Paul George Talks about Batum's Commitment and His Team's Preparation
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00:00Raise your hand with questions, please.
00:04And we will get started with our first from Tomer.
00:09Hey, Paul, congrats on the win.
00:12Just you guys didn't really know what
00:14would happen with Nick today.
00:16I'm just curious, your thoughts as a teammate.
00:18He's had a pretty emotional day.
00:20But what does it say to you guys that he's
00:21able to go from being a father one minute,
00:25coming to having a game, playing well,
00:26and then going back to being a father?
00:28What does that say to you as a teammate?
00:32You appreciate it.
00:33I mean, we would have respected him either way.
00:38We know the decision and how big of a moment
00:42this is for his family.
00:48My respect for him is 100.
00:51He had a win-win situation.
00:56And I think he's just showing his commitment to his team.
01:00And to be able to balance both is an incredible, incredible
01:09thing that he did.
01:11Honestly, this game, it's a game at the end of the day.
01:18He would have had my full vote to be with his family
01:23and miss the game tonight.
01:25But it just shows his commitment to this team.
01:28Thank you.
01:31Next, we will go to LaMari.
01:35Hey, Paul, congrats on the win tonight.
01:38You got the same team on Sunday, but it's a matinee game.
01:43And this team has had inconsistent performances
01:46in early starts before going back to last year.
01:49Obviously, the tough game against Dallas,
01:51and then the rough start against Chicago,
01:54even though you guys were able to get that one in the end.
01:57How do you kind of change the preparation,
02:00knowing that's the same team, but a different start
02:02time in less than 48 hours?
02:05Yeah, I mean, we just got to come ready.
02:06That's all it is, just come ready, just be prepared,
02:09get into our preparation early.
02:12That's all it is.
02:16Simple as that, we just got to be ready, whatever it is,
02:19whatever it takes, whatever it is.
02:21Everybody just got to start that engine early.
02:26Thank you.
02:26Next, we'll go to Andrew Grave.
02:32Hey, Paul, when the season started,
02:36you and Kawhi talked a lot about how important
02:38it was that you were both starting off from training camp
02:41together, healthy, and what you thought
02:42that could do for you guys as a team.
02:45Now that you're more than a fifth of the way
02:47through the season, how important
02:49has it been for not only you guys getting off
02:52the start you've had, but you think the whole team,
02:54have you guys ready from the jump?
02:57I mean, it's very important.
03:00I think just the sooner we can get chemistry,
03:02the sooner we can be on the floor together
03:04and build and grow, the better.
03:06I think everybody's starting off healthy.
03:10Besides Mook, it helped us.
03:14And it was great, Mook came in and picked up
03:17right where he left off.
03:19But the more we can, us starting off together
03:23was only just better for the team.
03:25Yeah, thanks.
03:28Next, we'll go to Miriam.
03:33Congrats on the win.
03:36So you guys, obviously, you were just
03:38saying it's important you guys are getting down there.
03:44Today, you guys had a good start, like you guys liked it.
03:48But you were able to kind of maintain your composure
03:51when the shots weren't falling and Oklahoma City was kind
03:55of chipping away.
03:56How important is that for you guys,
03:57just kind of the experience kind of holding
03:59onto a lead like that?
04:02I mean, it's just learning to deal with adversity.
04:08Teams going to make runs, regardless
04:11if it's a top team or a young team.
04:19You just got to learn how to win in adversity
04:21and know how to weather the storm.
04:25It makes no difference which team gets hot,
04:28which team goes on a run that we're playing against.
04:31It's more so about us withstanding that
04:32and executing down the stretch when we need to win the game.
04:37Next, we'll go to Farbad.
04:40Hey, PG.
04:42On an aside from the game, today was the anniversary
04:46of Kobe hitting the 81 points against the Toronto Raptors.
04:48I just want to know what your thoughts were about it
04:50as somebody who was a big fan of his, when the moment was
04:53happening.
04:54Were you texting your friends?
04:55Like, what's the immediate reaction
04:57as you're seeing it in real time?
05:00Yeah, I mean, I was 16 years old.
05:02I was watching it.
05:03I watched the game live in my living room.
05:07And I was, as everybody else was, just in awe.
05:14I think what made it such an inspiring game
05:20was that it was the determination to will,
05:25to will this team back to the W. I
05:28think that's what stood out the most.
05:29You saw him literally do whatever
05:32it took to win that game.
05:33And it called for him to score 81.
05:37And it just was another notch under his belt
05:42for him being one of the best players that ever played
05:44this game.
05:47Thank you, Paul.
05:48Have a good night.
05:49Thank you, guys.
05:54We should have time for one more question.
05:56We should have quiet shortly.