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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: GRIZZLIES v SPURS


May 20, 2013


Marc Gasol


SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Practice Day

MARC GASOL:  We got in a scramble too early, and when we broke down those pick‑and‑rolls they got a lot of open shots.

Q.  Having been in this situation and having had to bounce back successfully, does that give you confidence?
MARC GASOL:  Well, every series is different but we've definitely got to come out better in all aspects.  They beat us pretty easily, and as soon as we made a run at the end of the third they made another run and put it back to 14, and there was no hope after that.

Q.  Is it frustrating that you let yourselves get into those situations on a regular basis?
MARC GASOL:  Frustrating?  Well, no.  It's basketball.  We're playing against a great team.  People kind of forget that, that we're playing against a really good team at home.  You've got to be really disciplined, really consistent.  You cannot give them anything easily because they will take it and they're going to make their shots.

Q.  Is the high‑low something you're going to have to change how you approach because of the way they're fronting?
MARC GASOL:  They're fronting Zach, and we've seen a lot of different defenses over the years.  Now of course they're way closer to me than they normally are, just trying to disturb my passing, and they're also leaving the corners open and plugging the paint with three guys.  So we'll just keep moving the ball, be patient, get it some other way.  But we cannot hold the ball.  Once we hold the ball we're allowing them to load up, allowing them to really collapse the paint.

Q.  Mike said the team was angry yesterday.  Did that carry over to practice today?
MARC GASOL:  Yeah, well, we should be angry, we should be mad, and today we had good practice.  I think we played‑‑ practiced at a better pace.  We moved a lot better.  We'll see how it goes tomorrow.

Q.  You had mentioned too much over helping in the defensive plan last night.  What's the adjustment to fix that?
MARC GASOL:  Well, we had to over help because we broke down defensively too easily and too quick, and against a good team like they are, a patient team, they're going to find the open guy.  Once they've got you in a scramble they're going to drive and kick until they find the shot they want, and you saw yesterday they're going to make those shots.

Q.  If Bonner is running the pick‑and‑pop it forces you to step up and cover that.  Is it going to be up to the secondary big man or the bench guys to be able to cover all the help down low?
MARC GASOL:  Well, you cannot leave the paint.  Whether Bonner is on a double drag or a high pick‑and‑roll with Bonner lifted, you've got to switch when he's on the pick‑and‑roll or you've got to go up and show up and stay high, show up high, stay high.  We've just got to communicate better.  The ones we called switch we didn't switch.  The ones we tried to fight over the screen, we did not go.  It was everybody's fault.  It was not one guy that it was only their problem.  Nobody played consistently defensively like we should.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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