Carmelo Anthony & CJ McCollum Postgame Interviews | Grizzlies vs Blazers | August 15, 2020|

Hey Carmelo, I was wondering if you could just talk about your game specifically, the three hit late. Obviously you struggled from the field a bit in the first four quarters but still the confidence and still the willingness to take that big shot and hit it. Could you talk about, you've talked about that mentality before but an elimination game obviously to get to the playoffs. Your thoughts on that? Ain't no such thing as struggling. Why not? You take the same shots that you work on. I work on those shots every single day so I believe in that. My teammates had the confidence to come back to me down the stretch and they also believed in me to know that I was going to make that shot. The shot felt good at the end and it's the same shot that I've been getting throughout these eight games so it's a good look for me and a great one for us. Your reaction to going back down the court a little something extra there? Don't talk about that. We're not allowed to talk about that. Let's not speak on that. I gave you a different celebration this time. Okay Manolo, TAB Deportes. Hi Melo, congratulations on the next step from Puerto Rico. How do you feel with this, with the victory but also all the role players that you guys had? I don't know if you can talk of what Gary Trent did with the team defensive wise. How he gave so much to the team for today's win. We believe in Gary. What he brings to the team, his defense, his intensity is a big part of why we're successful. Everybody brings something different to this team. What he's been able to do over the past couple weeks for us has been big time being able to step up, knock down shots, defend guys, just play the game the way that he know how to play and the way that we know him to play the game. Okay, Taylor Rooks, Bleacher Report. I know whenever you have these big games, big shots, a lot of people are just like he's back, he's hitting the groove but so much of basketball is situational and I know that you feel like, you know, I never really left. Is that what it's like for you? Yeah, it's not. No, I'm back. I've been doing this for a long time. I have some obstacles that I had to overcome throughout the past couple years but it's all about basketball now. It's making plays, being comfortable in what you're doing, believing in your team, teammates believing in you. This is nothing new. I'm just happy to be playing and happy to be in this situation but this all is I'm back is, you know, I had a break and now I'm here now. Thank you. Hey, guys. Thank you. With USA Today. Well, from a teammate, what jumped out to you with how CJ was able to, you know, fight through all the pain and still do what he's doing? CJ is different. His mentality is different. The way he was able to fight through that injury that, you know, his back. I played with back injuries before. It's nothing like it. So, for him to fight through that says a lot about him as a player, as a person and just his mentality. Okay. And last question from Guilherme Tadu with Café Belgrado. Hi, Melo. Guilherme from Brazil. You are a legend everywhere in the world, including here in Brazil, where you won one of your many FIBA medals. How big is for you to make the playoffs again and have a chance to add even more glory on your resume? This is big. This is a big moment. Not just for myself but for the as a team, as an organization. We were fighting uphill battle all season, battle with some injuries, had the cancellation of a season and now we're back, had the opportunity to come down here and, you know, play eight games to fight for the AFC. We showed up. We showed up in these eight games. We became a different team throughout these eight games and we showed something different. We showed a different commitment coming down here to this level. All right. Thank you, Melo. Thank you. This team has been through so much stuff over the last two years in particular, you know, and it's even things like having to add players that were out of the league, a guy like Carmelo and stuff like that. How has everything that you guys fought through helped you navigate kind of the unprecedented nature of these last two weeks? A lot of adversity as a team, historically, but especially this year. Injuries, obviously, dealing with a lot of different things, having to get adjusted and accustomed to new rotations, but I think all in all that just kind of shows that we're battle tested. We have a lot of guys who understand the goal at hand, understand the task at hand, and are willing to make sacrifices and do whatever it takes for us to get to the promised land. Okay. Jamie Hudson, NBC Northwest. CJ, with Nurk obviously playing with a heavy heart tonight, can you talk about what it was like to see him play through that? And then with you playing through your pain, let's discuss the character of this team and you guys playing through so much right now. What he's going through is nothing compared to what I'm going through, losing someone so close to him. So our prayers are with him and we're going to continue to try to support him as best we can, but we're thankful that he was able to go out there and battle today, but it's much bigger than basketball with us. Family is always most important, but going forward, we just got to stick together, continue to execute, lock in our next opponent and look forward to that matchup and when that starts. Okay. Tanya Ganguly, Los Angeles Times. As you were coming off the court with Dane and coaches were all clapping for you, what were your emotions at that time? We've been through a lot. We've battled, we've lost some tough games, we've had some injuries, we've had to climb the mountain and to be in this point, you know, having gone through, you know, so many different things and have a chance to be in the playoffs, you know, play eight games and all of them be close, highly contested, just an emotional rollercoaster and to be able to be a part of, you know, so many different stories. They're coming back from injury, Zach coming back from injury, Mello coming back to the league, there's so many different things happening. It's just been a crazy ride, but we're thankful we're able to overcome a lot and be in a position to make the playoffs. This is my seventh year in the league and this is my seventh straight year in the playoffs, so I'm thankful for it and I'll never take it for granted. Hi CJ, hello. Could you just talk about your ability to get your own shot? Obviously, you know, they're obviously selling out on Dame, double teams consistently, but late in the game, you were able to get your own as we've seen you do time and time again. You just talked about that preparation and your mindset going into those situations, knowing that a lot of that is going to get shouldered by you. I work really hard on my craft. I spend a lot of time in the gym working on moves, working on difficult shots, figuring out ways to create space and becoming a tough shot taker and a tough shot maker, especially down the stretch. I'd like to credit my family. My mother, my father, my brother, they've done a tremendous job of preparing me and helping me get right and having confidence. My fiance, they've all played a role in my development personally and I think that I'm comfortable with failing and I think that's what drives me. I could have missed all those shots and I'd be here talking to you the same way and I'd carry on with my day the same way because I prepare. I think that's the biggest thing in this sport is when you prepare, you have extra confidence and I think the team is confident in me because for one, they see me deliver and for two, they know how I work. Part of that confidence too, CJ, after you made one of those shots, you looked at the camera and you said that they couldn't guard you with a few extra… What did I say, Casey? What did I say? You said, they can't ******* guard me. There you go. He's talking about that mentality then. I always say that I was a shark. You gotta be a killer. No matter what the circumstances are, I always told people, don't worry about me, I'm gonna figure out how to eat and that's what I've always done. I figured out how to eat and I figured out how to provide and that's the type of mentality you gotta have because if you don't kill, you will be killed or you will be destroyed, figuratively obviously, and you will be going home to pack your bags. Okay, Jason Quick, The Athletic. CJ, you mentioned your seven straight playoff appearances. Is there any special significance to this one? I got a special relationship with Memphis. That was the first playoff I actually got to play in. It's funny, I've been seven straight but I was just along for the ride for the first two, more so learning and watching and waiting my turn. Because of how we had to do it, going through so many things, obviously, the crisis that we're facing in the world, NERC, there's just so many things that are going on right now. I think this one is definitely special, especially under the circumstances of us having to come through a bubble and do all these things. Last year, you guys had to overcome a lot of stuff too. Why do you think this team is able to handle adversity so well? I think we go after a certain type of player, a certain type of character. Historically, our organization has done a good job of targeting people to where we're able to come together as one and it starts with our leadership group and then it trickles down to Dame and then me. I think we're able to get people on board. The way Dame leads, it should be commended. They should write a book about it because he's genuine, he's honest, he's caring. He cares about the 15th man the same way he cares about the second and third guys on the team. I kind of showed you his character. Mark Medina. CJ, to follow up on what you're saying about your mentality with your game, what was your approach with the day-to-day with your injury and just navigating through all that while you're playing? Just treatment. I get treatment all the time. I take care of myself, ice baths all the time, just staying off my legs, but it's all mental. I think I was fortunate enough to have an injury that I can play through. Our training staff have done a great job of monitoring it and I have a high pain tolerance. I haven't gone through a lot of injuries in the past, so it's just more so take care of yourself, understand the severity of the situation you're in, but also understand that you're playing for more than just yourself. We have a chance to continue to do special things as a unit and I want to be a part of it. Okay, last question. Dwight James, NBC Sports Northwest. CJ, just curious, with the injury and everything, are threes harder for you? Is it tougher to shoot from that far from distance with a back problem? No, I've been breaking from three. I'm adjusting. I made them tonight. Thanks, CJ.