POSTGAME SOUND: MAGIC VS. CLIPPERS | COACH MOSE & FRANZ WAGNER

POSTGAME SOUND: MAGIC VS. CLIPPERS | COACH MOSE & FRANZ WAGNER

Jamal, your group was really, really able to get out and run tonight. Uh, 41 fast break points, second most in franchise history. What did you like about your group’s ability to get stops and get running the other direction? I think you hit it right there. Uh, stops to get out and run. We talked about it before the game. That’s the that’s the point of our defense. Uh, we talk about the running game, but it it only comes after you get the stops. Uh, not frantic, but the right way. Let your defense create your offense. Sorry, I thought you had more. Um, just given what Jaylen has gone through the past eight, nine months, how gratifying is it to see performances like this from him, just diving for loose balls and doing what he does? Doing what he does. I think that’s part of what makes Jaylen Jaylen. Uh, his ability to do all the little things. Um, putting his body on the line for those moments. Uh, you know, making those hustle plays. I mean, he’s going for blocks on, you know, sevenfooters, uh, coming down the lane. But those are those are big plays for us. He made the big play the other night in Golden State, you know, getting a block to, you know, finish the game off. So, it’s who he is. It’s what he does. Uh, and we need that from him and as he cons continues to get back into, you know, pure form. I think that’s that’s a big key for us. How close is Jaylen to kind of being, you know, kind of fully released from any any of the restrictions from from his knee? I know his minutes have been bumping up. He’s playing kind of longer spurts. Is he is he closer now to to being kind of fully unleashed, so to speak? I I think we’re going to have to continue to see how he responds after every game and a lot of it when we have these, you know, next day maintenance days, the recovery days. I think those are very important for our guys just to get the most recovery because these games are coming quick. Obviously, you talked about him being the head of the snake on defense, but when he’s making all these plays, it’s it’s, you know, maybe been a while since it’s kind of been fully realized. How much does that lift everybody else up and set the tone for the way this team needs to play? I mean, you see what our bench does, you know, when he makes the hustle plays, makes the big block, makes a big three in transition, he stands there for about 30 seconds and looks at the bench and the bench goes back with him, but he gets the crowd involved and our fans have been fantastic at home. So, I I think those are big keys for what he provides for us and what he provides for, you know, just this team. Coach, your team was able to shoot over uh 50% 52.9 from three-point line. just talk a little bit about shooting the three and getting back on defense. You know, I think we do a a great job of trying to find that balance. A lot of those came in transition, you know, where we got the stop. Guys were feet set threes. We threw it ahead and they stepped into their shot. I think, you know, Tristan hit one, Jetty hit one, uh Desmond hit one. I think those guys the ability to share the basketball uh and we’re doing it after stops, which is one of the most important things for this group. Uh coach, I asked friends about James had a really good game tonight. Obviously, you’re a very competitive coach. One, what are some of the challenges you find in defending someone like a James Harden in the pick and roll? He did a great job in the high low options, but you guys really did take away the other guys. And the second part of that is, are you willing to settle for certain things coming off of what what James does on those high picking rolls? Yeah, it’s he’s a difficult cover. He’s a Hall of Famer. I mean, the way he’s able to score, the way he’s able to do what he does, I mean, you you’re not stopping him. You know, I’m probably losing my mind a little bit too much on the referees during the game, but that’s what he does. You know, he’s a 92% uh free throw shooter, you know, 38 from three, you know, 52 from the field. Like, he does that. And so, he’s, you know, while guys are out for his team, he’s doing everything he can to help them find a way to get a win. Uh, but the difficulty is doing it without fouling. There’s a lot of things you can do, but you follow him on the three, you follow him at the rim, and then if you step up too high, he’s throwing a lob to Zubac. And so I think those things right there, it’s it’s a difficult cover. And what are you willing to live with? Tough contested tools, but he finds a way to not get there. He finds a way to get to the basket and get a foul. Coach, plus 10 in the turnover margin for plus 20 points off of those turnovers. Six different players for steals. Four different players block shots. I’m sure you love th those results. Did you do you credit that defensive activity to anything in particular tonight on top of the different coverages you threw at Harden? No, I think our coaches did an unbelievable job of putting out a game plan for this um and then re looking at it at halftime and seeing how we could be better and that happened with the fouls. You know, I think he had 12 free throws in the in the first half and I think he ended up with 12. So, that ability to lock in and our coaches did a great job adjusting to things at halftime is part of what this group needs to continue to do. Follow the game plan to a te and that and then live with the results. another quality win with uh Desmond and France shooting below average. What does those wins win to the mean to the other guys uh and how you can benefit from when they get their shooting for when Paulo comes back and they have to you know support them, you know, I think it’s just are we making the right plays, you know, following our process. Are we getting the open looks? Are we getting downhill? Are we attacking the basket the right way? Are we doing all of those things? And and I think we are. You know, I think it just comes down to, you know, concentration on finishes, but they’re continuing to make the right play for each other. And they’re not worried about the percentages of shooting. They’re worried about finding a way to help this team get wins. And that’s what makes them both competitive winners. Thank you. Thank you all. Appreciate it. Fron, your group had 41 fast break points tonight, the second most in franchise history. What did you like about your group’s ability to, you know, attack in transition and and convert on the other end? Um, yeah, I thought I mean, obviously that that starts on defense. I thought we had good activity all night. Um, obviously Harden had a good game, but I think thought when he got into the paint, um, just making sure we we showed him a crowd every time and thought we were able to get some turnovers there and, um, just get out and run and and convert at the end. I thought it was really good all night. Jaylen’s, we’ve seen Jaylen’s minutes begin to to bump up, but when he’s making some of the plays that he made tonight on on the defensive end, creating turnovers, what is what I mean, we know he’s the head of the snake and all that, but what does that do for you guys and and lift kind of lifting your spirits and especially seeing him now kind of playing a full complement of minutes? Yeah. Um, I mean, it’s great. Obviously, I thought Jaylen set the tone for us today on both sides of the floor and um, you know, had had a great energy about him all night. So, um, like I said, that that that sets the tone for the rest of the group and, um, obviously he’s the first line of defense a lot of times. So, um, everybody else sees that energy and it’s kind of feeding off of that. I’m pretty sure you guys expect Paulo back somewhat soon, but you guys went through this last year without him for a stretch of games. How do you feel like you guys have handled it perhaps differently at all going through that last year and now again this year? I think we’ve just handled it as a team. you know, everybody’s stepping into their role, playing confident out there and um you know, doing what’s as what’s asked of them um at a high level. So, if we can continue to do that, I think we’re we’re in a good spot right now. And um obviously playing some really good teams um in the next couple next couple games. So, got to, you know, continue to get better and um yeah, keep doing what we’re doing. defens. Yeah, I thought, like I said, I thought we did a good job um showing him a crowd. Um, obviously he made probably a couple too many threes that, you know, we want to get him inside the line a little bit more, but um, know that from then just spreading out on on the flight of the pass and, you know, watching personnel and knowing who you’re guarding out there on on closeouts and, um, I think the way our team is is built, I know, I think we got a lot of lot of athletes that that are good at those kind of situations. So, um, I thought thought our activity, our our communication with that was was good, really good all night. Fron, given the added emphasis on running off of stops or steals, whatever, how much of an adjustment has it been for the team to determine what are good looks, what are not good looks as you speed up the floor? Um, I mean, that doesn’t really change. Um, I think the the goal of, you know, playing a little faster is just craning an advantage without um, early in the offense just by just by running a little bit faster than than, you know, your opponent. So, um, all the other rules that that are in half court still apply. If two are in front of you, that means someone else is open somewhere and um, you know, good teams consistently find those guys. Fron, the the team forced 10 more turnovers than the Clippers tonight. six different players forcing steals, four different players blocking shots. Was there anything different about the game plan that stood out to you that that led to those results? And and what goes into deciding when you’re going to run and push the pace, whe whether it’s off turnovers or is it is it every play? Um yeah, I think our game plan wasn’t super different necessarily. Obviously, they’re know super heavy pick and roll team, especially when Harden is playing. So, um I think that’s maybe different from some other teams. Like I said, just know try and show show him a lot of bodies and um you know, make him go through his progression. And then um I think yeah, I think you know, you you want to be opportunistic and just um always look to look to push when it makes sense and kind of maybe someone is complaining or on the ground from the other team that makes sense, you know, to push the ball and um even after a make. So, um, but sometimes even on on the turnover, they’re good at running back and and kind of, um, playing good transition defense, then it makes sense to, you know, just play in the half court and get a good shot that way.

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