Chicago Bulls Billy Donovan, Collin Sexton & Tre Jones REACT to WIN vs Phoenix Suns

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You know what I mean?

What do you take from...

You know, extraordinary circumstance.

You know, suns, obviously.

You down.

Seven or eight guys.

I think so at one point that you played briefly,

the third quarter looked like.

But what do you take from this game?

The way that they...

I don't know.

You know, cut the lead,

but they have a hung in at the end.

Yeah, I mean, I think there's plenty of things

because we haven't been necessarily in like a lot,

a lot of close games.

We've been in a couple.

I think the ending of this game,

just from side of the bounds,

and down in the ball,

a couple breakdowns defensively.

You know, Yago had that run out of the dunk.

I thought that that kind of got them out in transition.

There was just some plays that happened that,

you know, I think we can clean up.

But the biggest thing I...

We've tried to focus on is what we can really control.

And I think in this game plan against this team,

you know, one,

they're a really, really good offensive rebounding team, you know.

Two, they really, really turn you over.

And that's been a major problem for us,

since the All-Star Break has been the turnovers.

And then, you know, the third part is they really,

really shoot threes.

And a lot of those times,

those turnovers lead to run out.

So, you know, we felt like we needed to play fast

and get out in transition.

We needed to rebound.

And we needed to take care of the basketball.

I thought those were all things that, you know,

were capable of controlling.

And so...

Yeah, sorry.

It was just more putting the focus on that.

I was, you know, bigger picture, you know,

about the team, you know,

where you've been, you know, losing as many as you have.

And then, you know, winning a game like this against the team

that's in position in the West.

Yeah.

No, I'm happy for...

Yeah, I'm happy for the...

Yeah.

I'm not really just personally happy for...

Just to guys in the locker,

because to your point early before the game,

you know, you've won one game at 11 or 12.

And you see these guys every day.

They keep coming back to try to get better,

to try to improve.

And I've seen improvements.

I've seen the group getting better.

But, you know, sometimes it's hard to swallow

when you don't get the results.

And, you know, I thought we played a good game against Milwaukee.

And I thought we played, you know,

we played okay against Oklahoma City.

Some of the things, you know, with the turnovers.

And some of those things really, really hurt us in that game.

Second half, we got hurt on the backboard.

But we took care of the ball tonight,

better than we had been taking care of the ball.

So, I feel like we've made progress.

But when you don't get results,

it really takes a special group of guys to keep coming back

to try to get better.

And I just happy for the work that they put

into the end chance to get rewarded.

Billy, I was looking at Booker got his,

but it seemed like he really had to work for it.

Isaac was a key culprit in that making him...

he got it, he had to earn it.

Yeah, I thought he was, you know,

I kind of got a little bit upset, you know,

at halftime about, you know,

we were holding the ball too much, I thought.

And we kind of had a...

we could have gone it with a little bit of a bigger lead,

but I just didn't like the way we closed.

We didn't really have a rhythm.

And I told him at halftime,

the hardest guy, the hardest job anybody in our team has,

is Isaac.

And when we hold the ball,

it allows their team to rest and play offense.

And when you deal with an explosive player like that,

you know, you got to be able to move the basketball.

We got to move five bodies.

And I thought the effort that he gave,

even some of the shots that he made were like tough.

He had to earn them.

And he's just a great offensive player.

And there's a lot of them, you know,

like we talked about,

they take a lot of shots in the mid-range

and sometimes as good as he is,

and the shot making ability of him,

you got to kind of like just tip your cap

and just move forward, you know.

But I thought he made it really, really hard

and made him work.

And to your point,

he's that kind of score,

and that gift that he's going to get points.

But I felt like Isaac did an amazing job on him.

I think that Sam's question earlier about,

you know, the resilience in 30s,

seven and a half minutes for a second tonight.

And it seems like,

obviously he can be like a little bit turnover prone,

but tonight you just kind of was very efficient,

but also it seemed like every time you kind of had a run against you,

like the one that was kind of trying to get you back on track.

What have you seen from him,

both on the court,

but also from like a leadership perspective?

Yeah, he's very, very vocal in a very positive way.

He's very, very passionate.

He's a really good competitor.

You know, like I've told him,

I think for him, you know,

and us, the things that he can bring to the table

is what you just mentioned, right?

And because he's good at those things,

what he can't do is hold the ball and want to play ISO.

Because what ends up happening is the floor gets crammed up.

That's when a lot of the turnovers happen.

No one's really involved.

And I thought in the second half,

he was like really decisive.

Like he made a great, screeny role.

He got him a quick laugh.

He had a couple of catchings.

He had some really good properties like quick and decisive.

When he does that, that helps us.

Because then he has going to be able to make better decisions

in the paint instead of playing against a crowd of loaded four.

And I thought, you know,

closing the second quarter,

we got into that a little bit with him and Rob,

where we just kind of needed to get it moving a little bit.

Because both those guys were so good attacking the paint,

that the more they're on the move,

the more the ball's moving,

the more it's going to create opportunities for them

to either going against closeouts.

And those two guys were really hard to guard off the dribble.

And then once they get to the teeth and the defense to your point,

three, they're finished at the rim.

They're getting fouled.

They're spraying somebody for an open shot.

The message a month ago,

the training deadline was evaluation.

Kind of the last 27 or whatever evaluation.

And what does it mean?

You know, you finished with, you know,

sexton, Yabu Sela,

Richard Trey,

a poor role.

You know, you're better than guys.

So it's sort of like,

it's the thing like,

hey, look, we're in a game close.

We just got to try to win the game.

And we can't worry about anything else.

We just thought,

when the game is at,

is that the way you look at it?

Yeah, I mean, like I said,

you know, I think when the trade deadline happened,

and, you know,

speaking to the front office and speaking to ownership,

it was like listening,

you know,

we're trying to go out there and win.

You know, when I, as a coach,

I appreciate that.

I've talked about this before.

I get the ramifications of how,

you know,

what it may look like.

This is, you know,

what the,

I think the organization stands for,

and wants to stand for,

that we have a responsibility professionally

to go out there and do our very,

very best and give it,

you know, our all.

And, you know,

when I'm in a situation as a coach

and we're preaching,

wanting to go out,

wanting to compete,

trying to win games

and do that stuff,

you know,

I feel the responsibility

to put the guys that,

you know,

I felt we're best to close the game.

And I've said this before,

sometimes you're going off your gut.

It was a little bit easier

tonight because we didn't have a lot of depth.

And I went with the older guys

and the veteran guys.

But yeah, that,

I mean, that's kind of,

you know, what we're doing

and trying to do.

And, you know,

as we get whole,

some of those decisions

may be a little bit more challenging,

just because we'll have more,

more bodies.

But, I mean,

as hard as these guys work,

I mean, they're trying to win.

You know, they're trying to win.

And,

and as a coaching staff,

we're trying to help them,

especially,

we came from the bench.

It shoot rounds and practices

and film sessions.

As a,

let's want to,

yeah,

what does that mean for him

with this team going forward?

Yeah, I mean,

I think with,

there was,

there was so much on Trays' plate.

I, one of the things

I was concerned about

with Josh being out tonight.

And,

I always think

you try to keep

and manage Trays' minutes

in terms of these short stints

that's where he's most effective.

I thought he was tired,

coming down the stretch

and rightfully so,

because the guy really plays

really well.

And,

I mean,

it's a question rightfully so,

because the guy really plays

incredibly hard.

But, I thought tonight,

because of their ability

to turn you over,

we needed two guards

out there all the time.

So,

I think it was an opportunity

for him to give Tray a break,

sometimes,

where the load just didn't fall

and him every single time

down the floor.

And,

I thought Colin

and even Rob,

and even when Yuki was out there,

there was a couple of ball hairs

that some other guys could take

the,

the onus off of just one guy.

They started trapping

a little bit more in the second half.

And,

you want to be able to have

when the ball comes

out,

that trap another playmaker

that can kind of make a play

and get downhill.

So,

you know, for him,

I mean,

Colin's been a really good

scornous league

for a good portion of his career.

So,

he's been in these moments

in these situations.

And,

you know,

like I told him,

we need him to be aggressive

and him to be quick and decisive

and attack

and be who he is.

And,

he does get downhill,

and he is an unselfish player.

He's willing to pass it.

And, again,

it takes some,

you know,

like pressure

and I,

I want to show him.

Sure.

Last play on Jones,

the tip,

throwing up in the air,

you know,

this read for what,

what did you see?

How did you do it?

Well, it was interesting.

We really got heard in the class

in the second half.

But it was amazing

to not offensive rebound

one for us.

But,

the smartest thing,

yeah,

the smartest thing,

you know,

in,

by trade was like,

okay,

like I'm about to fall

out of bounds.

I'm just going to throw

this thing up

into the air

and, you know,

how to impact winning

and, like,

the little things,

like,

and what you're talking about.

Like,

it's just an incredible,

heavy, smart play

to be able to throw it up

like that.

So, you know,

give him a lot of credit

for making that play

and kind of forcing the game

to come to an end.

And him and Isaac,

I thought that

a good job

on the free throw miss.

Thanks guys.

What does this game mean

and overall for this team?

You know,

what do you guys

are trying to do?

I would say,

honestly,

yeah,

we're going to buy

the game.

Yeah.

Next win on our

brutality,

we lost to our best guys,

and Josh.

They were out

so we had to be ready.

We had big issues

the field.

And everyone had to step up

whenever they knew

what's called him.

This game meant

a lot, just because we knew

we had to be the first one

that would be the first bunch

and be more

physical team.

That's a really good ball

to you so,

we knew

team down the stretch, you know, what does it mean for you personally being in that situation,

you know, given the, you know, circumstances? Honestly, it felt good, definitely felt good,

but at the end of that one, that in those positions, it wasn't for my teammates, helping me out,

helping the space to throw, but also making a lot of shots and making a lot of plays down the

stretch. So they allowed me to get to the paint just by their space and gave me room to operate,

but at the end of the day, it was more of a coach at the end of the day, he calls really great plays

down the stretch, and you can tell me, we tried to execute as much as possible, and that's all

we came up with at the beginning. He said the last couple games he's been trying to, like, get

you to hurry up and, like, make quicker decisions. He put, like, you're starting to acclimate to,

like, the pace of the speed that you're supposed to make decisions. I would say, definitely,

being coach, we got at it, it's our half time today. He encouraged me to just continue to play

with the past, make quicker decisions, like you said, but also, don't miss opportunities to shoot

the ball or even some opportunities to drive. But then, hey, me and coach, we have a really good

relationship. He's been pretty hard on me. He's just a one in. I love it. I love it. I know

at the end of the day, that's how I get the best out of myself when someone is not going to

allow anything to slip by, and also, like, coach, it's all you. That's a good thing.

Hey Colin, how appreciative of you. Are you a little, I mean, you've been around a lot,

and I've given you how this works for the team that's, like, currently not sitting

with you back to it, so they could have brought you here and kind of let you just live there.

Yeah, I'm just having to play you and, you know, because you don't know your future with us,

and you are where you're always standing. But the same, they're, like, let you showcase

your talents and playing like every day you win. I mean, I'll appreciate you were back. You're

getting that chance. I'm very, definitely, appreciative at the end of the day. I was taking one

one day at a time, at the end of the day, one second at a time, one minute at a time, at the end of

the day. I always tell myself, be with my feet right and be grounded and focus on the

now and our focus to come in the future. And I appreciate the team, as well as the organization,

just giving the opportunity and trusting me down the stretch, even with the ball. But also,

just to make place for others. So I appreciate it. And also, I appreciate coach, at the end of

the day, coach, he's been going through a lot. I've been praying for him. My family's been praying

for him. For him to come up each and every day with a smile on this face and trying to,

to be better and trying to encourage us. Like, he has a lot going on. But at the end of the day,

we, we are humans first before any of this and then be checking in and team in the team checking in

on. That's, that's more important. How much did you know about Billy before he was

became your coach? And how much did you know about this style of play besides hearing? Yeah,

the balls play out to him. But to experience it and be on the other end of a two different thing.

Um, definitely. I would say, um, I knew a little bit about coach, coach Billy, uh, just because

the coach fell free. Uh, coach, uh, coach, uh, I used to, uh, play for him in Alabama and they have

a really good relationship. So I knew a little bit about coaching me. Also, whenever I played, um,

the Chicago Bulls, we knew, we used to be in the track meet and we knew, uh, bring your running

shit. So, uh, now being on the team, it's 24 to be in that position to open space, but also running

in use to it. Uh, so I think that's the biggest thing, trying to be used to it.

Obviously, you know, this team has had a lot of losing streaks. You've been in part of

recently, you know, it's been a tough situation. So you're up. Can 11 points, like eight minutes

to go. And now, you know, they kind of make a run. What, what's the mentality at that point? How

are you getting through that point given, you know, what's happening the last couple of weeks?

I would say, uh, reset, recenter ourselves. That's something that we continue to talk about.

In a day, the game is about runs. They're going to make their run and we have to be able to sustain

it, but we also have to be ready for whatever their best punch is. And I felt like tonight we did,

and I felt like we didn't allow them just to keep throwing their best punch. Okay, we let them

throw the first punch and then we group and we came back out, uh, and just kept pushing.

Obviously, you know, Tray made a big play with Delphi, every ball at the end of the ball.

Was there another key play or key shot or key sequence in that last eight to nine minutes?

I would say the stops. I would say the stop, um, at the end of the protection. Nick had a really

good game. Isaac played really good defense. Linda came in, Rob came in, like Duke became in,

it was big finish and Tray. That was a big time play. So at the end of the day, everybody,

contributed double that big three in the corner. Like everyone had a piece of this win and everyone

was ready when their name was called. So it feels good when everybody contribute and also

feel good with, uh, we can, we can spend a night, but also, uh, be ready to go tomorrow.

Thank you.

That's the second three throw.

What do you think has happened? How, what are you looking at?

I'm thinking just the next cityness. Right. I know. I mean, just playing like it's the last

possession. I know that, uh, I got ice crashes every single time. I'm trying to make the winning

plays. And so with him crashing, I felt like the ball could get bounced around. Isaac did

exactly that. He kept the ball alive and tipped it straight to me. Um, I kind of had on the bass line

falling out of bounds. I'm just knowing that there's only four seconds left. I mean,

it first got touched. So by that time, it was probably only a second round. So I just kind of

threw it up in the air. I don't know. I mean, that was a smart play, but usually the instinct would

be, you know, throw it back to somebody. How did you think? Had you done that before?

Never really been in that position before, but I mean, my thought is if I try to save it,

um, it's going towards there. So if I throw it in the air, let's time run off and if anything,

the ball goes out of bounds. So you're thinking to a lot of options. Yeah, for sure.

For sure. I don't even know, like, thinking about a now, I guess a lot to think about. But, um,

I mean, feel like watching games and stuff. You kind of think about those things. I

would have thought in this position. That's all. I mean, shout out to Isaac for making that big play.

I was able to just save the ball. You know, you've endured a lot here. It's only a year,

but it didn't seem to take a lot here. What is getting this into you?

It's just my friends. It seems been from last month.

No, for sure. Like you said, we've been through a lot as a team.

Honestly, I know what it's like to be trading in the season as well, so I know it's got to

be through a lot. And, um, you know, even we had two ways in there tonight. Um, we had

Rob and Leonard coming in from, you know, the situations that they're in,

I'm calling playing big minutes for us, Richard. The, uh,

Niggurgy's, um, obviously coming from Phoenix and getting the play against them again. So,

you know, everybody just stepping up big for us tonight. Um,

means a lot for us because, um, we've been trying to play the right way. We've been trying to

continue to establish our identity, um, knowing that there are a lot of games left to them.

We still are very much so alive, um, to be able to make a plan. And so, um, we're just continuing

to try to, to put it out at a day by day. Um, just trying to, uh,

it's all we can control in it. Uh, being able to add other ones like this to start a long road

to definitely win the line. Hopefully we can continue to build on that one.

Yeah, no, but I just did a lot of games in life. Post games.

But, you know, we have to have fun so much lately. And now it's kind of slipping away from

it at the end. So, like, you know, we're more dysfunctional. We've got to get this point

thinking, uh, oh, what's going to happen next? The stick's going against you so much.

You know, we have how we build it. It's for five weeks. Right. There's always, um,

you know, those lots always coming to your head, but, um, we already asked for it.

We know, um, we're up against, um, we want to win as bad as anybody. Um, you know,

we believe in each other and we believe in our groups. The coaching community. The next

really has a most belief in us as well. And so, um, just being able to pull out that win

continues to help build that confidence that we can do this thing. We can pull out these,

these, uh, top games, these close games, the first playoff teams, versus whoever, um, you know,

it doesn't matter who we're playing. Um, you know, days of basketball game.

It comes down to, uh, doing the controllables and executing on the stretch.

Does it feel like, does it make you feel like these guys do high?

Yeah, for sure. I think we all, we all believe that and the guys who are here last year that

are so here, we believe that and we feel that, uh, for sure. Um, we haven't been healthy.

I don't know. We continue to, uh, be a little beat up. Um, but, uh, I mean, this is the next

next one. Next, uh, next, uh, next, uh, next to me mentality, uh, everyone body today,

we got to continue to have them.

Now,

there, um, but, um, but yeah, it's definitely tough, um, those plays, but, um, then we,

then we come down and got a big stop right after. So, this is the next play mentality.

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it's personalized. So if you're tying the knot, closing on a house, or welcoming a little one,

you'll be ready for whatever life tosses your way. It's the right time to feel less stressed

and more certain. That's a better way to money. Let's get started at nm.com, the Northwestern

Mutual Life Insurance Company Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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