in the moment of of like what’s going on? You know, I know if um you know, they’re growing on the run, just try to settle in and get us some good offense. um or like if we turn the ball over, I feel like it’s important for us to come down next possession and get a good clean look um or you know a good shot. So um they’re a team that like you don’t want to turn the ball over because that’s how you know their shooters like Buddy Hill and Pazinski and all those guys get loose or Kaminga gets you know easy looks in transition. So, you want to try to take care of the ball um you know, verse them, which we didn’t do in the fourth quarter at all. But, um yeah, I mean, when they go on runs, I just try to settle in, you know, get us something good, you know, get everybody to calm down and, you know, just just get a good possession. Julia, sounds like you’re battling a sinus infection. What a little surprised, I guess, at yourself then and how you came out offensively seemingly on fire. Uh yeah, maybe I need to be sick more, but um yeah, I mean, you know, I guess the changing of the season and all those different type of things uh bothering me a little bit. My son here, he was his eyes were swollen shut uh couple days ago, so he was hurt, too. But uh pulled through, handled business. Uh I’ll be fine. Yeah. Hey, Kai, what do you like most about watching your dad play? I like to hype him up and I like to um just watch him play and play his hardest. What do you tell him? Always I don’t know. I just tell him to lock in and play good. It’s good advice. It’s good advice. Julius, you and aunt have provided so much production for this team throughout the first two rounds. How do you think you each push the team through whether it be on the court, off the court, demeanor, whatever? Uh, I mean, for me personally, I I know it starts with us, but I mean it’s Ant like Ants, I mean, the brightest star in the room. Um, and not just from what he does on the basketball court, his personality, how he brings everybody together. Um, you know, how he can communicate and just light up a room. You know what I I mean, he has that it factor. So, for me, I always just try to tell him to go be great. I said it before, I try to tell him to go go be great. And I I try to play off of that and make the game as easy as possible as I can for him. Um, but I mean, it it’s really him. I said it from the beginning when I when I signed. I mean, when I got traded here, like he’s special. Uh, he has a chance to be as great as he wants to be. You know what I mean? So, I just try to push him and um challenge him and also be there for him anyway I can cuz I mean we only going to go as far as he goes, you know, as he takes us. Um and you know, he’s taking us pretty far right now. Uh, Julius, um, was it like playing with Mike? And, um, have you, there’s probably not too many people you pick up stuff from at this stage in your career, but is he somebody that you kind of have gained some stuff from? Yeah, I won’t talk about how old he is today. Uh, but Mike, man, his presence is um, it’s unbelievable, man. Like, he’s as steady as they come. um you know just his ability I don’t know if it’s a point guard thing or if it’s just Mike cuz uh his ability to communicate um with everybody each individual on the team in different ways and bring the best out of everybody um I mean how he competes every single night uh you know he’s so versatile and do does so many things and he’s just a great basketball mind man so uh besides like what he does is on the court like his leadership is is is unbelievable and it’s um something that I’ve really learned from him this year and been able to take and add to my game. But he’s just a calming, settling presence for our team. Thanks J. Thank you. Great job. down 3-1, a lot of veterans in that locker. What’s kind of the mood? What’s the mindset in there now? Uh the mindset and mood still very high. Uh we’re keeping our hopes, you know, uh we’re keeping our energy, our vibe still gray. Um oh, cuz we always just got to go get that one. Uh but I think everybody’s mindset is very it’s good. Nobody’s down. To kind of follow up on that, you being one of the younger players, obviously there are some guys here that have won some championships, right? But then with everyone else, is there a sense of Well, you kind of said no, but a sense of panic knowing that it’s do or die from here on out in this series. I mean, the I mean, it’s the next game is going to be about do or die, you know? Uh because we need that, you know, once we if we get that one, you know, everything going to be settled down. Uh, and I say it’s a big one and we just got to go out there and figure it out how to get it. And knowing that it’s a big one going into game five, knowing that you’ve found some rhythm out there in the last two games, how does that make you feel going specifically about your game going into game five? No, I feel very comfortable. I feel comfortable. I felt ready, you know, no matter uh any circumstance. I know I know what I got to go out there and and provide. What were they able to do to you and Jimmy? Uh I think we just we just uh panic cuz they was making everything and you know and I think that was the only time we should have just you know settled down uh and we let our guards down. I think that’s pretty much it. We just panic a little bit. At one at one point in the third quarter, you guys had a lineup out there with no point guard. Um what what were those minutes like for you and how was the spacing in general in that third quarter? I think German was all point guard. Just being a point guard his whole life. Um I didn’t really see any problem. I feel like things were going well. Uh Jimmy only got uh took up took nine shots tonight. I was wondering did you feel like you need to be a little more aggressive tonight knowing that Jimmy and I think as Steve said he was a little bit under the weather. Wondering about that? No, I don’t think so. group. That’s good. All right.

Timberwolves Leads Series 3-1

Source: NBA/National Basketball Association

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Timestamps:
0:00 Chris Finch
4:52 Steve Kerr
13:28 Draymond Green
24:10 Jaden McDaniels
29:14 Anthony Edwards
36:57 Kevon Looney
42:19 Julius Randle
52:03 Jonathan Kuminga

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