Latest / Bleacher Report / Anthony Edwards & Rudy Gobert Talk Eliminating the Warriors to Go to the WCF | 2025 NBA Playoffs

Transcript

Anthony Edwards & Rudy Gobert Talk Eliminating the Warriors to Go to the WCF | 2025 NBA Playoffs · Bleacher Report

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Come home, go burks it Hell, I'm out, And just
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: big picture for this series, what Julius was able to do.
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: Just what stood out to you about that.
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: And like and just kind of reflecting on the whole
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: season of what he's kind of built to to get
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: to that this point, Like what what what sticks out
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: in your mind?
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: Just how you create for others, you know, and his
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: impact on the game, the way he controlled the tempo,
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: the way he pushed the pace, the way he bring
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: us along with him when he pushes the pace, and
• 0:55
  Speaker 3: just even I his defense, his defense has gone to
• 0:58
  Speaker 3: another level. The way that he communicates with us, Like
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: his attention to detail everything. Man, it's incredible. It's incredible
• 1:05
  Speaker 3: to be his teammate and he brings it every night
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: and he shows you that he wants to win.
• 1:10
  Speaker 4: So I'm happy.
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: I'm happy to have it out next to me.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: You were you were confident last season after the Western
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: Conference Finals that you would be back here. I think
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: you said we will be back. What fueled that and
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: what did you have to do over the course of
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: the season to get here individually and collectively as a group.
• 1:31
  Speaker 3: A lot of ups and downs.
• 1:33
  Speaker 4: Just had to stay with it and what feuded.
• 1:35
  Speaker 3: I mean, we lost last year, so just you know,
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: trying to take that into the summer. I ain't have
• 1:41
  Speaker 3: too much personal workout time because I was with the
• 1:44
  Speaker 3: USA team, but the time that I did have, I
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: definitely had that in the back of my mind.
• 1:50
  Speaker 5: Rudy, you've come up big in these close out games
• 1:53
  Speaker 5: in the first two rounds. It's what was your mindset
• 1:55
  Speaker 5: going into this and how did you assert yourself tonight
• 1:59
  Speaker 5: the way that you needed to.
• 2:01
  Speaker 4: For me, it was just about being present, you know,
• 2:04
  Speaker 4: try to enjoy the moment.
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: Uh.
• 2:07
  Speaker 4: You know. I try to really focus on my preparation,
• 2:10
  Speaker 4: you know, and then once I'm on the floor, you know,
• 2:13
  Speaker 4: it's just about enjoying the moment, being president of both hands,
• 2:16
  Speaker 4: try to set the tone for my teamate for my
• 2:20
  Speaker 4: teammates and uh and doing it with my energy, you know.
• 2:24
  Speaker 4: And then usually the the game takes care of itself,
• 2:27
  Speaker 4: you know. But when you miney kind of like in
• 2:30
  Speaker 4: that moment and enjoying that moment, uh, just yourself and
• 2:34
  Speaker 4: I try to be that every night.
• 2:37
  Speaker 5: This was an entirely different ride to the conference finals
• 2:40
  Speaker 5: from last year. Is there more satisfaction or anything? Just
• 2:43
  Speaker 5: with all of the ups and downs that you guys
• 2:45
  Speaker 5: went through, that you stayed together and you're right back
• 2:48
  Speaker 5: where you were last year.
• 2:49
  Speaker 4: There's no satisfaction. Yeah, we just got here.
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: We haven't done anything yet, so no, he's not satisfied.
• 2:56
  Speaker 4: That's exactly how it feels.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: You know.
• 2:57
  Speaker 4: It's it feels good to get to that step, but
• 3:00
  Speaker 4: it's stomach is not full, not at all, you know.
• 3:05
  Speaker 4: It's uh, it's just one step. And uh, you know,
• 3:09
  Speaker 4: in a way it's last year it felt different because
• 3:11
  Speaker 4: it was a game seven, We down down I don't
• 3:14
  Speaker 4: know how many at half and we came back and won.
• 3:16
  Speaker 4: So obviously the journal in was was different, right, But
• 3:19
  Speaker 4: this this year it's kind of like we we said
• 3:23
  Speaker 4: we sat down early in the season and we said
• 3:24
  Speaker 4: we were going to get back right we left last year,
• 3:27
  Speaker 4: and then we want to achieve our goal. And now
• 3:30
  Speaker 4: we are halfway there. So it's we know that it's
• 3:33
  Speaker 4: gonna it's not gonna get easier at all, you know,
• 3:35
  Speaker 4: and uh, we we focused on that.
• 3:39
  Speaker 6: And when you were talking about the Warriors earlier in
• 3:41
  Speaker 6: the series, you talked about how they have a championship pedigree.
• 3:44
  Speaker 6: What do you believe it's about your team the way
• 3:46
  Speaker 6: they were able to bounce back after Game one and
• 3:48
  Speaker 6: go on to win the series against the team with
• 3:50
  Speaker 6: championship pedigree.
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: Says a lot I told him today, the most together
• 3:56
  Speaker 3: team and the most mature team is a team that
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: wins around this time, it's not about who get thirty points,
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: who get the most shots, who get all the the
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: blame for winning the game, And it's not about none
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: of that. It's about coming together as a team. Can
• 4:10
  Speaker 3: we defend at a high level and can we limit
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: the other team to one shot? It doesn't really matter
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: about offense as long as we get good shots and
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: it don't matter who shoot it.
• 4:17
  Speaker 4: So we did that tonight.
• 4:20
  Speaker 7: Is there any lesson that you learn from the Dallas
• 4:23
  Speaker 7: series that's stuck with you that maybe you've applied throughout
• 4:27
  Speaker 7: the regular season or throughout the playoffs thus far?
• 4:29
  Speaker 4: Nope, just a loss about Rudy.
• 4:34
  Speaker 7: Was there anything you think when you look back to
• 4:36
  Speaker 7: the last year's Western Conference Finals that was missing for
• 4:38
  Speaker 7: the team, that for your team, that maybe that you
• 4:41
  Speaker 7: have more of going into this year's.
• 4:44
  Speaker 4: I think for us it's so approach more importantly, you know,
• 4:49
  Speaker 4: it's not about talent, it's not about us wanting to
• 4:52
  Speaker 4: win or not right, we want to win, but it's
• 4:56
  Speaker 4: about being staying you know, level headed to win. Like
• 5:01
  Speaker 4: we had last year against Denver Game seven, I felt like,
• 5:05
  Speaker 4: you know, and I mean, you get the whole world
• 5:08
  Speaker 4: praising you, and you know, and all of a sudden
• 5:11
  Speaker 4: you went from being an underdog to being the favorite.
• 5:14
  Speaker 4: I think in a way we weren't mature enough to
• 5:18
  Speaker 4: handle that yet, but we were much aware of it.
• 5:21
  Speaker 4: And this year I felt like we were mature enough.
• 5:26
  Speaker 4: I feel like we understand where we at and so
• 5:30
  Speaker 4: in a way, that's the lesson, you know, in our preparation,
• 5:32
  Speaker 4: in our approach. It's about us. It's not about who
• 5:35
  Speaker 4: we face. It's about our mindset and when our mindset
• 5:38
  Speaker 4: and work and you know, attention to details, our level
• 5:42
  Speaker 4: of urgencies. Right, we know we can play with anyone.
• 5:48
  Speaker 8: Question for both of you.
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: Obviously there's been some history between you guys, the Timberwolves
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: and Jimmy Butler and Draymond.
• 5:55
  Speaker 9: How personal was this.
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: I don't have no history with those guys, so it
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: wasn't personally trying to get a win.
• 6:04
  Speaker 4: I don't know about the Jimmy thing. I was there. Yeah,
• 6:07
  Speaker 4: I have no history with nobody. I mean, I have
• 6:10
  Speaker 4: a lot of respect for those two guys. Uh they
• 6:14
  Speaker 4: both highly competitive players, and uh yeah, just for me
• 6:21
  Speaker 4: just about you know, I'm just focused on trying to
• 6:23
  Speaker 4: win the championship. You know. What happened happened, you know,
• 6:28
  Speaker 4: and uh, there's nothing really personal. I think it's also
• 6:32
  Speaker 4: a team game, so you know, they they both accomplish
• 6:37
  Speaker 4: great things. But now it's I feel like now it's
• 6:41
  Speaker 4: for me personally. I'm just focused on writing my own story,
• 6:44
  Speaker 4: you know, and to each individual has their own journey
• 6:48
  Speaker 4: and story, and I'm just, uh, you know, trying to
• 6:53
  Speaker 4: accomplish my dream, my goal, winning a championship. That's that's
• 6:57
  Speaker 4: all I care.
• 6:57
  Speaker 10: About and going back to the Western Conference finals. How
• 7:03
  Speaker 10: different does it feel this year? How prepared do you feel?
• 7:06
  Speaker 10: How much more prepared do you feel to try to
• 7:08
  Speaker 10: get it done this time?
• 7:10
  Speaker 3: I can't I can't really speak on how much how
• 7:12
  Speaker 3: prepared I feel because I don't know.
• 7:14
  Speaker 4: We haven't started playing yet.
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: But I mean, hopefully I'm more prepared than I was
• 7:18
  Speaker 3: last year.
• 7:21
  Speaker 5: And I think there was a story in an All
• 7:23
  Speaker 5: Star game that they asked you to throw a lob
• 7:25
  Speaker 5: coming out and you told the coach I don't throw lobs.
• 7:28
  Speaker 5: You threw a lot of them today, Just like, what
• 7:31
  Speaker 5: what are you seeing in that? And and how much
• 7:34
  Speaker 5: much more comfortable are you in that?
• 7:41
  Speaker 9: Uh?
• 7:41
  Speaker 3: Just like Rupe comes up to me every time out, Sack.
• 7:45
  Speaker 3: You got to read it, you know, and and I
• 7:47
  Speaker 3: need that because it's there a lot. And I tell
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: I tell Jaden all the time, like when I'm driving,
• 7:52
  Speaker 3: cut that corner, because most of the time your man
• 7:54
  Speaker 3: trying to play too and if you cut, he can't
• 7:56
  Speaker 3: play too. Now you got to make a decision. Do
• 7:58
  Speaker 3: he want to give up a easy two points to
• 7:59
  Speaker 3: a corner? The So just reading the game and then
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: see Hans bringing the clips to me every time out
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: when I'm out of the games and we're watching it
• 8:06
  Speaker 3: and I'm analyzing it, just you know, trying to break
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: the game down for sure before I go back in,
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: before I check back in.
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: Rudy.
• 8:15
  Speaker 4: Big game for Mike Conley tonight. I was thinking about the.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: In the bubble.
• 8:19
  Speaker 9: I think it was he had that that final shot
• 8:22
  Speaker 9: to go to the Western Conference finals that that rimmed out. Yeah,
• 8:27
  Speaker 9: I mean, I guess for both of you guys like
• 8:29
  Speaker 9: to see him specifically get to.
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: This point and it means a lot to you.
• 8:34
  Speaker 9: But I guess Rudy thinking back to that, you know,
• 8:36
  Speaker 9: and where you're at now, what is that you think?
• 8:41
  Speaker 4: We've been through a lot with Mike, you know, and
• 8:44
  Speaker 4: I mean I love it, you know, I just want
• 8:46
  Speaker 4: to more than anything, I want to win for him,
• 8:48
  Speaker 4: you know, because it's like you know, we've been I
• 8:52
  Speaker 4: just know how much he cares about winning anything, how
• 8:55
  Speaker 4: great of a guy he is. And uh, and I
• 9:00
  Speaker 4: want to say I want to do it for Joel,
• 9:01
  Speaker 4: but I don't care about Jewel. But Mike Conley.
• 9:06
  Speaker 3: Man, it's an ultimate vet that you the best vet
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: you're gonna ask for. Man plays through everything, never complains,
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: always knows the right thing to say, always knows where
• 9:16
  Speaker 3: to be. Yeah, and just great, great guy to look.
• 9:20
  Speaker 4: Up to for sure.
• 9:22
  Speaker 8: And there's you guys didn't need it tonight. But there
• 9:25
  Speaker 8: have been a couple of key points Lakers, fourth quarter
• 9:27
  Speaker 8: of Game four, Golden State Game three, where you guys
• 9:29
  Speaker 8: were down and in tough spots and get some really
• 9:32
  Speaker 8: tough shots. What has it kind of been like figuring
• 9:35
  Speaker 8: out when to take those and just the confidence to
• 9:38
  Speaker 8: drill them when you guys really got to.
• 9:40
  Speaker 3: Have them just just trusting the work man. Like I know, U,
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: I trust myself so anytime and I tell them like
• 9:49
  Speaker 3: you know it's time, it's time for that. So they
• 9:51
  Speaker 3: already know they know what it is like when I
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: get in that mode. Just get me the ball and
• 9:56
  Speaker 3: try to get me open. I'll tell them all the time,
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: like you said, a good screen, we're gonna score.
• 10:00
  Speaker 4: So really, what is it like as a team.
• 10:03
  Speaker 8: Maybe when the chips are stacked against you, guys almost
• 10:05
  Speaker 8: have kind of like a get out of Jeffrey cards
• 10:07
  Speaker 8: sometimes with some of the shots he can make.
• 10:11
  Speaker 4: I mean, uh, you know, it's it's kind of like
• 10:14
  Speaker 4: finding a balance for me. It's like I think now
• 10:16
  Speaker 4: it's compared to last year, in the previous years. I
• 10:18
  Speaker 4: think he's really finding a way to choose these moments
• 10:23
  Speaker 4: and and uh and understanding momentum, you know, understanding like
• 10:27
  Speaker 4: when to take them, maybe when not to take them.
• 10:29
  Speaker 4: And and also is uh, I mean, such a unique
• 10:33
  Speaker 4: scorer and such a high confident player. I realized that
• 10:36
  Speaker 4: sometimes you just gotta let him do his thing, you know,
• 10:39
  Speaker 4: and then sometimes gonna miss it. You're gonna make it,
• 10:42
  Speaker 4: sometimes gonna miss it. But you gotta let him do
• 10:44
  Speaker 4: his thing, and and and you gotta realize missed for
• 10:49
  Speaker 4: a lighted. But yeah, just just communicate with him. But also,
• 10:54
  Speaker 4: you know, let him do his thing and try to
• 10:56
  Speaker 4: I always tell him I'm gonna get you. I'm gonna
• 10:57
  Speaker 4: get you a good shot and make it easy for
• 10:59
  Speaker 4: you too to score. And and and also tell him
• 11:04
  Speaker 4: a lot to not not set up. You know, he's
• 11:07
  Speaker 4: I mean, he can shoot from almost anywhere, so I
• 11:10
  Speaker 4: can I can understand why it's good for him to
• 11:12
  Speaker 4: set up sometimes. But I'm also like, if you play percentages,
• 11:15
  Speaker 4: you know, when you get to the rim, because somebody
• 11:18
  Speaker 4: puts a lot of pressure on the other team and
• 11:20
  Speaker 4: we could get some some much easier stuff. So it's
• 11:23
  Speaker 4: been great at you know, finding that balance and not settling,
• 11:28
  Speaker 4: you know, using the both weapons.
• 11:33
  Speaker 6: Rudy, you said this morning that you thought that this
• 11:35
  Speaker 6: game was a big test for you guys. It seems
• 11:37
  Speaker 6: like you guys are passing a lot of tests throughout
• 11:39
  Speaker 6: this postseason. Have you seen it not from this group
• 11:42
  Speaker 6: that leads you to believe that you guys are at
• 11:44
  Speaker 6: a point where you believe you can win an NBA title?
• 11:48
  Speaker 4: You know, Yeah, I mean I'll go to the same
• 11:51
  Speaker 4: you know, I'll go to the same and uh, like
• 11:54
  Speaker 4: I said, you know, it's about uh not getting too
• 11:57
  Speaker 4: high and not getting too low, you know, being presence,
• 12:00
  Speaker 4: enjoying every single day, every single practice of a Sickle game,
• 12:05
  Speaker 4: and when the opportunity comes, just being ready. And tonight
• 12:10
  Speaker 4: we all mindset was there, so I chill doubt that
• 12:14
  Speaker 4: we were gonna, you know, pass that test. Now we
• 12:17
  Speaker 4: halfway there, so it's almost like a new season starting.
• 12:22
  Speaker 8: Man.
• 12:22
  Speaker 5: I don't know if you saw, but your little guy Luca,
• 12:24
  Speaker 5: who gave you the rest band was here tonight.
• 12:26
  Speaker 3: Ye he flies, he yeah.
• 12:27
  Speaker 5: I was just wondered, like what does that mean to
• 12:29
  Speaker 5: have that moment with him and to know that he
• 12:31
  Speaker 5: looks up to you and he's giving.
• 12:32
  Speaker 4: You somethings the world to me.
• 12:35
  Speaker 3: I was shooting and h he was his dad was
• 12:37
  Speaker 3: holding him up, and I didn't realize until like two
• 12:39
  Speaker 3: three minutes left when we was warming up, and then
• 12:41
  Speaker 3: I seen him and he was flies. He had the
• 12:42
  Speaker 3: glasses on the jersey wristband. He's flies head of the night.
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: Shout out Luca, man, I love Luca.
• 12:48
  Speaker 5: Thanks.
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah,