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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS VS CAVALIERSMay 18, 2017Jae CrowderBoston, Massachusetts: Practice Day Q. Do you understand the sense of urgency has to be there? JAE CROWDER: Well, yeah. We're not a pretending locker room. We always find a way to bounce back after losses. After disappointments, we always found a way. I think we've hung our hats on that, and I feel like there's no other thing to do but just bounce back and learn from it and get better. Q. It's one thing to say build a wall and show [LeBron] a lot of bodies, but with this guy how do you hedge your bet to just say we're going to try to give him the least best option that he's got out there? JAE CROWDER: That's obviously what we're going to do. It has to be a five-man effort. There's not really one guy that can do that. At the same time, you have to do a good job with showing it early. You can't wait until he gets in the paint and then try to build a wall. You've got to do it early. It'll be a challenge for us, but I feel like we're going to switch it up a little bit and have a different game plan and bounce back. Q. Is Game 2 going to be the most important basketball gave you've ever played in? JAE CROWDER: Yeah, that's how you've got to treat it this time of year. You've got to think of every one as the most important game, so Game 2 is the most important game. Q. Talking about building that wall earlier rather than late, you guys didn't do that in the last game of the regular season you played against them and you didn't do it last night. Why do you think it is taking so long to understand that you guys do need to do that? JAE CROWDER: I don't know why, but I understand we're putting in -- it's a five-man effort. It's not just one guy. He's getting pick-and-rolls, and he had his teammates behind me. He can't have angles and stuff like that. If I knew why, I'm sure I would tell me teammates why. We're trying to figure it out, and we will. I have confidence in my teammates, and I'm sure they have confidence in me. Just to make it tough on him and do our job. Q. Do you think fatigue was a factor at all with them being so well-rested and you guys having so many games right behind you? JAE CROWDER: They did come out and hit us first. They came out very aggressive and set the tone of the game very early. We played catch-up from that point on. But this time we'll have energy after some rest. Q. They play at such a high speed; is there anything you can do to try to slow it down? JAE CROWDER: Well, we've got to take better shots on offense and not turn the ball over, obviously, be better in transition. Once we set our defense, all five guys have to be locked in on the ball. Wherever the ball is, you've got to be locked in on it and to show help and once the ball is passed, fire at the shooters. It sounds simple but there's a lot of stuff that comes with it, but I think offense plays a part in our defense, as well. Q. Guarding LeBron is the ultimate challenge; how much do you look forward to that challenge? JAE CROWDER: I mean, obviously as a basketball player I like it. He's a great competitor. He's one of the best at what he does. Like I said, we're doing a lot of different things on the defensive end to try to give him different looks, but it comes down to all five guys being locked in on him. Q. What's the unique challenge in screening against him? Everybody presents a challenge, but what's the unique challenge when they put him in screen and roll? JAE CROWDER: When he's setting -- obviously him getting the pass with limited help on the backside and being able to attack the rim or being able to make that pass or shoot it around him. Very unique how they set it up, with Kevin Love on the opposite side and guys come rolling down in the seam in the middle of the court and him just making a play. He's a good playmaker, obviously. Q. Tristan Thompson said if you or Marcus [Smart] catch the ball and hit threes they'll live with the percentages. Do you have to be more aggressive if they're playing with that mentality or do you have to change your mindset at all? JAE CROWDER: No. Keep playing the same way we've been playing. I guess I'm going to live with him scoring 20 points and not rebounding. (Laughter.) FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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