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00:00 about the team needing to shoot more three-pointers right now
00:04 for the first six games.
00:05 When you look at the film that takes it,
00:07 more of you guys aren't creating those opportunities.
00:09 You're not-- you're taking the wrong ones.
00:11 How would you say it's kind of the key to unlock more--
00:14 Oh, yeah, I don't think it's necessarily one thing.
00:17 Like, I mean, in Indiana, it's definitely the way they--
00:22 that's the way they're guarding.
00:24 You know, they're not helping as much
00:26 of penetration into the paint.
00:29 So, I mean, you know, look at--
00:33 we're not shooting a lot of threes,
00:34 but we need to shoot more.
00:35 We're also forcing the NBA to put some paint.
00:38 So, you know, we're getting the ball
00:41 going towards the basket, which is critical.
00:44 And it's just, you know, it's those decisions of,
00:48 you know, when you have open guys,
00:51 you know, like, kick out threes,
00:55 you know, can be--
00:56 you know, we actually lost one game yesterday.
01:00 Mello, just the minutes you kind of, I guess,
01:02 going a little bit,
01:03 increasing the last couple of games,
01:05 it seems like much more possible.
01:07 Just where is he at with that condition-wise?
01:10 With Terry out now, you know, Brandon,
01:12 you obviously used the issue over the last game.
01:15 What about your backup?
01:16 Yeah, so, Mello, we can't play Mello like that.
01:20 That little minute is long.
01:22 That was just what--
01:25 if he was rolling, you know,
01:29 it's a chance to win like a real deal
01:31 would have been a great weekend.
01:33 And so we just went with it,
01:35 but we're not going to do that.
01:36 We can't play those second half.
01:38 And, you know, and then we'll just see
01:42 if she'll play again tonight,
01:43 if Bryce will play again tonight.
01:45 And, you know, we'll play those guys in the first half
01:48 and just kind of, you know,
01:49 see in the second half if we play well.
01:51 And then with Bryce, I would say he--
01:54 a little bit of the injury increase
01:56 he's in training camp.
01:57 Just where do you think he's at right now?
01:59 He's kind of a rotation to Terry.
02:00 I thought he played well.
02:02 You know, watching the film,
02:03 he was very solid and both ends of the floor.
02:07 You know, and he-- you know, again,
02:09 one of the things that happens is, you know,
02:11 we don't play five-on-five as much practice
02:14 than we used to start.
02:15 So he does stuff, you know,
02:17 the guys that don't play,
02:18 play three-on-three, two-on-two like that.
02:21 But when you start playing every other day,
02:23 we don't do a lot of contact,
02:24 so it's hard for those guys.
02:27 Coach, leading the NBA in points in the league,
02:29 like you said, is this something that you had
02:31 as maybe a goal to circle out your list
02:32 before the season started?
02:34 Or is it more your--
02:35 kind of reaping the benefits of--
02:37 No, I mean, it's just like--
02:38 to me, it's-- no matter what,
02:41 it's a big part of it,
02:42 it's your shot profile.
02:44 So, you know, the best thing you can do
02:45 is get fouled,
02:47 which is, believe it or not,
02:48 a lot better than shooting a layup.
02:50 So, I mean, last year in the NBA,
02:52 I'll be the same this year,
02:53 it's been like this forever.
02:55 'Cause last year, free throw was 1.56 points
02:59 per possession.
03:00 A layup was 1.32,
03:02 so think about that.
03:03 That is an extraordinary difference, right?
03:06 People talk about threes.
03:08 A corner three is like 1.16, I think.
03:12 And a ball to break three is like 1.11.
03:15 So, getting fouled is the one thing you want.
03:18 That's why getting the ball
03:19 going to the basket is such a big deal.
03:22 But also, a layup is far, far better
03:25 than a three, you know?
03:28 And so, all of that, for most teams,
03:30 I'm gonna just say this 'cause Bell's here,
03:32 except for Golden State,
03:34 for every other team,
03:35 if you look at three-point efficiency
03:39 when the ball hits the paint
03:41 versus when it doesn't,
03:42 it's night and day.
03:44 So, it's still, I remember Phil Jackson
03:46 saying this a long time ago,
03:48 one thing that'll never change
03:49 is the matter of the rules.
03:50 The game is about penetration,
03:52 and you've gotta get the ball
03:53 going to the paint,
03:55 and then you've gotta make
03:56 the right decisions.
03:57 So, I mean, we wanna score
04:00 in the paint for sure.
04:02 We're also, I believe,
04:05 10th in free throw attempts,
04:07 I believe, which is good,
04:09 not great, but good.
04:12 But, you know, we gotta get
04:13 our three-point numbers up,
04:15 and we gotta get the right,
04:16 you know, for most players,
04:19 if you want spot-on threes,
04:21 but they don't have the dribble
04:22 to fall.
04:23 Mellow's actually, I think last year
04:25 there were like seven guys
04:27 who were truly efficient
04:30 shooting the ball off the dribble
04:32 from above the break.
04:33 Mellow was one of those guys.
04:36 But there aren't many guys
04:37 in the league that, I mean,
04:38 even though it looks good,
04:39 that are good, it's just not.
04:42 - Steve, what concerns you
04:43 about Washington's pace?
04:46 - Well, for one, you know,
04:48 they're good at it, too, so far.
04:50 We've been terrible
04:51 at getting back, you know,
04:52 so, you know, our defense
04:54 can get a lot better quickly
04:57 if we do two things.
04:58 If we start getting our defense set,
05:00 which we've been really poor at
05:02 so far, and they'll take
05:03 full advantage of that,
05:04 and stop fouling.
05:06 You know, we're 28th and foul.
05:09 So if you look at it,
05:11 our effort defensively,
05:12 for the most part, is good.
05:15 But we give up too many
05:16 fast break points.
05:17 Some of that's been off turnovers
05:18 the last two games,
05:19 it's been better.
05:22 And then the other thing is
05:23 we've got to stop fouling.
05:24 I mean, it doesn't matter
05:25 how hard you play.
05:27 Fouling the gates, all of that.
05:30 You know, no matter what you do,
05:31 you can have good possession
05:32 after good possession.
05:33 We showed the guys two yesterday,
05:36 multiple efforts,
05:37 everybody doing what they do,
05:38 then there's a drive
05:39 and we slap down.
05:40 Again, there's no worse play
05:43 you can make in the NBA defense
05:44 when you didn't foul somebody
05:45 for a couple of hours.
05:47 It's not close.
05:48 You've got to be able to
05:49 defend without fouling.
05:51 And right now, we're really
05:52 bad at that.
05:54 - On the flip side,
05:55 Steve, with you guys being
05:56 the top in points to make,
05:58 their last three games,
05:59 averaging about 60 to make,
06:01 how do you combat that
06:02 defensively, to your point,
06:04 struggling to get back
06:05 to transition?
06:07 - Yeah.
06:08 Well, that's why, to me,
06:10 the defensive transition part
06:13 is just--I mean,
06:15 it's floor balance, you know,
06:16 because we're trying
06:17 to offensive rebound.
06:18 And then it's just effort.
06:20 You know, like,
06:21 we're just not right now,
06:23 you know, we're just not
06:24 disciplined enough.
06:26 So that's something
06:27 that can be fixed.
06:28 It's not something
06:29 that you have to practice.
06:30 You know, we were--
06:32 last year, we were third
06:33 in the NBA, I believe,
06:34 third or fourth
06:35 in transition defense.
06:37 I mean, you can--it's--
06:39 people don't talk about it enough,
06:40 especially now,
06:41 everybody's playing so quickly.
06:44 Like, I believe,
06:45 when I was here
06:46 for four or five years,
06:47 I don't think we were
06:48 ever worse than Ford
06:49 in Orlando.
06:50 I don't think, well,
06:52 we did the--
06:53 you know, we traded
06:54 all the guys there
06:55 for the first two years.
06:57 [laughter]
06:59 Don't break my heart.
07:00 [laughter]
07:02 You know, the first two years
07:03 in Orlando,
07:04 I think we were top four.
07:06 And it's a huge part of it,
07:08 you can't take it for granted.
07:10 But we are trying
07:11 to offensive rebound more
07:12 in that space.
07:13 It's a big part of it, too.
07:15 - This might be
07:16 the most simplest question
07:17 I've probably ever asked you.
07:18 Why don't teams
07:19 talk on defense?
07:22 - That's a good point.
07:23 I know for our team,
07:24 we talk, we're good.
07:26 I mean, I don't think
07:27 there's any--
07:29 I don't think there's
07:30 any bigger component
07:32 of your defense
07:33 that all starts with talk.
07:35 Talk brings organization.
07:38 Talk helps your teammates
07:39 play better.
07:41 Like, when we're energized,
07:43 at least last year,
07:44 we had a replay, we talked.
07:46 In Houston, it crushes.
07:48 Just crushes,
07:49 'cause I'm right there.
07:50 You know, and in the first quarter
07:51 in Houston,
07:52 if she had to say to me,
07:53 "What was the biggest problem?"
07:55 We weren't talking.
07:56 And then we did.
07:57 You know, and then in Indiana
07:59 and in Dallas,
08:00 I guess two teams
08:02 that will be, like,
08:03 you know, top, whatever,
08:05 easily top 10 offensive teams.
08:07 We struggled at times,
08:08 but we were talking
08:10 and it brings energy.
08:12 So, yeah, I don't know
08:15 what the answer for that is.
08:17 It's obviously--
08:18 it's one of the habits
08:19 that as a coaching staff
08:20 you try to build.
08:21 But I know for our team--
08:23 well, listen, I don't--
08:24 any team, like,
08:26 when a team's ready to play,
08:27 they're talking.
08:28 You can see it on the floor.
08:30 That's it.
08:32 [BLANK_AUDIO]