Austin Reaves Reacts To Lakers Game 6 vs Warriors | May 12, 2023

Sit up tall. Alright, thank you. Let's start off with Mike. Quick one before the real question. Did you know the 50-plus footer was good right away? It felt good. You know, you don't make many of those, but it did feel good when I shot it. Alright, moving back a little bit now, just kind of the rise, Austin, these last few years and this year postseason now to be playing almost 40 minutes, you know, relied upon to this degree as an integral part of the team in a game-six setting against Golden State. LeBron, Nadee, Steph, Draymond, Clay, the whole thing. How would you describe what it's been like for you? Oh, man, this was special. I got a text from one of our really good friends before the series started, right when we won last series against Memphis, and he was just like, no pressure, but, you know, you're about to be in one of the most, you know, the biggest rivalry of, like, my life, you know, ever since, I think, 2015. They've been just battling it out, Bron, Steph, and then their whole core. So it's special to, you know, get that win and to beat a team that's, you know, so established, so good that they've won four rings in the past 10 years or whatever, so it just is great. Also, I had my brother here. He flew in from Germany, so it was just a special moment for me. Dank? Austin, you guys, I guess your only NBA experience is being a teammate of LeBron James', but do you feel like playing on his team and going through a regular season where your team is scrutinized and there's a regular season game has more intensity than maybe the average NBA team might have, can make a group prepared for the intensity that comes in the playoffs? Yeah, for sure. Started off 2-10, was not fun, and when you're in an organization like this, you're expected to win, and rightfully so. But like you said, being, I feel like until the playoffs, the month previous, that whole buildup was basically playoff basketball for us. I don't know, I can't speak for the other teams, but we were in must-win situations for a long time, and to kind of be locked in like that before this, I mean, this is different just because you play the same team at most seven times, but to have that attention to detail, the focus that we had to have for the last month of the regular season, I think, like you said, can be a big benefit for us because, like I said, we're so locked in for so long. But yeah, that's really it. Jovan? Austin, it sounds crazy, but this was LeBron's first 30-point playoff game since the 2020 Finals. Was there a moment pregame or this morning or whatever where you kind of noticed a different vibe or kind of could expect this type of performance from him? Anytime you step on the floor with him, you expect him to do spectacular things. His efficiency was off the charts. But like I said, every time you step on the floor, you expect him to be great because that's what he's done his whole career. And honestly, he can be great and people will still kill him because he wasn't who he was in 2013. But his motor from the get-go was special. And his attention to detail, like I've talked about, has been on 10 since the first game against Memphis. So I'm happy for him. I know he wanted this series really bad. Jim? Yeah, Austin. I'm sure there's a lot of eyebrows being raised nationally about 0-7 seed and all that. Do you guys still have to... Do you still feel like you have to prove that you belong here? No, not really. I think the seeding thing is... There's just a number. When you have guys like Bron, AD, that's won championships. Other guys, even Tristan, that's been through the fire with Bron and all those championships. Always feel like you have a chance and especially with the roster that we have, the talent that we have. Like you've seen, it was a game four when Lonnie went out and you put on a clinic. Three games before that, he wasn't playing. So when you have talent like that, our whole thing before the playoffs was get in. If we get in, we really think in a seven-game series that we would be tough to beat. I think that that's been proven these first two series, but we still just got to stay locked in and focus on the main goal. Nikki? Austin, as you look forward, you're about to play in the Western Conference Finals. When you consider the chip on your shoulder you've had since entering this league, what does this moment mean to you? It's special. Like I said, I have my brother here. My mom's here. I don't know. I can't really explain it, but it was not emotional, like tears-wise, but the feeling when we subbed out three minutes ago, it was very special. To do it with a group of guys like this, we go back, Dennis gets kicked out of the game for telling two texts, and he's jumping around in the back celebrating everybody's success. So just to be a part of that is special, and hopefully we can keep it going. Eric? Hey, Austin. You just guarded Steph Clay for six games. What did you learn about that experience? I mean, the work, the diligence, and what's the difference maybe between guarding one or the other? They're really good is the main thing, both of them. You see, Clay goes three for 19, two for 12. It's not easy. When you have to guard guys that consistently move and the whole team is basically doing what they can do to get them open, it's not easy. But like I said earlier, shout out to the coaching staff for the chess match that they have to play against the Warriors coaching staff. They were on top of things, schemes, mixing up stuff. But Steph plays a lot more off the dribble than Clay does, but if you give Clay or any of them, either of them, any space at all is going up, and it's got a really good chance of going to him. But I can't lie. I'm happy. I don't have to guard them two anymore. Last question. Mariam? Congrats, Austin. Thank you. Hey, so I want to ask you about you mentioned the two-and-ten start back then. How was Darvin then? When he was front-facing to us, he'd sit there and he'd talk about his beautiful job and his beautiful challenge and how much fun he was having, despite everything. What was he like for you guys at that point? Yeah, I mean, obviously two-and-ten isn't fun. You always want to win, but as you said, he always had a good attitude coming to work. You know, he said many a times we're employed by the Lakers, you know, the best organization in basketball. So as tough as it is on the court, it could be way worse. So shout out to him for sticking through. I mean, it's hard. You know, you're getting criticism from everybody. It's his first-year head coaching job. So for him to stick with it and gut it out, you know, with us is special. I mean, you can't say enough about him. And like you said, he was genuinely happy to be at work every day, even when we were two-and-ten. And when you have energy like that, that consistently build good habits and you want to be around guys like that. So, you know, big shout out to him. Thanks, Austin. Thank you.