LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS MEDIA CONFERENCE

June 2, 2021

Kristaps Porzingis

Postgame Press Conference

Dallas Mavericks - 105, Los Angeles Clippers - 100

Q. KP, Rick just talked about you having to stay patient in this game and waiting for your time to come. Can you talk about that patience and staying focused in that and that big three that you hit in the fourth quarter there?

KRISTAPS PORZINGIS: Yeah, just doing what the team needs me to do and staying ready for the moment and that was it. Knocked that shot down and that won the game, so, happy for that.

Q. Rick was just talking about you buckled down defensively. What kind of conversation -- he said our two best players really sat down and decided to buckle down defensively. Like, did you and Luka have a conversation about it? Did you and Rick have a conversation about it?

KRISTAPS PORZINGIS: No, no, just something that I focused on to make an impact on the game. And, yeah, that's something I'm capable of doing and that's it, just try to give my all for the team, was able to get some stops towards the end.

Q. When Rick was just talking he talked about just kind of changing up your spacing as well or kind of where you were on the court on offense without getting too much into X's and O's, like, we saw some of it, I think you were in the corner a little more often, but kind of how were you adjusting where you were on the court?

KRISTAPS PORZINGIS: Well, I was in the corner most of the time. Yeah, just stretching the floor. As I said, doing what's best for the team, what's necessary for the team, what they're asking me, and that's it and staying ready, staying ready if I do need to be involved and making a shot or doing whatever. Just that's it. Just here to do whatever we need to to win.

Q. It seems like tonight, just on the heels of how it all went down over the weekend, that there was a particular focus from the team that didn't exist in those two games that maybe you guys got caught up in everything in the atmosphere that you didn't get caught up in tonight, you just went out and played. Is that a fair assessment of what went on here?

KRISTAPS PORZINGIS: Compared to the home games?

Q. Yeah.

KRISTAPS PORZINGIS: Yeah, I mean, it's a little bit of everything, adjustments, we didn't have, especially the second game, I know we didn't make shots and good looks, open shots. Some games it goes like that. Maybe a little bit of that pressure from playing at home with our fans wanting to show the best basketball we can and sometimes when you try too hard. It's always easier to kind of play on the road because you're the enemy, and I don't know. I think it's easier. But it's true that also with our fans that the energy that they give us, that's also something that is pretty special. So, yeah, it's just every game is different and hopefully we can have a better one coming up at home.

Q. Wondering what you've learned about yourself so far in this playoff series.

KRISTAPS PORZINGIS: I think practicing patience, practicing, whenever things don't work out how you expect or how you want them to work out, just stay in the moment, stay calm. I matured a lot. I matured a lot in these two years and I also think that that shows on the court also. So that's, I'm always learning and always there's something new and just a kid from Latvia just learning stuff and going through life.