duncan228
05-04-2010, 02:01 PM
Post Game Quotes (Suns Game One) (http://www.nba.com/spurs/gameday/100503.html)
Gregg Popovich
(On Nash starting off early)
“You’re exactly right. Steve got them off to a great start and he ran it right down our throat to start the game. He was the major reason for 13 fastbreak points in the first half. That was really the difference in the first half. We just didn’t react very quickly. We were a half a step behind in a lot of different areas. The transition was very disappointing because everyone in the world knows you have to get back in transition. No one has to be a genius to figure that out. We did a poor job so that was very disappointing. But we hung around and for us that was the best part of the game. We had two chances, came back, I think we went ahead once, tied it once, had our chances, but then transition would kick us in the butt again. They would go back up and that was the ball game.”
(On starting Parker in the second half)
“George (Hill) had three fouls. We just didn’t want him to start out and get a fourth one quickly.”
(On the Suns depth)
“I think Goran (Dragic) has made tremendous progress. He’s done for them what George (Hill) has done for us. He’s really come a long way and has made Steve Kerr look really smart. I’m happy for Steve and I’m happy for us in that regard. It allows Steve (Nash) to take a break here and there and it does make them deeper. It’s not just Dragic though. The other guys on the team can keep the pressure on you for 48 minutes and you have to be ready to react or it’s going to bite you and that depth is part of it.”
Tim Duncan
(On game)
“They are definitely better and deeper and have a lot more guys playing and they played great. We put this one on ourselves. We didn’t react very well when they jumped on us right out the gates. Steve (Nash) played unbelievably and was great throughout the game. When we did get back into it we got a whole bunch of points in transition. Our focus wasn’t where we wanted it to be.”
(On Steve Nash)
“He (Nash) wanted to come out and be aggressive and see what he could get done early. He shot the ball well and opened the floor up for them so the rest of the game he could kind of pick us apart. We will be ready for him a little more to start the next game. We’ll be more aggressive on him and see how it comes out.”
Alvin Gentry
(On the game)
“Obviously it was a great win for us. I think what you saw tonight is what you’ll see for most of the series – a game of runs where we get out and then they find a way to get back in and hopefully we’ll be the team making the last run. They’re just a really, really good team and as I said to our guys, they’re not going to give up, they’re not going to lay down – we’re going to have to beat them and we’ll have to execute down the stretch. I thought our defense was great in the first half and then in the third quarter for some reason we didn’t defend the way we had in the first half and they made 10 of their first 12 shots. So when we’re taking it out of the basket, we’re not nearly as effective running and that’s really how they cut the lead and got back in it. I thought we did a great job of keeping our composure and then coming back and making a run and we did that because we got stops. We’re a much more effective team when we’re running on stops than we are when we’re running on makes trying to take it out of the basket. I thought we did a good job on Tim (Duncan), thought we did a good job on Manu (Ginobili). Tony Parker, I thought, played exceptionally well. I think he’s back to the old Tony Parker and I think he’s healthy and he just presents all kinds of problems for you. The one thing I think we did was those three had great games but we didn’t allow anybody else to step up and have one of those games. And when they add a fourth guy to the mix it makes them really tough to beat. I thought J-Rich played great and Steve (Nash) was absolutely terrific. J-Rich made some big shots for us and once again I thought Grant (Hill) did a great job defensively and overall I thought our defense was great. We just had that stretch in there where we gave up 10-of-12 field goals and if you take that away, I thought we were pretty good.”
(On being pleased with the defensive effort)
“I was because they’re so dangerous and they do such a great job of executing out of timeouts that we told our guys you just have to dig in. They run a lot of angle screen-and-rolls and high screen-and-rolls with Ginobili because he’s such a playmaker down the stretch and like I said, Grant every night just gives it to you. I thought he did a great job and I thought our bigs did a great job of just stepping out and just doubling the ball enough that we threw the timing of the play off a little bit. To execute down the stretch, I thought it was terrific – we made some big plays and obviously J-Rich’s three was huge for us.”
(On the offensive mindset)
“We came in with the mindset that we were going to push the basketball and that if we pushed the basketball like we thought we could; Steve would get the ball to the basket. If he got it to the basket then he had to be a scorer first and then if they collapsed in, we would make the extra pass to have the shot. Steve just took what was there and was available to him. I thought the way we attacked early and got them on their heels; it did open up the game for us a little more.”
Steve Nash
(On his quick offensive start)
“I was fortunate to get some opportunities early to be aggressive and try to put some life into the building and our team and fortunately I got off to a nice start.”
(On whether he was looking to be aggressive early)
“You never know what the game is going to present. You have to be willing and aggressive and do whatever you can. For me, I didn’t know how I was going to feel physically, but dragging my leg around in Game 6 in Portland wasn’t any fun and it felt great to get out there and feel like I could do something.”
(On guarding Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili)
“We’ve got to get back in transition and defend the pick-and-roll, but nobody has really figured it out – that’s what they do and we’re going to have to continue to try and make it hard for them and just get better and better at that.”
(On Amar’e Stoudemire and rebounding)
“He did a great job and I thought as a team we did a really great job on the glass and that was important for us. I think for our team if we can keep people off the offensive glass, we really give ourselves a chance every night.”
(On the fans)
“It was great. J-Rich hit two big shots for us and that really gave us a nice separation. Timely baskets, big baskets and the crowd got incredibly loud and there was a great energy in the building. Our fans deserved it and we’ve got to look for more of the same in the next game.”
(On whether it’s a statistical role-reversal from previous series)
“To an extent – they’re definitely looking to score in transition and they run a ton of pick-and-rolls, maybe more than we’ve ever ran, and at the same time they’re trying to go small with us, as opposed to years past. It is a little different, but I think you’re going to see the same culprits and we’ve just got to do a good job and be really solid, really in-tune and be prepared.”
Amare Stoudemire
(On winning Game 1)
“You can’t get too excited – they’re a team with a great pedigree that knows how to come back in a series. I think we played well on both ends, did a phenomenal job on the boards, but we’ve got to stay hungry and get ready for Game 2.”
(On Steve Nash)
“He played great – shot the ball well to start the game off and carried us there for awhile until J-Rich and myself got going. He did a great job and the second unit did a phenomenal job of coming in and applying the full-court pressure and causing some havoc out there defensively. It was a great team effort.”
(On rebounding)
“That was one of the main focuses out there was to play sharp on the boards. Try to be aggressive and get our loose balls and definitely rebound. To contain Tim (Duncan), keep him off the boards and same with (Antonio) McDyess and (DeJuan) Blair – all three of those guys are tenacious rebounders. So we have to make sure that we collect and get the boards and tonight was a big night for us on the rebound tip.”
(On how San Antonio defended him compared to Portland)
“A tad bit different. I thought tonight was kind of hard to tell how they’re going to defend me, but I thought Steve did a great job offensively. Jason Richardson did a phenomenal job offensively and I kind of found my spots offensively, I didn’t quite have too many ISOs to see how they’re going to play me. I caught the ball on the elbow a few times and was able to make some moves on Timmy, but it’s kind of hard to tell right now how they’re going to play. I can guarantee they’re going to make adjustments for Game 2, so each game is a different approach, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Jason Richardson
(On hitting the three that started the winning run)
“They do a great job of clogging the paint they got the ball to Grant and I was wide open and I knew I could take the shot.”
(On the Spurs)
“They’re a team that’s not going to stop no matter how down they are – they’re going to keep pushing. We kept our composure and we got some stops.”
(On the fans)
“We knew we were at home and we wanted to use our fans to our advantage and they did a great job of supporting us even when we were down they were cheering us on. It was huge for us.”
(On what they need to do to slow down Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili)
“Have another man on the court. Both of those guys are tough to stop especially when they’re coming in on the fastbreak and in transition. We’ve got to do a better job of containing those guys and not letting them get easy layups.”
Gregg Popovich
(On Nash starting off early)
“You’re exactly right. Steve got them off to a great start and he ran it right down our throat to start the game. He was the major reason for 13 fastbreak points in the first half. That was really the difference in the first half. We just didn’t react very quickly. We were a half a step behind in a lot of different areas. The transition was very disappointing because everyone in the world knows you have to get back in transition. No one has to be a genius to figure that out. We did a poor job so that was very disappointing. But we hung around and for us that was the best part of the game. We had two chances, came back, I think we went ahead once, tied it once, had our chances, but then transition would kick us in the butt again. They would go back up and that was the ball game.”
(On starting Parker in the second half)
“George (Hill) had three fouls. We just didn’t want him to start out and get a fourth one quickly.”
(On the Suns depth)
“I think Goran (Dragic) has made tremendous progress. He’s done for them what George (Hill) has done for us. He’s really come a long way and has made Steve Kerr look really smart. I’m happy for Steve and I’m happy for us in that regard. It allows Steve (Nash) to take a break here and there and it does make them deeper. It’s not just Dragic though. The other guys on the team can keep the pressure on you for 48 minutes and you have to be ready to react or it’s going to bite you and that depth is part of it.”
Tim Duncan
(On game)
“They are definitely better and deeper and have a lot more guys playing and they played great. We put this one on ourselves. We didn’t react very well when they jumped on us right out the gates. Steve (Nash) played unbelievably and was great throughout the game. When we did get back into it we got a whole bunch of points in transition. Our focus wasn’t where we wanted it to be.”
(On Steve Nash)
“He (Nash) wanted to come out and be aggressive and see what he could get done early. He shot the ball well and opened the floor up for them so the rest of the game he could kind of pick us apart. We will be ready for him a little more to start the next game. We’ll be more aggressive on him and see how it comes out.”
Alvin Gentry
(On the game)
“Obviously it was a great win for us. I think what you saw tonight is what you’ll see for most of the series – a game of runs where we get out and then they find a way to get back in and hopefully we’ll be the team making the last run. They’re just a really, really good team and as I said to our guys, they’re not going to give up, they’re not going to lay down – we’re going to have to beat them and we’ll have to execute down the stretch. I thought our defense was great in the first half and then in the third quarter for some reason we didn’t defend the way we had in the first half and they made 10 of their first 12 shots. So when we’re taking it out of the basket, we’re not nearly as effective running and that’s really how they cut the lead and got back in it. I thought we did a great job of keeping our composure and then coming back and making a run and we did that because we got stops. We’re a much more effective team when we’re running on stops than we are when we’re running on makes trying to take it out of the basket. I thought we did a good job on Tim (Duncan), thought we did a good job on Manu (Ginobili). Tony Parker, I thought, played exceptionally well. I think he’s back to the old Tony Parker and I think he’s healthy and he just presents all kinds of problems for you. The one thing I think we did was those three had great games but we didn’t allow anybody else to step up and have one of those games. And when they add a fourth guy to the mix it makes them really tough to beat. I thought J-Rich played great and Steve (Nash) was absolutely terrific. J-Rich made some big shots for us and once again I thought Grant (Hill) did a great job defensively and overall I thought our defense was great. We just had that stretch in there where we gave up 10-of-12 field goals and if you take that away, I thought we were pretty good.”
(On being pleased with the defensive effort)
“I was because they’re so dangerous and they do such a great job of executing out of timeouts that we told our guys you just have to dig in. They run a lot of angle screen-and-rolls and high screen-and-rolls with Ginobili because he’s such a playmaker down the stretch and like I said, Grant every night just gives it to you. I thought he did a great job and I thought our bigs did a great job of just stepping out and just doubling the ball enough that we threw the timing of the play off a little bit. To execute down the stretch, I thought it was terrific – we made some big plays and obviously J-Rich’s three was huge for us.”
(On the offensive mindset)
“We came in with the mindset that we were going to push the basketball and that if we pushed the basketball like we thought we could; Steve would get the ball to the basket. If he got it to the basket then he had to be a scorer first and then if they collapsed in, we would make the extra pass to have the shot. Steve just took what was there and was available to him. I thought the way we attacked early and got them on their heels; it did open up the game for us a little more.”
Steve Nash
(On his quick offensive start)
“I was fortunate to get some opportunities early to be aggressive and try to put some life into the building and our team and fortunately I got off to a nice start.”
(On whether he was looking to be aggressive early)
“You never know what the game is going to present. You have to be willing and aggressive and do whatever you can. For me, I didn’t know how I was going to feel physically, but dragging my leg around in Game 6 in Portland wasn’t any fun and it felt great to get out there and feel like I could do something.”
(On guarding Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili)
“We’ve got to get back in transition and defend the pick-and-roll, but nobody has really figured it out – that’s what they do and we’re going to have to continue to try and make it hard for them and just get better and better at that.”
(On Amar’e Stoudemire and rebounding)
“He did a great job and I thought as a team we did a really great job on the glass and that was important for us. I think for our team if we can keep people off the offensive glass, we really give ourselves a chance every night.”
(On the fans)
“It was great. J-Rich hit two big shots for us and that really gave us a nice separation. Timely baskets, big baskets and the crowd got incredibly loud and there was a great energy in the building. Our fans deserved it and we’ve got to look for more of the same in the next game.”
(On whether it’s a statistical role-reversal from previous series)
“To an extent – they’re definitely looking to score in transition and they run a ton of pick-and-rolls, maybe more than we’ve ever ran, and at the same time they’re trying to go small with us, as opposed to years past. It is a little different, but I think you’re going to see the same culprits and we’ve just got to do a good job and be really solid, really in-tune and be prepared.”
Amare Stoudemire
(On winning Game 1)
“You can’t get too excited – they’re a team with a great pedigree that knows how to come back in a series. I think we played well on both ends, did a phenomenal job on the boards, but we’ve got to stay hungry and get ready for Game 2.”
(On Steve Nash)
“He played great – shot the ball well to start the game off and carried us there for awhile until J-Rich and myself got going. He did a great job and the second unit did a phenomenal job of coming in and applying the full-court pressure and causing some havoc out there defensively. It was a great team effort.”
(On rebounding)
“That was one of the main focuses out there was to play sharp on the boards. Try to be aggressive and get our loose balls and definitely rebound. To contain Tim (Duncan), keep him off the boards and same with (Antonio) McDyess and (DeJuan) Blair – all three of those guys are tenacious rebounders. So we have to make sure that we collect and get the boards and tonight was a big night for us on the rebound tip.”
(On how San Antonio defended him compared to Portland)
“A tad bit different. I thought tonight was kind of hard to tell how they’re going to defend me, but I thought Steve did a great job offensively. Jason Richardson did a phenomenal job offensively and I kind of found my spots offensively, I didn’t quite have too many ISOs to see how they’re going to play me. I caught the ball on the elbow a few times and was able to make some moves on Timmy, but it’s kind of hard to tell right now how they’re going to play. I can guarantee they’re going to make adjustments for Game 2, so each game is a different approach, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Jason Richardson
(On hitting the three that started the winning run)
“They do a great job of clogging the paint they got the ball to Grant and I was wide open and I knew I could take the shot.”
(On the Spurs)
“They’re a team that’s not going to stop no matter how down they are – they’re going to keep pushing. We kept our composure and we got some stops.”
(On the fans)
“We knew we were at home and we wanted to use our fans to our advantage and they did a great job of supporting us even when we were down they were cheering us on. It was huge for us.”
(On what they need to do to slow down Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili)
“Have another man on the court. Both of those guys are tough to stop especially when they’re coming in on the fastbreak and in transition. We’ve got to do a better job of containing those guys and not letting them get easy layups.”