Interview: Aldridge discusses Suns, series, double teams, Stoudemire
Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge spoke with the media following Portland’s 108-89 defeat to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday at the Rose Garden.
Aldridge on responding to the loss:
… I think we’re playing kind of tight in the beginning, and I think they’re shooting the heck out of the ball. We’ve got to do a better job of getting in their way. I don’t know if we are or not. But if we are, we’ve got to try to do it more. Because they’re making a lot of shots.
On emotionally recovering from the defeat:
We’ve just got to keep fighting. This is what we’ve been through all year. We’ve had ups. We’ve had downs. We lost Nic(olas Batum) now. So, we’ve just got to keep going through it. This has been our whole season, you know. We take a step forward and we take a step back. We’ve just got to keep trying to fight and just stay together.
On tangling with Phoenix’s Amare Stoudemire:
He didn’t hit me. But he tried to. And the fact that he tried to hit me just made me mad. So, just letting him know that you can’t just throw elbows like that. But it’s over with now.
I didn’t say nothing. I don’t know what I said. Just something that, ‘You can’t do that.’
He’s a dirty player? I don’t know. I wouldn’t label him dirty. That was not a good play. But I don’t know what he is.
On whether he has felt like this during the season:
Uh … I don’t know right now. This is pretty quick to answer — I don’t know. I just feel like, they came out tonight, they got us. We’ve got to figure out a way to get better starts. We talked about it. We won the second half. We’ve just got to get better starts. They’re coming out with the better starts than us. And we’re coming back in the second half, and it’s just not enough.
On how hard it will be to respond:
I don’t know. You see, every time I make a couple baskets, they just double (team) me on (the) catch. I mean, I watched film: One time, when I was facing up, dribbling, they brought a guy base(line) and they brought a guy (top). So, I’ve just got to keep making the right passes. I’m not the type of guy that’s going to take shots when I’m double-teamed; it’s just not me.
On his teammates needing to hit 3-pointers:
Yeah, we’ve just got to make shots. We had looks that we missed. I think my first two shots around the basket, I missed those. I think guys had looks that they can make, we’ve just got to make shots.
On whether he is frustrated:
Nah. I mean, I wouldn’t — disappointed. But I don’t know about frustrated. I’m just trying to figure out a way I can help this team. They’re trying to take me out, of course, anyway they can And every time I catch it, they’re just doubling. So, I’ve just got to try and figure out ways to get going.
