Here are some of the best comments from Doc Rivers and Mark Jackson’s pregame media conferences before Game 1 at Staples Center:
CLIPPERS HEAD COACH DOC RIVERS
On how he will manage Jamal Crawford (calf) and J.J. Redick (back):
“I think it’s just your eyes. There’s no minute monitor for either one. I think every day in practice, yesterday in practice, I told J.J. to go sit. You’ve just got to watch them because in both cases they’re not going to say much. It’s got to be your eyes. I just hope I make the right decision. Sometimes you may think you see something and take them out and they’re fine. You just don’t know.”
On whether or not emotion will be a good thing in the series:
“It should be emotional. There should be something when you’re playing a team. And the fact that we’re both young I think there’s a little bit more. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with any of it as long as it’s put in its proper place. Listen, they are a young team that went deep last year and almost upset San Antonio. They have their designs on being the young team in the West to get to the Finals. We have the same dreams. So, now we’re in each other’s way. Neither team is going to say, ‘You can have it.’ And neither team should.”
On Danny Granger:
“Danny has been injured a lot in his career, so he probably knows how to handle it I’m assuming better than a lot. But I have no idea how he’s going to look. The tough part for me is if he gets off to a slow start, then I’ve got to make a tough decision or let him play through it. It’s stuff you don’t want to have to have, but it’s going to happen.”
WARRIORS HEAD COACH MARK JACKSON
On the potential “chippiness” of the series:
“It’s Playoff basketball. I heard Doc make the point that we’re not supposed to like each other and he’s 100 percent right. We’re in battle. We’re competing. We’re trying to advance. And they’re trying to do the same thing. They’ve done a great job all season long. They have some superstar players, had a great season. They’ve got an incredible coach. Now, they’re clearly the favorite and we look forward to the challenge that lies ahead. It’s supposed edgy. This is Playoff basketball.”
On Andrew Bogut’s status:
“I can’t narrow it down. It’s indefinite. We’re going to keep on moving along as if he’s not here as far as on the basketball floor. He’s in serious pain. We practiced yesterday and met the day before. He was there, but it’s indefinite. It’s real and it’s unfortunate. But we move forward.”
On if tells him team they are underdogs:
“They read what I say. If I’m sitting in the other room with Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Breen, I’m picking the Clippers. They’re the three seed. They won a bunch of games. They’ve got two of the top 10 players in the world. They’ve got a future Hall of Fame coach. That doesn’t mean anything. If I was sitting there last year, I would have picked the Nuggets, too. Some similar stories.”