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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: ROCKETS vs WARRIORS


May 8, 2019


James Harden

Chris Paul


Oakland, California: Game Five

Warriors - 104, Rockets - 99

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Your thoughts about how the game played out, the way it ended.
CHRIS PAUL: Tough loss. We had opportunities. Let me see. Rebounding, we actually was right there in the rebounds, you know what I mean. But we got to be better, you know what I mean, offensively, defensively, especially myself. Turnovers. We didn't get stops when we needed to. Tough loss.

JAMES HARDEN: Tough one. Tough one. But we're normally capable of being better. Another opportunity on Friday. It is what it is.

Q. James, you obviously have carried the load offensively all year long. Took one shot with seven minutes left. Why weren't you more involved down the stretch offensively?
JAMES HARDEN: I mean, I don't know, I have to go back and look at the game. Whether it's other guys were getting shots, open looks, trying to make the right plays at certain points in the game. I'm not sure.

Q. What was your state of mind seeing KD go down like that, a friend of you all?
JAMES HARDEN: As a basketball player, we don't wish injury on nobody. Hopefully he's all right. Hopefully he gets healed quick.

CHRIS PAUL: Yeah, you hate to see anybody go down, especially somebody we know that well. We want they best shot, you know what I mean. That's their go-to guy, whatnot. Hopefully he's all right. We'll see.

Q. There hasn't been much separating these two teams. What do you think has been the difference in these games?
JAMES HARDEN: It varies. Every game is something different. Tonight they got more offensive rebounds, a lot more open looks off those offensive rebounds. That's what it is.

In the games we won, they didn't get those opportunities. So every game, it varies. That's the great thing about two great teams. Game 6 we got to be better, have to rebound the basketball as a team, not leak out. We have to limit their slip opportunities, open threes, things like that. Offensively, not turn the ball over as much as we did, give ourselves the best chance.

Q. When you come back from as much as you did, KD is out, was there a tendency to almost relax for a moment as if the work had been done at that point?
CHRIS PAUL: No, I don't think we ever relaxed. It was just a few big plays. Jerebko hit a corner three right after I missed a three. A few offensive rebounds. Draymond hit a three. You know what I mean? We just got to be better. We got to rebound.

Let this one go, too. It's over and done with. We can't get it back. We got to go back home and take care of Game 6.

Q. James, did you execute all your plans and strategies throughout the series? What have you learned from Game 5?
JAMES HARDEN: What did I learn? That we got to be better on both ends of the ball. I think offensively we got to get our shots. We have to get our opportunities. I think defensively is how you win the series. It's plain and simple. You can't over-nitpick, over-analyze the game. You got to get stops in order to put yourself in a position to win. It's pretty simple.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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