NBA FINALS: BUCKS VS. SUNS

July 5, 2021

Jrue Holiday

Milwaukee Bucks

Media Day

Q. You've talked so much in the past about how your wife has been on the biggest stages before and you seek her advice in these moments. What is she telling you about what it means to prepare to compete for a championship?

JRUE HOLIDAY: What she's told me is to just enjoy it. It's an opportunity of a lifetime, and really just leave everything out there. Believe in yourself because you're prepared for it. And, most of all, just enjoy it. Everything that comes with it.

Q. Seemed like in the last couple of games without Giannis something flipped in terms of your aggression. You were just attacking the basket in a different way. Is there something that you're telling yourself when there is someone of Giannis's caliber missing as you're trying to fill this gap?

JRUE HOLIDAY: Yeah, just to continue to be aggressive. No letdowns, because the way Giannis plays there are no letdowns. He's continually going to the basket, being aggressive on both ends of the floor. He brings so much to this team. He does so much for us that I feel like losing that would really be hard for us. So just continuing to be aggressive from minute zero to 48.

Q. You'll see Torrey in a different uniform. How unique is that? I know it was a short time and he was hurt and there was some of that stuff, but what do you recall of those practice battles maybe and do you expect to see him maybe across from you?

JRUE HOLIDAY: I'm happy for Torrey. I'm excited to see him. Again, us having conversations during the year, we wanted to get to this place. And he did it -- not with us, but he did it with a different team. Happy for him. He's out there playing and fighting for the same thing we're fighting for, but would love to beat him.

Q. Knowing there's work to be done, have you done anything just in this last, I don't know, 12 hours to sort of -- like, I don't know, did you take a picture of something, did you try to see something in town where you're like okay, this is The Finals, and let yourself have that before work?

JRUE HOLIDAY: I tried to sleep. I tried to sleep and recover. We were literally home for like, I don't know, six hours -- more than six hours. I'm exaggerating, but something like that where we hopped off one flight and hopped on another one. So really just trying to prepare for Game 1.

Q. What did it mean to you that were you one of the finalists for Kareem's Social Justice Champion Award? And what does Kareem mean to you personally, knowing his efforts on that front as well as his history with the Bucks organization?

JRUE HOLIDAY: Yeah, he's a legend, and in more than one category. Obviously, basketball-wise, me going to UCLA and me growing up a Laker fan and then me playing for the Bucks, it's actually really, really cool how connected we may be. But I think just what he's done for our community, what he's done for basketball is huge. That's something that I look up to and something that I try to follow suit.

Q. Obviously you played for Coach Williams and I was curious if you could maybe recall those experiences. Coach was saying that you had injuries during that time, but he said when you were available, you got the job done. What was it like playing for Coach?

JRUE HOLIDAY: Great basketball mind. Great basketball mind, especially when it comes to basketball. But off the court he's a great person. He treated everybody kind of like a son. He was more of a father figure and really cared for each one of his players. I feel like that's what I cherish most about the time there. Yeah, I was hurt, but so many times when I was hurt he could relay messages to me about him being hurt and sharing those moments. So he's been a great person for me and my growth and being a pretty good basketball player.

Q. How did every team that y'all have played thus far on this journey prepare you for the matchup ahead with Phoenix?

JRUE HOLIDAY: I think we have had a lot of different looks. Miami, a team that plays pretty fast and really relies on threes. They were huge in the first round. And then we had that seven-game series with Brooklyn, which was exhausting. Some of the best scorers in the league on one team and really having to test your individual defense. And then we had Atlanta, where you have one great young star and then you have guys who rebound and go to the rim, a couple other young guys who are going to be great, but really tried their best to go at us. So I think we had a lot of different looks.

This team, the Suns, I feel like they're great in transition. They play super fast. Deandre Ayton, Jae Crowder, they go to the boards. And then you got that individual, Chris Paul and Devin Booker. So it's actually prepared us pretty well for this moment.

Q. I know at the beginning of the season you were bringing your guitar on the road. What's the status with that? Did you bring it to The Finals?

JRUE HOLIDAY: No, I did not. I'm locked in. I brought my NormaTec.

Q. You talked about the individual defense. Obviously that's going to be Book, that's going to be Chris. For you as a defender, are you thinking about different things with each of them? I know they have similar kind of characteristics, being good in iso, being able to hit the mid-range. But is there different ways that you approach them?

JRUE HOLIDAY: Yeah, they're different players. You just really have to know their tendencies, what they like to do. I think everybody has watched Chris Paul play as a little kid -- not saying he's old, but we have seen him play a lot, and he gets to his mid-range and he's great at his mid-range, especially in the pick-and-roll. Book is great in the iso, going left or right, pull up. He's athletic, so he can get to the basket too. Just attention to details and try to be as solid as possible.

Q. You guys switched 1 through 5 in the last two games of the last series. That is a huge transition, a lot of growth. What have you seen from that perspective, that you guys can be in the biggest moment of the year and be comfortable to do it?

JRUE HOLIDAY: I think that comes with chemistry and it comes with trust. I think all of us at some point found the trust in one another, knowing that this guy guarding the ball is going to do his best and going to be as solid as possible. But it takes more than one person to guard somebody. We found that out with Brooklyn. I mean, KD was going off. When you got somebody like Trae Young, who went for 48 the first night and progressively we feel like did a better job every game since, that takes a team effort. It's not just one guy.

Q. For you guys it feels like getting better as a series goes on has been a real big priority. How do you build that? They're getting to know you better too, but you guys have seemed to be able to do it.

JRUE HOLIDAY: I think it's being able to pay attention to adjustments. Being smart and being able to read the game. I think attention to detail and being able to make the adjustments and then actually go out there and do them is huge for why we have felt like we have gotten better every single game in the series.

Q. What are the advantages of the Milwaukee Bucks in that series against the Suns? And for you personally, what does it mean in the situation that you are four wins away from your first championship?

JRUE HOLIDAY: The first one was the advantages we have? Honestly, I think it's our defense. I feel like defense wins games, and the way that we have been able to play defense has been proven to help us win games. We have played some mucky games and low-scoring games, but our defense came through. And, man, I'm just excited for Game 1. We got to take it a game at a time. It's Game 1 on the road, too, so it's kind of us against the world. To get these four wins, it is going to be difficult. But really excited for it.

Q. What do you think will be the keys for this team to stay mentally and emotionally motivated and resilient during these NBA Finals against the Suns?

JRUE HOLIDAY: I think one of the keys is just looking back and reflecting on what we have been through this season, what we have been through in the playoffs and then looking at our goal. Everybody on our team has had the same goal and we're so close to reaching it. I feel like that's enough for us to focus in and try to get these four games.