The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Mike D'Antoni On Game 5 Defense: We Did What We Were Supposed To Do

Episode Date: August 31, 2020

Mike D'Antoni On Game 5 Defense: We Did What We Were Supposed To

On the trail, it's hard. And it drops it down with a left hand hammer. This is Coach Dan Tony. Matt Thomas is a great guy. And I always listen to the radio show. On mute. What a shot. It's just the worst promotion that we have is when Coach Dan Tony says he listens to my show on mute.

I know for a fact, Coach Dan Tony, as soon as you get back to Houston, Texas, you're going to be wanting to listen to my show every single day, 12 to 3. Is that right, coach? I can't wait I can't wait I'm sure I've been missing it all I'm talking about is you guys finish off the series tonight right

that's all I've been talking about so far in the first half hour well it'll be nice I mean you know we will have to play well they're not going anywhere and they will be vulnerable but you know if we play well then we should do our job you guys put the defensive clamps on them

I mean 80 points coach that's that might be the best single defensive a performance since you've been coaching this basketball team. What did you put in the pregame meal that made them go so ferocious on the defensive side of things? Well, as always, it's a little bit of both. I mean, it's not just us.

They did not shoot the ball well. They didn't play real well. So, you know, you got that. But we did what we're supposed to do. We followed the game plan and we got we locked in and, you know, it was good. So, you know, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. I'm sure tonight we'll have a different beast on our hands. But, you know, we know what we're supposed to do, and hopefully we can do it.

Somebody asked me about whether or not Billy might make a change in the lineup, maybe moving Stephen Adams out, maybe going a little bit smaller. And I didn't have an answer for him, but I want to ask you, how difficult is it? Does it ruin a rhythm sometimes when you have to make starting lineup changes, not because of injury? And how often have you done that over your coaching career? I doubt if I've ever done it.

You play a certain way and you have a, Billy's a really good coach. So I'm sure he's playing the team the best way that they can play. And you might be able to make one level adjustment, but not adjustment to how we're playing, what we're doing, what, you know, all that. That would be tough. You know, it's hard for a coach. Like any law, you don't ask a question, you don't know the answer to it. And if you just go to something you've never really done or just, you know,

you better be really sure because, you know, the bottom line is 3 to 2. If not 3-0, it's not, you know, at that point, maybe, you know, Carson do win. But you've got to be really careful. Just under 24 minutes for Russell Westbrook for the game on the game for you, coach. Just overall, your assessment, how did he look out there? What did you think of the shot selection and got led the team in assists as well just in those 24 minutes? overall, how do you play for you? Well, you know, I don't know.

It must be. I expect him every game getting better. You know, I'm glad we blew it out because I think I was going to go over to 25 minutes. It might have been a fight on the sideline between the traders. But it worked out. And I expect, like I said, I expect him to get better every time. So, you know, it's not easy. It's not easy to come back at, you know, such a big game after.

all the time off, but I expect every game would be a little bit better. How did you like just having an extra piece? I know there's a lot of folks that, you know, come playoff time, you have eight guys in rotation, you're able to get nine going while the game was still in play. What was it like just having him and being able to move House to the bench and just kind of see what he could do for you coming off the bench? Well, you know, it's good to have it, you know, eight or nine guys that we can go to have a full lineup.

That's really good. You know, that's how we, you know, hopefully it can remain that way. We don't want to lose anybody. They're all important. So it's good. P.J. Tucker and Dennis Schroeder got after a little bit. The NBA fined him $25,000. Are you the one that has to be the bearer of bad news or how does PJ find out he's $25,000 in the wallet?

No, that's the hell of the job. It's my job. You know, I'm sure, you know, the way it was going, I'm sure he's happy. it was because it could easily bend, you know, I gain suspension. I don't know if he loses more or less, but it would be happening no matter what. So, you know, I thought the NBA did a good job and, you know, let the players decide the contest and not interject in it. Has Schroeder been the biggest surprise so far in this series in terms of just no matter

how tough you guard him, no matter where he is on the floor, he has just been a thorn in the rocket side because when he's on the floor, he's just scoring in a very high pace. Well, he's good, and so it's not a surprise. He's shooting a box cream as well as in, you know, great confidence right now. So we'll have to watch him. But now, I don't think it's a part. He was a very good player in Atlanta as the plate as the point guard and led their team for years.

So, no, he's a starter coming up to a bit. So, yeah, he's one of the better players in the league. I want to go back to this fine thing for a second. Have you ever been fined by the NBA? Just technicals. Okay, so you call Laurel and you say, hey, they're going to duck like $300 on my check. Does she give you any grief on that or not? Are she okay with this?

$300? No, I wouldn't have to make the call for $300. It's a little bit more expensive. Well, I had to guess. I had no idea what a technical foul cost. But anyway, no, it's part of the game. and she understand. All right.

I understand. A couple of things. Eric Gordon only took three shots in the game from three point range. What he was able to do and attack in the basket, for a guy that's not shooting the ball well, he's still one of your better finishers. How happy were you to see him be as productive as he was? Well, it's great.

I mean, he's got to mix the two in, and I don't want to lose confidence in his shot either because when he has a roll and he's good from doing both. So he has to make that decision when he's on the floor. If he's more comfortable driving, and since this team that we have, it really opens up the floor. You know, obviously it does for us,

but it also does from James and Eric and Austin Rubber. So, you know, there are benefits out of playing small. But you've got to take advantage of it. We want Eric to find his stroke and be confident with him. We're confident. But, yeah, he's going to make that determination and whatever he feels comfortable he'll do. And he's always been a street guy for you in his Rockets career coach.

What is the difference between Eric Gordon in rhythm making his shots or Eric Gordon struggling from three? Is it just that's the way it goes or is there something more? Like you mentioned, the confidence or the shot selection or something like that? That's the way it goes, Matt. If the coaches have the answer to that I want, we'd have nobody ever struggling, right? So now it's the way it goes.

You just have to play through it, and you get you good. You get into cycles, sometimes you get in your own head. Everybody's got confidence in him, and he'll be fine. Speaking of guys getting back in rhythm, Robert Covington hitting some big shots for you. That had to be a good sign because I don't think he ever felt uber comfortable, or at least the numbers would show that during the bubble time in the regular season, but postseason's been a different situation

and much more positive for you guys. Well, definitely what the second half especially, I thought he played really well. And when he gives us that, he gives us another. a bunch of points and then also his defense and everything. It picks everybody up. And when you're making shots, everything's a lot better. Obviously, it's easier. So, yeah, that was a big boost for us.

All right. So if you're Oklahoma City, how are you stopping you guys tonight? Are you getting ideas for them? No, no. They're going to do what they've got to do. We kind of know, you know, at this point, it might make a few little adjustments. But, you know, at this point, they know what we're doing.

They know what we're doing. It's going to be a battle of wheels. And I know they're not going to go away. Like I said, they're extremely well coached. And you've got some of the best competitors in the league on the other side. So they're coming after us. And we'll have to play well to beat them. We'll leave it at that.

We'll talk with you later tonight. Coach, thanks to the time as always. And we'll visit again next week. We appreciate it. Sounds good. All right. You got it. Mike Dan, Tony, with us here on his Sports Talk 790.

Time is 1241. What I wanted to, what I wanted to ask him when I wanted to say was, do you want to see Lou Dort try some more three-pointers? That's very rude, Matt. And he'd be like, Matt, you can't ask me that question. But the answer is yes. He's not going to go 0 for nine every game, is he? Well, I don't know.

Man, I actually had something. If I gave you $1,000 to bet, Looddored 0 for 9 or Ludoord 4 for 6? I'll probably go O'Fern 9. Yeah, as I figured. Oh, yeah. I actually, at one point, I almost started, almost started to feel bad for Looddard.

but I could still, I had to stop taking shots at him. That's really, that's a coach's fault, right? Matt Baird once told me, he said Rudy Tom Janovic told him, I'm putting you out there and I want you to shoot because that's how you got to the NBA. If you're not making your shots, it's on me to get you out of there. And that's exactly what Billy Donovan didn't do. I think he became so enamored and, hey, let's try to stop James Hart. you're our best perimeter defender

that he gave up on the offensive end. And for a team that's going to be challenged offensively to begin with besides Schroeder, by the way, Gildes Alexander's been not much the last couple of games. Denial Garanari was awful. That was a risk that Billy Donovan went down with the ship with, and I think he lost badly on it.

Because not only did the Rockets of Just Liu being out there, but he was a liability for that basketball team on the offensive side of the floor. Yeah, we've seen it from Andre Robertson and others, and that it's basically the guy on him gets to place free. They've been doing it with James Harden. James Harden just plays free safety.

He doesn't have to guard him at all. And the way to stop that is to make a couple of shots. So, I mean, otherwise you're just playing four on five. And so Dort's going to have to step up and make a couple of those shots and keep the Rockets honest. I don't know that he has the capability of doing that, but that's what he's going to have to try. If the Rockets lose tonight because Lou Dort is hit four or three-pointers and it just wasn't meant to be. Yeah, and the game before, he was three of nine. So, I mean, if he can do that, if he can shoot 33%, which is about his season average, I think.

Well, yeah, he's a little bit under that. But if he can do something like that, if he can just do enough to keep the Rockets on us, then that will be huge for them. All right, Astros news in terms of not playing. There are quite a few things going on with the trade deadline. We'll update you on that in a moment. 1243 is a time. It is the Matt Thomas show 713-212-5-790. 7-13-212-5-790.

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