This weekly series from Clippers.com features a Q&A with Clippers players, coaches, alumni or those tied somehow to the Clippers’ organization. The next edition features guard JJ Redick.
LOS ANGELES – J.J. Redick helped the Clippers get off the schneid, snapping the Clippers’ six-game losing streak with a team-high 22 points Monday night.
Afterward, Redick talked to the media about what it meant to get a win, what he believed was the biggest change and how the Clippers can get back to their early-season defensive proficiency.
How important was it for you guys just to get a win?
Redick: “I think it was really important. It’s certainly a different feel in the locker room after the game when you win. There’s certain points in the season – I think players go through it and teams go through it – where you just have stretches and you’re stuck in a rut or you feel like nothing’s going right. You just got to keep grinding, and eventually it’ll turn. We have enough guys, even when we’re a little down, where I believe we can turn it.
“We have a stretch here where we’re home for a while, besides the Sacramento game, and we have a chance to take care of business.”
Doc Rivers said he thought the guards attacking more made a difference tonight. Did you see that opening up the floor?
Redick: “I don’t know that. We had 20 turnovers tonight, I don’t know what we shot from the field, but I don’t think it was great. I don’t think that necessarily opened things up. To me, it was our defense, especially in the second half. They had a lot of transition buckets off our turnovers in the first half; then the second half, we had unbelievable half-court defense. It reminded me of earlier in the season when we were just flying around, covering for each other. Our rotations were phenomenal tonight – they were as good as they’ve been in a couple weeks. What’d they have, 40 (points) in the second half, 18- and 22-point quarters. That, to me, is why we won.”
Is there a sense right now of waiting for that same defensive team you were early in the season to show back up, and what do you think has been the reason it’s taken a while?
Redick: “I don’t know, you try to figure these things out. You talk with each guy, you have group discussions, team meetings. I don’t know what has been wrong. The frustrating part, to me, is we were a top five defense last year and have proven this year with this group we can be a top defense.”