There was a moment about six minutes.

Um, in the fourth quarter with the team was down by five and the starters were in the game.

How impressed were you down the stretch with how the team close out the game and I got the first one of the season?

Very impressed.

I mean, um, way were kind of in and out of the game.

Throughout the game.

We had our highs and our lows and of keeping our composure and fighting back, dealing with adversity and all of those things we did tonight on we came up with the wind.

I mean, James obviously was great down the stretch.

P.

J.

Tucker made huge plays down the stretch.

Christian, I mean, everybody.

That last group was really, really good.

John Wall.

Um, obviously So, uh, it was just grind it out tough, find a way to win game.

And luckily, we have the players that are able to do it.

Cody Davis.

Hey, Coach, Congrats on your first win.

Um, can you talk about the, um, DeMarcus cousins skill set as a playmaker?

Um, there was a couple of times throughout this game we was able to see him actually find his his teammates and stuff and just how much of it as an advantage it is to have a big to who can be ableto see the floor.

Justus Well as Harden in Wall.

Yeah, I mean, it's huge.

It's huge.

Have him out there.

Being able to stretch the defense and make threes is made one tonight, but also, you know, get his teammates involved because he draws so much attention, whether he's in the paint or on the perimeter.

So for him to have three assists Bond make make some big plays for other guys really is a testament to him and his versatility.

Jonathan Fagan after kind of a ragged start, How did you feel the defense came around?

Um, it was ragged.

Way had our ups and downs, but I think down the stretch of the of the game, we came up with some big stops, you know, like when we were down five and we needed stop after stop after stop.

We were getting those stops, and, um, you know, it's a it's a we're working progress.

Asai.

Keep continuing to say we haven't been together long.

We haven't, um, really had a bunch of practice time to get all of our defensive concepts together, and we've kind of gone back and forth between switching and not switching and, uh, switching part.

We have guys who are comfortable with, but other guys who have worked here last year who aren't necessarily so comfortable with it, and then we have the part where we're playing a little bit more traditional and you know everybody is kind of trying to get used to that.

So it's a work in progress.

We're gonna be fine defensively is until the guys, as long as we are working and trying hard and playing hard through some of the mistakes that were making, will get better and better and better.

Was there some improvement that just staying in front of your guy cutting off the dribble drives?

Yeah, I mean part of it.

You know, it was great Azaz faras keeping his man in front of John Wall keep his man in front of Women way.

Just have toe, have a good feel for our help and where help is coming from and limiting those those opportunities.

You see they have 58 points in the paint so way.

Too many.

Thank you.

Zach Allen.

A coach.

A great win.

But how did you like how John Wall and James Harden were able to lead, uh, towards the end of the game ableto bring this team to your first victory as a head coach?

It was great.

Excuse me.

Excuse me.

As you know, they haven't been together, and we're still trying to figure it out.

Who has it and who is playing off the ball some.

And they're kind of figuring it out on their own with my help and for both guys that have.

So John had nine assists.

James had eight assists.

Um, they both were obviously good scoring the basketball.

So that's a relationship that just has to grow and get better and better.

And not to make sure that I'm doing things that they could both played in their best play their strength.

Metamucil Even.

What was that?

Like going through the first two games and then seeing all that firepower tonight?

Uh, offensively.

Yeah.

It was great.

It was great.

I mean, much more many more options that thank you.

So we're a little bit more organized Offensively.

We had more things to go to more tools in our toolbox, so to speak.

And, you know, even with that, probably one of the best players in the game tonight with P.

J.

And he didn't even take a shot, you know?

So, um, it's just good toe.

Have the whole group on the floor, and we have to build.

Were playing every other day coming up.

So the preparation part has to be be a film and walk throughs and that sort of thing.

But way got to come together, and it's good that everybody got a piece of it tonight.

Been DuBose coach.

How big psychologically was this when?

Because I know it's just one regular season game, but you had all the upheaval in training camp.

And then if you had started oh, and three, you were down, what, 56 points with five minutes to go.

So dig down deep, get the win, avoid starting going three.

How big is that?

From a confidence perspective, It's huge.

It's huge.

I mean, you try to say every day, just trying to kind of keep the same mentality.

And he does keep kind of grinding away in a in a way that you can't really tell whether you're winning or losing.

But Thio have gone.

Oh, and three, even though we were shorthanded in those first two games, really wanted to put it put a good game together Number one for our home, our home crowd and, uh, home.

You know, being at home in front of people and being our first win is awesome is great and, uh, really meant a lot to me.

Brian Bare field coach.

Can you talk about the things that's not going to show up on the stat sheet as far as Jason States hustle tonight?

Yeah.

I mean, he's everywhere he's.

He plays beyond his years.

He doesn't play like a rookie.

He cuts when he's supposed to cut.

He rebounds when he's supposed to rebound spaces.

Well, the attacks close out any smart, really smart, especially on the defense event.

So all of those things you don't see in the stat sheet, But, you know, you see that he plays 20 plus minutes because I trust him on Hey wouldn't play those minutes if we didn't have that.

If he didn't gain that trust, Adam's fallen Stephen on possessions where James wasn't running the offense.

There were times where he'd be set up in the corner.

There be times there is one possession where he was on the block and got a bucket.

That way, when he doesn't have the ball, how important is it for him to be in those areas of the floor where he can really be a threat?

Yeah, it's very important.

Um, you know, because teams that were throwing double teams at him and when he's bringing the ball up the floor, he is the focus of the attention and with John having the ball and James playing off the ball, but doing stuff so you can get it and go quickly or get a switch and get to his Isil game is important for us.

So making sure that he stays aggressive even though he doesn't have the ball is a very big part of what we've got going on offensively.

We'll take two more Alicante Johnny Stephen.

Towards the end of the game, we saw James kind of takeover.

He had 16 in the fourth.

How'd it feel to be able to watch him a somebody on your side on and help you?

Kind of close out the game as a closer.

Yeah, I felt a lot better being on his side than on the other side for years, that's for sure.

But he's an amazing talent.

Make other players better with his just smarts and knowing the ankles and get to the free throw line.

I thought there were some opportunities that he had, but he didn't get the call.

But hey stayed aggressive on shot, 11 free throws and then the threes.

I mean, he's right.

He's the best in the world at those step back threes.

And he's one of the best players in the world, period.

So, um, to see it up close and personal and have him do it on the on the team that I'm coaching is amazing.

Last question.

Mark burning.

Yeah, Stephen, I don't know if your cinema kind of guy, but will you save anything from this game being that it's your first win like that box score in front of you, anything like that.

They gave me the game ball After the game, the team gave me the game ball, so I'll keep that.

That'll be one to remember hopefully 11 of many, but You know, I've kind of coached games prior to this one year I coached a few games.

And then there's another year.

I coached 21 games and Steve Clifford was out when I got my wins.

That gave me gave balls for for those ones.

But, um, this one means a lot because this one is actually my my win.

And, uh, I'll cherish for sure Who gave you the game ball?

Steven John Wall Job.

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