home jobs contact us
Our Clients:
Browse by Sport
Find us on ASAP sports on Facebook ASAP sports on Twitter
ASAP Sports RSS Subscribe to RSS
Click to go to
Asaptext.com
ASAPtext.com
ASAP Sports e-Brochure View our
e-Brochure

NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND TWO: GRIZZLIES v WARRIORS


May 3, 2015


Marc Gasol


OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: Game One

Warriors – 101
Grizzlies - 86


Q.  What's your assessment of what went wrong there?
MARC GASOL:  I felt we carried the one ball on side of the floor way too much on the offensive end.  Defensively I thought we adjusted pretty well to the things we were trying to do.  We played better on the double drive even though they were playing with the lead.  I thought we did a better job later on the same quarter.  And offensively we've got to do a better job of moving the ball, moving it one side to the other.  They load up to one side of the floor, and you don't move, you become really static, and we don't get screens on people.  We don't make them work, even though sometimes we might score, we've got to make them work, and that's going to be one thing for us.  We've got to screen them, we've got to make them feel us and get our body into their body.

Q.  What did you think you did well tonight that you can build on for Game 2, if anything?
MARC GASOL:  If anything?  We did some things well.  Of course we can do a lot of things a lot better, but I feel like we did some good things.  We've just got to do it more, especially keeping the ball on the middle of the floor where the other team cannot double you.  Once they start doubling you from the baseline, they came, they came from the top, they gave you different looks to see how you react to it.  But at the end of the day, you've got to play your game.  We can't turn the ball over against a team like that because they're going to make you pay.  That's one thing you can't do.  You can't turn it over.  Of course they do a great job of running and making you pay in turnovers, and you've got to do a good job of not turning it over and playing defense with your offense, as well.

Q.  There were a couple stretches in there where you guys didn't have a point guard on the floor.
MARC GASOL:  Uh‑huh.

Q.  How difficult is it to have direction on either end of the court‑‑
MARC GASOL:  We've got to do a better job of communicating what we're going to do offensively, especially because we don't practice that way.  We don't practice without a 1 man.  We don't.  That's plain and simple.  So we've got to do a better job of communicating and know what we want to do if that situation happens in the game.  We've got to all know what we're looking for.  Of course without a 1 man, we've got to play without dribbling.  That's pretty obvious, and all the passing for that, there's got to be a lot of screening.  But first of all, we've got to know what's going on out there and communicate to each other.

Q.  How important is it for you guys, whether you or Zach has the ball, to take it down on Draymond and try to exploit him in the paint?
MARC GASOL:  Yeah, that would be ideal.  That would be a great thing to do.  I thought that's what I thought going into this game, that that would be something that we as a team would look for.

Q.  How does he do defending‑‑ being a shorter guy against you guys?
MARC GASOL:  Once you get going, like I said, you score a few times on him or you're in foul trouble, they're going to start doubling.  They did, they came from the top one time, and then they tried to do kind of what San Antonio does, on the second dribble, third dribble, he'll attack and force you to the baseline and double cut from the baseline.  We've just got to know what they're going to do and the counters that you must have as a player once they do that to you, and we'll work on it tomorrow.
Of course you have some tendencies from the first round, and now it's just a different series and a different team and they have different things that they attack you with, and you've got to be ready for it, and that's the way‑‑ now you adjust in Game 2 and try to be ready.

Q.  I'm just curious, your style of play is to dictate the tempo and establish a strong physical presence.  Seems like the Warriors did a nice job at times of kind of matching your muscle.  Was that a little bit of a surprise or did you expect based on past experiences against them‑‑
MARC GASOL:  I didn't think the game was physical at all.  I thought that‑‑ I didn't feel like the game was physical.  I would tell you if it was, in all honesty.  We didn't bring it to that point yet.  I hope the next game we have to bring it to our advantage, which is that.  So hopefully we'll do that, and it's not easy.  We have to be really, really disciplined on both ends.  It makes a huge difference catching the ball at one point or four feet out, especially against a team like that.  It's a huge difference crossing the half court point at 20 or at 16.  We've got to be really, like I said, disciplined on both ends and don't overreact to what they do to you.

Q.  It looked like you guys did a nice job containing Stephen Curry in half‑court sets.  Were you satisfied with the scheming out there?
MARC GASOL:  Well, the scheme is always important, but at the end of the day it's the one‑on‑one responsibility, what really is going to make a difference.  Guys with that kind of talent, you cannot give them everything.  You cannot give them space, you cannot give him both ways.  You've got to take something away and trust the guy behind you that's going to be there.
I thought for the most part when we contained him, we did a good job, but then when we gave him both options, you see what he can do.  Of course he needs very little airspace to get his shot off, and of course he's really good at it.  We've got to be very physical, like I said, and stay on his body and trust the guy behind us that's going to be there.  It's about communication, not overreacting like we just said, and staying disciplined.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




About ASAP SportsFastScripts ArchiveRecent InterviewsCaptioningUpcoming EventsContact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297