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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: RAPTORS v CAVALIERSMay 23, 2016Dwane CaseyToronto, Ontario: Game Four Q. Can you update us on Jonas's condition and what we can expect tonight? DWANE CASEY: Well, he went through shootaround this morning and I just talked to him back in the back. He's going to see how he feels, going to go through warm-ups, and that'll determine. And if he does, it'll be limited. We're not going to put him out there and run him long minutes of time. He's been off for a long period of time, so kind of just slowly reintegrate him back in if he does go, if he can go. Q. Every time he's on the floor, would you expect that Cleveland would test him right away? DWANE CASEY: I'm sure. I'm sure they will. Q. So that determines how long he can stay out there? DWANE CASEY: We'll see. I'm sure how it goes, how he's getting back into it if he goes and how he's playing, if he does go, will determine a lot. Again, it's tough because his best match-up is probably Tristan Thompson, and when they go to the second unit, you know, they space out the floor a little bit, and it's a tough match-up. We'll see how it goes and see if we can find him some minutes, kind of get him re-accustomed to playing again. Q. Obviously a very emotional win Game 3. Have you talked to the guys about maintaining that intensity, not forming complacency? DWANE CASEY: No question. We won a few games this year, so it's not like the first time we've beat Cleveland. I know it's in the Playoffs, but I always remind our guys, you can't get happy on the farm. Guys that have been here all year know how I am about consistency. Don't get too high on wins and too low on losses, and that way you keep an even keel in this league, and that's the way this league has been for a long time, because it'll humble you if you're not careful. Q. Luis Scola -- what is he giving you in that first unit? DWANE CASEY: Well, again, Luis is probably the most decorated player on our team as far as winning championships, world championships. He's probably the most experienced player. He's a veteran. He's been there before. The moment is not going to bother him. He's started I don't know how many games for us this year, so he gives us a lot. A ball mover, he's smart. So he gives us a lot as far as a player is concerned, and it's not a mystery that he's starting. There were some match-up issues with some other teams in the Playoffs that he had, but he has a better match-up in this series with Love and Frye and some of their other power forwards. Q. With Kyrie and Love struggling in Game 3, I understand everybody has off nights, but how much was that a point of emphasis, trying to make sure you take away some of those guys? DWANE CASEY: You know, you try to take away something, and we tried to limit -- because Kyrie was kicking our butt in the first couple games. We tried to limit -- he missed some good shots the other night, but I thought our coverages were good, the things we were trying to do, and the schemes were effective. But again, I see he and Love coming out tonight being very aggressive. So we, again, have to step up our concentration, our focus in there what we're trying to take away. I thought we did a better job protecting the paint. A bigger deal was made about, and it should have been, we gave up 50-some odd points, and then they only had 20 the other night, so I thought that was effective for us. Q. How do you offset their -- they're obviously going to come out swinging. What do you tell your guys? Is there anything different you need to do? DWANE CASEY: This is the Conference Finals. Again, I've said this for a month now. If you can't get ready to play in the Playoffs, you're in the wrong business. If we have to talk about getting ready or have to say, like we say in Kentucky, giddy up, you're in the wrong business. I would much rather have to say whoa than giddy up. Again, guys understand. We have smart players. They've been there before as far as games against good teams, and so they know the intensity they're going to have to play with, the focus, and the execution we're going to have to have in our schemes, offensively and defensively, to be effective, because we're going to get their best punch tonight, and we've got to give our best punch, and another step. We've talked about it, and again, they understand the moment. Q. Something you said yesterday, I'm going to paraphrase it, but you said something like the other night the Raptors were the higher competing team I think is what you said, that you expected the Cavs would raise their own level. Did it look like the Cavs were a step slow? DWANE CASEY: No, no, I thought our execution was better. I thought our compete level was higher than it was, is what I meant to say, from Game 1 and 2, and that doesn't mean effort, that means focus, attention to detail, being where you're supposed to be on time, passes were on time, on target. The ball moves crisper. We executed what we were trying to do as far as protecting the paint. So our focus level and our attention to detail level is probably a better way to phrase that than compete because compete sounds like we weren't playing hard, and believe me, I don't think there's any of the four teams that's still playing not playing hard. Q. I think the Cavs were probably prepared to live with tough nights against DeRozan, but the way he's played in the first quarter, do you think they can continue to not shift up? DWANE CASEY: Well, again, I think they'll make adjustments whether it's putting James on DeRozan or double teaming him or blitzing him, trying to put a bigger body on him. I see some adjustments, and we've prepared for that. But again, it won't be anything that -- I don't think DeMar has not seen before. So it's one of those things that we went through yesterday and today, and we expect them -- and those were adjustments we felt like they were going to try to make or we're guessing that they're going to make. We try to stay a step ahead and just feel like they're going to try to do something different to try to slow him down in the first quarter. Q. The Cavs at times have shot nearly 41, 40 threes in a game. They were up near 40 I think in Game 3. You've had them down in the 20s in terms of attempts. Do you have a preference for what they do? Do you care how many threes they're taking? Is there an ideal? DWANE CASEY: Again, I think our priority is take away the paint first, and then get out to the threes. How many they attempt may be a byproduct of us protecting the paint. I think as long as we do a good job of protecting the paint, because those are higher-percentage shots, especially the ones we were giving up at the rim in games 1 and 2, may be a byproduct of that, but again, we've got to make sure we're out there challenging them, running them off, the proper people to run off. Again, that's kind of our priority, and whether they shoot a huge number or not, we've got to get our butts out there and contest and be there and run them off. Q. In pregame the other day or between games, you talked about the idea of hitting first, presumably because the person who hits second is the one who gets caught. Can you talk about how important it is to initiate physicality? DWANE CASEY: Well, physicality I think sometimes gets -- the entire Playoffs are physical. Now, the flagrant fouls and stuff like that, that's another level. But I think screening, cutting, boxing out, you know, blocking shots, driving with force, that level of physicality goes up in the Playoffs, and that's what I'm saying. You've got to initiate that whether it's offensively or defensively and play with force. When you drive in there, you've got to go in there strong. So the level of physicality goes up now, all the extracurricular stuff, again, that's probably a byproduct of things being so physical and everybody is so intense and hyped up. We've got to compete with poise. We've got to make sure we initiate the physicality as far as cuts, screens, boxing out on the boards, all those things have to be there as far as we've got to be the initiator of those, and all the other stuff, we've got to make sure we're smart and compete with poise and not let something crazy happen. Q. How does the recent play and emergence of Biyombo impact how you reintegrate Jonas tonight and going forward? DWANE CASEY: Well, Jonas is our starting center. He's our starting center once he gets back and gets healthy and can go 100 percent. He's our starter, and the great thing about Bismack is he understands that. He accepts that role. He knows that's his role with this team, and he did it for, what, 23, 24 games early in the year and did a great job. He understands that, and he knows -- that's a great thing. That's why he's such a great teammate and a valuable member of our team is he understands and accepts his role, and he embraces it. Not only does he accept it, he embraces it and he loves it. So it won't be any problem once Jonas gets back and becomes healthy. Q. You've been in the league for a long time and seen how the league is trying to tighten up some things. You experienced it last game. Over there in the West they've got their own situation going on. Just curious of your opinion on it seems before you could get away with stuff like that. Are things right the way they are? DWANE CASEY: I think they are. I think the players are too valuable. I hate to use the word assets, but valuable part of our league to get someone hurt, and the way the officials are protecting them and trying to call the flagrant fouls is the right thing to do. Again, I have no problem whatsoever. Back in the old days we had guys like Frank Brickowski and guys like that that were tough and would hit people, and again, there was not a lot of -- you still would get suspended or whatever, but there was a time when a lot of physicality was allowed. But the smart thing to do is the way they're handling it now as far as the flagrant fouls just to keep guys from getting hurt. They're handling it the right way. Q. You've called LeBron a computer and a monster. What do you have to say tonight? DWANE CASEY: I'm telling you, both of them out of total respect. Both. I think he'll be both. A monster is out of respect, not a bad monster, one that every coach in this league wishes he had, but again, he's so smart. His basketball IQ is off the chart. He reminds me of a Jason Kidd that we had in Dallas, a Kevin Garnett. You can go right down the line of guys that are so smart that he really anticipates what's going on. He knows every play call that you have. Just everything before it happens is what I mean by he's a computer, and that's not going to change. And by him being aggressive, we expect that tonight. Q. Seems like 100 points is a pretty good barometer for your team's defense. You give up 100, you lose. You keep them under 100, I think you're 9-1 so far in the Playoffs. What's the key to your team playing good defense or sub-par defense so far in these Playoffs? DWANE CASEY: Well, I think our key is, one, we have got to take care of the ball. A lot of the run-outs and the lay-ups and the points in the paint the first couple games were fast-break points. I mean, off our turnovers. And those you can't -- your defense doesn't have a chance to get back and get set. That's where it starts is taking care of the basketball, making sure we get quality shots, and giving our defense a chance and making sure we get back. And also, too, making sure we don't get in an up-and-down game. I thought the game the other night, it was around the -- we had a 10-point lead but we kept on running up and down, running up and down, and that's when sometimes the game can get out of hand if you're not producing at the other end and we're going down and getting empty. That's when we've got to come down, make sure we get set and execute and make them play defense, and you burn some clock. That also, too, keeps that score down. So we've got to control it not only with our defense but also, too, with our offense and make sure we get quality shots and make sure we execute the entire 24-second clock. Q. Going back to Jonas just briefly, procedural question: Is he going to be active tonight regardless, or is that something -- DWANE CASEY: That's what I'm saying, we'll see. He's going to go workout now, and before my time -- I have to turn in my sheet, and we'll see what that is. Q. Bismack is on the brink in terms of the flagrant point situation. Have you talked with him about that? DWANE CASEY: Yes, we have. Q. Does it concern you with the energy and passion that he plays that if he's mindful of that sort of a thing, it might affect him? DWANE CASEY: No, I don't think it'll affect him because he's a smart young man. He understands. Again, he can't get caught up in having a foul like that and having a flagrant foul and be suspended. We've talked about it. He understands it. You know, again, he's got to compete with poise and not fall into that or get bribed into that or duped into that. But again, he can't lose his edge because that's who he is. But again, he's not a dirty player. He's a physical, active player, but he's not going around looking to hurt people or hit people unnecessarily. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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