Magic 109, Wizards 97
Q. Bub's career night, what do you think led to it? What did you see from his shot making in particular?
BRIAN KEEFE: I loved the rebounding and the passing. Let's talk about that first, on the boards, the assists, his defense, and obviously he made shots. He was feeling good out there tonight.
Q. 25 free throws for Orlando and 11 for Washington. Do you think that was just a difference in aggression or a difference in shot opportunities?
BRIAN KEEFE: Next question.
Q. I asked three days ago about Bub stepping up as a part-time lead ball handler. What can you say about his taking it up another level, basically Poole's job, as the ball handler all game long?
BRIAN KEEFE: He's been handling -- Bub started from game 1, so he's had the ball in his hands a lot. Him and Jordan would play off. He's always been a great organizer of our team.
Obviously we had a couple guys out tonight, so he had to be a little bit more aggressive offensively, and obviously he carried the load for us, but I liked his overall game. That was the important part. Just timely shots, wasn't forcing anything. Took good shots, shots that he can make. Played an overall great game tonight.
Q. Orlando isn't known for their shooting, and they hit, I think, double-digit threes. Is that more of a testament to slip-ups on your end or they beat you with better O?
BRIAN KEEFE: We forced them into the shots we wanted them to take. They made some of them. They didn't make a lot in the second half. Our defense was really good in the second half. I think they had 48. So we really stepped it up. We were physical. But they made some timely ones.
Q. You've talked about the difficulties young players face in getting calls. What does it take for young players to start earning the respect of refs?
BRIAN KEEFE: Next question.
Q. What would you say you've learned about Bub's game over the course of the season?
BRIAN KEEFE: First, Bub is a competitor, someone who loves to compete, has a great joy for playing the game. Then he's just gotten better with all the situations that you learn from all the experiences he's had. Managing the game, reading the game, on both ends, offensively and defensively, but the big thing we love about him most is the competitive spirit that he brings and the joy that he brings to the game.
Q. Marcus Smart is one of the favorites of the fans. Talk about the difference he brought to the team, to the young players as a veteran player?
BRIAN KEEFE: I mean, he's similar to Bub, but he's got an energy level and a defensive intensity and a competitiveness that's contagious to everybody. I think the fans can feel that, also. He makes winning plays, and he's been doing this for a long time. Great to have him part of our team. He's really been helpful in terms of establishing how we want to play and then setting the tone for how we want to be defensively. He did a great job of that in the third quarter tonight.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports