CLIPPERS POST GAME QUOTES Saturday, April 23, 2016 Final Score: POR 96, LAC 88 HEAD COACH DOC RIVERS On how much of their 40.9% shooting was caused by Blazer’s defense: “I thought they did a great job. I thought they were way more physical than us. I think the ball pressure got into us. They sped us up. I don’t think we handled it very well, but I thought they had a great defensive plan. I just thought they were the more physical, tougher team tonight for sure.” On Blake Griffin seeming out-of-whack tonight: “He just had a tough night, ya know? Again, you don’t miss three months of basketball and come back and be great. So there’s going to be nights where he’s going to struggle probably throughout this run. Like I said before the playoffs, there’s nothing you can do about it. I’m happy to have him back… It’s rare when you’re trying to work your guy in and get him ready for the playoffs but that’s what it is, and there’s nothing you can do about that. I just want him to stay aggressive… When their offense is going, you can always do other things. I thought he tried to do that. At the end of the day, I tell our guys every day ‘what happens when they take your best thing away? What else can you do to help the team?’ and I thought he did other things to try to help.” Clippers are usually good down the stretch. What changed down the stretch after their 4-point lead in the fourth? “Our execution was bad tonight. You’re right, we are really good down the stretch, and tonight we made some really interesting plays so I can’t wait to look at it.” On if he was okay with their focus tonight: “Yeah, it wasn’t the focus. It’s so easy when you lose, its focus, that’s the easy way. [The Blazers] played hard. They were tougher. They destroyed us on the glass. They ran harder. They got to their spots quicker. They got to the loose balls faster. They played hard so they deserve to win the game. I really thought they deserved to win the game.” JAMAL CRAWFORD On Damian Lillard’s impact on the game: “His leadership for them really set the tone I thought. He was taking charges, he was all over the place, flying all over the court but him being very aggressive early definitely set the tone for them and the rest of the team followed.” On Mason Plumlee’s game: “I think obviously those two players (Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum) are going to do what they do. Sometimes strategically, what we’re doing we didn’t plan for him to get nine assists and 20 rebounds but we wanted other people to make plays and tonight he did that, so congrats.” .