sports show: What have you been doing as a team since you’ve been in San Francisco?
Theis: We arrived Tuesday, then we had a long team meeting, I then had treatments, sat down in the evenings and played video games to clear my head a bit – everything like I usually do and not build up extra pressure because you are in the finals.
sports show: The Celtics have beaten strong opponents in the playoffs with Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Miami. How would you describe the series?
Theis: Many teams lost games on purpose during the regular season because they didn’t want to play Brooklyn. As a team, we decided not to do that. If you want to be champion, you have to play against the best teams anyway. The games against the Milwaukee and Miami teams were extremely intense defensively.
“The heart stopped for a moment.”
Daniel Theis
sports show: In Game 7 of the Conference Finals, Miami grabbed 11 points just before the end and threw a free three-pointer seconds before the end that would have won the game for them. What was going through your mind?
Theis: When Jimmy Butler took the three, the heart stopped for a moment – as well as he played the last two games.
sports show: The Celtics’ two young stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, have played consistently well in these playoffs. How do you monitor their development?
Theis: They’ve definitely evolved because they trust each other and the whole team more. It was never easy for them, they had to work a lot. Jayson and Jaylen were often doubled, Jayson was defended full court (editor’s note: over the entire field). He evolved because he made the right plays, always knowing when to take the shots and when to throw them to create better ones.
Less playing time for Theis
sports show: They played 13 minutes a game in the playoffs and played an important role on the team. You haven’t made it into the rotation in the last three games against Miami. How did you deal with it?
Theis: I really had no problem with that. I just wanted the point that we win. If you were here now and said: ‘But I absolutely want to play, I’m in a bad mood now, I’m a bad teammate’, that doesn’t fit. I think in the playoffs you always have to be mentally ready to go into the game.
sports show: The Golden State Warriors have strong shooters in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole, among others, move the ball a lot, cleverly pull to the basket – how do the Celtics want to defend that?
Theis: Curry will hit his threes that are a meter or two behind the three-point line. You don’t lose a game that way. The open litters are not allowed to be handed over. They draw a lot to the basket, so there can’t be any miscommunication. Against a team so experienced you have to take away the easy stuff.
“NBA Finals: You play for the greatest.”
Daniel Theis
sports show: The core of the Warriors have made five NBA Finals appearances in the past seven years. None of the Celtics have played in the finals yet. Do you think that makes a difference?
Theis: Maybe it matters a little that you’re nervous going into the first game: NBA Finals, the biggest stage, you’re playing for the biggest. But on the other hand, the core of our team has been playing together for a long time. We were also in the conference finals twice. We’ve been through bad times as a team. Except for the finals experience, the teams are very similar.
Note: The Boston Celtics are playing their first two games away in San Francisco. Then it’s off to Boston for two games. If games are then still necessary, the games are always played alternately.
The interview was conducted by Lovis Binder