BASKETBALL: NBA: Los Angeles Lakers post-game reaction (Reaves, Redick)

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Austin Reaves says his game-winner over the Timberwolves felt like redemption for the Lakers' playoff series

Transcript

00:00That one felt good.

00:02I mean, for obvious reasons, we won.

00:04But last time we were in this building,

00:07I had a shot to tie it in the corner in the playoffs

00:10with game four and miss.

00:15Let me tell you that feeling sucks.

00:17And we had a comfortable lead in the fourth.

00:20I wouldn't say comfortable.

00:22Nothing's comfortable in the NBA anymore.

00:24But we had a lead in the fourth.

00:25And they did a good job getting back into it.

00:29Take the lead with 10 seconds to go.

00:31And it's easy not to, it's easy to be down on yourself

00:36and frustrated.

00:38There were some plays in the fourth that I wish I didn't make

00:41and that I made, a couple turnovers.

00:42And just to have that opportunity to get us a big road

00:48win, obviously, with a lot of people hurt, it's special.

00:53But like I said out there, we wouldn't

00:55have been in that position if it wasn't for everybody

00:58that chipped in tonight.

01:01Jake was monstrous.

01:04I think that's the best basketball game I've seen him play

01:06since he's been in the league.

01:08But you could go down the list, it wasn't just him.

01:10And even though I struggled offensively, putting the ball

01:15in the basket, we didn't let that frustrate us.

01:18They kept hooping and they kept encouraging me to go do what I do.

01:23Even when they're playing, I put a big responsibility on myself.

01:27There's, it's different responsibilities, obviously,

01:32because they do so much for our team.

01:34But when we don't have them, the responsibility changes.

01:37But it's not, I wouldn't say it's, physically, it's a little more.

01:43But I'm always mentally trying to figure out how I can help with them, too,

01:48and without them, too.

01:49So it's definitely different in the sense of how I have to play and how I have

01:55to conduct myself.

01:57I can't get frustrated because, you know, at that time, you know,

02:01everybody's looking at me.

02:02And in those situations, you know, you have to, you know, be calm,

02:05be confident, and, you know, lead your guys through.

02:09Like I said, you know, they had a, and we were up, I think, 10 or so,

02:13and they went on a run.

02:13And it's not, it's not hard to, you know, kind of crumble in those situations.

02:18But you've got to keep the energy high.

02:19You've got to keep the spirit high.

02:21And, but saying all that, everybody, not just them, too, please come back.

02:27I'll be honest with you, it wasn't much of an emotional roller coaster for me.

02:32I don't think it was for our guys, either.

02:35We executed against the zone, we got good shots, had a couple, you know,

02:40offensive rebound, drop-off passes that we just bobbled around the rim.

02:44But we actually did a good job executing and missed some really good threes.

02:53There was no break in composure.

02:57There was no break in competitive spirit.

02:59There was no break in belief of whether or not we could win the game.

03:04You know, I thought, I thought the guys, those last two plays, because we, you know,

03:14we, they ran zone for four and a half minutes.

03:17So those last two plays, we, to drop two plays, one versus man, one versus zone.

03:21They ended up running man both times to, for us to get that execution, get it to the right

03:27guy, create an advantage, both times, really, you know, they, they, we had an advantage.

03:31Austin was easily going to race that and create a five on four or four on three.

03:35So I thought that was huge from our guys.

03:39Um, you know, we're, this is, I'm so proud of this group right now.

03:45Honestly, it's from, from where we were like three weeks ago, where we're discombobulated

03:51and guys are missing training camp and guys are modified participants.

03:58Um, we're starting to come together and, uh, I've asked a lot.

04:02I've asked a lot of these guys and I'm asking a lot of them while we're undermanned and they,

04:09they're delivering, they're delivering, they, they, they, they earned this victory.

04:14That guy is going to show up in the big moments.

04:18It's not surprised.

04:20He's done that many times in his career.

04:22He's done that many times since I've been his coach.

04:24Feel very comfortable with him making decisions at late game.

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