duncan228
04-19-2010, 02:20 AM
Mavericks PF Dirk Nowitzki: ‘It Was Definitely A Good Night’ (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-maverickspfdirknowit)
SportingNews
The Spurs couldn’t figure out how to stop Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 36 points while going 12-of-14 from the field and 12-for-12 from the free-throw line in Dallas’ 100-94 Game 1 win on Sunday night. Following the game, he talked with Sporting News correspondent Chris Cyrek and other reporters about how the Spurs defended him compared to last year’s playoff series, the importance of the Mavs’ big men and getting ready for Game 2 on Wednesday.
Q: Did they defend you differently than they did in the series last year?
Dirk Nowitzki: In my first couple catches in the first half, I kind of wanted to see what they were doing, what kind of schemes they got going. They played me pretty much straight up, had some good looks there, took my time. In the second half, they were coming a bit from the low side, made me pass the ball some. I thought we had some great cutting going on. We cut the ball really well in the fourth quarter. Jet (Jason Terry) had a big floater and (Shawn) Marion had a great cut for a layup. It’s what you got to do, you just can’t sit there and watch. You’ve got to get everybody involved, and the guys did a great job.
Q: How great was it to have the two centers in tonight, starting with (Erick) Dampier and then (Brendan) Haywood coming in in the second quarter?
DN: Yeah, they were great. Really battled with Timmy (Duncan). I think Timmy still got 27—that’s because he’s a Hall of Famer. But they made him work for everything, work hard for his points. They were really battling him in there. Damp actually blocked one or two of his jump hooks. So I think they just did a fantastic job, keeping some balls alive for us on the offensive end. They came up big for us tonight.
Q: Just talk about the importance of Game 1, defending the home court, especially the way you were able to do it.
DN: Yeah, it was definitely the way we wanted to start the series. It was definitely a big win for us. We did turn the ball over there a couple times, too many for our liking. But we went back, didn’t really give up too much in transition; that’s big. But really, that win means nothing if we lose on Wednesday, so we’ve got to come out with the same focus. I think when you play San Antonio, you’ve got to guard two things: starting on the block, and on screen and rolls.
Q: Were you at all surprised that they played you straight up for so long?
DN: Like I said, I’m going to take whatever they give me. When they came in the second half, I was able to pass out pretty good, make some shots. Jet made a big 3 there in the corner for us. We’ve just got to make big plays. Caron (Butler) made some big time shots. I’m just going to be patient, wait until they come, and hopefully make the right play. I don’t want to try and force anything.
Q: You only missed two shots tonight. Were you as confident tonight as you’ve ever been?
DN: Well, you know, I thought there early, I made a couple lucky shots. One I thought I got fouled and threw it up off the glass. Sometimes it’s a little bit of both—you feel good about yourself, and you get a little bit of luck. Sometimes you have one of those nights where the basket is big, and sometimes you have one of those nights you can’t even make a layup. That’s the NBA, you just got to fight through it. It was definitely a good night.
Q: The Spurs still shot 50 percent from the field. Is that a concern going into Game 2?
DN: Yeah, they’re tough. Like I said, they got Duncan on the block and all their other guys, (Manu) Ginobili and (Tony) Parker, who can make stuff happen. They get in the paint, get to the basket. If you cut them off, they got a lot of shooters out there. You’re going to give up something. I thought we did a decent job scrambling. Sometimes you’re gonna make mistakes in the coverages, but you’ve got to fight. You’ve got to fight for everything in the playoffs.
SportingNews
The Spurs couldn’t figure out how to stop Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 36 points while going 12-of-14 from the field and 12-for-12 from the free-throw line in Dallas’ 100-94 Game 1 win on Sunday night. Following the game, he talked with Sporting News correspondent Chris Cyrek and other reporters about how the Spurs defended him compared to last year’s playoff series, the importance of the Mavs’ big men and getting ready for Game 2 on Wednesday.
Q: Did they defend you differently than they did in the series last year?
Dirk Nowitzki: In my first couple catches in the first half, I kind of wanted to see what they were doing, what kind of schemes they got going. They played me pretty much straight up, had some good looks there, took my time. In the second half, they were coming a bit from the low side, made me pass the ball some. I thought we had some great cutting going on. We cut the ball really well in the fourth quarter. Jet (Jason Terry) had a big floater and (Shawn) Marion had a great cut for a layup. It’s what you got to do, you just can’t sit there and watch. You’ve got to get everybody involved, and the guys did a great job.
Q: How great was it to have the two centers in tonight, starting with (Erick) Dampier and then (Brendan) Haywood coming in in the second quarter?
DN: Yeah, they were great. Really battled with Timmy (Duncan). I think Timmy still got 27—that’s because he’s a Hall of Famer. But they made him work for everything, work hard for his points. They were really battling him in there. Damp actually blocked one or two of his jump hooks. So I think they just did a fantastic job, keeping some balls alive for us on the offensive end. They came up big for us tonight.
Q: Just talk about the importance of Game 1, defending the home court, especially the way you were able to do it.
DN: Yeah, it was definitely the way we wanted to start the series. It was definitely a big win for us. We did turn the ball over there a couple times, too many for our liking. But we went back, didn’t really give up too much in transition; that’s big. But really, that win means nothing if we lose on Wednesday, so we’ve got to come out with the same focus. I think when you play San Antonio, you’ve got to guard two things: starting on the block, and on screen and rolls.
Q: Were you at all surprised that they played you straight up for so long?
DN: Like I said, I’m going to take whatever they give me. When they came in the second half, I was able to pass out pretty good, make some shots. Jet made a big 3 there in the corner for us. We’ve just got to make big plays. Caron (Butler) made some big time shots. I’m just going to be patient, wait until they come, and hopefully make the right play. I don’t want to try and force anything.
Q: You only missed two shots tonight. Were you as confident tonight as you’ve ever been?
DN: Well, you know, I thought there early, I made a couple lucky shots. One I thought I got fouled and threw it up off the glass. Sometimes it’s a little bit of both—you feel good about yourself, and you get a little bit of luck. Sometimes you have one of those nights where the basket is big, and sometimes you have one of those nights you can’t even make a layup. That’s the NBA, you just got to fight through it. It was definitely a good night.
Q: The Spurs still shot 50 percent from the field. Is that a concern going into Game 2?
DN: Yeah, they’re tough. Like I said, they got Duncan on the block and all their other guys, (Manu) Ginobili and (Tony) Parker, who can make stuff happen. They get in the paint, get to the basket. If you cut them off, they got a lot of shooters out there. You’re going to give up something. I thought we did a decent job scrambling. Sometimes you’re gonna make mistakes in the coverages, but you’ve got to fight. You’ve got to fight for everything in the playoffs.