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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v MAVERICKSMay 18, 2011Rick CarlisleDALLAS, TEXAS: Practice Day Q. First of all, what is the most important thing that your team, both Dirk and the other guys, need to keep in mind as the Thunder adjust to his performance, meaning whether they double a lot or whether they double at all? RICK CARLISLE: Well, they'll adjust and we'll have to be ready for some different things. The important thing for us, though, is we've got to defend better. We started off the first ten games of the playoffs giving up under 90 points a game, and we gave up 112 last night. First time we've given up over 100. If we get in offensive shootouts with this team, that's not our game. We have to defend a lot better. I understand that they're a different kind of team, but our attention to detail has to be better in Game 2. Our focus has to be better. We've got to do a better job of keeping them off the free-throw line. Q. Talk about what a luxury it is to have Dirk and how you've seen his game evolve since you've been here. RICK CARLISLE: Dirk was a great player before I got here, and look, he's one of the all-time greats. There's no doubt in my mind. But going forward, you know, a 48-point game is spectacular for sure; we're going to need more balance offensively. So that's going to be a key in Game 2, getting more guys involved, and we've got to defend better. It's as simple as that. Q. You pointed out yesterday that Dirk did more than just shoot jump shots. Can you talk about that part of his game evolving? RICK CARLISLE: Well, you know, since midway through the Portland series, he's been real aggressive mixing up the drive and the jump shot, and it's important for us to keep him moving around to that teams just can't lock into him and grab and hold and wear on him physically. But I think the truth is going forward we're going to have to continue to get more movement into our offense. Dirk is obviously going to be one of our prime options, but we're going to have to have a lot more triggers built into what we're doing because they're going to be ready for him in Game 2. Q. Do you expect this to be more physical not only with Dirk but in terms of J.J. getting in the lane, Terry getting his open looks? Do you expect a more disciplined series from this point? RICK CARLISLE: You know, this is the Conference Finals. It's going to be physical. Q. Do the biggest adjustments come between Games 1 and 2 in your experience? RICK CARLISLE: Probably, probably, but it depends. It varies a lot. It can vary a lot. Q. Does Dirk have a level of humility where he can be selfish while still being assertive that most superstars might not have? RICK CARLISLE: Yeah, he's had all the big games in his career. He's had, I don't know, 34 playoff games, 40 playoff games. When he was asked last night, he said, hey, I'm glad to get the win. That's what it's about. You know, we're trying to get seven more wins. Dirk is as great a guy and as humble a superstar as you're every going to meet. But we've got to make sure that going forward we're not just depending on him to go out there and score points in the game because that's not our game. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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