The newcomer to Lokomotiv Cubans PBC became the best scorer (21 points) and the most efficient player (27 index points) player in the game against CSKA (84:88).
- The ending was crazy. What were you feeling during this?
- I don't know if I was feeling anything, just kind of in the moment. Just wanted to win. We put ourselves in kind of a spot where we had to battle back, but we fought. So, it was just trying to find a way to win the game, honestly.
- Have we seen 100% Tahjere McCall today?
- My stats are okay, but I'm more of a guy that is going to be different every game. I just want to do whatever the team can win, so learning a new league, how the refs call fouls, the physicality, learning my teammates in the sets, it just takes me a little time to find a rhythm and understand what the coaches need from me and what my teammates need from me, so, I mean, you always get 100% of me, and game to game, it might look different, but it'll be different variations. I'm adapting to and kind of learning and understanding, more so on a defensive end for me because I love to play defense, and that's my strong suit. That's what I'm here for, so learning what's allowed and what's not allowed and when to do things and not. But, yeah, in a game like this, especially when you get to the playoffs, this is how it's going to be, so, like I said, this isn't my first rodeo, so you kind of get used to it and just learn how to move past it.
- You said before, that your greatest strength is defense. But today you became the best scorer. Did you take initiative on purpose or that was how the game was going?
- No, like I said, game to game is going to be different. We got a lot of great players and a lot of players that, on a day-to-day, just match-ups and how the game is flowing. But I think impact is the biggest indicator, and that's what I try to be consistent on. Scoring a come, it happened to be my day-to-day. It's always good. But just impact and defense and getting the team involved. It's not a mindset to go score when you're playing with other great players. It's more so with the game and how the flow is going. So today was my day. It'll be somebody else's day the next game. But just staying consistent and having an impact on the game is more important than actual points. Sometimes they lie, and it looks better than what it is. Sometimes the opposite. So, just trying to have an impact.
- What happened when Loko let CSKA away in the 2nd and 3rd quarters?
- I wish I could tell you. I would have to go back and watch what happened and see kind of what caused the run. Yeah, I have no idea, because the game is moving kind of fast and I'm in the moment, so I would have to go back and watch, but I just know that we wasn't ourselves defensively, and that's usually when teams make a run on us, I think we need to be locked in for the whole game, especially when you play great teams like this defensively, because one quarter or two quarters of bad basketball could kind of determine a game, so I think defense leads the way for us.
- If the game lasted for one more minute, could Loko win?
- I guess you could say that, but anything can happen. But you don't want to leave it down to that and you don't want it to come down to that. Three or four different mental mistakes or you fix a couple errors and you don't put yourself in that position. So the goal is to learn from it and not let it happen again. And so in the playoffs, we can we can kind of fix it. So that's what we're building towards. And as much as you hate losing, especially games like this big games, you got to make sure that you don't make the same mistakes because it'll the opportunity to present itself again. And that's what you want to kind of prevent.
- How are you with the team?
- Great. I love this team for the short time that I've been here. It's kind of easy, because two of my friends were already on the team. So it made the transition a little bit easier. But even the domestic players are great. Speak a lot of English, so that helps me a lot. Coaches have made me feel welcome. The weather is good out here, way better than I thought it was going to be. So I can't complain. The only thing that would make it better is winning and winning the championship. But the team, being overseas, sometimes the season and goes a little slow and drags by, but when you have great teammates, it kind of feels like a family and you don't look at the days, count the days until you leave. You kind of take each day for what it is. So I've enjoyed being a part of this team and that's why I just want to have an impact in a positive way as much as I can, because I know they were good. And even the players that got hurt that was here, BJ [Johnson], I kind of know them, BJ from Philadelphia, he was my friend before being here. So I just want to do what I can to help this team, this city and the fans, because there's been love out there I like playing big-time basketball and I'm happy to be a part of it so it's been great no complaints here at all.
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