duncan228
12-02-2009, 12:13 PM
Steve Nash Q&A: Despite Fast Start, Suns Still Have ‘A Lot of Work to Do’ (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-stevenashqampadespit&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews
Even after a 126-99 thrashing by the lowly Knicks on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, point guard Steve Nash patiently answered questions from Sporting News’ Bill Eichenberger and other reporters in a stunned Suns locker room. Their 14-3 record, the best in the NBA entering the game, was of little consolation for a player as competitive as Nash, who at age 35 is off to one of the best starts of his career.
Q: What happened out there tonight? How do you explain it?
A: I don’t have any explanation. It was a terrible performance, obviously. We’re embarrassed and will have to pick ourselves up.
Q: Were you surprised by how the Knicks came after you?
A: I thought we would have a tough game here. But I didn’t predict it would be just a disastrous effort. There’s not a lot to say tonight.
Q: Was this one different than the other three games you’ve lost this year?
A: We just didn’t play hard. You can’t say that about us very often this year. We didn’t play hard. We got outplayed, outhustled. We didn’t deserve to win.
Q: Do you think the Knicks may have caught you off-guard?
A: Maybe we took them a little lightly, but you can take a team lightly and still try to play hard. They got all the loose balls, offensive rebounds, putbacks, and obviously they made some shots. But it’s all the layups and hustle plays, and not getting back on defense and not talking that kills you. That makes the basket look really big once you’ve made a bunch of layups.
Q: How do you keep this loss from carrying over to (Wednesday) night against the Cavs in Cleveland?
A: We just need to have a good attitude and play hard. You come out positive, play it simple, we can turn it around. But you come out with a negative attitude or woe is me mentality, we will probably struggle.
Q: Outside of tonight, what’s the main difference in this team this year compared to last season?
A: We have a new coach, and we have had a good understanding of what he wants from us from the start. And we have really good chemistry because everyone is on the same page.
Q: Was Shaquille O’Neal at all to blame for you guys failing to make the playoffs last year? Was he not a good fit for the running style this team likes to play?
A: I don’t think it was his fault. I think it was a combination of factors and everyone has to share in the blame.
Q: How important has the addition of Channing Frye been to the success of this year’s team?
A: He’s been great. Especially with Robin Lopez injured, it’s been really important to have another big. He’s shot the ball well and stretched the floor for us. He’s been important for us.
Q: Do you think this team is a legitimate title contender?
A: Not tonight. I think we have a lot of work to do. We were not picked to make the playoffs. So we have a lot of work to do.
SportingNews
Even after a 126-99 thrashing by the lowly Knicks on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, point guard Steve Nash patiently answered questions from Sporting News’ Bill Eichenberger and other reporters in a stunned Suns locker room. Their 14-3 record, the best in the NBA entering the game, was of little consolation for a player as competitive as Nash, who at age 35 is off to one of the best starts of his career.
Q: What happened out there tonight? How do you explain it?
A: I don’t have any explanation. It was a terrible performance, obviously. We’re embarrassed and will have to pick ourselves up.
Q: Were you surprised by how the Knicks came after you?
A: I thought we would have a tough game here. But I didn’t predict it would be just a disastrous effort. There’s not a lot to say tonight.
Q: Was this one different than the other three games you’ve lost this year?
A: We just didn’t play hard. You can’t say that about us very often this year. We didn’t play hard. We got outplayed, outhustled. We didn’t deserve to win.
Q: Do you think the Knicks may have caught you off-guard?
A: Maybe we took them a little lightly, but you can take a team lightly and still try to play hard. They got all the loose balls, offensive rebounds, putbacks, and obviously they made some shots. But it’s all the layups and hustle plays, and not getting back on defense and not talking that kills you. That makes the basket look really big once you’ve made a bunch of layups.
Q: How do you keep this loss from carrying over to (Wednesday) night against the Cavs in Cleveland?
A: We just need to have a good attitude and play hard. You come out positive, play it simple, we can turn it around. But you come out with a negative attitude or woe is me mentality, we will probably struggle.
Q: Outside of tonight, what’s the main difference in this team this year compared to last season?
A: We have a new coach, and we have had a good understanding of what he wants from us from the start. And we have really good chemistry because everyone is on the same page.
Q: Was Shaquille O’Neal at all to blame for you guys failing to make the playoffs last year? Was he not a good fit for the running style this team likes to play?
A: I don’t think it was his fault. I think it was a combination of factors and everyone has to share in the blame.
Q: How important has the addition of Channing Frye been to the success of this year’s team?
A: He’s been great. Especially with Robin Lopez injured, it’s been really important to have another big. He’s shot the ball well and stretched the floor for us. He’s been important for us.
Q: Do you think this team is a legitimate title contender?
A: Not tonight. I think we have a lot of work to do. We were not picked to make the playoffs. So we have a lot of work to do.