The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Head Coach Ime Udoka Joins The Show Giving The Rockets Perspective Before Game 6

Episode Date: May 2, 2025

Head Coach Ime Udoka Joins The Show Giving The Rockets Perspective Before Game 6

We're going to grab Coach IMA Adoka right now for a few minutes before he gets ready for the team shoot-around, which will be getting ready for tonight's game number six. Rockets and Warriors will start it off at 7 o'clock on KTRH tip time at 8 o'clock here from the Bay Area. Coach, first of all, congratulations on a spectacular win in game number five. The must-win mantra, obviously in effect. How are the boys approaching and everybody feeling leaning into tonight's game in terms of coming here, two close games, two winnable games, and now you've got to get one here to say. and hopefully back to Houston.

Yeah, guys are feeling confident. Obviously, to your point, we had some really close games, and I had opportunities in both of them. And now it's time to flip the script. Obviously, you've got to win these games and make a few subtle adjustments to come out with a different outcome. The subtle adjustments, obviously, you want to keep those close to the vest as best you can. Have you been surprised by the different number of lineups

that Steve has put out there against you guys so far in this series? No, I wouldn't say that. obviously Butler being injured was part of it, but, you know, some of the things we're doing with our matchups have given them some problems. And so they want to put more threats out there and, you know, try to pick on Alpi and pick on different guys and not have the favorable matchups that we like. And so we've adjusted well to them. And it's just a chess match back and forth. Our big lineups, they're small lineups and everything in between. And obviously the team that adjusts on the fly quicker and obviously in game will have an advantage.

you're such a smart man when it comes to staying away from social media and for that I applaud you I cannot do that so what I've done is looked around everybody's giving me their expert opinions on what's going to have to happen for them to win the game or what's going to happen for you guys it feels like to me the overall sentiment is that Jimmy Butler is going to have to have a bigger role offensively you would like to curtail that what's the most effective thing you think your guys have done to make him a non-affactor the last couple of games well attention to detail with what he likes to do, but the main thing is keeping them off the free throw line. Obviously, the game, he had 27, he had 12 free throws, 12 for 12 there. And other than that, we guard him okay. I think he was seven

for 16 from the field. And if you don't put him at the free throw line, nine of his 12 were not even on shots. They were just fouls we gave him off ball. I mean, the one three-pointer, obviously late hurt us, but keeping him off the free throw line, stand down on the pump fakes and understand he's trying to bait foul is a big thing. And he has his big games, traditionally across the board when he gets the free throw line. And he's, he's, can get his rest. He can get everybody else set defensively, and so we got to keep him off the line. We're architect coach. Emaidoka with here on Sports Talk 790. Coach, one thing that people don't really talk about a lot nationally is when this series shifted from a couple of days off between games to just one day off in between games, I feel like that gives the younger team in your squad the advantage. Would you agree with that?

And just in general, adjusting when a series does go to the every other day? Yeah, I think, you know, the fresher, younger team does have an advantage there. You've got their main three players are 35 and over. And so the way you want to be aggressive defensively and physical and, you know, have attention to detail on these guys, you want to make a tough on them every possession. And so physically, that starts to wear on you, obviously, mentally as well. And the freshness goes away when you don't have two days of rest.

And so we like where we're at right now. Like I said, we can duplicate what we did last game and be physical there. out fouling. That's a benefit to us. And you would think part of the reason they shut it down early was to try to get rested up for this game. Jalen Green looked like he had a bit of a knee issue at the beginning of the game. How is he feeling?

And what are your expectations for him in game six? He's good to go. Jalen is always good. He's going to play through everything. He cut baseline and bump knee to knee with Curry. And so literally came out, got some ice and heat on it and it was good to go from there.

So a minor bump that he's going to play through as you know and just a quick stinger in the game. Eme, the free throws were going down, the jump shots were going down, Fred's had two really good games. Honestly, to me, if you guys win this series, I don't think it has to be

out being Jalen by himself. I love the balance scoring and obviously you want to get everybody involved, but that had to been as pleasing of a box score for you to look at to see so many different guys contribute in that game five victory. No, definitely. I think we've always been really good when we have balanced,

and anybody can be the leader of, you know, as far as scoring that night. But to your point, Alpi had 15-9-9-9. Obviously, you're not scoring a ton like he has in his 30s, but the nine assists are because of the double teams, the attention he draws, and he's making the right play there. And so starters all in double figures. You had Aaron with nine off the bench, Tari with nine, Jabari with seven. Those guys all obviously played a significant role.

And so we're hard when we come with that balance and coming those waves. And so anybody's night, obviously, Dillon between, 24. A man with 25 and Fred were 26 is huge, but our team really attacks well together. And when the ball is moving around the gym, guys are all sharing the ball and finding those shots. Like I said, it makes us that much harder. Look, you need to win a game based off of 48 minutes. But there were two stretches in game four here that really hurt. The early start and then the 18 to 1 start for them in the third quarter.

Obviously, you want to erase that. Is there anything? Do you chop up games like that? I've actually it before, but do you think about those five or six-minute integral parts of games that go, hey, this separates us from winning a close game like we can do against his Golden State team? Definitely. A big part of this series is to avoid the runs. They're a big momentum team that gets going off of turnovers and things of that nature,

putting them at the free throw line, and we did all the above. Obviously, at the start of the game, we had too many turnovers that get out ran, and then to start the third quarter, it was a little bit more of the same. but love how we bounced back last game, obviously 40 to 24 in the first quarter, so we got it extremely well, and we were obviously scoring at a high level. And so bounced back from that. I loved how the starters came out there and then did the same thing in the third quarter. This has been a very physical series, a lot of trash talk, which I'm sure you love,

and there's been a lot of reviews for altercations. But what is it like for you as far as talking to the team about you want to keep that physical and mental edge, but you don't necessarily want to give up free points with technical fouls, and you also don't want anybody getting ejected. Yeah, it's a balance. You understand both teams are being aggressive. You can play physical without being dirty or anything like that. And so for us, we know who they are.

They know who we are. And you've got to avoid the antics from certain guys and not get caught up. And then I think our guys have done a decent job of that overall. There's going to be some physicality and things that happen as far as that. But for the most part, if you do get a technical or something, you move on to the next play, but not getting baited into things. that's the main thing.

So a big thing going into a series was not getting caught up in certain things by certain players, and I think we've done a decent job of that. For a let's your run, Coach, Pop announcing officially he's going to step down his head coach. I know you have been in contact with him over the last few months in his recovery. Just from what I learned from the guy as a coach, as a man that has been a huge part of your life, just a thought or two about the legacy that he will leave San Antonio as a coach of a, multiple time championship team. Yeah,

you know, bittersweet, obviously, and, you know, I talked to him last week and knew it was coming. And so for him, just happy that he's, you know,

moving on at peace and can spend time with the family and he's in a good place. And so, yeah, I mean, he means everything in my career as far as, as a player, you know, the place I played for the most of my career,

two and a half years there, and then spent seven as a coach. But, yeah, the lessons, it's funny. You take these, lessons you hear about them all these years and then just random times during the game you start thinking about things that he's either said or things you've witnessed with him and they go go into your mind in live game time and so so many things obviously the best to do it in my opinion and

I got to learn from the best and it's an honor and like I said we'll continue to I'll go visit him after the season and we'll continue to do what we've always done have that relationship but you know someone I owe everything to honestly you may thank you for the very visit. Best of luck for you in the squad tonight and looking forward to getting this game seven back in Houston, Texas. Thank you. You got to be Mandukkah with us here

on the Matt Thomas show at Ross, and they are literally about to step on the court for shoot-rounds. We appreciate him grabbing a few minutes of his time before they do that.