"We played the right way" SGA Talks After His Playoff Career-High vs Suns | April 25, 2026

>> SHAEDON HYPER EFFICIENCY

FROM YOU IN THIS GAME. WHAT

ALLOWED YOU WITHIN THE FLOW TO

JUST GET SUCH YOU KNOW ON

BALANCE POSITIVE RHYTHM LOOKS

EVERY TIME YOU TOOK A SHOT.

>> I THINK WE DID A REALLY GOOD

JOB TONIGHT OF LIKE PLAYING TO

OUR IDENTITY OFFENSIVELY. LIKE

EVERYONE WAS AGGRESSIVE.

EVERYONE WAS PLAYING WITHIN

THEMSELVES AND EVERYONE WAS

LIKE MOVING AROUND THE BALL.

LIKE WHEN I DROVE, IF I SEEN A

GAP, LIKE GUYS WERE MOVING IN

THE SPACE, GUYS WERE READY TO

ATTACK, READY TO SHOOT, READY

TO MAKE THE NEXT PLAY. IT

DIDN'T ALWAYS GO OUR WAY, BUT I

THINK IT KEPT THEIR DEFENSE AS

A WHOLE, WHICH IS A REALLY GOOD

DEFENSE IN A BIND AND WHAT TO

PICK AND CHOOSE. AND WE FOUND

THAT WE FOUND THAT BALANCE

OFFENSIVELY TONIGHT. AND WE

DIDN'T HAVE OUR BEST SHOOTING

NIGHT. BUT WE YEAH WE PLAYED

THE RIGHT WAY FOR THE WHOLE

GAME. IT FELT LIKE. AND WE YEAH,

WE LOOKED PRETTY GOOD OUT THERE

OFFENSIVELY.

>> I KNOW EVERY GAME IS

DIFFERENT. BUT OFTENTIMES YOU

KNOW A GAME THREE ON THE ROAD

THAT YOU'RE UP TWO ZERO CAN BE

EXTREMELY CHALLENGING. YEAH.

WHAT WAS KEY FOR YOU ALL IN THE

FIRST QUARTER. YOU KNOW YOU

GUYS DELIVERED A PUNCH. THEY

THREW ONE BACK AND YOU GUYS

WERE ABLE TO JUST WHAT WAS KEY

THERE.

>> YEAH. WE KNEW COMING INTO

TODAY TONIGHT WE TYPICALLY

STRUGGLE WITH THESE GAMES. LAST

YEAR WE GO DOWN BIG IN MEMPHIS

GAME THREE WE LOSE GAME THREE

IN DENVER SERIES. WE LOSE GAME

THREE IN THE MINNESOTA SERIES

BY 40, AND WE LOSE GAME THREE

IN INDIANA. SO YEAH, WE WE

REALLY WANTED TO COME OUT HERE

AND JUST PUT OUR BEST FOOT

FORWARD, LIKE ACROSS THE BOARD,

REALLY PLAY TO OUR IDENTITY AND

LIKE, JUST SEE WHERE WE WERE

LIKE, GIVE OURSELVES A CHANCE.

AND I THINK IN THOSE GAMES,

LIKE WE VEERED FROM WHO WE WERE

THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE

GAME AND KIND OF PUT OURSELVES

IN A HOLE IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

BUT TONIGHT, I THINK WE DID A

REALLY GOOD JOB OF JUST LIKE

STAYING PRESENT. OBVIOUSLY, WE

KNOW THE HISTORY OF OUR US IN

GAME THREES, BUT JUST LIKE

BEING PRESENT, BEING IN THE

MOMENT AND DOING WHAT WE CAN ON

EACH POSSESSION AND THEN SEE

WHERE IT TOOK US AND WE LOOKED

PRETTY GOOD DOING SO GOOD.

>> THE LIP READING EXPERTS

CAUGHT YOU ON THE WAY TO THE

BENCH AFTER THAT ONE DRIVE,

SAYING, I DON'T NEED IT, THAT

THAT EMOTION IS THAT PENT UP

FRUSTRATION WITH THE WAY YOU'VE

BEEN DEFENDED THIS SERIES.

WHERE DOES THAT EMOTION COME

FROM?

>> NOTHING AT ALL. I JUST THINK

THEY MISSED THE CALL, BUT I

SCORED ANYWAY, SO I WAS LIKE,

IT'S OKAY. DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.

YEAH, NOTHING MORE THAN THAT.

>> I MEAN, THIS MUCH IS OBVIOUS,

BUT MARK MENTIONED THAT WHEN

DUB GOES DOWN, IT SORT OF

CHANGES THE CALCULUS OF THE

OFFENSE AND THE WAY THIS NEEDS

TO LOOK TO TO WIN IN GAME THREE.

WHAT GOES ON FOR YOU INTERNALLY

WHEN YOU KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO

MISS DUB FOR SOME TIME?

>> NOTHING REALLY. HONESTLY

SPEAKING LIKE. REGARDLESS, LIKE,

AND I'M VERY FORTUNATE TO BE IN

THIS POSITION, BUT REGARDLESS

OF WHO'S OUT THERE, I GET TO GO

OUT THERE AND PLAY MY GAME.

THAT'S JUST LIKE THE ROLE I

HAVE ON THIS TEAM, AND MY

COACHES AND TEAMMATES DO A

REALLY GOOD JOB OF LIKE, LIKE

LETTING ME BE IN MY SPACE AND

NOT WITH OUR SECOND BALL

HANDLER OUT. NATURALLY, THE END

OF THE SHOT CLOCK PLAYS AND

NATURALLY, THE START OF

POSSESSIONS ARE GOING TO THE

BALL IS GOING TO BE IN MY HANDS

MORE JUST NATURALLY WITHOUT DUB

OUT THERE. SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT

MORE OPPORTUNITY. BUT

REGARDLESS, WITH THAT

OPPORTUNITY, I TRY NOT TO LIKE

PRESS MORE OR PRESS LESS. JUST

LIKE LET THE GAME TELL ME WHAT

TO DO. AND USUALLY IT WORKS

PRETTY WELL.

>> HACIA LA ADEBAYO SPORTS 360

Z. OBVIOUSLY YOUR BENCH HAS

BEEN GREAT ALL YEAR LONG AND

THEY WERE AGAIN THROUGHOUT THIS

ENTIRE PLAYOFFS SO FAR. HOW

MUCH COMFORT DOES THAT GIVE YOU

TO CONTINUE TO HAVE NIGHTS LIKE

YOU DID TONIGHT?

>> YEAH, IT IT'S IT'S A HUGE

LUXURY. WE HAVE WE HAVE GUYS

THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE EVERY

NIGHT. WE HAVE GUYS THAT DON'T

PLAY EVERY NIGHT AND SOMEHOW GO

OUT THERE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

BEING COLD ALL SERIES LIKE

JARED MCCANN AND AARON WIGGINS

WERE LIKE HUGE TONIGHT IN THEIR

MINUTES. LIKE BIG TIME, BIG

TIME. WIGGS CAME IN AFTER NOT

PLAYING FOR WHAT FELT LIKE THE

LAST MONTH OF THE SEASON IN THE

FIRST COUPLE GAMES OF THE

PLAYOFFS, MADE A PLAY FOR A BIG

THREE THAT WE NEEDED BEING DOWN

LIKE 8 OR 7. AND THEN JARED

MCCAIN CAME IN IN THE SECOND

QUARTER AND IT WAS JUST LIKE

HUGE OFFENSIVELY, LIKE SEVEN

POINTS IN A ROW OR WHATEVER. IT

WAS LIKE THOSE GUYS ACROSS THE

BOARD JUST BEING READY. AND

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COACH

EMPHASIZES HEAVILY THROUGHOUT

THE YEAR. AND IT SHOWED UP BIG

TONIGHT. AND IT'S ONE OF THOSE

THINGS THAT WE JUST LIKE WE WE

TACK OFF EVERY DAY, JUST MAKING

SURE GUYS ARE READY. AND IT

PAID OFF.

>> 15 OF 15 OF 18.

>> WE ALSO HAD EIGHT ASSISTS.

>> ON A.

>> NIGHT.

>> LIKE TONIGHT WHERE YOU HAD

IT GOING. ARE YOU CONSCIOUSLY

TELLING.

>> YOURSELF TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE.

>> GETTING YOUR TEAMMATES,

KEEPING YOUR TEAMMATES INVOLVED?

>> NO, I DON'T I DON'T REALLY I

DON'T REALLY LOOK AT THE GAME

THAT WAY LIKE THE PLAYER I AM,

THE COVERAGES I'M GOING TO SEE,

LIKE THEY'RE GOING TO BE

DESIGNED TO MAKE ME PLAY IN THE

CROWD AND MAKE ME PASS THE BALL

ULTIMATELY. AND I JUST TRY TO

BE AGGRESSIVE IN THOSE MOMENTS

AND LET THE GAME TELL ME WHAT

TO DO. LIKE IF THEY'RE IN THE

SHELL AND THEY'RE OFF OF

WHOEVER IT IS ON THE WING, I

MOVE IT QUICK, THEY MAKE THE

NEXT PLAY AND SO FORTH AND SO

ON. AND THE BETTER I GET AT

THAT, THE THE MORE DILEMMA THAT

THEY'RE IN, IN THE SHELL AND,

AND WHATEVER IT IS OR WHATEVER

COVERAGE THEY'RE IN. AND THAT'S

JUST SOMETHING THAT I PICKED UP

JUST AS THE, THE REPS AND THE

GAMES GO ON IN MY CAREER. BUT

YEAH, ONCE AGAIN, IT GOES BACK

TO MORE SO LIKE MY TEAMMATES

BEING VERY DECISIVE AND BEING

LIKE, LIKE, LIKE THEY WERE

PROFESSIONAL OUT THOSE

CLOSEOUTS TONIGHT, MAKING PLAYS

AND TAKING SHOTS COMFORTABLY,