NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HAWKS VS. BUCKS

July 1, 2021

Danilo Gallinari

Atlanta Hawks

Game 5: Postgame

Milwaukee Bucks 123, Atlanta Hawks 112

Q. You guys did such a good job keeping the Bucks out of the paint in Game 4 on defense. What allowed them to be able to get in there so frequently in Game 5?

DANILO GALLINARI: We didn't do a good job with that tonight. They definitely got us in the paint. They scored way too much in the paint. We need to do a better job of that, especially the start of the game, first half. They were just going in and crashing the boards. They were way better than us in the paint, like you said.

So if we want to win a game, we need to definitely get better with that.

Q. You were on the bench for the first couple minutes in the first quarter. What were you seeing out there as the reasons why the Bucks were attacking you guys?

DANILO GALLINARI: They were just a more aggressive team, intense, energy. We didn't match their intensity, their energy. They were just able to do whatever they wanted. That's similar to what we did in Game 4. We definitely need to start a game better and not let them be the aggressive team.

Q. I'm sure when you're on the bench or when you're on the court and seeing what's happening, I'm sure you're being told by the coaches what's happening. When you're out there, are you just a step slow in terms of getting to the inside?

DANILO GALLINARI: I think it's a mental thing that you've just got to do it. We knew that they were going to be aggressive. We knew that they were going to be intense. They're playing at home. So we just have to do a better job with that intensity and that energy. We just didn't bring it at the beginning of the game. We played pretty good for three quarters, but the first quarter was tough.

Q. Obviously, you guys have been counted out many times this season. It's 3-2 right now. Does it at least give you a little bit of confidence that you have been in this position before and won?

DANILO GALLINARI: Yeah, we have a lot of confidence. That's something that we had since the beginning of the season. Like you said, we've been here before. We have a lot of basketball to play. So, of course, we need to get the next one, and we will. So we'll be ready for the next one.

Q. Obviously, things didn't go your way, but what do you think made a difference apart from the first quarter?

DANILO GALLINARI: Like I said before, they had a better rhythm in the game offensively, defensively. They had more energy and more intensity than us throughout the whole game, especially attacking the boards and dominating the boards. I thought they played very good team basketball and, like I said, with intensity that we did not match.

Q. Despite the loss, what positives you can take away from this loss, thinking about Game 6 in Atlanta?

DANILO GALLINARI: I think that this was a tough game. Yes, we did a couple of good things, but we still lost the game. So we know what we need to do to win games. We know that we need to be aggressive and intense for 48 minutes, especially against a very good team like them. We know what the recipe is. We've just got to do it for 48 minutes. We cannot have ups and downs during the game.