NBA FINALS: BUCKS VS. SUNS

July 14, 2021

Cam Johnson

Phoenix Suns

Game 4: Postgame

Milwaukee Bucks - 109, Phoenix Suns - 103

Q. You guys have been so good at closing games like this out all season long. Just what do you feel like was the difference tonight?

CAM JOHNSON: Turnovers and offensive rebounds for them. In games like this, such high stakes when you give them run-out points, that's big swings. Those are tough. Then the rebounding aspect, you know, you get some long ones when you're trying to get in there and put a body on them, and sometimes they're just taking some bad bounces but we got to be better on that end for sure. I know myself, I can't leave a game with just one rebound.

So a lot to learn from, a lot to look at, but turnovers and rebounds, can't happen.

Q. When you're able to survive that stretch in the fourth quarter when Devin's on the bench and you still have the lead when he's back in there, just what is y'all's confidence level when he's going back in there, he's back on the floor and you've been able to weather the storm there?

CAM JOHNSON: A lot of confidence because we've got guys who have been really good in these situations. But no matter what, we always know it's going to be tough. Confidence doesn't make you think oh, this is going to be easy, it's going to be a cakewalk. Confidence is saying we got to buckle down and finish the job. Hey, they played plays down the stretch, they made plays, they hit shots, they got rebounds and they got stops. But hard-fought game all throughout, hard-fought game.

Q. Is there any sense of shell shock considering it seemed to be that you guys were controlling the action most of the way and then it was just from the turnovers to the block by Giannis to Middleton scoring and all of a sudden they kind of had it?

CAM JOHNSON: Shell shock is definitely not the word. This is the Finals. It's the Finals, you're not going to get away with anything easy. You're not going to coast to any victory. I'm sure they're going to say the same thing. It's three more, you know. Three more. You got to get two of those.

But there is no such thing as coasting here. It's high stakes, very high stakes. They know what's on the line. We know what's on the line. We came here up 2-0. You know what they were talking about in their locker room. Now you know what we're going to be talking about in our locker room.

Q. With what you were saying on points off turnovers, second-chance points you guys have been usually great there all year. Is there a certain amount of confidence you can have going into Game 5 that's, Monty described it as a blip, like you guys rarely do that. Do you have the confidence to change that going forward?

CAM JOHNSON: Yeah, there's no hit hitting the panic button right now. There's no panic. You go back home and look at it and adjust. I think we did some things better this game than we did last game. Just ultimately wasn't enough to finish the deal. You come close sometimes but obviously it's not enough.

Q. I know it came in a loss but how special was Book tonight with just some of the shots that he was making in that 18-point third quarter?

CAM JOHNSON: You knew it was going to happen. You knew he wasn't going to have another tough night. You know he's going to get to it and he's going to get buckets. That's just what he does. He's a great player. He's one of the best players in our league. But it's good to see him hitting shots. I think that's something that he'll keep up, just given what he's done this season and in his career.

Q. You got a scratch right here, A, how and B, how physical has this series been?

CAM JOHNSON: I haven't seen it, obviously, but yeah, it was on that drive when I went to the ground. So it's been physical the whole entire time and it's hit after hit after hit. And trying to keep these guys off the glass, hit after hit after hit.

But you got to love it, you got to embrace it. This is what we all dreamed of being in this situation, right? This is -- there's no time to hang your head. There's no time to pout. This is 2-2 in the NBA Finals. We have an opportunity to do something really special and one thing Coach has said in the past is each game takes on a life of its own in the playoffs. And from a distance it's like a seven-game series, oh if a team beats you one time. No, every game takes on a life of its own. We got to be ready to capture the next one.