Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs — Game 6 Postgame Media Availability

[30:47] Mitch, what was the biggest difference you saw tonight in Wemby from game five tonight? [30:53] I would say his overall activity, and that probably, from my perspective, was just from his will and intent on leaving his imprints on the game. [31:12] And with Dylan, how close was he? I know he's still hurting, but how close was he to having his typical kind of performance tonight? [31:19] When he switched on mentally and aggressive, he's pretty damn good. He's got all the talent in the world, makeup to do whatever he wants, so he escaped all those nights when he's in the right place between the ears. [31:35] He's a 20-year-old kid in the conference finals playing against a defending champ, so he's not 100% healthy, and he's doing a hell of a job, so I'd say he's probably a strain mentally, emotionally, and physically. [31:55] You mentioned the word will when it came to Vic. I'm not sure if you've seen anything different from him, but what have you learned about him during this run and his focus on? [32:06] Ultimately, the end goal. [32:08] Just a desire to meet the moment. He's not always perfect, and we've got to help him at times. Obviously, he's 22 years old, but his passion and desire for being right where he is and at the forefront of it all, and to take the responsibility and the role and the burden of what he does, I don't know what else to say. [32:33] He is comfortable with that, regardless of the outcome and what that may look like, and I think that's maybe his biggest growth this year of not waiting for it to be perfect or necessarily to know what to do all the time, but attack the moment and have the right approach and live with the results. [32:51] Coach, what did you see from Carter Bryant defensively tonight, and what can you say about his intensity overall and how much he likes to be coached hard? [33:01] Yeah, Carter, you know, there's much to do with what happened a couple games ago, I know, and the visual of it. [33:07] Carter has been as coachable as anybody. At times, he probably is trying to do the right thing too much, and I think that's where, at times, the urgency and the competitiveness of myself comes out, [33:22] because I just want that kid to play fast and aggressive. He has as good of raw instincts, and when he plays free and allows his instincts to follow his athleticism and aggressiveness, good things happen. [33:37] And when he can be disciplined a little bit on top of it, it's fun to watch. [33:43] Hey, Mitch, over to your right. [33:44] I know oftentimes players say they try to approach each game the same way, but with the weight of Game 7 as their coach, [33:50] how will you help them kind of balance those emotions and their presence of being where their feet are going into Game 7? [33:55] Like we have all year. I know there'll be a lot of added attention, a lot of eyes watching. [34:00] It'll be a hostile environment, but we've been saying this for a long time. [34:06] We've had a lot of firsts. This one will be a little bit more important or higher stakes than all the others. [34:12] That's the goal is you keep playing and the season gets longer. [34:15] Coach, this Saturday in OKC, it's do or die for you guys. [34:20] What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about Game 7? [34:26] Tonight was do or die, and I think a lot of fans are going to be happy. [34:29] They say it's the best line in sports, I believe. [34:32] So we'll be prepared, take the next 40 hours or whatever it may be to try to get ready, get organized, [34:39] and get ready to go into a hostile environment against the defending champs in the Western Conference Finals [34:46] for a team that's done it multiple times and knows exactly what it takes. [34:52] And I would expect to get their best punch. [34:57] We're going to go in with our eyes wide open and expecting nothing less. [35:01] Cool. [35:12] Mark, despite a hot start for them, you got the game to a manageable place by the end of the first half. [35:18] What did you feel out there in the third quarter during their 18-0 run? [35:22] Yeah, you know, halftime, we felt pretty good. [35:27] You know, they had 11 threes. [35:29] They kind of had the wind at their back, and we were able to get it to a very manageable spot. [35:33] You know, by the end of the half, you know, there were a couple times in the first half [35:36] where that could have gotten away from us the way that it did in the third, and it didn't. [35:40] So we had a chance to turn the game, but you got to turn the game. [35:44] You know, you can't wait for the game to turn. [35:46] And they came out and obviously threw a great punch in the third [35:50] and got the game out of reach for us. [35:54] What was it like to be able to have J-Dub back, [35:58] and what did you just experience, I guess, getting him back and getting him into the rotation? [36:06] Yeah, it was a unique situation. [36:08] Ever since he got hurt, he's been hell-bent on trying to get himself to this point. [36:13] I give him a lot of credit. [36:14] He's a big-time team guy. [36:15] He's a big-time competitor. [36:16] He's obviously not 100%. [36:17] He didn't know what to expect. [36:19] I didn't know what to expect. [36:20] So it was a matter of getting him out there in kind of an insulated role [36:24] and see what he could bring to the team. [36:27] But, again, he's an all-star player. [36:29] He's an all-NBA player that, again, you know, this isn't – [36:33] he hasn't done like a full return to play the way that he would if this was the regular season, [36:37] and yet he just wants to do whatever he can to try to contribute whatever he can to the team. [36:43] So I give him a lot of credit, you know, to get himself out there. [36:46] He did the best he could. [36:48] Certainly not the reason we lost. [36:50] You know, we had a lot go wrong tonight, but it was great to have him back and back available. [36:54] Mark, you've talked at different times this postseason about this group being pretty cognizant themselves [36:59] of their history with game threes and that you didn't even need to really step into that conversation in this postseason. [37:07] But game six is a pretty similar history with this group. [37:10] What makes this game so difficult to win, [37:13] and why did you think they couldn't really correct that history tonight? [37:17] I don't know. [37:20] You know, I think it's hard to win a playoff game, period, against anybody. [37:25] It's hard to win a playoff game against a great team. [37:28] It's hard to win a playoff game against a great team on the road. [37:32] It's hard to win, you know, really any game six in that situation. [37:36] So, I don't know that it was necessarily anything, you know, we did wrong. [37:41] I thought we were ready to play. [37:42] I felt confident going into the game. [37:44] And I felt confident, like I said, at halftime. [37:46] You know, like it had the makings of a road win if we could be the team that threw the punch in the third. [37:52] And they were the team that did that, which is why they won the game. [37:54] You talked before about when Dub comes back, he's just itching to get back out there. [38:00] Can you kind of speak to what you've said of him these past few days in terms of that, [38:04] but also how we find that balance between, you know, [38:06] understanding when it's the right time rather than just rushing it? [38:10] I mean, he's been questionable for all these games, and he's warmed up, [38:14] and, you know, he's been on the doorstep. [38:18] And it's just a matter of how he feels before the game in combination with the people on our side. [38:24] Like I said, you know, there's a lot of stakeholders in a situation like that. [38:27] It's a very unique situation. [38:31] Everybody was on the same page, understood, you know, how we wanted to handle it. [38:36] And, you know, we handled the situation as best we could. [38:39] But, again, you know, I don't want any of the details of that to overshadow, like, [38:44] what a big-time competitor this guy and a big-time team guy. [38:46] You know, he's not waiting until he feels pristine. [38:49] He just wants to be a part of it, just wants to help the team. [38:52] And I give him a ton of credit for that. [38:54] Mark, following up on Joel's question, I mean, with the game sixes, [39:00] well, you won a game seven versus Denver versus Indiana. [39:03] Is that sort of a positive that you can glean from this game, [39:08] just knowing that you guys have bounced back from, you know, a bad game six before? [39:13] I mean, we've had a lot of experiences to this point. [39:16] And the one thing that we've learned more than anything is, like, every game has a new life. [39:20] If every game is earned, you know, if you want to win it, game seven will be no different. [39:26] You know, this is obviously a quality opponent. [39:29] We have to play, obviously, a lot better than we did tonight. [39:33] And we understand that from a number of experiences. [39:37] So, you know, we'll get off our feet tomorrow. [39:39] We'll get some rest and recovery. [39:40] Learn from the tape. [39:42] Take the lessons from tonight that are relevant for game seven and be ready to go out there and throw our best punch. [39:50] Statistically, Shea's in as rough a shooting stretch as he's had really since he's emerged as a star. [39:56] How much of that is the caliber of defense that he's facing? [40:00] How much of that is make or miss? [40:02] You know, what do you see as the factors of the funk that he's in and how he maybe could bust out game seven? [40:09] I thought last game, I was pretty encouraged last game with the cracks we were able to get him. [40:14] And obviously, I don't think we were able to do that as well tonight. [40:19] I'd never discredit the defense and the opponent. [40:21] You know, there's always that. [40:23] There are things I think we can do better. [40:26] It's similar to what I was saying after game four. [40:29] You know, like, just our global approach tonight relative to San Antonio's didn't give us the best chance offensively. [40:37] And some of that was our defense. [40:38] You know, we were taking the ball out of the net a lot tonight. [40:40] Some of that was shot making early, but then there was some controllable stuff, especially in the third, that I thought could have helped us, you know, get out on the break, loosen up their defense a little bit more. [40:50] So the two ends are connected, and the whole game's connected. [40:53] It's not one guy, his shots, anything like that. [40:56] You know, like, we all need to play better on both ends of the floor. [40:59] If we do that, it'll put everybody at a better advantage. [41:02] Mark, you said Dubb isn't 100%. [41:11] That being said, are you sort of comfortable putting him in the game again and game seven given whatever percentage he is at? [41:19] I mean, there's a lot of conversation with him that goes into that and, you know, everybody here. [41:24] So I don't have any information about how he came out of the game. [41:27] You know, he looked, you know, relative to the situation. [41:32] I thought he looked pretty good, but we'll see how he feels, and we'll huddle back up and do everything we can to get him ready [41:38] and then take it from there just like we did in all these other games. [41:42] Just a quick follow. [41:43] Wimby has had a couple explosive games in his series, and this felt like the one game where he started from three. [41:50] I think he hit his first three threes. [41:52] When he starts hitting shots like that, does that change the way you need to approach the matchup? [41:58] Like what changes when that's where he starts going? [42:02] I mean, every single opponent, you know, whether it's individual players or teams, you know, [42:08] there's things that you have control over and you make them earn things, [42:12] and then there's an element of talent or shot making or variance or whatever you want to call it. [42:17] And we just believe strongly that if you take care of the stuff that you can control, [42:22] that gives you the best chance over the course of a game, over the course of a series, [42:26] over the course of a season to make it as difficult as possible on those players and on those teams. [42:32] The alternative would be to overreact, and that ends up opening up other things, you know. [42:37] So when he's making shots early like that overhand, you tip your hat, [42:42] and you just try to root back into the controllables. [42:44] I thought there was enough with their whole team. [42:46] There was enough we could control tonight that would have given us a better chance to compete in the game. [42:50] It doesn't guarantee we would have won it. [42:52] But, you know, when you lose the way we did tonight, there's a lot more we could have done. [42:56] That's what we'll look at, and we'll go out there and try to do our best to execute those things in Game 7 [43:01] and give ourselves the best chance to win. [43:06] Yep, thank you. [43:24] Vic, to your right, what did you feel like the biggest difference between last game and this game was for you personally? [43:34] Myself, trusting the game plan, discussing tactics with the staff and team. [43:46] My teammates. [43:54] Before the game, you gathered the whole team on the court and gave them a speech. [43:58] What did you say in that speech, and how do you feel like you guys carried that out early in the game? [44:03] I don't remember. [44:03] Just black out. [44:13] Victor, this Saturday in OKC, it's do or die for your team. [44:18] What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about Game 7? [44:24] First thing is listening to the experienced people, whether it's on our team, on our staff, or outside. [44:35] We got the chance to have plenty of those around. [44:39] Vic, what did you think about the way you guys met the moment in tonight's do or die ball game? [44:44] I think we were consistent, and we did what we needed to do, trusted the game, trusted the basketball gods. [44:53] Speaking of meeting the moment, Dylan looked like his normal self tonight. [44:59] What did you see from him, and how relaxed was he mentally in this game? [45:06] I don't know how relaxed he was. [45:08] Everybody approaches games, especially this type of game, differently, but the result was definitely there, and impressive as always. [45:19] Vic, how impressed were you with your team's effort defensively, especially Carter and some of the minutes that he was able to give tonight? [45:27] The effort? [45:29] It was great. [45:30] I mean, it should be consistent, always the same, but it was great. [45:39] The bench was great tonight, really 1-15. [45:42] Vic, something that your teammates were saying after last game is that you guys have played really well when playing desperate. [45:50] And so I guess the question is, what does playing desperate look like to you when both teams, I mean, obviously everyone's playing hard in the playoffs, but game seven? [45:58] It just feels like it raises kind of all the little mistakes that we do that are human nature, whether it's in the regular season or previous games. [46:10] We just got to fight that all the time, and when your back's against the wall, it feels like it's the best opportunity to do that. [46:22] Victor, just talk about just the offensive flow. [46:25] It seemed like y'all did a nice job moving, and another defense led to the offense, but just talk about just the offense that y'all had tonight. [46:31] Excuse me? [46:32] Just the offense that you had tonight, just the flow. [46:36] We played together, we passed the ball, and trusted the game plan, as always. [46:46] Just talk about the defense in that third quarter. [46:49] Victor, y'all outscored them 20-2 during the stretch. [46:54] They scored two points in the final eight minutes. [46:57] Lockdown defense. [46:58] Just talk about that. [47:06] I think we need to be consistent, and we're definitely, we're not, this is, 20, outscoring them 20-2 is not a realistic projection that we want to do, [47:16] but when we get everything together, these moments are going to happen, and the key is to stay consistent. [47:25] Victor, I know that it's still a show, but are you able to take a deep breath and realize the journey that you've managed to do until now? [47:32] No, not at all, and I don't have any time to do it. [47:38] Victor, on you saw a big speech at your co-equip just before the beginning of the match, on the parquet. [47:43] What was your tone of your speech? [47:45] I don't remember. [47:47] And on the emotional level, before this match, it was your first match coup-pré in playoffs. [47:51] Is it that you reminded me of the approach of other matches that you've been able to live before? [47:54] It's true. It's been a lot to remember, at all levels, because today, to win in NBA, it's not more important for me than to win in Benjamin Région at the time. [48:09] The competitiveness is always there in the same way. [48:12] Victor, how do you feel physically after these six matches, before the match 7? [48:15] Is it that in a series like that, you can also have some moments of high, of low, of low, physically, that you need to be able to manage? [48:22] There's that. I think there's also a sort of anesthesia. [48:25] And the desire to win really surpasses the pain in this moment. [48:32] So I have to say, I feel super good. [48:35] I have a question about your tenue before the match. [48:37] Is it that it was a little clin d'œil to the Moines? [48:39] Is it that it was for the Aïd? [48:40] And what do you think of the match of Dylan Harper? [48:43] And what do you think of his ability to drive, to always be aggressive towards the cercle? [48:46] Two questions that have nothing to do with the Moines. [48:53] Yes, it was for the Aïd. [48:56] And for Dylan, it's impressive, like always. [49:03] And we can't even know what a player looks like before he's passing through this type of match. [49:10] And it's a pleasure to know that he's like that. [49:13] Thank you. [49:37] Steph, over here to your right. [49:40] Yeah, right. [49:41] You guys kind of took over the game there with that 20-2 run where you held the Thunder scoreless for about eight minutes. [49:49] What was going on for you guys? [49:50] What was going right for you guys during that stretch? [49:53] I just think all of our focus and attention was on the defensive end. [49:57] I don't think scoring against them has been a problem for us. [50:02] I think just our self-inflicted mistakes like turnovers and allowing them to get offensive rebounds and easy buckets is what slows us down. [50:11] So I think when we're focused on defense and we're getting stops and being able to get out and run and get easy looks, it makes the game pretty simple for us. [50:21] Steph, how close to normal did Dylan look tonight? [50:29] And what does it do to have him playing like that, back to his dynamic self? [50:34] Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't say he didn't look normal last game. [50:40] I think he just looked hesitant, in my opinion. [50:43] So, I mean, when he plays like confidence, I don't think there's anybody his age that's that good. [50:49] So, I mean, he's been a big part of our team all year. [50:53] So, you know, we need him. [50:54] So when he plays, when he plays like that, we're pretty hard to beat. [50:59] Steph, this Saturday in OKC is do or die for your team. [51:04] What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about game seven? [51:08] Win or go home. [51:10] I think nothing else matters for the next 48 hours for us. [51:13] So, you know, get all the recovery, watch all the film you need to watch to have our minds and bodies ready for, you know, that 48 minutes. [51:24] Steph, the other night you said that when we're desperate, we're always great whenever we're desperate. [51:32] What made you so confident in that coming into this game? [51:35] I just think when we see adversity and, you know, our backs are against the wall, I think we perform. [51:41] And not just performing, like, you know, playing well, making shots. [51:46] I think our energy is, you know, always in the right places. [51:49] And we do all the little things to give us the best opportunity to win. [51:53] So I think when we're desperate like that and, you know, our backs are against the wall, I'm probably most confident. [52:00] Steph, over here. [52:03] Carter Bryant played some really tough defense on Shea tonight. [52:07] What did you see from him and what does that mean for your team to have him be able to come in and play that kind of defense on Shea when you catch a breather or guard somebody else? [52:15] Yeah. [52:16] I mean, for him to be a rookie and come in and, you know, there's no drop-off defensively, I mean, that alone says a lot. [52:26] So, I mean, yeah, for him to come in and, you know, give us a breather and, you know, defensive rebound for us and try and make minimal mistakes, it's big because we need those minutes. [52:39] And, you know, in the playoffs, you know, every possession matters. [52:43] So when he's doing that and making it tough on him and tiring him out, you know, in the long run, it definitely helps. [52:50] Steph, definitely a lot of a first time, right? [52:54] So just thinking about it, in two days, that will be your first Game 7. [52:58] What kind of emotion are you going through when you just think about that wars, Game 7? [53:03] Because they all said, you know, the best wars is Game 7. [53:07] Now you need to go through that. [53:09] So just talk about your emotion. [53:11] Just think about that. [53:12] Yeah, right now just focused on recovery and going back and watching the film and see what we need to get better at. [53:23] You know, even though we had a good game, I feel like there's still a lot of things that we can clean up. [53:27] So just trying to sharpen up all those things to where we can give our best performance for that Game 7 because, I mean, at that point, it's a win or go home. [53:36] You know, somebody's season is going to end that night and we don't want it to be ours. [53:41] Oh, yeah, definitely, definitely. [53:46] I mean, who doesn't want to play in a Game 7? [53:48] So to be able to do it in the Western Conference Finals and in my second year is definitely a blessing. [53:54] So, yeah, I'm ready for it. [53:56] Stephen? [53:57] Sorry, here. [53:58] What past Game 7s pop to your mind when you think about it? [54:02] Like when you think about watching basketball growing up, what matchups, what Game 7 do you remember the most? [54:07] Um, probably that I remember the most, probably Cavs-Warriors Finals Game 7 when the Cavs came back and won. [54:17] That's probably my most memorable one. [54:19] I don't know what grade I was in at the time, but it had to be like, what, 2017, 16, yeah. [54:26] Steph, earlier in the series you talked about needing to be better in terms of the turnovers. [54:31] You, and you have been since then, again tonight, the nine assists, just the one turnover. [54:35] What's been key for you in turning that around as the series has gone along? [54:40] Um, I think just not rushing myself. [54:43] Uh, I think, um, a lot of my turnovers were unforced. [54:47] Uh, I know that they like to pressure a lot, but I don't think a lot of my turnovers came from their pressure. [54:51] I think it was kind of self-inflicted. [54:53] So, um, I mean, just getting in there, taking my time, and playing off two feet is what's been working for me. [55:00] Steph, I know everyone talks about the youth in this team and perhaps some of that inexperience you've played in a game. [55:07] That is one game to win it all. [55:09] What did you learn from that experience a couple of years ago? [55:12] Uh, I think just honing in on all the little things, um, and, you know, not having to do anything out of the ordinary to win that game. [55:20] I think, uh, you know, just being a part of that moment and, um, in that environment, you know, sometimes you want to be, you know, center of the spotlight. [55:30] But, uh, I feel like just with how good we are as a team and when we play together, we don't have to do anything out of, out of our ordinary to, to be a really good team. [55:39] So, uh, I mean, just honing in on those details when, you know, it's winter to go home. [55:44] Steph, when Victor would hit the bench, you guys would often give up a lead. [55:48] Tonight, you and Luke in particular, your coverage on SGA worked really well. [55:52] What did you guys do defensively in those groups when Victor was off the floor that you felt like turned the game, like, really gave you the advantage tonight? [56:00] Yeah, uh, I mean, just like you said, um, I mean, obviously, uh, if you know that, then, you know, we know that, you know, when Vic comes off the floor that there was a slight drop off. [56:11] So, uh, I mean, just continuing to communicate to each other and make it as tough for them as possible. [56:17] But I think Luke's, uh, communication and just really overall physicality and, and being in the right spots was probably the best it's been all series. [56:26] And, um, I mean, when he plays like that, uh, and, and just doesn't have a drop off and, uh, and just makes it really tough for them. [56:35] I think we're, we're a really good defensive team. [56:39] Yeah, over to your right. [56:40] Um, Mitch kind of talked about you guys have been staying present when the moment being where your feet are all season long. [56:45] What are some of the non-basketball things that you do to kind of keep you grounded, especially going into a game? [56:49] Um, I don't really know, honestly, uh, I mean, the past like month and a half, two months for us been really all basketball. [57:00] So, um, I mean, we plan on, on resting, you know, uh, later down the line. [57:07] But, um, I mean, right now that's, that's all we think about is, is that game seven? [57:12] Yeah, Steph, you're talking about how good of a defensive team you guys are and it's worked several times. [57:16] The series seems like some of the role players on Thunder have really just shot well at home. [57:21] Um, so as you guys are preparing to go into their, their house again, one more time, you know, is there anything you can do to prepare for maybe just being at home? [57:29] It helps their shooting a little bit. [57:31] Uh, I mean, just, um, I mean, like I've been saying, just honing in on our details, making it as tough for them as possible. [57:38] Um, I mean, even when we were there, I mean, yeah, they, they made extra shots, but there was a lot of things defensively that, that we gave up that probably helped them get in rhythm. [57:47] So, uh, trying to eliminate those as much as we can and, um, eliminate them getting offensive rebounds. [57:54] And I think we'll be in a good spot. [58:20] Shea, it seemed like you guys had things in kind of a manageable spot heading into halftime. [58:24] What just felt off or, or not quite there in the third quarter? [58:28] Yeah, they just punched and we didn't, uh, we didn't punch back. [58:32] They, uh, they were the aggressors tonight from start to finish. [58:37] Um, they played harder than us, made more shots, were more aggressive. [58:43] Like we're in attack mode and we were on our heels. [58:47] Um, we, like you said, we kept it in a manageable spot, but the second half, it just blew out of proportion. [58:53] Shea, you guys get dubbed back, but, you know, I know he's probably limited minutes wise. [58:58] Um, what's it like just having him back on the court and, um, trying to get him, uh, going, heading into hopefully a game seven that he can play? [59:07] Yeah, uh, it's good to have him back. [59:10] Um, yeah, we just got to find, find spots for him to play with, like you said, the limited time he's getting. [59:16] But, um, it's always good to have a guy like that back. [59:19] Shea, statistically, these last four games, this is as, as tough of a shooting funk as you've been in really since you've become a star. [59:26] What do you think are the factors there and how can you get back to your norm in game seven? [59:33] Yeah, um, I'm not too sure, to be honest. [59:37] A lot of the shots that I'm shooting, I've shot plenty of times before and they feel good. [59:42] They're just not going in. [59:43] Um, but yeah, it's too late to abandon my work and abandon my game and who I am. [59:48] Just late in the season, I got to trust it and live or die by it. [59:52] You guys obviously have, haven't lost a lot in these playoffs, but when you have lost, you've been able to respond. [59:57] Um, why do you think you guys have been able to respond as well as you have the losses? [1:00:02] Yeah, we're just a motivated group, um, and we, uh, accept the challenge ahead. [1:00:07] Like, every game is going to present a different challenge and, obviously, when you lose, it hurts a little more and there's a little bit of extra motivation. [1:00:14] And we, uh, we tend to fight a little bit harder. [1:00:17] What's your comfort level knowing game seven's back at home? [1:00:21] Honestly, it's, anything can happen in a game seven. [1:00:25] Like, it's win or go home. [1:00:27] It being in your building is nice, but, like, it doesn't really mean anything. [1:00:32] Like, you have to go out there and be the better basketball team or else your season's done. [1:00:36] And that's what it comes down to. [1:00:37] Um, now it's going to be nice having our fans behind us and cheering us, but we got to go out there and be better. [1:00:42] And if we're not better, our season will be over. [1:00:43] From you guys, similar to game six in Denver last year, game six in Indy, but you guys obviously came back from both of those series. [1:00:54] Do you think about that at all and just how you responded from those game sixes? [1:00:59] Uh, not really. [1:01:00] Like, this team is a new task, new challenge. [1:01:03] Um, I said since the start of the series, it's about getting better after every game. [1:01:07] We got to continue to do so if we want to give ourselves a chance to come out this series. [1:01:15] Shade, when I hear you say that, I mean, you guys obviously went through the ringer with a couple game sevens last year, [1:01:21] but do you feel like these spurs, that they're the toughest challenge you guys have faced as a group so far? [1:01:26] Um, I don't know. [1:01:30] They're up there for sure. [1:01:31] Indiana and Denver, we're pretty tough. [1:01:34] Um, taking us to game seven, probably the common denominator with those groups. [1:01:39] Um, but yeah, they're a very tough team, really good team, especially this late in the season, [1:01:43] you're going to play teams of this caliber. [1:01:44] It's no surprise. [1:01:45] Um, and yeah, when you're on a playoff run, you run into teams that are very good, [1:01:50] especially when you get this late and however many games it takes, however many games it takes. [1:01:54] We talked so much about the other guys, uh, that are fighting through stuff, [1:02:00] but how much mental and physical fatigue do you have and how are you fighting through it? [1:02:05] Oh, I'm good. [1:02:05] I'm ready to go. [1:02:06] Biggest game of my career. [1:02:08] Yep. [1:02:08] Is it the biggest game? [1:02:10] Um, it's the next game. [1:02:11] And if I lose, my season's over. [1:02:17] I just had one more Shade. [1:02:19] You've had games this series where you've taken Wemby out of the game, it feels like, [1:02:25] and you've also had pretty explosive games from him, including this one. [1:02:28] What are the differences when, what do you feel is the difference when you take him out of a game [1:02:32] versus when he's able to assert himself into a game? [1:02:36] Um, I think he's comfortable, and when he's comfortable, he's good. [1:02:44] Like, really, really good. [1:02:46] And he's had big nights. [1:02:48] Um, probably wouldn't want to get into, like, scheming-wise, but, yeah, [1:02:55] when he's in his comfort zone, he's a really good player. [1:03:09] Dylan, um, Dylan. [1:03:11] Oh, shit. [1:03:12] My bad. [1:03:13] That's right. [1:03:13] Mitch and Steph both talked about you seeming to be more relaxed tonight mentally. [1:03:21] Is that accurate? [1:03:22] And what played into you just playing more relaxed and getting out of your head a little bit? [1:03:26] Yeah, definitely. [1:03:27] I mean, I think after the last game, people pulled me aside, just kept instilling confidence in me, [1:03:33] kind of telling me that, you know, just go out there and be me, be an attack mode at all times. [1:03:37] I mean, I think I went out there and did that today. [1:03:39] Dylan, it appears from our perspective, when y'all played in Oklahoma, the confidence, the hustle, [1:03:52] everything seems to kind of go down compared to playing at home. [1:03:55] What do you all need to do in Game 7 to change that? [1:03:58] I think for us, really, just kind of put our in-pair in the game early, not relaxing and waiting for us to respond. [1:04:07] I think we got to go out there and just throw the first swing. [1:04:10] I think that's the biggest thing for us. [1:04:11] And just that end for the bench, just coming out there and just proving ourselves. [1:04:19] Hey, Dylan, I know Victor's always locked in, but you see him come in with, I don't know if you saw it, [1:04:24] the Shaolin Monk robe. [1:04:26] No, I've seen it. [1:04:26] And he's animated like that, you know, before the game. [1:04:30] Did you kind of have a feeling he was going to, you know, come out that hot of a start? [1:04:34] Yeah, I mean, we all had a bad taste in our mouth at the last game. [1:04:37] We felt like we left a lot on the table, and that's just what Vic do. [1:04:40] I think that's the type of guy he is, you know, man of his word. [1:04:44] So when he kind of came with the outfit, I think everyone knew what was going to happen. [1:04:50] You guys have had a lot of firsts this year. [1:04:52] Game 7 will obviously be another one. [1:04:54] You know, what are you guys expecting? [1:04:55] And I think there was some talk of, you know, playing good when you're desperate. [1:04:58] And so when both teams have to be desperate in a Game 7, what does that look like? [1:05:02] What are you expecting? [1:05:02] I mean, the biggest thing you said is being desperate. [1:05:06] I think both teams, I think we're both going to be like that. [1:05:09] But just talking for us, you know, being desperate looks different in a lot of ways. [1:05:13] And we just got to go out there with the mentality of we got to hit first. [1:05:18] You know, regardless of what's going on in the game, we can't get too high, can't get too low. [1:05:22] Just kind of got to be steady throughout the whole way. [1:05:25] Dylan, I think you guys won the minutes where Vic was on the bench [1:05:32] and Shea was on the court by like 18 points tonight, something like that. [1:05:36] You were on the floor for that. [1:05:37] What was the key for you in those minutes and just the bench unit overall tonight? [1:05:42] Proving ourself. [1:05:43] For me personally, every time I come in a game, I kind of want to make a winning impact in the game. [1:05:49] Regardless if I'm scoring or doing anything, I just want to come out at least with a positive impact. [1:05:54] But I think we all just stuck together and just kind of rode the wave that we were on. [1:06:01] And I think just we're just being aggressive and being aggressive no matter what, [1:06:05] no matter what was going on in the court. [1:06:07] And I think that kind of carries on throughout the game. [1:06:09] I think it just showed right there. [1:06:10] This obviously will be the biggest game of your life. [1:06:15] But prior to this, what would you say was the biggest game? [1:06:19] This game we just played, that's definitely the biggest game of my life. [1:06:22] Yeah, yeah. [1:06:23] For sure. [1:06:26] Dylan, this Saturday in OKC, it's do or die for you guys. [1:06:31] What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about Game 7? [1:06:37] Legendary. [1:06:38] I think there's been a lot of legendary Game 7s. [1:06:41] And I feel like we're the group that, you know, we want to be a part of that. [1:06:45] We want to be a part of that kind of history of Game 7. [1:06:49] So, I mean, we're going to go out there. [1:06:50] We're going to go out there swinging. [1:06:52] No matter what, we're going to leave it all on the table. [1:06:55] Dylan, after Game 1, you played that incredible game. [1:06:57] And you sort of smiled and said that you are loving being in this moment. [1:07:01] I feel like since then, you've had the injury. [1:07:03] The team's gone down. [1:07:04] You're facing elimination. [1:07:05] How would you sort of describe this six-game period for you as a rookie on this stage? [1:07:11] I mean, same thing I said after Game 1. [1:07:12] I mean, no matter the outcome, I'm just blessed to be in this position with a great organization. [1:07:17] So, I mean, there's nothing but good things coming from me. [1:07:20] Obviously, I kind of got to come in with the same mindset and the aggressiveness every game. [1:07:26] But I think injury or injury or not has got to be me. [1:07:31] Along those lines, Dylan, I know this might be kind of tough to answer because they don't have anything to compare it to yet. [1:07:36] But being a rookie at this point of the year, Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, [1:07:43] do you feel as much as you can possibly feel that rookie and whatever comes with that is over? [1:07:49] Or are you still very much in the midst of that first year? [1:07:52] Does it feel like you're very much in the midst of that first year in the NBA? [1:07:55] No. [1:07:56] To be honest, I mean, it's a long season. [1:07:58] It's Game 100 count preseason for us. [1:08:01] So, it feels like I've kind of been in the league for a little while now. [1:08:05] But there's still little things that I need to pick up and grasp on. [1:08:08] But for the most part, I feel like I belong. [1:08:12] Over to your right. [1:08:13] Kind of going off of that, what is it about your mindset that has allowed you to approach this year, this season, [1:08:18] and meet every challenge that's been asked of you? [1:08:21] Just learning every day. [1:08:22] That was my biggest mindset going into it. [1:08:24] I had two great veteran guards, and Steph and Fox, kind of just learning from them. [1:08:30] And, you know, just picking their brains because Steph's year two, but, I mean, he played like he in year eight. [1:08:37] And Fox has been around for a long time. [1:08:39] That's my hunk. [1:08:40] So, I mean, I just kind of picked their brains. [1:08:44] And I think that we've done a great job of just allowing each other to shine and allowing each other to grow off each other. [1:08:52] Appreciate it. [1:08:56] Yeah, Alex, over here. [1:09:07] Sorry. [1:09:08] This was kind of similar to your guys' game sixes in Denver and Indy last year. [1:09:14] You obviously responded one game seven. [1:09:17] Do you take anything away from that, knowing that you kind of have been in this situation before? [1:09:22] Yeah, you just wish you would have played better in game six and could finish the series. [1:09:25] You know, other than that, you know, different team than both of those teams. [1:09:31] You know, maybe having the experience of a game seven for some of these guys will be, you know, beneficial. [1:09:37] Other than that, man, it's just, you know, you got to look at what you can do better and then get ready for Saturday. [1:09:47] Alex, you guys, you know, despite their runs and their shot making the first half, had the game, you know, within striking distance at halftime. [1:09:54] What did you sense coming out of the locker room was different about the third quarter? [1:09:58] Yeah, we were just slow to start playing how we needed to play if we were going to try and win this game tonight. [1:10:04] You know, I think a couple of their first possessions was, like, transition three, transition three, transition layup. [1:10:10] You know, and I don't think offensively we played terribly to start the second half, but we just didn't have high enough alert, you know, for getting back and matching up. [1:10:19] I was going to follow up on that. [1:10:20] Transition defense has been a hallmark of the team for the last two years, one of the very best in the league. [1:10:25] Like, is there something that you guys need to do at a higher level on that regard in terms of getting back? [1:10:30] They've had some good fast break nights the last couple games. [1:10:33] Yeah, just execute, you know, how we know how to. [1:10:36] You know, some of it is an awareness thing, some of it's a communication thing, and then just an effort thing, you know, getting back and being ready to play. [1:10:46] Obviously, tough circumstances for Dub. [1:10:48] What did you think of what he was able to at least try to give you tonight? [1:10:52] Like, yeah, him just being able to play, you know, put the uniform on and get out there is huge for us and himself just to, you know, try and contribute to the team. [1:11:04] We probably could have used him a little better. [1:11:05] I think there was times where we just, you know, kind of threw him in the corner instead of trying to get him into, like, a second side action or something like that. [1:11:12] And, you know, that might be on me. [1:11:14] I was in a lot of his minutes and not recognizing that. [1:11:18] But as far as just, you know, willingness to put it on the line for the team, you know, you take your hat off for Dub. [1:11:26] Wimby's obviously had some big games in the series. [1:11:28] He's also had, you know, some games where he wasn't able to get in a rhythm. [1:11:33] How can, you know, what can you guys control to keep him from getting in the kind of flow that he was able to, especially first half tonight? [1:11:39] Yeah, I mean, he made jump shots. [1:11:41] He made a lot of jump shots in the first half. [1:11:44] You know, it's really tough when those are going in. [1:11:47] But even then, you know, I mean, it was, you know, we were a Jalen Williams missed corner three away from being down two with, you know, a possession to get a stop to go into halftime. [1:11:56] They come down, score, goes to seven. [1:11:58] You know, there's just, there's swings of momentum in the game that, you know, you look back and you're like, wow, this guy made a bunch of shots. [1:12:04] And it's really like the finer points of the game that, you know, I think are won or lost. [1:12:08] At least with these elite of teams, you know, in this high stakes of matchups. [1:12:13] I don't think necessarily his shot making, you know, crumbled us. [1:12:18] It was the other stuff that we didn't do well. [1:12:19] It was like the transition defense was not good enough. [1:12:22] Second chance points for them was probably higher than it needs to be. [1:12:26] And then just overall shell defense execution for us. [1:12:29] Obviously, if he makes shots, it's going to be tough. [1:12:31] But, you know, I don't think necessarily that was like the one thing tonight that, you know, stopped us from winning the game. [1:12:38] You see, I don't know where you'd place these spurs among the teams that you guys have played as a group. [1:12:44] But what feels different about entering a game seven against them versus Indiana or Denver? [1:12:51] They just have different personnel. [1:12:54] To be honest, right now I haven't thought too much about it. [1:12:57] But not much feels different just from a standpoint of it's a game seven and it's one game where you're going home. [1:13:02] So, you know, it's more of a focus, I think, on us, you know, and making sure that we're doing the stuff we need to do at a high level and correctly to put ourselves in position to win. [1:13:13] And obviously, they're a different makeup of a team than, you know, Denver was and Indy. [1:13:18] All three of those teams are different teams and play a different kind of style and have different personnel. [1:13:22] And they make it challenging. [1:13:25] But I think for the most part, game seven has got to be about us. [1:13:32] Shea, I think, after the last game, had mentioned that he thinks you're one of the, if not the biggest, competitor in the league. [1:13:38] Just as someone who has that sort of mindset, what impresses you about Dub's mindset and his competitiveness? [1:13:45] Yeah, I mean, he wants to be out there with the guys. [1:13:47] You know, we have a great connectivity with the team. [1:13:48] We've got a lot of trust, a lot of togetherness, and, you know, he would much rather be playing basketball. [1:13:55] And we'd much rather have him playing basketball. [1:13:57] He's a great player. [1:13:59] And him just to be, like I said earlier, him just to be able to, like, get to a point to where he can, like, try to get out and play and be impactful and have minutes on the court in a, you know, game of magnitude against a really good opponent. [1:14:12] It just speaks volumes to, like, the kind of person that he is and the kind of teammate he is. [1:14:15] Alex, coming off the floor, you were clapping a bit, almost like it seemed like you were getting ready for game seven, knowing that there was another game to play. [1:14:26] I'm just wondering, what's your role as a leader of this team putting this game behind you but still realizing what's ahead? [1:14:33] Yeah, it's a double-edged sword, right? [1:14:36] You've got to put it behind you and clear the mind and get ready to compete again, but also, you know, learn from what you did wrong and try to figure out how you can be better. [1:14:43] Yeah, I mean, I had a pretty clear observation, you know, a couple minutes left in the third. [1:14:50] I knew I wasn't going back in. [1:14:51] We're down 25, and it's going to come down to game seven. [1:14:54] So, at that point, it's, like, just being there for my teammates, the guys that are still playing, you know, giving them the respect that they deserve for being out there and playing hard for the team and for the Oklahoma City Thunder organization. [1:15:04] And then, as a leadership kind of aspect, just telling the guys that, you know, if we play our best basketball, it's really good and it's really hard to beat us. [1:15:14] So, you know, I don't think we need to give anybody confidence. [1:15:18] I don't think we have a lack of confidence in the team. [1:15:20] It's just, you know, doing the same things we've done every time we've lost in the postseason in the last couple years. [1:15:26] You know, just regain control of what we can control and play good, play better. [1:15:32] They say, you know, you can't fake desperation. [1:15:34] You mentioned some of the transition stuff and the focus on getting back. [1:15:36] How hard is it to sort of match the urgency level of a team that's literally playing with their season on the line? [1:15:42] Yeah, I mean, it's definitely difficult. [1:15:44] That's, you know, one of the great, you know, it's one of the special things about the playoffs that you can't really create during the regular season, you know, or even in the cup, you know, at any point in time because, you know, there's more games to be played after that. [1:15:58] And, you know, credit to them. [1:16:00] They did what they were supposed to do, right? [1:16:01] They came out hungry, played hard. [1:16:03] They made some shots early, which really got them going. [1:16:06] And then from there, we were kind of playing behind the eight ball. [1:16:08] So it's just about moving on to the next game. [1:16:12] You know, like I can beat it up and I can talk about all the things that we didn't do correctly and that they did well. [1:16:17] But at the end of the day, it's going to be a 48-minute game on Saturday that we've got to be ready to play. [1:16:21] Thanks, guys. [1:16:24] We'll see you next time.