Celtics - 112, Wizards - 98
Q. Did you enter tonight's game and even previous games to have a special focus to be aggressive?
BILAL COULIBALY: Yeah, these last two games they talked to me, like we need you to be aggressive. So, yeah, I'm really aggressive.
I knew what they were about to do, like putting the 5 on me at the beginning because they used to do that. So I was like, yeah, let me see how I can help the team and score the ball.
Q. The shooting numbers have gone back up over the last couple of games. I know you talked last season how tired legs could have hurt your shot a little bit. Do you feel like this recent break that you guys have had between games has helped recharge you and helped your shot as well?
BILAL COULIBALY: I think mentally -- it was not in my body. It was just mental. I just had to reset, and yeah, those four days helped me on that.
Q. How does the mental side help by just going through the experience of that tough two-way assignment and just getting experience doing it?
BILAL COULIBALY: It is tough, yeah. It is tough. You've got to take it on both sides. Yeah, BK is expecting a lot, and I want to be as good as he thinks I can be. Yeah, I've just got to do it all, you know.
Q. Bob told us sometimes you need a break and you tell him no. Is that a common thing where teammates say, hey, I can take a little bit off your plate?
BILAL COULIBALY: Yeah, that's what he said. He tries to help me a lot, even today he was, and I'm like I've got to get to work. Even coaches sometimes are like, man, take a break. I'm ready to do my job, so yeah.
Q. Do you take pride in that being able to do that possession after possession after possession?
BILAL COULIBALY: Yeah, I love that. I get really mad when somebody scores on me. So, yeah, I love it.
Q. How much pressure does it take off you having Alex in the paint because, let's say Jayson Tatum drives on you, Alex can be there to provide some help defense. Knowing he's on the court, does that provide any ease for you?
BILAL COULIBALY: Yeah, for sure. He's a really good shot blocker too. Whenever I'm blocked out defensively, knowing the guys and everything, it's going to be like really good.
Q. BK has talked a lot about how you guys want to have multiple ball handlers on offense. Boston is a really good example of that. Can you talk about from the defensive perspective of things, what about another team having five ball handlers makes them really hard to defend?
BILAL COULIBALY: Yeah, it is tough. They're really matchup handling. They're trying to find the best guy to attack. Everybody can bring the ball up, like you say. Everybody can turn the ball back. Everybody can block the ball. Yeah, it's really tough because everybody is going to be locked in defensively.
Q. On the opposite end for you guys, as you're trying to develop that multi- ball handler offense, what are you seeing about the early stages of that, and what do you want to see continue?
BILAL COULIBALY: It's getting way better. Everybody is finding what they're good at and everything. We're trying to see what shots we want. We're working on that at practice, and we're getting really good at it. It's going to be good.
Q. I want to ask you about Justin. How impressive is his rebounding?
BILAL COULIBALY: I knew he was like that. Yeah, training camp he proved it. He showed that he was really active on the glass. He's a tough guy. Yeah, he's just a mental thing, and he got it.
Q. Bilal, what do you think the rookies can learn about being in the NBA, especially during tough slumps like this where the losses pile up?
BILAL COULIBALY: We're trying to talk to them about it -- me, JP, and all the vets. We're trying to talk to them. We've been through this last year. We say that in five years we're going to look back and be like, man, it was tough, and we're going to laugh about it.
Now we're just going to stay with it. It's tough, really tougher, but that's how you get better.
Q. Are they receptive when you talk to them about that kind of thing?
BILAL COULIBALY: Yeah, they're mad because we're losing a lot. I get it, I'm mad too. Yeah, we're just going to -- we're just not trying to show them that we're mad because they've got to learn from it.
Q. What do you learn about -- you talked about going through it last year. What did you learn about what it takes to get through the attritional losing and try to improve day after day after day?
BILAL COULIBALY: I learned a lot about it, like getting in the gym, it helps. Even like coaches, everybody sees it. You've got to be locked in. Take care of your body, like I said, always. Work. Yeah, we'll be good.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports