Interview: Blazers’ Oden on the loss to the Warriors, his team’s energy, and playing with fouls
Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden discussed several topics following a Saturday morning shootaround at the team’s practice facility in Tualatin, Ore.
On what he and the team took away from Friday’s defeat to the Golden State Warriors:
It was just the hustle. We all feel we needed more energy out there. Definitely, there was a couple of plays where we all felt if we would have brought the energy, we could have cut into that lead that they had got.
We just feel if we would have all came together with that energy, we could have got over that hump. And that’s something that we need to learn, and get ourselves in those types of situations and understand that.
On the team lacking energy:
I would say that we should be over that. Over, like, people calling us a young team, because they’re not going to treat us like a young team. We need to learn from that. Everybody does … nobody’s going undefeated. It’s not happening. So, basically we just need to go out there and learn from what happened yesterday and make it better tonight.
On his strong first quarter against the Warriors, receiving two fouls, sitting out, and then trying to get back his rhythm:
I mean, ’cause I know. He put it out there for me: You get two fouls, and a foul a quarter for that first half. I know that. And I’ve just got to be more conscious of that, and try not to get those fouls. I’ve got to be smarter than that. It’s kind of tough when I am getting it going; I feel like I can still be out there and contributing. But also I know, like, look, if I get two fouls, the second half is way more important than the first. So, it’s just how you finish.
It’s tough. You have those games where the refs get you on everything. We’ve got to move past it. And, obviously, we didn’t learn the game, so we’ve got to learn from it.
On dominating the first quarter:
I’m taking whatever I can get. If I can dominate a defender, we’re definitely going to go after that and milk that. And if somebody else can dominate, we’re going to go with that and milk that. There’s no reason to go away from something that should dominate. If somebody gots it going, we keep going to them. If I can get to the basket, then they’re probably going to keep going to me. So, it’s whoever’s getting it going that night.
On how he’s feeling overall:
Yeah, I feel good. Definitely not having any problems. Very confident, and just trying to get things going.
