NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: CLIPPERS vs SUNS

April 25, 2023

Tyronn Lue

Press Conference

Q. How do you go about winning this game?

TYRONN LUE: A couple things. Just look at the film, some things we did back home. We get these 11, 12-point leads, then we turn the ball over. We turned the ball over five out of nine times, allowed this team to get easy baskets in transition. They're too good to gift them points.

I think we're building these leads, we got to make sure we're getting good shots and taking care of the basketball. Then offensive rebounding, we got to do a better job on the glass, keeping these guys off the glass.

We're building good leads in every game, then if you look at it, the trend is that we have been turning the basketball over, they're getting out in transition and getting easy buckets.

Q. I remember I believe Cleveland where you said we got to go back home anyways, might as well bring a game back home with you. What type of message to you give your guys not basketball related but what motivational message?

TYRONN LUE: It's not premeditated. Just when it comes to my head as we're going. Nothing that I'm thinking about all day or all night. Just whatever comes to my mind when it's time to speak.

Q. A couple years ago you talked about when you were in this situation sort of taking it quarter by quarter. Does that stay the same?

TYRONN LUE: Yes, ma'am. Winning quarter by quarter. The most important thing is the first five, six minutes the game. Closeout game on the road, we got to make sure we're mentally tough, mentally strong.

No matter what happens, everything goes against us, we still got to be locked and stay in the moment. That's got to be our approach, try to win every quarter.

Q. Without giving your game plan away, what is your strategy to getting guys like Marcus Morris Sr. and Nico Batum going offensively?

TYRONN LUE: I think with Marcus we can post him a little bit more, even though they came and double-teamed a little bit. Just try to get him in the middle of the floor, use him in some pick and rolls when we can pop. Then possibly going small a little bit to see if they'll switch, put a five on him. We'll see how it works out.

Q. I remember you mentioned when it came to Russ you had to have a conversation with him being more aggressive, looking for his own. Is that something coming into this game you try to tell him beforehand or you trust his feel?

TYRONN LUE: Just constant dialogue with Russ since he's been here. Just getting a feel for what he likes, what we need him to do. He's been great. But we need him to be aggressive, attack in the paint, play with a lot of pace, get our guys some easy shots, like Norm, like I say, Marcus, E.G.

When he's attacking the basket, he's able to do that. We just need him to do that tonight, play with a force like he's been doing, and we'll kind of go from there.