duncan228
11-14-2010, 11:13 PM
Post Game Quotes (http://www.nba.com/spurs/gameday/101114.html)
Head Coach Gregg Popovich
On Defense: “Our defense was excellent in the second half. We started the game slowly and put ourselves in a whole and we dug enough to be in the ballgame by half time and at that point and I thought our defense was very good maybe the best of the season and a lot of guys participated in that, so it generated our game. ”
On Manu Ginobili: “Manny was great. He made shots. We got to the line tonight and we shot it pretty well over all and for us that’s a miracle. Making shots is part of the deal, if you’re playing good defense it helps generate your offense.”
On defending Kevin Durant: “Richard Jefferson and George Hill both guarded him all night long and made him work for everything he got. That’s the point with him, he is a great player and you can’t stop Kevin Durant. He is special. But I thought George and Richard gave everything to try to at least make him work his fanny off.”
Manu Ginobili
On the overall play of the guards: “For three quarters I just couldn’t make a shot. They were not hard shots and many times they were open so that was pretty frustrating. But, in fourth I hit a couple three’s and a layup which made me feel better. We were right in the game and we knew that if we hit a couple that things would start going our way.”
“Matt (Bonner) was huge. He went seven for seven in three’s which gave us some offense. He had a lot of looks and a lot of confidence.”
On the Thunder’s big lineup in the fourth quarter: “They are really tough when they play like that. They have size and their athletic and they can switch it up like that. So we just thought it would be better to play one-on-one. We couldn’t score much like that but the great thing was that they couldn’t score much either. We didn’t send Durant to the line that often. He is usually going 10 or 12 times a game and we held him to two times all night so the switch up was great for us and everybody played hard.
Richard Jefferson
On the Spurs’ defense: “You have an assignment and your teammates have an assignment. But it starts with “team” and that’s why it’s called a “team defense” so nobody can get credit for an individual performance.”
On keeping Kevin Durant to 23 points: “I think we did a get job of getting in the right positions or a favorable spot. But, hey, it’s Kevin. There are some nights where you can play great defense and the guy can get 50 points.”
Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks
Opening statement: “Well it’s not the way we wanted to finish our home stand but we got beat by a very good basketball team. They really did a good job of exposing us in many areas and I give them a lot of credit. They’re good, they’re well coached and they have a lot of experience. We had trouble guarding the three point line. (Matt) Bonner had seven attempts and he made all seven of them and that stretch when we needed to make stops, we couldn’t come up with one. I thought we started the game very good defensively making them miss the shots. The only thing is we gave them 17 free throw shots in the first quarter. That’s way too many. They outplayed us and I thought they were really good tonight making their shots or making the extra passes to make shots.”
On guarding Matt Bonner: “We over-helped. That wasn’t the game plan we talked about. Bottom line is we over-helped and gave him openings. All it takes for him is just a half of a second. He’s a knockdown three point shooter and we didn’t do a good job going into it. We didn’t do a good job guarding him. There’re no excuses.”
On the Thunder’s weaknesses tonight: “Defensively, we’re having trouble stopping the basketball and when you play against a good team, when you make one mistake they capitalize on it. That’s what a good team, an experienced team, will do it you. Bottom line is we have to stop the ball. We went small to counter their small lineup and we didn’t do a good job of stopping that. We weren’t stopping the ball and they were just getting to the basket at will and making shots from the perimeter. That’s a deadly dose of offensive basketball and we couldn’t handle it tonight.”
Kevin Durant
On the Thunder’s defense tonight: “We were forced to switch everything. They did a good job at getting the rim and hitting their threes. We have to do a better job of stopping the ball. ”
Where improvement starts: “We all have to get on the same page. We have to come out at the beginning defensively and finish defensively as well.”
Jeff Green
On the Spurs: “They are a great team. Tonight Matt Bonner was the reason for their offensive closure – getting seven threes. We started off the game great but we just have to continue progressing. ”
Head Coach Gregg Popovich
On Defense: “Our defense was excellent in the second half. We started the game slowly and put ourselves in a whole and we dug enough to be in the ballgame by half time and at that point and I thought our defense was very good maybe the best of the season and a lot of guys participated in that, so it generated our game. ”
On Manu Ginobili: “Manny was great. He made shots. We got to the line tonight and we shot it pretty well over all and for us that’s a miracle. Making shots is part of the deal, if you’re playing good defense it helps generate your offense.”
On defending Kevin Durant: “Richard Jefferson and George Hill both guarded him all night long and made him work for everything he got. That’s the point with him, he is a great player and you can’t stop Kevin Durant. He is special. But I thought George and Richard gave everything to try to at least make him work his fanny off.”
Manu Ginobili
On the overall play of the guards: “For three quarters I just couldn’t make a shot. They were not hard shots and many times they were open so that was pretty frustrating. But, in fourth I hit a couple three’s and a layup which made me feel better. We were right in the game and we knew that if we hit a couple that things would start going our way.”
“Matt (Bonner) was huge. He went seven for seven in three’s which gave us some offense. He had a lot of looks and a lot of confidence.”
On the Thunder’s big lineup in the fourth quarter: “They are really tough when they play like that. They have size and their athletic and they can switch it up like that. So we just thought it would be better to play one-on-one. We couldn’t score much like that but the great thing was that they couldn’t score much either. We didn’t send Durant to the line that often. He is usually going 10 or 12 times a game and we held him to two times all night so the switch up was great for us and everybody played hard.
Richard Jefferson
On the Spurs’ defense: “You have an assignment and your teammates have an assignment. But it starts with “team” and that’s why it’s called a “team defense” so nobody can get credit for an individual performance.”
On keeping Kevin Durant to 23 points: “I think we did a get job of getting in the right positions or a favorable spot. But, hey, it’s Kevin. There are some nights where you can play great defense and the guy can get 50 points.”
Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks
Opening statement: “Well it’s not the way we wanted to finish our home stand but we got beat by a very good basketball team. They really did a good job of exposing us in many areas and I give them a lot of credit. They’re good, they’re well coached and they have a lot of experience. We had trouble guarding the three point line. (Matt) Bonner had seven attempts and he made all seven of them and that stretch when we needed to make stops, we couldn’t come up with one. I thought we started the game very good defensively making them miss the shots. The only thing is we gave them 17 free throw shots in the first quarter. That’s way too many. They outplayed us and I thought they were really good tonight making their shots or making the extra passes to make shots.”
On guarding Matt Bonner: “We over-helped. That wasn’t the game plan we talked about. Bottom line is we over-helped and gave him openings. All it takes for him is just a half of a second. He’s a knockdown three point shooter and we didn’t do a good job going into it. We didn’t do a good job guarding him. There’re no excuses.”
On the Thunder’s weaknesses tonight: “Defensively, we’re having trouble stopping the basketball and when you play against a good team, when you make one mistake they capitalize on it. That’s what a good team, an experienced team, will do it you. Bottom line is we have to stop the ball. We went small to counter their small lineup and we didn’t do a good job of stopping that. We weren’t stopping the ball and they were just getting to the basket at will and making shots from the perimeter. That’s a deadly dose of offensive basketball and we couldn’t handle it tonight.”
Kevin Durant
On the Thunder’s defense tonight: “We were forced to switch everything. They did a good job at getting the rim and hitting their threes. We have to do a better job of stopping the ball. ”
Where improvement starts: “We all have to get on the same page. We have to come out at the beginning defensively and finish defensively as well.”
Jeff Green
On the Spurs: “They are a great team. Tonight Matt Bonner was the reason for their offensive closure – getting seven threes. We started off the game great but we just have to continue progressing. ”