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NBA FINALS: SPURS v HEATJune 12, 2013Gary NealSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Practice Day Q. (Indiscernible). GARY NEAL: You have to be. That's kind of been the role in my job since I've been a Spur, to come off the bench and play with no fear and be aggressive and shoot the ball and attack. That's the role that I've embraced my three years here. Last night was kind of me putting it all together on the highest stage. I came out aggressive. I was able to make some threes. I was able to attack off the bounce. I was able to put it all together last night. I'm just thankful and grateful that I was able to do that. Q. Going back to that regular‑season game in Miami, Pop sits many of the guys. League fines you guys a quarter of a million dollars. When you have the opportunity in situations to play for 30‑plus minutes, how important for the team‑building process, and how does it impact last night when you have that experience when you guys are running the show? GARY NEAL: It's huge. Every night I step on the court I look at it as an opportunity to prove to my teammates and to prove to the coaching staff and Coach Pop that I'm a guy that can be relied on and to be trusted. I think an opportunity like I had and a couple of other guys had when Coach Pop sent everybody home, that's a big opportunity for everybody like us. We can show we can play against that type of talent and perform well. It instills confidence in you and the rest of the coaching staff that you can be relied on as a guy that can play 20, 25 minutes, and they don't have to worry about it and have their fingers crossed. Q. It's not about rest. It's about team‑building? GARY NEAL: Coach Pop did it for the reasons he chose to do it. I'm saying from my perspective, it's an opportunity for me to show Coach Pop and the rest of the team that I'm a guy that can be relied on and I can play and compete against this talent. Q. Do you consider most of those threes open? There was a big debate whether people were covering them enough or not. GARY NEAL: You know, the way the defense is going to be set up, I mean, you can't guard everybody. That's just the way it's going to be. If they're trying to take away Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan, if we move the ball, somebody is going to be the benefit of ball movement. Last night I was the benefit of ball movement. The early shots I got were open. That got me confidence and got me my rhythm to make maybe some of the tougher shots later. The way the defense is designed somebody has to get an open shot. You can't stop everybody. Q. Did that feel a little bit like Portland earlier this year? GARY NEAL: Yeah. Portland that was a little different, because Tony was out with an injury. And I was kind of playing more on the ball. Last night I was more feeding off Tony and Manu, how the defense was adjusting and guarding them. I was kind of playing more off the closeout and more off the catch and shoot. Portland was a little different because I played more with the ball. Q. Last night your feet were able to get set. You were able to get out more ahead. They were not running off your threes as much. You get more comfortable? GARY NEAL: I just think the ball moves better. The ball movement played a big key to that. Tony was able to turn the corner and make the right pass. Manu was able to turn the corner and make the right pass. Maybe you're not the first pass, you're the second pass. That's a tougher closeout. It's a longer distance and it's a tougher closeout. Just being aggressive with them. In Game 1 I kind of got caught up in pump‑faking a little bit and trying to judge their length and trying to judge intensity of The Finals. Last night I think I made my mind up to attack, either catch and shoot or catch and drive. I was more effective that way. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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