AD, Reaves, Schroder, Coach Ham x James Worthy React To Lakers/Thunder | March 24, 2023

Anthony Davis, A.D. is joining us. What's up, A.D.? I got something for you. 423 days, the last time you were 500. Tonight, the Lakers get back to 500. Yeah, we knew that was a goal of ours to be 500. We haven't been 500 since we were 0-0. So, you know, we did everything to make sure that we started getting on a positive thing with this record. We knew how big this game was, not just to be 500, but also, you know, for the standings. You know, this team beat us once, and I think they're ahead of us. So, you know, we want to make sure we come out and get this victory. A.D., before Fish and Big Game jump in with your big play, I just wanted to tee up on Lonnie Walker. When you're a team, I know it's hard sometimes when guys aren't getting any burn. He's had a lot of DNPs, but I saw you giving him some love. He was huge tonight for you guys. Yeah, that's what I told him, true professionalism. You know, not playing and then come in and play big for us, 20 points off the bench. And I just told him that's great professionalism, great carryover from all his work they've been putting in. The days that he don't, you know, play, he go into the gym and get shots either after the game or the next day. So that's great carryover and great professionalism for Lonnie. A.D., D. Fish here, man. Congrats on the win and your performance tonight. Real quick, eight games left in this regular season. One thing offensively and one thing defensively that you guys have to continue to do well to keep reaching your peak at the right time. Offensively, just keep pushing the pace. You know, when we slow down and play late into the shot clock, you know, we usually get a bad shot. But when we're getting stops, and it leads to the defense game as well, when we're getting stops, you know, holding good teams to one shot, getting a rebound and pushing, we're unbeatable. Tough to guard. You know, we get out and run. Dennis, D-Lo when he's healthy. Austin, all our guys, Vando, myself, you know, getting the ball and pushing it out in transition and then finding our shooters or getting to the basket. So first thing, we got to get stops and, you know, play great defense and then get out and run. A.D., big game here, man. You guys have had some uphill battles this year with injuries and players missing. Can you tell us a little bit about peaking at the right time? You guys seem to be peaking and trending toward the end of the year. What's to come? Yeah. We have no choice. We have no choice but to get wins. No choice but to find a way to get basketball wins. And, you know, like you said, we're peaking at the right time. You know, still not healthy. You know, D-Lo missed tonight. Bron, you know, is constantly getting healthy, getting ready to come back. So, you know, it's even a scary sight, you know, when we get healthy. When we play a hole for the couple games that we did, we were a pretty tough team to beat. So we want everybody to get healthy so we can, you know, make this final push as a whole and get some games in before, you know, we get in the playoffs. A.D., you were dominant from start to finish, and this is our last question. You're kind of in playoff mode right now. Did it seem like playoff atmosphere inside Crypto.com Arena tonight? Yeah, for sure. Every game is a must-win for us. Every game is game seven of the finals. You know, we know the position we're in. We control our own destiny, but we had to come in and play with a sense of urgency, what Coach always talking about, effort, energy, and urgency. And we've been able to do that the last couple games, and we've got to continue it. A.D., enjoy this one. We'll see you early on Sunday. Thank you. Anthony Davis right there. Listen, let's start with just opening comments, and he said it. Every game feels like a game seven. Big game in fish. Desperate, desperate times, and for the first time in 423 days, this team is back to .500. And James, you hit it on the head. Trending in the right direction right now. They're tied for .78. Yeah, I mean, I would think that the season, you know, especially the second half, has unfolded, you know, kind of in their direction, the right way. And, you know, they put together some good basketball, a good stream of basketball, especially after the trades when they brought in some key players, Vanderbilt and some other players coming in to kind of enhance what they were doing. And A.D. coming back has been the difference, I think. And their defense has arrived, you know, where it was at the beginning of the season and once they had it before. So, yeah, I mean, I think, you know, it's something to be said about trending in the right direction and peaking at the right time. You know, Fish, when this team was eight games under .500, it just didn't seem like there was a light at the end of the tunnel or that this would be possible. It just seemed like they were going to kind of fade away. They've been able to turn it around. You've got to give them a lot of credit. Yeah, a ton of credit. And, you know, when you think about where they were, started to play a little bit better, and then LeBron goes down in Dallas, it just felt like, okay, here we go again. You know, maybe close, but not close enough. And to their credit, to the coaching staff, and everyone involved with the team, they've just continued to chop wood, carry water, do their jobs on a nightly basis. With all the scrutiny and the questions, they've just maintained a sense of purpose and intention with what they're doing. Big game, James, a week ago on a Friday night, you were with us, Fish, when they lost to Dallas. Much different feeling than right now. Since that time, they've won what's in front of them. They've won their three games in a row. Everyone's calling them must games. Pretty impressive. It has been impressive, Gator. Things are going well. You know, you can have fun. You can laugh on the bus and enjoy. But when you're up against something, that's when you tell who you are. You know, when you have to come together as a team, despite injuries, despite players being out, and you have to win games. And they've been able to do that. I got to tell you, this might be the toughest season that they've had where they've had to sustain. They could have easily have fallen way off somewhere and maybe not even have a chance to be in the playoffs. But, you know, they grit their teeth, with or without LeBron or AD, and they got the job done. And here they are, 500 with a chance to make something happen for themselves. Before we get to AD, I do want to show you guys the updated standings. It looked like for a while there Philly was going to actually beat the Warriors, and the Lakers would have been a half game out of six. So the Mavs lose to Charlotte at home. Lowly Charlotte. So the Lakers get a break there. And that's what this is about, taking advantage of the games that are in front of you. I love the question you asked Anthony Davis. What's the one thing offensively and defensively? And he said push the pace. When LeBron first went out, Austin was getting used to handling the ball more, high turnover games, Dennis, D'Angelo getting comfortable, few too many turnovers for the team. But they've done a good job getting those turnovers down. They're getting to the free throw line more than almost anybody in the league, night in and night out. That also allows them to get their defense set. So they're taking pride defensively, and they're getting out in transition and playing good basketball and sharing it. That's tough, and that's without LeBron James on the floor right now. Big game, A.D. When you look at the second half versus the Suns, all the way through this game, that's six quarters in a row where he was that dude, and he was dominant. And at times he had to absolutely carry this team. And the minutes where he wasn't on the floor was a drastic difference. He also hit big time shots, came up with a huge offensive rebound. What have you seen from him in this little stretch that we're calling must win games in terms of his leadership on the floor? Well, you just said the word, Gita. I think he's learning how to be a better leader, and he knows how to deliver once he gets it a few and ones. So, yeah, I mean, he knows that, you know, we talked about this a few weeks ago. It's his team. Yeah. I mean, even when LeBron comes back, he's going to have to continue this way. So I think his recognition when he needs to lead was key tonight. Shout out to Lonnie. Yeah. You said fish at halftime. Gita, he is a professional basketball player. Stay ready. Darvin, what can you say about A.D.? Just kind of delivering in the way that he did in this moment, despite looking like OKC was really trying their best to contain. You know, before the game, we said individually and collectively, we want to come out with energy, effort, and urgency, the three words we've been using here lately, as we try to make this push to secure a spot. And the other thing we said, we wanted to be the most competitive together team for 48 minutes on the floor tonight. You know, with a next play mentality. And, you know, we had a couple plays there. Starting in the second quarter, I was fouling. I think they had 11 free throw attempts in the second quarter. Then the third quarter, I think they're first in the league in third quarter scoring. It's a good young team down the hallway, man. They're going to be really, really good, man, at some point here soon. They're already good now with Shea leading the charge. But kudos to our guys, you know, just staying the course, continuously being competitive on both sides of the ball and not getting down. You know, some disappointing moments. Lost some box outs and gave up some second chance points. You know, slowing down offensively a little bit, really not a standing attack most for a few possessions. But overall, just, you know, continuing to move along with the possessions. And, again, we talk about that next play mentality. And A represented all of that today. Just demanding the ball, playing downhill, being aggressive to the rim, you know, being active defensively, rebounding. He was huge. He was phenomenal. And, you know, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge Lonnie Walker. You know, I said to the team sometimes, and it's a reality of our business, you know, you get your minutes cut short or you don't get to play at all. And a lot of times it's through no fault of your own. It's just circumstantial. And he's the definition of what a pro is supposed to do at this level in terms of keeping himself ready, you know, putting that extra time into the gym individually, still watching film with the coaches, you know, still getting his rest, still getting his proper nutrition, keeping that great attitude, that great positive attitude that he has. And it showed tonight. He didn't have to come out and worry about getting ready. He's been staying ready. And if he doesn't have that performance, we don't win this game. It's as simple as that. So kudos to him, man, for being a pro's pro. Darvin, as a team, you have bigger goals than this. But you're at .500, took you 74 games to get here. What does that mean just to get there? And what do you think it could mean in terms of getting over the hump for the eight remaining games? I mean, we just have to approach these upcoming games, these last eight, like we've been doing here over the last deadline, actually. Each game is its own entity. And we can't, you know, worry about going 6-2 or 7-1 or 5-3. We just have to approach each game and dive and pour all of ourselves into that each particular game. And so we'll continue to carry on as such. You know, now it's time, instead of constantly facing a deficit, we get to try to create a surplus, create a cushion between the wins and losses. And so the guys are excited about that. Again, they know what's at stake. And, you know, you look around the league, the standings, they're constantly changing day in and day out. But as I said, and I told them, and I'll continue saying it, the first order of business is to take care of our own business. And we just need to keep having these type of performances, you know, on both sides of the ball and try to play a complete game as possible. You know, a more complete game for most of the 48 minutes or however long the game goes. We have to be locked in and stay locked in. Darvin, you know, you were alluding to it, but there's so many ways A.D. can score, but very intentionally he was under the rim. You know, three of his first six baskets tonight were dunks. What did that communicate, do you think, to the rest of your team about how he wanted to play, and do you think they kind of took that from him? Absolutely. You know, we say love and live in the pain, and it starts with him not settling. Whether it's his post-ups, him isoing at the elbow, him picking and popping in transition, him getting the flip play and being able to iso and play downhill off the dribble, just him not settling. Him playing a highly aggressive ball game offensively and defensively also, him having his teammates back, I think it just frees everyone up to play the same. You know, we talk about quick decisions. You know, shoot it, swing it, drive it. And if we're going to put it on the floor, let's make sure we're going to touch the paint with it. It starts with him, just him loving and living in the paint and creating free-throw line opportunities for himself, getting us to the bonus. It has a ripple effect, and I thought that energy was contagious tonight. Hey, Darvin. Even with LeBron and D'Angelo out, with the way you guys have been playing, how do you kind of characterize what your comfort level is with the team's ability to make a final push? I mean, just all hands on deck. I mean, this team is locked in and connected. The vibe, the spirit is great. It's been overtly positive. Guys laughing and joking. We have a lot of laughter, you know, practices, film sessions. The dialogue has been great. Guys just really locked in trying to figure out how we can be better. Whether it's offense, defense, in-the-game situations, in-the-quarter situations, different lineups. You hear guys who know they may be coming off the bench with certain people, they're huddled up having their own little conversations on what actions they like, how to guard different things, you know. It's just great, and that's what you want. Everyone really trying to see how they, not only individually, but, again, collectively be better on both sides of the ball and really rooting for one another, genuinely being happy for each other's success. So we just want to keep that going, and the way you keep that going is just you constantly evaluate and take long, hard looks at yourself as a unit and, again, see how we can sustain the good stuff. And there's different little bad things, bad segments. How can we clean that up and try to correct those? But everybody's on the same page pulling the rope in the same direction. Two more. Go ahead. Darvin, we've talked about urgency a lot, but it seemed like tonight with how quick guys were to the floor, the way that you guys had to defend when the ball wasn't going in the last few minutes, it seemed like this was a peak in that style. How pleased were you with that? And I'm sure maybe the Dennis play where he, I think, broke up a fast break twice is one that maybe stands out. But if there were any other plays that kind of stick to you that really showcased kind of the urgency that you guys want to have. Just set the tone, man. I mean, you know, Lonnie had a play early in the first half that we showed at halftime. Even though he probably knew he wasn't going to get the ball, just came out of nowhere, strong box out, sent the man out of bounds for A.D. to clean it up. Just those little things, the screens that these guys set, their running habits, even though they may not get the ball, those running habits are flattening out the defense, allowing guys to have lanes to penetrate, the penetrating pitch on the backside, guys making the pass, the hockey assists, you know, the pass that sets up the scoring pass. And then defensively, guys, like you said, scrapping, getting on the floor, diving on the floor, 50-50 balls, whether it's Dennis, Rui, all of them, Austin, Vando, you know, just doing the dirty work. Guys are really competing. And because, again, they know what they're representing. They know the history of the franchise that they're representing. They know how everyone in that building is highly competitive, you know, within each department. And, you know, as coaches, you know, that's what we preach. That's what we've been preaching since day one, competitiveness, togetherness, and accountability. So you saw that. That was all on the full display tonight. And I expect it to continue and become even greater. Darvin, I just wanted to ask about Dennis. And, you know, Dan just mentioned the play where he breaks up the fast break twice, had a bunch of clutch buckets in the fourth, and just his ability to kind of step in, as you said, you know, off the bench. And it's a role we've seen from him before, but just his contributions tonight. You know, we're extremely fortunate, you know, to have guys like Dennis coming off the bench, you know, Malik, Lonnie tonight, Rui, William, these guys that could be starting for a bunch of teams around the league. And we have the luxury of inserting those guys. And, you know, it's just been a blessing. And with Dennis, you know, that's just who he is, playing big in big moments when his numbers caught up on it. And also, you know, being a good enough teammate to understand we bring in D-Lo and he has to be regulated to the bench, understand, just knowing he's going to come off and do his part and play as consistent as possible. And he lives and thrives for those moments. He and Austin, you know, even Lonnie, AD, all these guys, they make big shots in big moments, big plays in big moments. So the beautiful thing is they did it, not in a selfish manner, but taking what the game gives you and being there. Lonnie, some of the offensive impact was obvious, but it seemed like you were real focused defensively as well. How have you maintained that level, you know, throughout these last couple weeks when sometimes you've been called upon, sometimes you've been out of the rotation? What's the mindset been like for you? Just being even keel. You know, I've really been going with the words divine timing, you know, understanding that, you know, the work's not done. You know, God has my back and understanding that whether it's now or later, it's all going to come back in the right time. And so every day I've just been in the gym, being positive, understanding what we're doing, what we're trying to accomplish, and just staying ready. You know, I have great people like Coach Gent, Chris Gent, that I talk to, you know, almost every other day, you know, even when I have my ups and downs. And my teammates have made, you know, just me not being able to play much easier. You know, I love these guys and I'm happy to be playing with them. So just taking it day to day. You know, that's all I can do and control the controllables. Lonnie, after the game I saw, we all saw A.D. talking with you. Can you share what he said with you? What did that mean to you that moment to have that conversation with him? Just, you know, being professional, staying ready, you know, and locking in. You know, today was a big game as far as, you know, being par for 100. So, you know, he gave me my flowers for, you know, being ready and understanding that, you know, it's not easy. You know, and that's something that I'm going to take to the heart. But, you know, I would say that these last few weeks have been up and down. You know, I have my times where I haven't really been myself, where I've been down. So I'm just – I'm very blessed and honored to be given the opportunity and play to the best of my capability. A lot of you mentioned it was a big moment for the team, finally getting a chance to get to 500, D-Low's out, against a team that's right – the same record as you coming into it. And you get an opportunity and you play aggressive but not outside of the team structure. What allowed you to have that kind of control of your game and your approach? Just growth. You know, watching film day in and day out. Seeing what A.R. is doing, Malik is doing, D-Low is doing. You know, watching other guards, seeing what's beneficial on the court for the team and doing what's best for the team. And most importantly, just keeping the confidence. You know, that's something that I've been kept in and honing in on is just understanding my value and the type of player that I'm capable of doing. You know, I'm 24 years old. I'm only growing. And, you know, the best is yet to come. Lonnie, when A.D. starts not just the scoring but the way he was scoring, I mean, three dunks in the first quarter, really being physical, really going out for the boards against his team, what do you think – what effect do you think that had on the bench? And did it affect your mindset when you check in in the first quarter seeing A.D. get out to that start? Absolutely. You know, watching what he's doing, it only makes you want to play harder, work harder and get that win for him. You know, this is his team. This is his organization. And when he's ready, we're ready. You know, we got his back. So, to see him do what he do, you know, us bench players, we were excited. You know, we were ready to go. And we just – we finished off with the win. I believe the bench scored about 40 points this game. So, you know, he for sure inspired and motivated us. Lonnie, they had that sequence where they cut it. I think they tied it at 105. What did you see with the closing group that you guys were able to kind of distance yourselves late? Like, what did you feel like was the difference there? A.D., you know, that's really the end all, be all. When you have someone with that level of talent in a future Hall of Famer, it's really up to him to make the smart reads and smart plays. You know, every single time he's touching the ball, they're going to double-team him immediately. So, there's going to be one man open, whether it's slashing to the basket or being open in the corner side and being ready to catch and shoot. I just think that we played smart. You know, we played the right way. We did what we were supposed to do. And defensively, we rebounded and played hard. Lonnie, what do you think has helped foster the chemistry with the bench, even just through all the different lineups and injuries throughout the season? I would say just the togetherness off the court. You know, we haven't really known each other for too long, but when we're at the facility or on the road, you know, a lot of us are hanging out with each other, going out to eat, hanging out with each other, watching TV, whatever it so be. And I think that is the main cue of it all, you know, being comfortable with your teammates. Off the court, it only transitions on the court to be able to play and have fun and watching everyone eat together. It puts a smile on your face to watch other people accomplish and achieve things as well. No current high for Austin Reeves. He's slipping. Finished an assist shy of a double-double. He's depressed. Austin, got to talk about AD. 37 points, 15 rebounds, driven from the start all the way to the finish. What did you see out there from him tonight? Like you said, from the get-go, he was, you know, being ultra-aggressive, and, you know, that's what we wanted from him, you know, every game. You know, we want him to do that because, you know, talent-wise, he's second to none. But great performance. And Lonnie didn't play the last three games. Gets plugged in tonight, 20 points. Got to like that effort. Oh, no, that's super impressive, you know. It's not easy to do. For him to stay locked in and, you know, stay prepared, you know, pay attention to details, you know. Like you said, not playing the last three is super impressive. So, you know, shout-out to him for that performance. Without him, we probably don't win that game. You guys are back to .500. It's not, you know, what you want to be. It's not what this franchise celebrates. But it's been over 400 days since that last happened. Yeah, I mean, last year probably like 20 and 20, 25 and 25. But like you said, that's not really where we want to be. But, you know, it is the reality of, you know, what we're in. So, we take it game by game. Hopefully we can build on this and, you know, moving forward. Austin, I remember you saying, I think when you guys were 2-8, 2-10, I feel like the team is better than this. I feel like, you know, we're just kind of grinding a hole. Shut up, bro. Shut up. Sorry. They're right. Lee Beasley providing some commentary. Reflect what I think we can accomplish. And I know the roster's changed. What do you think has been the biggest change since that grinding start? What mentality does this team have now that it couldn't have been done? Yeah, I mean, obviously at the first of the year it was still a really new team to each other. So, you know, when we were, I think, 2-10 at one point, we were trying to grind out wins and figure out how to close games and stuff like that. But, you know, we just grinded through all that. Obviously, like you said, the roster's different. I feel like we kind of filled voids that we had before that. So, you know, the mentality is, you know, go out and win every game. You know, we feel like we have the guys in the locker room, the potential, the ability to go win every game. So that's really the mindset. AD with a monster double-double. It's 35th in the season. He's now speaking with Breds. Keep it going, Breds. AD, 37 points, 15 rebounds. Please disregard Brad Turner there. You had it going from start to finish tonight. Must have been game for us. You know, standings. Get to 500. Tough team on the other side. Play well. Play fast. No, but we had to come out and get this game. And we came out, you know, also defensively, offensively, just playing extremely well. And, you know, Guy stepped up big tonight. Especially Lonnie, you know, not playing and then coming in and giving us a huge 20 off the bench, making the right play. So, you know, game ball definitely goes to him. You're at 500. You know, it's not what the franchise typically celebrates. But when you think about the grind after starting out 2 and 10, does that mean something? Yeah. You know, got to 500 now. It's time to get on the other side. Can't have more wins than losses. So, start Sunday. Got an opportunity to beat a game above 500 Sunday. I guess a good Bulls team. We know that Pat's going to have them, you know, wired up. So, it's going to be a fun game. But, yeah, we got a chance to, you know, to play them and go above 500 first time this year. What does it mean for a context, the context of a season to have Lonnie be a starter, fall out of the rotation? You guys are missing D-Lo tonight. He steps right in. Like, what does it do for the group confidence and everybody you share the locker room with? A true professional. You know, all our guys, if they play or not, you know, play a lot of minutes, start, then go to the bench, start. If they don't play, you know, good energy, good vibes no matter what, cheering for their teammates. You know, Lonnie goes in after games. If you don't play, go to the gym, get shots, you know, constantly, you know, staying ready. And like I was saying, you know, stay ready. You ain't got to get ready. So, you know, he's been locked in on his game, you know, when his number's called and it was called tonight. And he stepped up, played well. After the game was over, I saw you go up and you talked to me for a little while, pat him on the chest. What made you decide to do that? Yeah, there's no reason. I mean, you know, we don't win this game without him. You know, he comes in playing well and just. . . I don't know, I've never been through it, you know, where I'm playing and then, you know, get benched, whatever. But, you know, I can just only imagine how I mess with the mind, you know, to be, you know, mentally strong to, you know, days ago from a starter, you know, move to the bench, don't play, then come in, play big minutes, help the team win. Like you got to be a strong-minded individual for that. And so I just wanted to let him know, you know, in a moment, you know, how professional he is and, you know, constantly staying ready. You know, you've had these scoring runs recently and, you know, sometimes your jumper's going, sometimes the turnaround's going. But when you're able to dunk, really like get in on guys and finish over them, is that a different kind of feeling when you get in that rhythm and you're really showing out with your physicality? I just get with the game, take what the game gives me. You know, they really had no rim protection, so I wanted to get, you know, a lot of stuff at the rim. You know, they're pretty small. I wanted to get a lot of offensive rebounds, just crash the glass. You know, just every game is different. You know, maybe against, you know, bigger guys, you know, B, Yoke, Stephen Adams, it might be a jump shot game. But just reading each game, knowing the personnel, and then attacking from each point that gives me an advantage. What usually determines whether you're scoring 30s like you did tonight versus a 20-point-plus game? Going in for it. That's it. You know, obviously once you get a couple of bags, you start feeling good. But, you know, also guys being aggressive kind of just open up, you know, the floor for me. So, you know, obviously you want to go out and score big every night. But, you know, no matter what, let's score, you know. I don't care about the win. So it could be 20, it could be 30, 40, zero. Zero, I'll probably get cursed out. But most importantly, we just got to go out and get wins. I think there was a play a couple years ago when Dennis was here the first time where he, like, came out of nowhere diving for a loose ball. I don't know if you remember. Denver. Yeah, it was a really smart play. The one that he had in the second half tonight where I think he broke up the fast break twice and then ended up drawing a foul and kind of. He plays with such a good passion. He's energetic. That's how he plays, scrappy. And he saves fast break, comes back down, draws a foul, as you said. So, kind of another spark. Got the crowd into it. But that's Dennis. That's how he plays. You've seen him with D-Lo out, like, the load that he's had to carry. I guess could you explain just, like, the amount of energy he's giving out there and just what he's pouring into these games? He's leaving it all on the floor and everyone is. I mean, the position that we're in, you know, you got to be able to leave it all on the floor, give 110%. And he's giving, like, 150%. You know, he's leaving it all on the floor and letting everything get on the line for us to get a win. And it's contagious. You know, we got to start doing it. You know, we just need him to continue to be here. Just because you brought his name up first before we got a chance. Pat Beverly had some comments the other day about how the communication went. Oh, really? On the defensive end here, saying that it was basically, I'm paraphrasing, too many cooks in the kitchen, basically, was his messaging. Oh, okay. How do you look back at the Pat Beverly teammate experience? Oh, it was great. Pat is Pat. If you don't know Pat, then you don't know Pat. You know, I think he's a – I expect nothing less from anything that Pat Bev said. You know? I've known him outside of basketball. You know, obviously, we're both from the same city. But that's what he wants. You know, he has no filter. He's going to say how he feels. You know, we don't look too deep into it. You know? But I love saying this. You know, it's funny to me. Like I said, I know him, though, so it's Pat being Pat. You know? You guys are still in the mix. What do you think of when he was saying he wants to end your guys' playoff push? That's fine. I mean, he can try. He can try. A lot of people have tried. We'll see Sunday. We got Sunday and Wednesday. We got one here. We got one there. Thanks, A.D. Yeah. Dennis, you guys are finally back to .500. Yeah, you started off 2-10. If you think about the grind in the last few months to get here, is there some reward in getting there? Yeah. I mean, obviously, we made it tonight. Big accomplishment, but we're not finished. You know, we still try to be together. Still try to finish these last couple of games strong and put us in a position where we can be in the postgame or postseason. And I think how we're playing right now, we're in a good place. You're back in the starting lineup tonight. Obviously, strong fourth quarter for you. Is it hard for you to change mindsets from reserve to starter and back and forth? Not really. I mean, it's just whatever the team needs right now, everybody just tries to get it done. And I think I didn't even know before I got here, you know, I see my name that I'm starting. But at the end of the day, to play with those guys is easy. When I'm coming off the bench or I'm starting. So we're just competing on the highest level. We showed it tonight again, and I'm glad we got the win. That's it. It's not that .500 is the goal, but you had two other opportunities before this to reach .500. Is that motivating at all? Is that burning the back of your mind a little bit? I mean, it just feels good that we accomplished that. And I think everybody is grateful that we got it. But like I said, it's not finished yet. We try to get these last couple of games as well, try to approach it the right way, and put us in a position where we can be successful.