Harden still needs to prove himself! George went 8-of-20 and said bluntly that he needed a small card, and Doncic took the initiative to take responsibility
Friends who follow the NBA, hello everyone! The Clippers beat the Mavericks 109-97, and Harden and Wei Shao have teamed up to win the playoffs with three different teams. Harden performed well in this game, and there was a lot of praise after the game. Let's take a look at the post-match interview.
1. Harden: I still need to prove something in the playoffs
Harden played 39 minutes in this game, shooting 8-of-17, 6-of-11 three-pointers, 6-of-6 free throws, and scored 28 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 blocks.
Harden said: I still need to prove something in the playoffs. I can still play good scoring and my role in this team is to create really good shots or make it easier for my teammates to score, but when my number is called, I can score. Obviously, I'm out of the game, so I'm going to play a little bit more on the offensive end, and I'm taking advantage of that.
2. Harden: We won the key game
Speaking about the win, Harden said: We played a good performance today. It's a no-or-lose game, so if you can shoot the shots that should be made, obviously it's going to make it a lot easier for you to play later. But for us we played as well as we needed and we had a really good week of training. We'll watch the footage after the game to prepare for the second game.
3. Zubac: I will punish the opponent on the inside
Zubac played 33 minutes in this game, shooting 10 of 17, 0 of 1 free throws, 20 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block, plus or minus +15.
"When I'm on the court, I try to punish the opponent on the inside," Zubac said. I want to be the best version of myself for this team.
4. Harden George praises Zubac
Speaking about Zubac, Harden said: For a big man, he played perfectly.
"When Zubac plays at that level, we play really well as a team," George said.
5. George: We have a lot of experience in the playoffs
George played 37 minutes in this game, shooting 8-of-20, 4-of-12 three-pointers, and 2-of-2 free throws to get 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal, with a plus/minus of +7.
"Obviously, we want the little card to come back when he's ready," George said. The luxury we have is that Harden, me, Westbrook and Powell have always had playoff experience.
6. Lue: Harden can switch at any time
Speaking about Harden, Lue said: Harden's scoring is a huge factor in the team's victory. It means a lot when he scores and plays the right tactics. He understands that when both George and Ka are present, his task is not so heavy. But when one of them is out, he has to step up and score. That's what he did for us lately. I think he set the tone early today.
7. Lu: We need small cards
Speaking about his absence, Lu said: "It means a lot to us to know how to play, it's a bit of a blessing in disguise, we all know we need him, but because he's missing eight or nine games, we found a way to win and we have to play until he comes back and that's good for us.
8. Lue: It's going to be tough to get Doncic to shoot
Speaking about defending Doncic, Lue said: "You have to use multiple people to defend him, and we have to try to exhaust him because he's a great player and you have to use different defenders against him. He's going to make some tough shots, like we saw today, but as long as it's hard for him to shoot and he shoots well, we can't let our guard down.
Doncic played 42 minutes in this game, shooting only 11 of 26, including 4 of 12 three-pointers, and scored 33 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists.
9. Kidd: We missed the shot in the second quarter
According to statistics, the Mavericks scored only 8 points in the second quarter today, the lowest score in a single quarter for the team this season. Since Kidd coached the Mavericks, he has gone 0-4 in the first game of the series without a win.
Speaking about the team's eight points in the second quarter, Kidd said: "Even though we didn't make a shot, I think we managed to keep them to 22 points in the second quarter, which is a good job and we can't ignore that.
We missed layups, free throws and open shots, but it's positive to have a team with such talent score 22 points, and that's what we talked about at halftime.
10. Owen: Our opponents are some Hall of Famers
Irving played 39 minutes in this game, shooting 10-of-18 from the field, 3-of-6 from three-point range, 8-of-9 from the free-throw line, and scoring 31 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
In the third quarter of the game, Irving shot 8 of 8 and scored 20 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal (including 2 of 2 three-pointers and 2 of 2 free throws), becoming the first player in history to score 20+ points in a single quarter of the playoffs without conceding a shot.
"The playoffs are a war, I'm just using an analogy, but we have to enjoy it and have fun, but at the same time, we're going to play the game we deserve, and we're playing against some Hall of Famers, so they're not going to make it easy for us," Irving said.
11. Doncic: Get back to the way you were when you won
When asked how the team would adjust after the loss, Doncic said: "We have to play like we used to, like we did in the last 20 games of the season. We were good at passing, cutting, moving the ball in those games and I think we played well in those games and we have to get back to where we are.
12. Doncic: I wasn't aggressive enough in the first half
Speaking about the loss, Doncic said: "I have to be aggressive, that's something I didn't do well in the first half, not being aggressive enough. So, I have to be aggressive and look for teammates who are in open positions.