 You guys had that hot start and then they kind of got back in the game before you guys, you know Took over again back in the you know late in the third quarter gets just what would you kind of make of that lapse? You know toward halftime, I guess. Yeah, I mean every team's gonna make a run if we're not making shots I felt like we got a few great ones that went in and out or just didn't go our way and Majority of the offense tonight for the Lakers was in transition So we just wanted to make it difficult for them and just make them do things in the half court That could set our defense and put us in position to be successful Few offensive rebounds went their way but again We've been talking about it over this kind of stretch of just doing the little things and once other teams do the little things Come in get offensive rebounds. They get extra shots Then they're gonna make a run or two and this is your tenth game without Kevin You guys are four and six know a few things go differently Maybe you're 500 maybe a little bit better Just what have you made of this stretch without Kevin and you think you guys have a formula now for kind of how to operate without him Yeah, we just take it game to game To be honest with you, I'm not really paying attention to the wins or losses per se Objective is still the same every day we prepare as as to win basketball games but You know, we look back at the lessons that we've learned whether we're successful and winning or we failed that that night by possessions We just got to do the little things that that make us look very very good offensively and defensively You know when we're out of position or we're not aggressive enough then the game could go either way So definitely those six losses I look at and I'm like I could have gone either way if we were done a little things But that's a choice. So hopefully going forward We could put our best foot in front of ourselves and just give ourselves a chance to win every single every single night Kariah cam had 21 Patty had 21 Aron had 14 rebounds just what can you say about the work that the second unit puts in behind the scenes That would allow them to play the way they played tonight. Yeah, no I just think our our group and itself We've gotten past Kind of the phase of being uncomfortable with our roles and just asking a bunch of questions night-to-night What it's gonna look like So once we got past that phase, I felt like we were playing some good solid basketball Just accepting reality for what it is case not in the lineup TJ's not in the lineup guys are in and out So it's gonna leave opportunity for guys that are working extremely hard And it's nothing but joy in my eyes when I see them get rewarded for the hard work that they put in Makes my job a lot easier and I want to continue to lead by example by putting the work too So when they score 66 points off the bench, that means I don't have to have a fourth quarter where You know, I'm putting my head down or or doing the things to keep us in the game I love to see your stat line like this where everybody Plays extremely well and everybody gets a chance to see that ball going the rim Second just from the outside looking in it looks like Patrick Beverly is probably one of the more irritating players to go Against just do you relish those matchups when the guy is trying to play tough on you? I wouldn't use the you know that to irritate Irritable or you know, he's irritating. I think some other guys would probably use that word But from me, I think with Patrick I enjoyed a competitive spirit that he brings out of me and he brings out of other people and You know, if you can get by him and you can score on him And I feel like you can score a majority of the people in the league That's just the respect I have for him, but we're out there. It's gonna be back and forth It's gonna look like he's doing a lot, but um, you know from where we're from and growing up in the trenches and playing against guys like that I mean, it's nothing new. I Welcome the challenge, but I just kept telling him like the objective of the game is to win So me going back and forth with you right now and trying to score over you every single time like it That's not really where my energy is. I'm just trying to win the game Pat And you know a few times I missed shots and he was like, that's all if I told you he's gonna miss and I just Looking at like the objectives is to win Patrick I'm not really gonna get into this, but um, it makes the game a lot more fun. I I believe There has been obviously a little bit of heavier load on you these last 10 games When there is a night like tonight when you see that I mean, can you tell right away when when camera Patty has it going or both of them that Okay I don't have to do as much as I did two nights ago or four nights ago, whatever and or is it How does it work like that? I just stand in the flow of the game You know basketball is is a game of possessions is 48 minutes that's clicking ticking down So when you got guys that could have two minutes spurts where they score six to ten points or four points So they give you a three-pointer out of a timeout where they get you a charge or defensive stop it matters for the overall Landscape of the game. So I care a lot when those guys are playing well I mean I care a lot regardless, but when they're playing extremely well I just want to feed them confidence and game to game. I'm just telling them to be aggressive find your rhythm And just reading me. I'm able to get you open shots if Patrick Beverly's playing me like this So we talk about a communicate and then you come out with a win on the other side just play in the right way It's been a little bit of a running joke on social media that cam never smiles Looks like he he cracked one to you at one point Can you just talk about what you've seen from impersonality wise and as a player just you know behind the scenes? Well first he said that that question came off the cuff like Excuse my language MBA, but it's uh not trying to get fine, man When he said that I think that's a small doses of what you guys see that cam actually actually says and is like But when he's not smiling on the bench, I mean, you know, I feel like Internally he would like to be out there and he's a young player. That's really hungry to be on the court So he's really focused and I take that as that. I don't take it as anything less or more So I just wanted to be locked in and his opportunity knocked tonight and he was ready and that just comes with the work not, you know, trying to perform or be liked by the fans or the media and stuff like that, you know, just Like he was being serious with you guys, but not really Gary you've always spoken about the responsibility you feel to put on a show for fans when you're out there as One of the stars of the game in the context of LeBron and ad sitting on the first sign of a back-to-back Is there anything you feel like the league can do? Schedulized to allow the stars like you who people come out to watch to be out there more than what they are right now sure man to be honest with y'all been on both sides of the conversation in terms of Trying to get as much rest for a long time journey, you know, you're going back to the finals or you know kind of Just going through the the day-to-day and you just want to be ready for the big picture and then on the other side You know guys going down and you feel called to play every single game where You know, of course It's about the performance and the fans and you want to show up But you want to more or less show up for the organization show up for your teammates and and get as many wins as you can because these wins matter early so We're definitely taking the necessary steps of having the conversations with the NBA about what it looks like for the quote-un Quo-star players missing games or the superstar players not necessarily being available It's a long season man. It's a grinded-out season a two games. It's a lot on our bodies You know, I will not complain about it because I put my body in a great position every day but It takes a lot of people a long time to figure out what their routine looks like I had a very high level So there's a figure in our process basically what I'm saying from the NBA side and the NBA side on how we can reconcile Some of these issues that the fans bring up or the media brings up or people bring up of why people aren't available So I see it from both sides and I have to sit in the middle and just say We have things in in the works right now that we talk about but all in all everybody's body is different Everybody's will to play is different And everybody's desire to be out there is different So I just think those that are available to play will play and those that are not, you know You just got to respect their bodies and respect what they do so You obviously didn't get a chance to compete against LeBron tonight, but just from playing with him six seven years ago Could you foresee him playing at this high of a level at age 38? And what has impressed you the most about what he's accomplished this year as he approaches the scoring record? Yes to answer your first question. Yes, I definitely saw this when we were playing together his ability to Prepare himself mentally spiritually emotionally game-to-game day-to-day I've been quoting I'm saying it's hard to be LeBron James or any superstar in any entertainment sport Athletic or business industry Because all eyes are on you But he's handled extremely well We gave the keys to the whole entire business to 18 year old kid and now he's 38 years old and he's still dominating I don't think we should be surprised. I think we should congratulate him and celebrate him as much as possible continue to You know enjoy the shows that he put on because it's not gonna be for too much longer You know whenever he decides play but I'm enjoying the show and I wish we could have got a chance to play against one another But um, you know who who knows what can happen down the line, so