Game 7: GSW @ Cleveland. Lester Quinones interview. Plus open thread.
Game 7: GSW @ Cleveland. Lester Quinones interview. Plus open thread.
Probably doesn't smell like champagne anymore
Inspirational verse from Lester Quinones’s post-game interview on 2023-10-15
How important is it for you guys to get some clutch moments experience in this preseason?
I feel like those are the moments where you're just being tested. I feel like those are the moments when Steve kind of locks in and sees like, okay, I could trust him in this situation or Steve kind of looks for the future. Can I trust him in a late game situation where I go out there and tell him don't foul and he goes out there and fouls, then he might lose a little bit of trust in you. It's just going out there getting battle tested and earning that trust with Steve to where if he tells you something in those clutch. you execute it, it adds a little bit more to your leash. And I feel like we did that today. That's what kind of helped us pull out that win.
What are you doing to earn the trust?
Just doing the little things like that, running over, asking him what sets do we wanna run? What spots do you want certain guys in? And I'm kind of organizing guys in there. Our defensive schemes, kind of every free throw, box out, every free throw going up to Steve and asking what he wants.
When we were up at the end, he kind of emphasized: don't foul, and switch everything. So I made sure I went over there, talked to everybody, talked it out with everybody, made sure everybody was on the same page. Hopefully just building that trust with him.
You were one of the top scorers in Las Vegas, so it's a slow start to the preseason for you. How does it feel to finally get going in the scoring department?
It feels great. It feels amazing. Finally seeing it go through the net. What did I, two for six, shot a couple of end of shot clock ones, a full court one. I told HB, he kind of contested me on that full court one, but I feel like I got some pretty good looks tonight. Kind of got in the flow, four rebounds, four assists. Just trying to be more active, getting more involved. Defensively being in the right spots, just earning that trust with Steve to where I don't make those mistakes or those little mental lapses where it's like, okay, I can't see him in this situation with us. So I feel like that's what I've been locked in on and today I feel like I was locked in on that 100%.
Do you feel like solidified in your two way spot a couple games in?
I'm just controlling what I could control now at this point. Like I said, going out there, coming right off the bench, just playing with that spark and that energy, giving my scoring ability. I feel like it's kind of known that I can score the ball, shoot the ball. So just doing all the other little things: defensively, extra help, talking, setting guys up, doing all this stuff that other people don't want to do. Rebounding, crashing, guarding the best guy, stuff like that. So like I said, you gotta start somewhere and kind of just build off that. So like I said, controlling what I can control now, it's just the main thing I'm focusing on.
We have guys like Steph, Klay, Wiggs, JK solidifying himself as a scorer. We have guys like that to where, like I said, we're being tested to where Steve is testing guys to see if I could trust him on the floor with Steph Clay and Draymond. To not come down and wanna hunt for my own shot or look for a crazy shot and make a crazy turnover. But being in the right spots for them, adjusting with them because defense around the league changes a certain way when those guys even step on the floor. So being in those positions in those spots to execute and like I said, be ready for that moment when my name is called to go out there and play with those guys.
Is that tough to turn on and off, going from shooting everything, now you're with the big club, you go to Santa Cruz where you can shoot everything in, is that hard to kind of balance?
Yeah, 1,000%, and I feel like that's what makes you a pro at the end of the day. That professional part of it is being able to go down and adjust your game. Like I said, going down and having to play a certain way for Santa Cruz to win and then coming back. Like I said, we have guys like Steph scoring 30 a night, Klay and Wiggs getting 20 a night, Draymond who's getting seven to eight assists a night, Loon making plays. So we have guys who are already solidified their role doing it on this team at this level, at a high level for years. So like I said, coming in and fitting in with them is the biggest part. And like I said, I'm getting more comfortable with it, starting to figure it out more. And like I said, just earning Steve's trust.
GAME DETAILS
WHEN: 2023-11-05 3:00 PM Pacific
WHO: Golden State Warriors at Cleveland
WATCH: NBCSN Bay Area
post game thread: https://open.substack.com/pub/dubnation/p/post-game-thread-warriors-fall-in?r=3lm3s&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
The idea is we are smaller faster and more skilled; while they are bigger especially down low but less talented on the perimeter. So let's go style against style. That can work *if* ... you make your shots. But although we were 39% from three, we were 36% from the field overall. You don't see that often, one percentage higher than the other. But it matches the game I watched. The Cav defense down low was suffocating. I think if Kuminga had not puked up the first half, and CP had remembered how to shoot a basketball, we might have had a chance. Well played game by LeBron and co.