Pacers rookie Shayne Whittington was back on the court on Thursday, trying to help the Fort Wayne Mad Ants win a second straight NBA Development League championship. The Mad Ants hosted the Santa Cruz Warriors in Game 1 of the D-League Finals, but a late rally allowed Santa Cruz to come away with a 119-115 victory.

PHOTO GALLERY: Whittington's Pacers Season »

Whittington, assigned to the D-League April 8, played 19 minutes off the bench. He made solid contributions, finishing with nine points, five rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. Whittington went 2-for-5 from the field but connected on his only 3-point attempt and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

PHOTO GALLERY: Whittington with the Mad Ants »

Whittington had plenty of support in Fort Wayne. A few of his teammates, including George Hill and C.J. Miles, made the trip up to Fort Wayne to cheer him on:

Hill and Miles were joined by several others from the Pacers organization, including teammate Damjan Rudež, assistant coach Dan Burke, and several members of the Public and Player Relations staffs. Adding to the Pacers contingent, FOX Sports Indiana's Chris Denari called the game, which was broadcast on ESPNU.

The series then shifts to Santa Cruz for Game 2 in the best-of-three series on Sunday night at 7:00 PM ET. Game 3 (if necessary) will be on Monday at 10:00 PM ET. Both games will air on ESPNU.

PREGAME INTERVIEW:

Editor's Note: Below is a transcription of a pregame interview Whittington did with the D-League.

D-League: What’s been your experience like in Fort Wayne?

Shayne Whittington: It’s been great. These guys are playing really well together. CJ [Fair] and Jordan [Crawford] have been great. And I’m just trying to compliment them on the court.

DL: What are some aspects of your game that you’re trying to work on in the D-League?

SW: Well, everything the Pacers want me to do. Pick-and-pop, run the floor, defensive rebounding. Mostly, all of the effort stuff. You can control how hard you play and crashing the glass, playing defense. So I’m just trying to work hard on all of the things I can control, and I want to get comfortable in the flow of the game. Let the game come to me a bit more.

DL: When you were with the Pacers, were there any players or staff members you were trying to pick their brains from during your rookie season?

SW: Everybody. When you’re in a situation like that with so many veterans, the worst thing you can do is just be quiet. There are times when you have to be quiet as a rookie. But when the time comes, you gotta ask questions. I talked to all the guards, bigs, coaches, everybody.

DL: Are there any guys that come to mind in particular?

SW: Yeah, definitely. David [West], Roy [Hibbert]. I talked to everybody, man. David’s a great power forward. I really respect his game. I try to learn everything I can from him. I try to learn everything I can from Roy as well, being the dominant force that he is underneath the basket. There’s just a lot of things that you can learn from everybody.

DL: With you guys matched up against Santa Cruz, what’s one aspect of your game that you’re going to try to capitalize on?

SW: Just being strong in the post. Being able to play defense and be an effort guy. I can control I play defense and crash the glass.

DL: What’s it been like for you acclimating to Fort Wayne?

SW: It’s been alright. As a player, I didn’t get too much time with the Pacers in Indianapolis. So, coming down here, my brain’s honestly going a mile a minute every time I get on the court. So I just gotta calm myself down. And you know, most of it is internal. Something I gotta work on, in my head. But other than that, everything else has been good.