LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS MEDIA CONFERENCE

June 10, 2021

Quin Snyder

Postgame Press Conference

Utah Jazz - 117, Los Angeles Clippers - 111

Q. Obviously you guys got a little bit stagnant as the Clippers kind of surged ahead. Could you speak to just what turned around when you guys went on that 14-2 run down the stretch of the fourth quarter?

QUIN SNYDER: Well, when they played zone, I thought our spacing broke down and anytime you're not spaced, it's tough to move the ball. So we have been very good against zone over the course of the year, but I thought that affected us mentally. But more than anything, we stopped getting stops and then were not able to push the ball up the court and play instinctively. That was, give them credit, that, they were converting. We weren't very efficient on offense and that's, usually it hurts your defense and it did.

So as much as anything, in my mind, it's what we did after that that was really good and that we took a punch and we were able to kind of to collect ourselves and obviously got stops late, played really good defense late, and then we did keep running, which is hard to do. I think we were a little fatigued as well.

Q. You knew that you were going to need a little bit more out of Joe tonight. What did you see out of him in that fourth quarter?

QUIN SNYDER: Well, I think I've been answering a lot of questions about Joe and JC, and I think their play kind of reinforced who they are. Not that anybody needed to know that. They didn't have to prove anything. But it wasn't just what showed up on the box score. I thought that Joe played with tremendous poise and confidence, and JC, when he's come in the game, he's able to make plays and hit shots that are usually really momentum shots. It seems to be every time we need a bucket he's able to generate something. So I would like to see us keep moving the ball more. I think that's crucial for us, no matter who is creating, particularly because they're so long, but both Joe and JC obviously played a huge role tonight.

Q. How important was it, Donovan was obviously fatigued down the stretch and not a hundred percent, so how important was it for Bojan's defense, Joe making an important shot, Royce to make an important shot, just to kind of take the, some possessions off for Donovan down the stretch?

QUIN SNYDER: Well, that's really what we have been doing all year, and I think Donovan understand how to pick his spots. We all have confidence in those other guys shooting the ball. It's tough when they pressure as much as they did at certain times because it really makes you work. But what Bojan did tonight should not go unnoticed. I mean, he epitomized what, when you talk about a warrior, the way that he played on both ends of the floor, and he always seems to want the ball when, at the important times in the game.

Royce is another guy that makes big shots. So that's how we have played. That's who we are. Guys trust in each other, and playing for each other, and it doesn't matter who is on the back end of the possession, I think our guys have confidence that those shots are going to get taken and we're going to make more than we miss.

Q. Your identity has been pretty solid throughout the season and that was the idea of bringing everyone back from last year. Did you see that playing off as kind of Donovan Mitchell trailed off towards the end and you just had the next answer with Joe?

QUIN SNYDER: Well, I really think our identity has grown throughout the season. I think that there was a seed planted last spring, and the way that our team has come together in the bubble, I thought that was a big thing for us. But having an identity is something that, you create an identity by doing something over and over and over again, and that takes time. Then when you get in these types of environments, when there's a team that's as good as the Clippers are, trying to take stuff away from you, that's even more difficult. So I'm proud of our team, the way we played. We know we're playing against a team, they were down 0-2 in their last series and came back and won it, so we don't get too high, don't get too low and keep trying to play the way that we know we have to play and adjust where we need to.

But I think our guys are together. And we're not going to be perfect. We didn't get any offensive rebounds tonight. We turned it over more. So there's a bunch of things we can do better. But, like I said, I thought we were resilient tonight and we were mentally tough.

Q. Donovan's obviously shot the ball really well in this series so far, but he's also gotten up a lot of shots. How has he been able to generate so many good looks when obviously the Clippers are doing everything they can to keep him from doing that?

QUIN SNYDER: I think it starts with his aggressiveness in transition. They're shots that we as a group know we want to take, and I think our guys being able to identify them and shoot them with confidence without hesitation. So whether he's shooting the ball off the dribble in pick-and-roll, a lot of credit goes to Rudy. There's a lot of times that Rudy springs him for those shots. I think guys running. When guys do run, there's seams for Donovan to attack. You saw that really early in the game when he was able to get to the rim.

And then there's other guys, we have other playmakers on our team where Don can space, and I think that is something that he's gotten more and more locked in on that oftentimes if he's just spaced and ready, those catch-and-shoot threes are really good shots, and he's got such tremendous range that he can really rise up. So I think he's really, his shot selection, his shot profile, he's picked his spots, he's taken shots that are open, whether that be pulling up and hitting a mid-range or getting to the rim or shooting it off a catch-and-shoot three, shooting it off the dribble, and our guys know who he is, and he knows who he is, and I think the biggest thing that Donovan's done, frankly, is just compete. That's something that he brings every night. He just wants to win and he competes and good things happen when that's the case.

Q. Getting back to Bojan. He's so prolific on the offensive side of the ball. I feel like that's what we talk about all the time. But his effort defensively tonight was so outstanding. Do you feel like he deserves more credit for what he does defensively and can you just talk to me about the impact that he's made for your team on that end of the floor?

QUIN SNYDER: He had to go back. He turned his ankle a little bit, and I don't think there was any doubt in anyone's mind that he was going to play. And we had a little discussion, beginning of the playoffs, because we're on him a little bit about making sure he's getting on the glass, and he was very matter of fact that it's the playoffs and he's ready and he's locked in and that's what you've seen. So he's one of the more competitive guys that I've ever been around and that translates to both ends of the floor. It doesn't show up as much on the defensive end. It's not as noticeable, I should say, but certainly in this series with those two guys they're not just all-Star players, but a couple of the very best players in the league. It's hard, you know, it's hard to contain, if anything, and I just like the way he's competing and obviously it's important to him and he knows how much we need him to win and that's what matters to him the most.

Q. You mentioned the fatigue factor kind of late in the game there, and you played one guy 41 minutes, a couple other guys 39. It's worked. You're up 2-0. But is that sustainable going forward or given the every other day nature of the schedule are you going to have to loosen the rotation a little bit?

QUIN SNYDER: I think it's game to game. If you were to go ahead and look at box scores across the course of the playoffs with different teams, I think it's pretty common that rotations shorten a bit, and that guys' minutes go up. So when you see a guy like Royce playing 40, but you're also seeing, you see Kawhi playing 39 and PG playing 43. So a lot that have stuff's matchup-related. But there's no question that you're going to need everybody to contribute and that's something our team's been able to do during the course of the year. Even if it's not for extended minutes, I think in these types of games, that the level that the games are played on, if someone can come in and make a couple plays, get an offensive rebound, get a stop, hit a shot, even in a short stretch, that gives everybody a big lift.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about just the spark that Jordan Clarkson brought out tonight and his play in general?

QUIN SNYDER: Yeah, he's capable at any time of stringing possessions together where he's not just making shots, but he's making plays, and I think our team not only relies on that, but expects that from him, and he did that, and he did that again tonight. It's something we have been seeing throughout the course of the year. It's why he's the Sixth Man of the Year, because he's able to come in and make those types of plays. Particularly late in a shot clock, you're on a little bit of a dry spell, it just seems like he tends to be the guy that gets you a bucket when you need it and I think he takes great pride in that. I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the fact that he's really locked in defensively as well and, frankly, I think that helps him being equally focused on both ends.