NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: NUGGETS VS WARRIORS

April 18, 2022

Monte Morris

Denver Nuggets

Game 2: Postgame

Warriors 126, Nuggets 106

Q. Monte, Michael said that you guys' biggest challenge right now is to stick together and not splinter. Can you shed light on the mood in the locker room after this one?

MONTE MORRIS: I mean, we've just got to stay together. I get it. We're getting our ass whooped and a lot of emotions flare up. We've just got to be tougher and stay together. We're not giving ourselves a chance to beat this team with a lot of mistakes, and also we've got no fucking chance if we're going to be apart. We've got to stay locked in, stay together. That's the only way we give ourselves opportunity.

Q. Does anybody say anything in the postgame locker room? Does anyone speak up?

MONTE MORRIS: Yeah, everybody really gave their piece, went around the room and just tried to -- it's tough, bro. We've got to figure it out. We can do all the talking -- it's repetitive at this point. Top to bottom, we've got to be a lot better to give ourselves a chance.

Q. I guess the fact that this is such a veteran team that's been through the Playoffs, that's been through the battles, does that make it even more disappointing that these technicals are flaring up, and like you said, stuff is kind of fraying?

MONTE MORRIS: I mean, yeah. I think we've got more than enough to get the job done, make it a game. I get two of our max players are out, two hell of a players, but we're playing soft. We can't play soft. We can't let them play harder than us and outwork us.

They're a good team over there. Not taking nothing away from them, but to give ourselves a chance, we've got to find it, stay together. If not, it should be over quick just the way they play. They're together. They're all bought in.

If we're not together, it's going to be a tough one.

Q. Is there any concern about where things are at right now?

MONTE MORRIS: I mean, I don't think so. Whatever happened happened, but at the end of the day we're all grown men, and if you're not getting called out your name or anything like that, we all should be able to take corrective criticism, and also with that being said, being grown men, it's the way you approach another man. To me I just feel like a lot of emotions flared up, but it's stuff we should have been talking about earlier in the year. You can't go into war this late in the season and now trying to talk about things that's gone wrong.

I feel like we all have to hold ourselves accountable to be better out there. They're outplaying us. No excuses. They've been a better team the last two games.

We've got to figure it out, because getting swept again, not a good look for nobody, and it's embarrassing. If we've got any pride, we've got to find out real soon because it's not going to get no easier for us. They're a good team.

Q. They've had a lot of success with their small ball lineup. What stands out about those stretches to you either offensively or defensively?

MONTE MORRIS: I mean, we've got to make them feel us. They're out there laughing, dancing around. It's just embarrassing. We've just got to be tougher. Coach can do what he's got to do. He's given us the great game plan, but we've just got to be tougher, man. We can't let the usual suspects go out here, 21, 29 and 34. We've got to make somebody else beat us. I just think that's what it is. But we've got to see what we're made of. Real men are not going to fold, but we'll see where we're made of.

Q. Monte, Michael Malone said you guys need to obviously focus on Game 3 and changing the whole vibe of this when you get back to Denver. How much can the change in venue going back home give you a reset, kind of reinvigorate you? How much does that matter?

MONTE MORRIS: Home court, we've got some hell of a fans, but at the end of the day the fans can give us so much energy; Coach can give us a game plan; we're still playing against the same guys. We still have to go out there and execute. The fans are not going to win us the game. They can help, Coach can help, but at the end of the day if we don't correct it and be better, it's going to be the same result.

To give ourselves a chance, we all have to be bought in, all have to be together and put some pressure on them.

Q. Monte, you were right there when Will and DeMarcus kind of had that little dust-up. Was that what happened and was that what you were talking about guys holding each other accountable and a certain approach?

MONTE MORRIS: No, that wasn't nothing crazy, it was a player-player conversation. But I'm just talking about stuff that we go over every day on film, switching and what we're going to do when Jokic gets in a position on the floor, making people available for him that he can kick it out to because he's drawing so much attention, things like that. Just looking at yourself in the mirror and just being a man and saying what you can do better, what I can do better.

But that situation is a normal situation. Guys' emotions is going to flare up and do whatever, but it wasn't nothing serious.