duncan228
01-02-2011, 12:06 AM
Post-Game Quotes (http://www.nba.com/spurs/gameday/110101.html)
Head Coach Gregg Popovich
(On the defense played the last four or five games) “I hope it’s an indication that we’re getting better at it, because it was impressive tonight. I have to admit that the team defense behind the individual defense was good tonight and allowed us to be in the situation we found ourselves in by halftime. With their athleticism and their talent, they’ve got to be guarded. If they’re not guarded well, then the game is over. I thought we did a good job of guarding them and that gave us an opportunity to get the win.”
(On the individual defense played by Richard (Jefferson), Ime (Udoka) and George (Hill) on Kevin Durant) “Kevin’s impossible to stop. He’s a great player; the league’s leading scorer, but we just wanted to make it difficult for him and make him work hard for it. I think we did that. But all of those guys shared in that responsibility and really took pride in it.”
(On Russell Westbrook) “We just tried to slow him down in transition. He’s a really gifted young man and somebody who is really hard for us to stay in front of. But, again, I think Tony (Parker) did a good job and the team behind him helped because it does take an entire team to limit guys who are as talented as those two.”
Manu Ginobili
(On if the Spurs played good defense or just caught the Thunder off a back-to-back) “A little bit of both. We played a very good game, very intense, but I bet they were a bit tired after last night’s game, getting here late. But we all go through that. We played a good game and that’s why the defense was like that.”
(On the defense over the past four games) “Hopefully it turns into a trend. We are very happy with the way we’ve played the last few games. Hopefully we just don’t relax. We’ll try to keep it up.”
(On if there is an explanation for the defense lately) “Not really, you always try to play hard defense and make them contested shots, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. As I just said, the last few games were remarkable so hopefully we keep improving.”
(On the points in the paint) “You try to do everything every game and you take what the defense gives you. Sometimes there are some teams that pack it in so hard that you’re going to penetrate and kick and you’re going to make 12 or 14 threes. Today we were good attacking the rim. TD [Tim Duncan] had a very good game, shooting 10-for-15, DeJuan too. That’s how we made the difference.”
[B]Tim Duncan
(On the reason the defense has been better the last few games) “Just good focus by everybody. I don’t know what it is. I don’t think we’ve changed anything specifically. We just come out, good focus, good game plans, and just execute them. We understand that’s the kind of team we’re going to need to be. We’ve been scoring a bunch of points and that’s all great but when it comes down to it, we’re going to have to be a defensive ball club.”
(On if the defense is going to be important on the upcoming road trip) “Absolutely, especially in New York. They want to score points, they want to get up and down, and we’re going to have to try to control that. Boston’s a defensive ball club and that’s how they’ve made their living so far and we’re going to have to be able to match that too.”
(On getting early baskets) “It helps tremendously. When you see the ball go in a couple times early, it makes the rest of the game go a little smoother. Every open shot you get is a little easier. I got some to go early and it helps a lot.”
(On working together with DeJuan Blair in the paint) “We’ve been trying to get that rolling throughout the year. It seems like one of us plays well and the other one doesn’t. When we get a night where we both play well, we pick up a lot of slack and it’s a lot of fun when we can do that.”
George Hill
(On the overall defense tonight) “Great team defense. It’s tough guarding [Russell] Westbrook and [Kevin] Durant. They have a lot of things they can do, but I think today everyone was mentally tough. I think the team defense overall was great.”
(On the difference defensively the past few games) “I think everyone’s holding themselves accountable. We’re not trying to blame others or make excuses for anything. We’re just trying to go out there and play hard each possession and help each other out. When you see a man down, that means we need someone else to step up and help out. I think overall our team defense, everyone’s talking and communicating and having fun doing it.”
(On the importance of the team defense going into the road trip) “It’s going to be important to New York, Boston, Indiana, and whoever else we have because if our goal is to win championships, that’s what’s going to win it. We know we have a lot of people who can score the ball, but we have to stop people. I think if we take that into consideration every game, we’re going to be deadly.”
(On Tim Duncan)“He’s been complaining about not making shots he normally makes. He’s either going to hit the lay ups or hit the jumpers and today it was the jumpers. Next time it might be layups. It just shows you that he’s a walking Hall of Famer right now and he has everything left in the tank and we count on him. He’s tremendous vocally even if he’s not producing offensively. He still gives us something on the court every time either defensively or as a leader.”
Head Coach Scott Brooks
(Opening statement) “We got beat by the best team in basketball. They handed it to us pretty fare and square. They’re as good of a defensive and offensive team that we’ll face. We turned the ball over way to many times to stay in a game, against the best team.”
(On if the turnovers came from carelessness or the Spurs defense) “It was a combination of both. We were careless with the ball, but their defense created some turnovers. Like I said, we got beat by a better team tonight, a team that I have a lot of respect for. They play great basketball; they play every position the right way. They make you play, at times not good basketball. That’s a championship ready and they’re built to win it right now. It’s something that we can learn from. I’m disappointed that we weren’t in the game. It was because of them for most of it, but also we were careless with the ball from the start and we never recovered from it.”
(On what were the positives in tonight’s game) “I thought Serge Ibaka was the positive tonight. He a guy we like, he brings energy and enthusiasm to the game. He just has to continue to do that. He was the bright spot for us.”
(On how you get past the worst loss of the year) “You have to get past it, it’s the NBA you don’t have time to enjoy a victory, you don’t have time to get down on yourself. If that happens then you’re not ready for the next game.”
Kevin Durant
(On tonight’s game ) “It was just one of those games that was sloppy. Everything we did; fumbling passes and not finishing layups, missing opportunities on the defensive end to help the team in transition to get easy baskets. I think in the second quarter we did a great job of stopping them, that was one positive thing. We did a good job of fighting, but it was just a sloppy game for us.”
(On how they handle this loss) “We learn from it and we flush it down the toilet. We have another game coming up in a couple days and we just got to get this past us and know that we can’t have this type of showing again. It was just too sloppy for us. We just got to get better from it and move on.”
(On Serge Ibaka’s play tonight) “He was energetic for us; blocking shots, making shots and rebounding for us. It was a good game for him.”
(On things snowballing for them early on) “It snowballed a lot. We got down too early and made some costly mistakes and missed some easy shots. On our transition offense we didn’t capitalize at all. We got down early and it was tough to fight back, especially against a tough team like that. In the start of the second half I think we did a good job of executing and getting some easy baskets. Some we made and some we didn’t, but we just didn’t finish the game like we wanted to, of course.”
(On their turnovers tonight) “We were going too fast. We were in fifth gear all night, everybody. We made good passes sometimes, but we fumbled the ball in transition. That’s mainly where we got most of our turnovers at. We made some huge mistakes.”
(On measuring themselves against the Spurs) “We got a long way to go if we want to be as good as those guys. We can learn from the Spurs. They’re the same type of team that we are; guys that sacrifice a lot and a good group of guys that have been together for awhile. We can learn from them. We just got to move on from this. It was a tough one for us, but the name of the game is that it’s a long season. We got to just move on and push forward.”
Nick Collison
(On the huge gap between the Thunder and the Spurs) “I don’t really feel that way. It was tonight; the numbers don’t lie. That’s what happened tonight, but I think we’re capable of playing a little better than that. It’s a little disappointing how we came out. They’re a good team and if you don’t come out ready they put it to you rather quickly. That’s what happened tonight. They were all over us and it was difficult for us to execute offensively. On the other end they were moving the ball so well. We seemed to be playing from behind all night on every possession.”
(On playing from behind against a team like the Spurs) “They’re playing great. They’re just so solid. They react and read everything that happens out there, so you have to play straight up on everything. They really play well together. They’re probably playing as well together as anyone in the league.”
Head Coach Gregg Popovich
(On the defense played the last four or five games) “I hope it’s an indication that we’re getting better at it, because it was impressive tonight. I have to admit that the team defense behind the individual defense was good tonight and allowed us to be in the situation we found ourselves in by halftime. With their athleticism and their talent, they’ve got to be guarded. If they’re not guarded well, then the game is over. I thought we did a good job of guarding them and that gave us an opportunity to get the win.”
(On the individual defense played by Richard (Jefferson), Ime (Udoka) and George (Hill) on Kevin Durant) “Kevin’s impossible to stop. He’s a great player; the league’s leading scorer, but we just wanted to make it difficult for him and make him work hard for it. I think we did that. But all of those guys shared in that responsibility and really took pride in it.”
(On Russell Westbrook) “We just tried to slow him down in transition. He’s a really gifted young man and somebody who is really hard for us to stay in front of. But, again, I think Tony (Parker) did a good job and the team behind him helped because it does take an entire team to limit guys who are as talented as those two.”
Manu Ginobili
(On if the Spurs played good defense or just caught the Thunder off a back-to-back) “A little bit of both. We played a very good game, very intense, but I bet they were a bit tired after last night’s game, getting here late. But we all go through that. We played a good game and that’s why the defense was like that.”
(On the defense over the past four games) “Hopefully it turns into a trend. We are very happy with the way we’ve played the last few games. Hopefully we just don’t relax. We’ll try to keep it up.”
(On if there is an explanation for the defense lately) “Not really, you always try to play hard defense and make them contested shots, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. As I just said, the last few games were remarkable so hopefully we keep improving.”
(On the points in the paint) “You try to do everything every game and you take what the defense gives you. Sometimes there are some teams that pack it in so hard that you’re going to penetrate and kick and you’re going to make 12 or 14 threes. Today we were good attacking the rim. TD [Tim Duncan] had a very good game, shooting 10-for-15, DeJuan too. That’s how we made the difference.”
[B]Tim Duncan
(On the reason the defense has been better the last few games) “Just good focus by everybody. I don’t know what it is. I don’t think we’ve changed anything specifically. We just come out, good focus, good game plans, and just execute them. We understand that’s the kind of team we’re going to need to be. We’ve been scoring a bunch of points and that’s all great but when it comes down to it, we’re going to have to be a defensive ball club.”
(On if the defense is going to be important on the upcoming road trip) “Absolutely, especially in New York. They want to score points, they want to get up and down, and we’re going to have to try to control that. Boston’s a defensive ball club and that’s how they’ve made their living so far and we’re going to have to be able to match that too.”
(On getting early baskets) “It helps tremendously. When you see the ball go in a couple times early, it makes the rest of the game go a little smoother. Every open shot you get is a little easier. I got some to go early and it helps a lot.”
(On working together with DeJuan Blair in the paint) “We’ve been trying to get that rolling throughout the year. It seems like one of us plays well and the other one doesn’t. When we get a night where we both play well, we pick up a lot of slack and it’s a lot of fun when we can do that.”
George Hill
(On the overall defense tonight) “Great team defense. It’s tough guarding [Russell] Westbrook and [Kevin] Durant. They have a lot of things they can do, but I think today everyone was mentally tough. I think the team defense overall was great.”
(On the difference defensively the past few games) “I think everyone’s holding themselves accountable. We’re not trying to blame others or make excuses for anything. We’re just trying to go out there and play hard each possession and help each other out. When you see a man down, that means we need someone else to step up and help out. I think overall our team defense, everyone’s talking and communicating and having fun doing it.”
(On the importance of the team defense going into the road trip) “It’s going to be important to New York, Boston, Indiana, and whoever else we have because if our goal is to win championships, that’s what’s going to win it. We know we have a lot of people who can score the ball, but we have to stop people. I think if we take that into consideration every game, we’re going to be deadly.”
(On Tim Duncan)“He’s been complaining about not making shots he normally makes. He’s either going to hit the lay ups or hit the jumpers and today it was the jumpers. Next time it might be layups. It just shows you that he’s a walking Hall of Famer right now and he has everything left in the tank and we count on him. He’s tremendous vocally even if he’s not producing offensively. He still gives us something on the court every time either defensively or as a leader.”
Head Coach Scott Brooks
(Opening statement) “We got beat by the best team in basketball. They handed it to us pretty fare and square. They’re as good of a defensive and offensive team that we’ll face. We turned the ball over way to many times to stay in a game, against the best team.”
(On if the turnovers came from carelessness or the Spurs defense) “It was a combination of both. We were careless with the ball, but their defense created some turnovers. Like I said, we got beat by a better team tonight, a team that I have a lot of respect for. They play great basketball; they play every position the right way. They make you play, at times not good basketball. That’s a championship ready and they’re built to win it right now. It’s something that we can learn from. I’m disappointed that we weren’t in the game. It was because of them for most of it, but also we were careless with the ball from the start and we never recovered from it.”
(On what were the positives in tonight’s game) “I thought Serge Ibaka was the positive tonight. He a guy we like, he brings energy and enthusiasm to the game. He just has to continue to do that. He was the bright spot for us.”
(On how you get past the worst loss of the year) “You have to get past it, it’s the NBA you don’t have time to enjoy a victory, you don’t have time to get down on yourself. If that happens then you’re not ready for the next game.”
Kevin Durant
(On tonight’s game ) “It was just one of those games that was sloppy. Everything we did; fumbling passes and not finishing layups, missing opportunities on the defensive end to help the team in transition to get easy baskets. I think in the second quarter we did a great job of stopping them, that was one positive thing. We did a good job of fighting, but it was just a sloppy game for us.”
(On how they handle this loss) “We learn from it and we flush it down the toilet. We have another game coming up in a couple days and we just got to get this past us and know that we can’t have this type of showing again. It was just too sloppy for us. We just got to get better from it and move on.”
(On Serge Ibaka’s play tonight) “He was energetic for us; blocking shots, making shots and rebounding for us. It was a good game for him.”
(On things snowballing for them early on) “It snowballed a lot. We got down too early and made some costly mistakes and missed some easy shots. On our transition offense we didn’t capitalize at all. We got down early and it was tough to fight back, especially against a tough team like that. In the start of the second half I think we did a good job of executing and getting some easy baskets. Some we made and some we didn’t, but we just didn’t finish the game like we wanted to, of course.”
(On their turnovers tonight) “We were going too fast. We were in fifth gear all night, everybody. We made good passes sometimes, but we fumbled the ball in transition. That’s mainly where we got most of our turnovers at. We made some huge mistakes.”
(On measuring themselves against the Spurs) “We got a long way to go if we want to be as good as those guys. We can learn from the Spurs. They’re the same type of team that we are; guys that sacrifice a lot and a good group of guys that have been together for awhile. We can learn from them. We just got to move on from this. It was a tough one for us, but the name of the game is that it’s a long season. We got to just move on and push forward.”
Nick Collison
(On the huge gap between the Thunder and the Spurs) “I don’t really feel that way. It was tonight; the numbers don’t lie. That’s what happened tonight, but I think we’re capable of playing a little better than that. It’s a little disappointing how we came out. They’re a good team and if you don’t come out ready they put it to you rather quickly. That’s what happened tonight. They were all over us and it was difficult for us to execute offensively. On the other end they were moving the ball so well. We seemed to be playing from behind all night on every possession.”
(On playing from behind against a team like the Spurs) “They’re playing great. They’re just so solid. They react and read everything that happens out there, so you have to play straight up on everything. They really play well together. They’re probably playing as well together as anyone in the league.”