NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CLIPPERS VS. SUNS

June 30, 2021

Marcus Morris

LA Clippers

Game 6: Postgame

Phoenix Suns 130, Los Angeles Clippers 103

Q. Can you tell us what you were going through the last couple weeks?

MARCUS MORRIS, SR.: A lot. It's a tough season, down the stretch. I just wanted to just will myself out there, just play. I came out, about 75 percent, got better as that series went. But it came at a bad time for me. Playing well coming out of the Utah series, and then me just, didn't get me where I needed the first four games of the series.

And it is what it is. There's no excuses for me. Tried to do my best to just be there for my team.

Q. You fell short of the ultimate goal but you got to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history, fans really appreciated it. What has it meant to you individually?

MARCUS MORRIS, SR.: You know, first, thank the organization. Clippers is a top-notch organization. Steve Ballmer, Lawrence Frank does a great job being here for the players, putting the players first, building great atmosphere.

I'm excited to see what the future holds and this is something to build on. We come back next year, we have a full team and come back healthy. And the schedule was unforgiving down the stretch in the playoffs. The healthiest team won. They played well. Give them a lot of credit.

Q. Reggie was in here and he had tears rolling down his eyes and said that he thanked you guys are for saving him and revitalizing him, Ty said there was a shock there. What were you guys feeling?

MARCUS MORRIS, SR.: Tough, man. It’s a lot of feelings. We played our ass off this series, totally different way. First couple games came down to a couple possessions that could have went our way and we'd be having a different conversation right now.

But give Phoenix credit. They stayed resilient. They had a great season all year, they stayed healthy. Give them credit where credit is due.

Q. You told us all year long how this is a different group from last year. What did you guys prove this season?

MARCUS MORRIS, SR.: It's a next man up mentality. We had a lot of injuries. Throughout the year a lot of guys go down but we stayed resilient through the entire season. Just unfortunate that all the hard work that we put in came down to this. This losing, getting down in the series 0-2, we have to be better in that sense. But things happen but it's just tough right now.

Q. You've been on so many teams and I know you said earlier in the season that this is the most connected you've felt. You praised Ty Lue. Where do you go personally as far as getting yourself healthy over the summer and getting ready for the next season?

MARCUS MORRIS, SR.: It was a blessing to be here with the Clippers. It allowed me to be myself. Like I said, I've been through a lot of teams in the NBA, and this is one of the places where I kind of felt at home. I felt like I'm at home. I feel like I want to retire here. It's going to be a good off-season for me. You know, the turnaround was so quick last year that I wasn't able to start the season, I came into the season already hurt. That was a first for me.

But I know what I need to do and just come back next year, I felt like I had a great season even due to the circumstances with my knee. We fell short of the main goal but we have something to build on.

Q. You've been tight with Ty for a while, but others thought his previous success had something to do with LeBron. What do you think he's shown people this season and in the playoffs?

MARCUS MORRIS, SR.: He's a great coach. He's one of the best coaches in this league and one of the best young coaches in this league. He's proven that time after time. Doesn't matter who you have on your team. You still have to coach them. I mean, you know, LeBron is a great player but he doesn't win every year. No player wins every year. You have to have a great coach that connects with the players, and he does that.

I've been praising him all year. That's my guy. Close friend of mine. I'm happy to be here in L.A. with him. This was by far my favorite year in the NBA. Get a couple more pieces next year, we come back healthy, rested, we be right back where we left off.

Q. You talked about all season long, what you just said, you talked about the culture that this team has brought, the leadership that Ty Lue has shown. How do you think that's going to help you progressing through this off-season in preparation for next season?

MARCUS MORRIS, SR.: It's going to be great. We got a lot of guys that like each other. You know, we stay connected. We've built a great relationship. We've built a great bond, players and coaches, and I'm excited to see what the future holds. We know what we're capable of doing.

Unfortunately we had a lot of injuries and obviously our best player went down. We get him back next year. Yeah, I said we get him back next year and we continue to go forward and keep building.