“Their defense kind of reminds me of a AAU defense” Ant Edwards after Game 1 | May 20, 2025

“Their defense kind of reminds me of a AAU defense” Ant Edwards after Game 1 | May 20, 2025

AND WHAT DID YOU FEEL LIKE WAS WORKING? >> IT’S CRAZY. >> AND WHAT DID YOU FEEL LIKE WAS WORKING OFFENSIVELY FOR YOU GUYS IN THIS GAME WHEN IT WAS WORKING AND WHEN THE OFFENSE GOT A LITTLE STUCK? WHAT WHAT WERE YOU RUNNING INTO? >> WHAT WAS WORKING? JUST MAKING THE RIGHT PLAY. TAKING OUR SHOTS. I THINK THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH WHAT WAS WORKING IN THE FIRST HALF. >> JULIUS IN THE FIRST HALF, I THINK HE HAD 20 AND REALLY AGGRESSIVE. THE SHOT WAS GOING IN. WHAT DID WHAT DID DID THEY ADJUST TO YOU AT ALL IN THE SECOND HALF OR WHAT CHANGED FOR YOU HALF TO HALF OFFENSIVELY? >> I DON’T I DON’T REALLY THINK THEY DID ANYTHING DIFFERENT OTHER THAN JUST TRY TO RUN ME OFF THE THREE POINT LINE A LITTLE BIT. I MEAN, THAT WAS REALLY THE ONLY THING DIFFERENT. I MEAN, THEIR DEFENSE IS THE SAME. THEY’RE HEAVY GAPS, YOU KNOW, BOXES AND ELBOWS. SO I DON’T REALLY THINK THEY DID ANYTHING DIFFERENT. THEY JUST TRIED TO GET ME OFF THE THREE POINT LINE OFF MY CATCH AND SHOOTS. AND THAT WAS IT. GETTING DOWNHILL. AND BOTH OF Y’ALL. QUESTION FOR BOTH OF Y’ALL. GETTING DOWN HERE HAS KIND OF BEEN YOUR STRONG SUIT, YOU KNOW, FROM THE LAST TWO SERIES. AND EVEN JUST, YOU KNOW KIND OF YOU GUYS IDENTITY. WHAT DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU KNOW WITH THEIR SIZE COMING INTO THIS MATCHUP WAS THE BIGGEST ADJUSTMENT THAT YOU GUYS HAD TO MAKE, GIVEN THAT YOU GUYS ONLY HAD 20 POINTS IN THE PAINT THIS GAME COMING OFF OF 72 VERSUS GOLDEN STATE IN GAME FIVE. >> I MEAN, THEY CLOGGED THE PAINT. THAT’S WHAT THEY DO. THEY DON’T GOT MUCH SIZE DOWN THERE. SO THEY BANK ON US NOT MAKING SHOTS I GUESS, BECAUSE EVERY TIME I GO TO THE RIM IT’S LIKE FOUR PEOPLE IN THE PAINT. SO YEAH, I GUESS THEY JUST BE CLOGGING THE PAINT. THEY PUT LIKE FIVE, FOUR BODIES IN THE PAINT, MAKE YOU KICK IT OUT. SO JUST KEEP MAKING THE RIGHT PLAY. >> JULIUS, WHAT DO YOU THINK CHANGED DEFENSIVELY FOR YOU GUYS IN THE SECOND HALF. OR WAS IT JUST A MATTER OF THEM HITTING MORE SHOTS IN THE SECOND HALF? >> I MEAN THE FIRST HALF IT WAS A 4844. SO I MEAN IT WASN’T LIKE IT WAS A SHOOTOUT IN THE FIRST HALF. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. SO IT’S JUST EVEN IF WE’RE NOT MAKING SHOTS, WE STILL GOT TO DEFEND AT A HIGH LEVEL. AND I MEAN, WE GAVE THEM 32 IN THE THIRD AND THEN THE FOURTH. IT GOT AWAY FROM US OBVIOUSLY AND GAVE THEM 38. BUT. WELL THERE’S MISSES AND MAKES WE STILL GOT TO DEFEND AT A HIGH LEVEL. AND I THINK THAT WAS PROBABLY THE DIFFERENCE IN THE SECOND HALF. OBVIOUSLY WE DIDN’T SHOOT THE BALL AS WELL AS WE WANTED TO TONIGHT YOU KNOW. BUT REGARDLESS OF THAT I MEAN WE REALLY HELD THEM TO 100 POINTS INTO LIKE THE END OF THE GAME OBVIOUSLY WHERE, YOU KNOW, THEY MADE SOME BASKETS. SO WE GOT TO WE GOT TO DEFEND AT A, AT A, AT A LITTLE BIT BETTER LEVEL IN THAT IN THAT THIRD QUARTER. >> AND DANTE WAS SAYING IN THE LOCKER ROOM THAT IT SEEMED LIKE THEY WERE THROWING DIFFERENT LOOKS AT YOU GUYS EVERY OTHER POSSESSION ON OFFENSE. HOW DID IT MAKE THEM HARD FOR HARD FOR YOU TO READ OR HARD FOR THE TEAM TO READ, OR JUST HOW DID YOU KIND OF PROCESS THEIR DEFENSE? >> YEAH, I MEAN, IT’S HARD TO PROCESS BECAUSE HE RIGHT THERE, IT WAS DIFFERENT. IT WAS KIND OF IT WAS DIFFERENT EVERY TIME. I MEAN, HEAVY IN THE GAPS SOMETIMES TRAP THE BALL SCREEN SOMETIMES DON’T SOMETIMES JUST RUN AND JUMP. IT’S KIND OF SIMILAR TO LIKE AAU. THEY REMIND ME OF LIKE AAU DEFENSIVE TEAM JUST RUN AND JUMP FLY AROUND. SO IT WAS PRETTY GOOD. GOOD TO GET IT OUT OF OUR SYSTEM IN GAME ONE, YOU KNOW? SO WE’LL BE READY FOR GAME TWO. WE SHOULD BE READY. >> SEEMS LIKE ONE OF THE TURNING POINTS IN THE GAME WAS WHEN JADEN GOT HIS THIRD AND FOURTH FOULS EARLY IN THE THIRD QUARTER. DID HIS ABSENCE AFFECT YOU GUYS ON EITHER END OF THE COURT, DO YOU THINK? >> YEAH. HELL YEAH. I MEAN, HE’S THE BEST DEFENDER WE GOT. AND THEY USUALLY PUT THE FIVE ON HIM AND WE PLAY THROUGH HIM IN THE POCKET AND HE MAKES THE RIGHT PLAY OVER AND OVER AGAIN. AND HE’S SUPER AGGRESSIVE. SO WHEN HE’S NOT ON THE FLOOR IT DEFINITELY HURTS FOR SURE. >> IS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT THEIR STYLE OF PLAY THAT IS WEARING OVER THE COURSE OF A 48 MINUTE GAME WHERE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU CAN HANDLE IT IN THE FIRST HALF, BUT THEY KEEP COMING WITH THAT STYLE. IT GETS TOUGHER AS THE GAME GOES ON. >> NO, NOT REALLY. I JUST GOT TO I DEFINITELY GOT TO SHOOT MORE. I TOOK 13 SHOTS, BUT. I’LL SAY PROBABLY JUST GET OFF THE BALL A LITTLE MORE PLAY WITHOUT THE BALL. I THINK THAT WOULD BE THE ANSWER BECAUSE PLAYING ON THE BALL, THEY’RE JUST GOING TO DOUBLE AND SIT IN THE GAPS ALL DAY. SO I GOT TO GO WATCH SOME FILM AND PICK IT APART. WE’LL FIGURE IT OUT. >> DID YOUR ANKLE AFFECT YOUR SHOOTING AT ALL? >> JULIUS JUST MENTIONED THAT. YOU KNOW IT’S GOOD TO GET IT OUT IN GAME ONE. IT WAS KIND OF A SIMILAR SITUATION AGAINST THE WARRIORS. I MEAN WHAT DO YOU DRAW FROM THAT IF ANYTHING THE WAY YOU GUYS WERE ABLE TO BOUNCE BACK AGAINST THEM AND TAKE THAT SERIES. >> WE PROVED THAT WE CAN DO IT, BUT WE GOT TO MAKE IT HAPPEN TOO. YOU KNOW, WE CAN’T JUST BE LIKE, ALL RIGHT, WE DID IT LAST SERIES. SO, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE’RE GOING TO DO IT AGAIN. LIKE THIS IS A GREAT TEAM. THEY’VE BEEN PLAYING GREAT BASKETBALL ALL YEAR. SO I MEAN WE GOOD THING IS WE PROVED TO OURSELVES THAT WE CAN DO IT. BUT YOU KNOW WE GOT TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. >> AND I KNOW YOU SAID THAT THE ANKLE IS NOT BOTHERING YOU, BUT OF THOSE 13 SHOTS, YOU ONLY TOOK ONE IN THE PAINT ALL NIGHT. IS THAT MORE JUST THE DEFENSE THAT THEY’RE THROWING AT YOU OR SEEING SOMETHING DIFFERENT? THE EXPLOSIVENESS. THAT’S NOT WHAT WE’RE USED TO SEEING FROM YOU. >> YEAH. YEAH. THEY JUST IN THE GAPS. YEAH. IT WAS KIND OF HARD TO GET TO THE PAINT HONESTLY. I MEAN REGARDLESS OF THAT’S MY GAME. BUT THEY DEFINITELY TOOK THAT ASPECT OF MY GAME AWAY TONIGHT FROM GETTING DOWNHILL. SO GOOD JOB TO THOSE GUYS. >> AND THEN NAZ REID SAID IN THE LOCKER ROOM, HE JUST FELT LIKE HE LIKED THE SHOTS THAT HE WAS GETTING, THAT DANTE WAS GETTING, THAT NICKEIL WAS GETTING. THEY JUST WEREN’T FALLING. SO AS THE TWO GUYS ARE SORT OF THE LEADERS OF THIS GROUP, DO YOU SAY SOMETHING TO THEM AFTER THIS OR. >> IS IT JUST KEEP SHOOTING? YEAH. THEY’RE GOOD. THEY KNOW THEY GOT GREAT LOOKS. JUST COULDN’T MAKE THEM. A LOT OF THEM WENT IN AND OUT AND THAT’S GOING TO HELP US. THAT’S GOING TO HELP ME. AND JU YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THEY USUALLY MAKE THOSE SHOTS. SO WE’RE NOT REALLY WORRIED ABOUT THEM MAKING SHOTS. YEAH THEY’LL BE ALL RIGHT JULIE. >> WAS IT AS SIMPLE AS THEY STARTED MAKING SHOTS AND YOU GUYS HAD TROUBLE MAKING SHOTS. WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE FROM THE FIRST HALF TO THE SECOND HALF? >> I MEAN YEAH, THAT YOU KNOW I SAID IT BEFORE OUR DEFENSE IN THE SECOND HALF, YOU KNOW GIVING THEM WHAT WAS THAT 35 A QUARTER. YOU KNOW WE CAN’T DO THAT. YOU KNOW I’M ALWAYS GOING TO HOLD MYSELF ACCOUNTABLE. FIVE TURNOVERS. IT’S WAY TOO MUCH I CAN’T DO THAT. SO I MEAN WE CAN SAY IT’S MISSES AND MAKES AND IT IS A MISS AND MAKE LEAGUE. BUT REGARDLESS WE GOT TO DEFEND AT A HIGH LEVEL AND ESPECIALLY ON THE ROAD, ESPECIALLY ON THE ROAD. SO YEAH. >> AND THIS IS ONE OF YOUR GUYS THIRD LOSS OF THE POSTSEASON. I REMEMBER AFTER THE FIRST LOSS AGAINST THE LAKERS YOU SAID YOU WERE A LITTLE BIT CONFUSED. REMEMBER THERE WAS LIKE OH IT’S LIKE A ZONE. AFTER THE LOSS AGAINST THE WARRIORS. YOU SAID YOU UNDERSTOOD POSTGAME. YOU’RE LIKE I UNDERSTOOD WHAT I NEEDED TO DO NEXT GAME TO APPLY IT. WHERE ARE YOU KIND OF ON THAT THAT SPECTRUM. LIKE DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT THE ANSWERS ARE TO ATTACK IT? YEAH. NEXT GAME. >> YEAH, I FEEL GREAT. YEAH. YEAH. JUST SEEING THE GAPS AND DOUBLE TEAM ALL DAY. SO IT SHOULD BE ALL RIGHT. PLAY WITHOUT THE BALL A LITTLE MORE. GET A LI

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