Reporter:
Watching the game yesterday,
you guys,
you didn't look like yourselves.
Wondering if you felt that way
and of the many factors,
what do you think attributed
to that the most?
Fred VanVleet:
We just didn’t play good.
Sometimes it's that simple.
We didn't really do
anything good enough
to win the game,
and they did
and they were the better team.
So we weren’t moving
fast enough,
weren't playing hard enough
to make enough shots,
then execute the game plan.
Like you name it,
we didn't do it,
didn’t take care of the ball.
And then before you know it,
you know, it's --
it's a big lead
there in the first.
And though we played
well enough the --
the rest of the game,
but it was never
good enough to --
to get back going.
Reporter: Did it feel --
like were there indications
for you that,
that was coming?
Like, could you feel
it in the room beforehand
or would -- did it just feel
like a normal night?
Fred VanVleet: No, no.
Felt like a normal game.
Thought our vibe was good,
thought our energy was good.
And then for many reasons,
we -- you know,
we didn't start the game well
and we -- you know,
we got nobody to blame
but ourselves.
So looking at the tapes,
you know,
see if we can get better
and try to put together
a better performance tomorrow.
Reporter: All right.
Thanks, Fred.
Appreciate that.
Man: Next question
will be Josh Lewenberg
from TSN.
Josh Lewenberg: Hey, Fred.
Thanks for doing this.
Hope you're doing well.
There weren't many
transition opportunities
for either team yesterday.
Obviously, that's a big part
of what you guys like to do
is get out and run.
How can you guys control
the pace of the game,
change the pace of the game
against a team
that does such a good job
of getting back?
Fred VanVleet: Well,
we've got to run first.
We didn't run very fast,
we didn’t run our lanes,
we didn’t get to the corners.
We thought we played
too fast to start the game
and too slow after that.
So we had our opportunity.
I think we forced them
to a bunch of turnovers.
We didn't really capitalize
off of those.
But like I said,
give them credit.
They were the better team.
They did a good job
of stopping us in transition
and we got to find a way to --
to take advantage
of that in the next game.
Josh Lewenberg: Thanks, Fred.
Man: We will go to Rachel Brady
from The Globe and Mail, next.
Rachel Brady: Hey, Fred,
I'm wondering,
you guys are narrowing
in on the time
where you’re going to get
to see the family soon?
Is that right?
Fred VanVleet: Yes.
Rachel Brady: Is that --
that's coming soon.
I’m wondering what --
how you feel about that,
what's that going to do for you.
What's that going
to be like for you?
Fred VanVleet:
I'm just excited --
just excited.
I miss my family.
You know, family is huge for me,
so it's been a while.
I think the last time I saw them
was Father's Day.
So it's been a while,
but it'll be good to see --
good to see everybody.
And, you know,
right on time after getting
our butts kicked yesterday.
So it'll kind of take
my mind off
of it for a little bit today
and then I'll get prepared
and get locked
in for the game tomorrow.
Rachel Brady:
So, is today the day?
Fred VanVleet: Yes.
Rachel Brady: Thanks.
Man: Next,
we'll go to Chris Mannix
from SI,
who has a question
there for you.
Chris Mannix: Hey, Fred.
There’s a lot of emphasis
obviously
put in on voting
in the next couple of months.
Ideally, you're trying to engage
younger people.
I'm wondering, what --
what voting meant to you
at 18, 19, 20 years old?
How did you view the voting
process way back then?
Fred VanVleet:
It wasn't very important,
I’ll say that.
You know, where I come from,
people my age and my generation,
it’s not a --
it's not a big thing.
You know,
I grew up in a place
where you feel hopeless
and you feel like no matter
who is the President
or who's in office,
you know, nothing changes.
You're going to be
in the same situation.
So I think just getting
people educated,
get them informed
or more grown
and matured over the years
of trying to learn
more and more
about the political process
and how detailed it gets,
and, you know,
you always just think about
the presidential election,
but there's many more,
you know,
positions that we need
to take seriously.
So I think it's hard to get
people to care about it without,
you know, educating them
and informing them.
And it's designed that way,
it’s designed for us
to not care about it.
So that way we don't show up
and vote and then, you know,
they're all going to keep
who they need to keep in office.
So for me,
it’s just trying to put together
something that --
that'll help people,
get the information they need.
And I think
with that information,
that will allow people to feel
more comfortable
about going out to vote.
Chris Mannix: Do you remember
what got you hope
for the first time
or what pushed you
in that direction?
Fred VanVleet:
No, I think it's just,
my parents vote and, you know,
grew up in a household like that
and just being educated
over the years
and going to college and seeing
how the whole thing worked.
So obviously, Obama's election
was a big moment for everybody,
especially my community.
So that kind of
was a light bulb going off.
And then I think we relaxed
a little bit and now it's time
to get back out there
and do our part as --
as a society to – to --
to get out there
and vote and encourage
people to vote.
And like I said,
give the information
that allows people
to be more comfortable
because
there is a large section of --
of our society that just
probably doesn't believe in it.
Man: The last question
today is going to go
to Greg Ross from the CBC.
Greg, are you there?
Greg Ross: Yeah, I'm here.
Hey, Fred.
Obviously, I mean,
when you think about
just how great a run you guys
have had so far in the bubble,
and even you go back
to before the pandemic,
I mean, you guys really
outplayed a lot of your critics’
expectations of what this team
would do this year.
But when you look at a game
like last night,
can you guys use
that as a way to kind of,
I mean, test yourselves,
that your ability,
your mental fortitude,
your ability to bounce back
after a tough game
when probably
you guys weren't yourselves?
Fred VanVleet: I think
that's just when you draw
your experience a little bit.
I mean, we've all been
in these positions.
We've been on the good side.
We've been on the bad side.
We understand
the ups and downs
that come with the playoffs.
So a lot of guys
in our rotation have --
have been battle-tested.
And you just understand
that there's –
there’s going to be a game
like that probably
at some point,
and you hope that
it doesn't come, but it did.
And now it's our job
to make sure that,
you know,
it doesn't happen again.
You probably can't survive
more than one at all.
So we have to put together
a better performance tomorrow
to give ourselves a chance
and continue to move forward
and not get too high or too low.
And people say that a lot.
but it's -- you know, it's a --
it’s a little bit harder to do
when you're in the moment
and you want to compete
at a high level
and nobody is out there
trying to play better.
It just -- that's the way
it goes sometimes.
And we've got
to be able to turn it around
and be accountable.
And, you know, like you said,
be -- have that fortitude
to look at the film,
get better, take some criticism
and get out there
and correct it.
And -- and I think
that if we do those things,
we’ll have a --
have a better shot,
and, you know, I think
we're still pretty confident,
but obviously we've got --
we've got some work to do.
Greg Ross:
Just a quick follow up.
Do you think that --
do you think that this team
has earned enough respect
with everything you've done
throughout this season,
pre- and post-pandemic play?
Do you think that --
that you have the respect
of the league and fans to think,
hey, this is a team
that can bounce back
from something like that?
Fred VanVleet: To be honest,
I don't care about that,
so I don't think about that.
So I don't really have
an opinion on that.
I know my teammates
have my respect.
The franchise has my respect
and vice versa.
And nothing really outside
of locker room
matters right now.
And that's the way
it's got to be going forward.
Especially in the playoffs,
you try to stay as locked
in as possible, tight knit group
and kind of block out
all the outside noise
that you're speaking about.
So I never really focused
on what other people
think of us,
more so just
what we think of ourselves.
And from day one,
we set out to win
a championship and, you know,
it takes 16 wins to do that.
And we're 4 and 1 right now.
So we've got to stay positive
and keep moving forward.
