Speaker 1: Rockets last night knock off the Clippers twelve thirty one
on Sports Talk seven one eight is Matt Thomas Showood
Ross and we were pleased if you joined for the
next ten minutes by the head coach after winning that
game in a very bizarre ending and with many regards
coach is Matt Ross, good afternoon. Do you did that
last twenty seconds or so? Felt like it took about
fifteen minutes to play?
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely, it was obviously the reviews and looking at
play grants and offensive ol defensive oul took a little
bit of time, but you guys kept the composer and
pulled it out.
Speaker 1: Some clutch plays are made down the stretch. You got
a little bit of help. You're heavy lifting. I mean,
it was a night where Kevin Durant was felt like
he was double team to eighty percent of the time.
Other guys stepped up. It had been a while since
the team had played. How much do you attribute that
to Russ? How much do you attribute that to Clippers
of something to prove coming out or bottom line is
you know you it's a forty eight minute game and
you'd like to play all forty eight brilliantly but sometimes
it's just not going to happen.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Like we were in wed a little bit, especially
in the first half. You know, they're a team that
we want to play with some pace, get up and
down and then really move them, and it felt like
we were playing at their pace and a little bit
slower than we would have liked in the first half.
Credit to Read and Aaron and some of our bench
guys coming in and kind of injecting some energy and
some juice into the game, and that's what really helped
us get the lead. In the third quarter.
Speaker 1: That was a really good quarter and in fact, Kevin
was probably in his best and that during the game.
Is is he and you've known him for a very
long period of time, does sometimes a game come to
him and he goes, all right, I'll take what they
give me. And then sometimes as you have to force
his way because it felt like to me, especially after
the way he kind of performed in the first half,
that he had a little bit of extra spice in
his going and he wanted to get things going offensive
for himself in the third quarter in particular.
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely, I mean he's gonna, you know, let the
game dictate teams are going after him. He has no
problem getting off the ball and letting other guys be
the recipients. But at the same time, you still want
to be aggressive and look for your spots in your shots.
And you know, at times if they're doubling and we're
picking them apart and you're up fifteen to twenty, teams
have to kind of relax on that and he'll get loose.
But it being a close game, their game plan was
seeming to work in the first half, so he up
to the aggression up this pace. I think we set
some really good screens and he got downhill a little bit,
got to a spots.
Speaker 1: Rocket Tech coach Imo Dooko was here on Sports Talk
seven ninety and we mentioned at the start of the
interview about how long the end of that game took.
What is your opinion just in general about the review system,
the challenge system now to where they got rid of
the final two minute stuff, to where you want to
get the calls right, but you got to also find
the balance of the games not dragging out.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I think getting it right is the
main point there, and so you know they're going to
take a look at certain things, you know, the offensive
hal was one thing, but you know, we clearly thought
he got Jabari got fouled before that, and they didn't
overturn it. So we were kind of surprised by that.
But credit to our like I said, they kept that composure,
moved on and we went from an unfortunate play to
Aaron taking the charge and playing really good defense there.
And so as the ebbs and flows of the game,
I think getting the right is the most important thing.
And although we thought that it was still wrong with it,
like I said, we held our composer and got it
pulled it out. Well.
Speaker 1: I'd like to congratulate you coach. This will be about
the five hundred time you've been asked about turnovers this season,
So congratulations on that. But in terms of you know
a lot of talk about improving the turnovers and not
playing in a crowd, and so what is that process
for you, like working with the team, how much is
that game tape or practice or talking to guys individually.
What are the are the steps that you take to
trying to improve that.
Speaker 2: It's literally all of the above that you just mentioned.
Obviously we pointed out in film sessions with the group,
you know, especially halftime we had we had nine or
nine and half time, and I think we up to
ten in the second half. So we talked about the
reason that they're in the game is because we're gifting
them these points, and then didn't get it's better than
the second half. So we do that a lot of
individual work with you know, defenders and showing the crowd
and wanting to get off the ball, and then like
you said, individual meetings as well, and understanding the Alpre
and Kevin the attention they're going to draw, and you know,
for our guys getting to the space and you know,
sprinting to the outlets and kind of not just leaving
these guys on the island. And so we go about
a little bit differently. Obviously with Fred in the past,
our turnovers have gone down significantly with him handling. But
we got multiple guys. Now, Kevin's gonna initiate times, alpron
is going to initiate. Our man's going to initiate. And
it leads to some of that. But the balance that
will bring us in the end of the season I
think will pay off.
Speaker 1: Does Alpi Still a practice is bringing the ball up
a courting mean is that a science? Is that just
key fundamentals of being a basketball player, because you do
give him quite a bit of responsibility and doing that.
Speaker 2: You know, he starts on fast break and I think
some teams that you know we have twenty four fast
break points. A big part of him and a man
rebounding and pushing, and you know, it's great to have
a center that can leave the bake and get out
and run and kind of find guys all over the
court and just puts the extra amount of pressure on
defenders and so something that does naturally well, we encourage it.
Of course, he's one of our best pastors and more
cerebral players, and so we want him to do that
every chance he gets.
Speaker 1: I'm sure you man, if we were doing Denver Radio,
we would say, well, Jokicic does this, But I'm worried
about the rockets. Says, are you the assist combination of
a men to alpi and then vice versa. How many
combinations in the NBA can do that where each guy
works as well with each other to finish the baskets
on the outfitsive side of the floor.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a uniqueness that they have. Both guys can
handle or be the recipient setting the screen and rolling
and popping and all those things so tough to guard,
you know, put people in different positions. But a man
works so well either way, you know, handling or sending
those screens and getting hit unders. He's great. You know,
some hard rolls last night, and he's done that over
last year. It's not just been a ball hammler, but
played in the dunker playton, you know, sitting screens and
doing some different things. So he has a lot more
versatility to his game now.
Speaker 1: Yeah, May there are still James Harden fans in this town.
And you and I talked before the game about the
an amount of times against the free throw line, and
that wasn't much of an issue. In fact, I think
more than half their shots last night were from three.
That seems like not nearly as prevalent as it those
four or five years ago. But was that a huge
part of this kind of report is you know, what,
if they're going to take those three, give them their
chances and kind of live and die by what they
do permanent wise.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and you know Kawhi Leonard only got three and
Harden only got five, and so you know, we know
those guys are two of the most hardens averaging nine
and Kauai about five and a half, you know, kind
of foulbators, and so we wanted to be disciplined, show
our hands and other than one one slap down and
think by Reid and then the foul on the three
pointed by Jabbari did a pretty pretty good job on James,
you know, making them finished shots and Kui as well.
So the three pointers we were living with certain guys,
we showed a crowd and encourage other guys to shoot.
It made a few early, but the numbers came back
to their norm and I think that really helped us out.
Speaker 1: Long road trip coming up. And in years past team
was a little bit younger. You talked about teaching guys
about handling themselves, taking care of themselves on the road.
Is that a little bit less of a point of
emphasis these days are still something you talked to the
team about.
Speaker 2: No. I think guys the most cured they understand, you know,
the routine they need to be in. You know, we're
going on a long one thirteen days, you know, six games,
but holiday season and all that and you know family
and you know, Christmas Day games, and so we still
mentioned that you know, handling business, taking care of business
on the road. But it was good to get to
get this mini break here, play this one game. Now
you get three days before seeing Denver again, so loading
up for that. I think guys understand the task at
hand and this important time of.
Speaker 1: The year, by its nature, you have to have this
mini break because you don't know who the NBA Cups are.
You got to schedule games and whatnot. Generally speaking, I
know we're all accustomed to it, but do you like it?
I mean, would you like to have had two days
in this break, maybe scattered during later on during during
the course of the year, or is it Look I
look at account and we just play what's in front
of us.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I kind of just played with in front of you,
you know, was make it to Las Vegas. It's a
little bit different like we did last year, but you
take advantage of it for sure. You know, we're coming
off of five games and seven nights leading up to
this break, so it was needed with somebody who's banged
up and hopefully returning from injury soon and sickness with Alfi,
and so we took advantage of it. Like I said,
try to sharpen up some things and look at what
we did well and not so well in the first
twenty one games, and then you know, rest your body
up and get ready to go. So we'll do the
same thing. Take a look at Denver the first game
and be off of three days of the rest. Have
a good amount of energy going to Denver.
Speaker 1: Lastly, you were talking about Alpi. Defensively, Zubats had a
great game and that's not just his solo responsibility. But
is it a good warm up for Jokic or is
Jajokich a one of a kind type of player that frankly,
he spends just as much time outside the arc then
he does inside of it.
Speaker 2: No, it's very unique. It's two different things. You know.
We we had Jabbari on on Zubach and you know
we're trying to take away Leonard and hard and more
often and encouraging the other guys to shoot or make plays.
You don't want somebody going thirteen for fourteen. But you know,
if he's if he's getting post ups and low post looks,
that's taken away from what they're mainly trying to do.
And so we'll allow done to get his shots. We'll
allow Zo about to get his shots, and that's very
different from yolkic strategy.
Speaker 3: Of course, are you.
Speaker 1: Bringing two suitcases? I've never brought two suitcases on NBA
road trip in my entire life.
Speaker 3: He man, I don't know. How are you handling this
long trip we're about to go on.
Speaker 2: I'll definitely be packing two suitcases for sure, Okay.
Speaker 1: Because I mean, like, I just don't want to do it,
but I feel like it's too damn long.
Speaker 3: I wanted in cleaning on the road.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 1: That's how it works, unless equipment one for closing, one
for pickball equipment. Oh that's right. How is the pick
a ball game? People want all the update? How are
you feeling on that?
Speaker 2: I'm feeling good. They had a bad day the other day,
the worst performances I had, But other than that, I've
been been solid.
Speaker 3: Do you blank talk on the court like you did
as a basketball player or no?
Speaker 2: A lot of yelling?
Speaker 3: It seems like an easy yes. Coach said, yes, sorry,
it's all right, we got your back. Judge. That's right.
Thank you for the time. Pray we'll see you Sunday
before the trip to Denver. Thanks for the time. As always,
thank you guys, all right, see you later.