Kori Ellis
06-15-2005, 02:00 PM
LARRY BROWN
Q. Both these teams are really good defensively, do you have a theory or an explanation perhaps about why all three games have kind of blown up in the fourth quarter and haven't been nip and tuck down the stretch?
COACH LARRY BROWN: No, I have a theory in Game 1 and 2: They had so much control, and then we expended a lot of energy to get back. We were down 17 or 18, cut it to seven late, and then you know, you've got to play perfect at the end. We didn't come down with the defensive rebound and they made a shot and it was and that kind of took the air out of us.
Then Game 2, we got down 23, cut it to eight, and that was a foul on Ginobli with two seconds on the shot clock, he hits two free throws, and again you've got to play perfect. I think that kind of took the winds out of our sails.
Last night you know, we just made plays at the end like they have made all series. I think the critical part probably was the end of the third quarter, you know, we went on that 9 2 run, and I think it gave us a lot of confidence and a lot of life and maybe well, I don't know what happened with San Antonio, but we played perfect in the fourth quarter, in every area.
Q. Are you surprised a little bit that not one game so far has come down to like a one possession game in the last minute?
COACH LARRY BROWN: Yeah, but the way they played the first two games, after the Miami series, I don't know, they dominated in so many areas those first two games.
I think when I was a coach at San Antonio, we had a series with Portland when I was there. They drilled us the first two games in Portland. I think we came back and drilled them two games. We went back Game 5, they drilled us. We came back Game 6, we won, all of a sudden game 7 was a nail biter. That was a play that we had Rod Strickland, and I didn't think it was a bad pass. We just had bad communication.
But, I don't know, usually you do expect games with the two teams that are left to be, you know, real competitive. I certainly felt last night was competitive. You know, as a coach you never feel like the game is over. But I would think that if we can play with the same kind of energy we did this last game, that, you know, hopefully the games will be decided at the end.
Q. Knowing what McDyess has been through with his knee situation, what goes through your mind when he's mixing it up and being aggressive and physical?
COACH LARRY BROWN: Well, better now than I was when we first got him. And I can relate to that, when I was a college coach, I had a kid named Archie Marshall, in the NCAA Final Four, he tore his knee up in the semifinal game. Then he came back and missed the whole next year, but he started practicing in January. Every time he jumped I had a well, I have acid reflux, but I felt like I had it. And then the next year, you know, every practice, every time there was a jump ball or something like that, or he jumped in the crowd, I had a hard time with it. I've had same reaction with McDyess when he came. You know, he's been through so much. You know, I'm sure he's told you he's thought about giving it up. He's worked so hard.
So I asked him every trip down the court, I think, how he was feeling, and I've gotten better over the course of time. I've said this numerous times, that, you know, we have the best therapist or guy in the world in Arnie (Arnie Kander, strength coach) and he's given McDyess a lot of confidence and has really helped him. But from a personal standpoint, yeah, I worry, and he gets mad at me. But you know I see signs. They tease him, "Oh, that looked like Phoenix," or, "Oh, that looked like when you were in Denver." And he's been better each day. We gave him days off during the season, but he's gotten better each day, and I think I've gotten better.
Q. Kind of talk about Lindsey and Antonio McDyess coming off the bench and what they have done for you. That was supposed to be one of the advantages that the Spurs had coming in, that their bench was deeper than your guys.
COACH LARRY BROWN: Again, you know, last year, if you look at our bench, and I remember hearing all the comments about us as we went through the playoffs, the contributions of Corliss (Williamson) and Mike James and Memo (Okur) and Lindsey and Elden made, you know, that's ten deep. It was obvious, I don't think we win without a bench that deep.
This year, you know, and it's not their fault, but we lost Carlos Delfino, who I think would definitely be in the rotation now if he had not gotten hurt. But our bench has really been short. Elden played more in the Miami series because of the matchup with Shaq, obviously. In this series, with as much as they go up and down, you know, I've got to be real careful when we can use him, but I'm not afraid to. So our bench has come down basically to Lindsey and McDyess, and when you play against a team as good, as well coached, as deep as San Antonio, it's critical that those guys come in and are productive.
For instance, last night, when I looked at the stat sheet at halftime, you know, I think I had five guys play 19 minutes or more. You know, at halftime, all I kept thinking was, I've got to find a way to get McDyess and Lindsey and maybe Carlos in the game so we'd be a lot fresher down the stretch.
Q. Can you talk about what you expect from each of those guys, Antonio and Lindsey when they come into the game?
COACH LARRY BROWN: Yeah, well, Lindsey, even at 34 is as good an on ball defender as there in the league, and when you play against a dribble drive team and penetration team like them, and you have Ginobli and Parker, he can play both of them. I mean, nobody is going to stop either one of them, but he can play both of them. He's strong enough to fight guys on the post and quick enough to keep people in front. If you don't have that, you've got no chance against San Antonio.
McDyess, when you consider how good Timmy is and how well they get him the ball and include him in their offense, you need a guy like McDyess, who is not only an offensive option because you need that coming off the bench; he's a defensive option for us with his quickness and athleticism. As many pick and rolls as they put us in, if your big guys can't get out on screens and move their feet, you've got no shot. I look at him like another star. You know, with Rasheed and Ben and McDyess, I think we're as deep as any team in the league at the four and five position. Game 2, even though our team got beat, McDyess got a lot of confidence in that game, and I think it carried over last night.
Q. Rip seemed to have a more patient game as far as attacking the defense and Bruce, he used his head a little more about how he wanted to go at it, did you talk to him at all about that and is there anything that you liked that he did yesterday that he had not done in the first two games?
COACH LARRY BROWN: One, he's playing against an unbelievable defender. You know, Bruce never gives up. He's really intelligent. He's real physical. So he's got a challenge.
I think if you look at the run San Antonio has had, he had to guard Marion, he had to guard Ray Allen, he had to guard Carmelo, he can guard you in the post, he can guard you out on the perimeter. He's relentless in what he does.
I think Rip is starting to figure out that he can't back him down and do herky jerky things. You've got to do what you do best and that's come off the screens and shoot the mid range jumpshot.
Joe and I talked, we try to set screens a little differently because of the way they were defending in hopes of helping him a little bit.
I think he started to understand that when he comes off a screen, he's got to shoot with rhythm, not worry about where Bruce is, not worry about drawing the foul and just playing.
And then the other thing, I think he got some easy baskets yesterday on the break, and if you get some easy baskets, sometimes your jumpshot is not as difficult, and that really helped him. But he was relentless last night on both ends, and I think you've got to be that way against Bruce.
Q. As a whole, the defense was certainly more aggressive last night, but specifically, what did you guys do differently against Manu Ginobli?
COACH LARRY BROWN: I don't think we did anything. You know, one, he's not going to have a game like that I get so tickled about not having any superstars in these playoffs. You know, you've got Tim Duncan, you've got him, anybody that's watched the playoffs can recognize how special a player Manu is.
But our offense was better, so I think it made our defense better. We got back, I think they scored four or five points on the break, and if you ask Pop, I think they would probably consider their team as good an up and down team as there is in the league, at least I do. So I think the fact that we got our defense set, didn't give easy baskets up in transition, you know, helped us contain him a little bit.
But I don't think there's any way you're going to stop him. He's just relentless and he can take it to the goal. You know, he's making the three ball. I always thought when you played him, you've got to hope he shoots jumpshots, and lo and behold the first two games, I'm hitting my assistants and blaming it on them. (Laughter)
You know, I don't think he got easy baskets in transitions, which helped us.
Q. How much more of an effort was there to maybe be a little more physical with him?
COACH LARRY BROWN: We didn't talk about being physical with any one player. We talked about how hard we needed to play in order to win. I think after the Miami series, a lot was taken out of us and we never matched the energy that San Antonio put forth on every possession. I don't think our guys realized until after we were too down if you're going to have any chance against them, you've got to play unbelievably hard, and usually when you play hard, you know, you're obviously more aggressive, you don't worry about fouls, you just play and I think that was the key.
Q. Popovich and a couple of his players talked about how you guys did a much better job at passing and things like that. Was that a conscious effort on your team's part going into Game 3 to do a better job in the passing lanes?
COACH LARRY BROWN: You know, we got 23 points off turnovers and made them turn it over 18 times. We just talked about trying to take things away from them. I really believe if you react defensively, you're going to get beat. We tried to act a little bit you know, we trapped a little bit, we fronted on the post a little bit. You know, we got out on pick and rolls much better.
I just think that Ben set the tone early. You know, I believe it would impact any team if you're driving for the goal like they did in Game 1 and 2, and there's nobody there, either to take the charge or to make you pick up your dribble or block the shot. I would believe that you'd have in your mind you can take it to the goal at any time.
I remember when we played Indiana, the game they beat us here, I kept hearing them say, "Hey, just drive the ball, you know, we're not guarding dribble penetration." Well, last night, Ben has five blocks at the beginning of the game, a couple of them were on post plays but most of them were on dribble penetration. So that got us going. That made us more active. And again, we did the acting instead of reacting.
Q. You talked a little bit about how anyone who has watched these playoffs can recognize Manu as a special player. Can you talk a little bit when a guy goes from being a very good player, who whatever he gives you is a plus, to a star, who is expected to do it night in and night out, and when he doesn't, there's a lot of focus on, well, you didn't do this this night, just how difficult that is and what a gap that is and what a player has to handle in being that.
COACH LARRY BROWN: Well, it's almost like being in our situation. Last year, you know, we weren't the champs, and there were a lot of games we played against teams that I didn't think gave their best effort against us; we had none of those kind of games this year. Every time we stepped out on the court, I thought everybody was bringing their "A game". That's why I've always had so much admiration for, you know, teams like San Antonio, Chicago, the Lakers and Boston, when they were making their runs, because every single night, it's a big game. And yet, you have to have so much respect for guys that can bring it every single night and I think that's what it is when you talk about being a star. You know, everybody takes a challenge against you, and you have to be ready for that challenge every single night.
But a lot of times, I don't buy looking at stat sheets, whether a guy had a big game or not. Sometimes stars, just by being out there, make other players around them better. That's how I judge the best players in this league. You know, Tim Duncan can get 12 points in a game and I think he can impact the whole game just by his unselfishness and the attention he draws and the way he plays.
But it's not an easy thing. You know, it takes special players to be ready to play every single night at a high level because, you know, I'm sure that the person that's going against them wants to prove a point, and then when you do it on this stage, I always hear that, you know, guys make a reputation in the playoffs. Well, one, you're playing against the best competition obviously, and I don't do this before every game during the regular season, so I realize the impact.
But he is special. You know, I got to watch him you know when Pop drafted him in '99 in Puerto Rico. I marveled at what he did last summer in an unbelievably difficult situation, and to be honest with you, I'm a huge fan of that kid. He doesn't take one possession off, that's why I feel good about our league when I see players like him and all the young stars we have.
RASHEED WALLACE
Q. Rasheed, besides your names, what would you say that you have in common with Ben Wallace and what is your relationship with him in this Detroit Pistons team?
RASHEED WALLACE: I was definitely excited when I first got here to be teamed up with him. It's fun but yet it's hard to be his teammate for the simple fact that he was Defensive Player of the Year three out of last four years, so, you know, everyone knows that he has his side of the block covered, so I've got to try to do what I can do to cover my side of the block.
But as a person and teammate, Ben, he's a good person. You know, he has definite family morals, respect, values and he's just an all around cool person.
Q. Do you see your role behind the scenes as sort of the team comic, keeping everybody loose? It seems like guys are always talking about how you're joking around.
RASHEED WALLACE: Yeah, definitely, because at times like, this especially this is our second time here, for some guys on the team it's their first time, so just try to keep them loose and not all tense where if a guy throws a pass away or misses a shot, it's not the end of the world. Just got to go back down to the other end and play defense.
Q. Is it a different feeling waking up this morning and coming to the arena today now that you guys have gotten the kind of game under your belts that you know you guys are capable of playing?
RASHEED WALLACE: Well, we're still down 2 1, so we're not sitting up here jumping for joy. We still have to go out there and try to accomplish what we did last night, tomorrow, and that's our bottom line. That's our main focus.
Q. Do you guys feel like you got back to the physical style of defense you play, or do you need to see in the next game to know for sure if you guys are back to what you were?
RASHEED WALLACE: Well, I think for the next game it will probably be said. We know we have to come hard. We know we have to bring some energy that we brought last night to match their effort.
Q. Antonio obviously earlier in his career was a very athletic player and a lot of dunking, how have you seen him change as a player over the years and how much have you seen him embrace his role with you guys that he has coming off the bench?
RASHEED WALLACE: McDyess is a good player. Dyess and I go back to high school, watching each other, little Christmas tournaments and things like that. But, you know, watching him as he was drafted with me and the teams that he's been on, he's been a great athlete beginning of his career, ran into a couple knee problems, but that didn't stop him. That didn't break him down. He went in rehabilitation, got his knee back together and here he is today. You know, he had that determination that, okay, he had a couple serious, career ending injuries, but he would not let that stop him to get where he wanted to go.
Q. How emotional has this run been for Antonio, The Finals, knowing what he's been through and how much it's taken for him to get to this point?
RASHEED WALLACE: I know he has to be feeling real good with himself. You know, it wasn't planned or whatever for him to be here. Like I said, he had that determination to get through his injuries. I know he's real happy to be here, but I know he's not satisfied with being here.
Q. You guys threw Tim off a little bit last night and he's always had a history of coming back strong after off games, what do you look for from him tomorrow?
RASHEED WALLACE: I think to be more involved. You know, he's a major part of their offense, don't matter if he's not even scoring the ball, every time they bring that down the court on the offensive set, he's touching that ball. I think they will probably look to get him some more touches.
Q. Just talking to Gar Heard, he was basically saying the way he saw your game as capable of scoring 20 on any given night but not really having the ego of a scorer, do you agree with that or how do you see yourself? Do you need to be more demanding to be a great scorer?
RASHEED WALLACE: No, I'm not trying to be a great scorer of the game. Great scorers was Kareem, Mike, Larry Bird, they were great scorers, but I'm not out to be a scorer in this game.
Personally, it doesn't matter to me if I had the worst career stats in NBA history as long as I got my ships. The ships, it shuts everything up.
Q. Chauncey was saying that one of the common denominators on this team is that everybody on this team or almost everybody has been kicked to the curb at some point, undrafted guys, guys who have bounced around, and you got a chance to come here and reinvent yourself a little bit. Do you think that's one of the things that strengthens and unites this team?
RASHEED WALLACE: Definitely. We did have a couple of guys that were not drafted, McDyess with injuries. Guys came on different paths, and it wasn't easy to get here. I think, definitely, that is one of the things that strengthens us as a team and going out there and having each other's back.
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS
Q. When this series started, these were two defensive based teams, people thought the games would be played pretty close to the vest, and all three of them have kind of blown up in the fourth quarter. Do you have a theory or an explanation why that may be happening?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: I don't. I don't really know, you know, why that's happened. I thought these games would all be, you know, 82 87, playing in the 80s, early 90s, you know what I mean.
I really don't have an explanation. I think you've got, you know, two similar teams in the way that we approach the game and the way that we play the games. I just know that it's going to be a good, long series, you know what I mean. I don't know anymore that the game is going to be 82 89, you know what I mean. It's proved me wrong in that aspect. So I really don't. I can't pinpoint why.
Q. Antonio McDyess was giving you credit as being one of the guys that helped kind of talk him into coming out here and playing again. Knowing that he was so close to quitting, how tough was it to kind of help convince him and how glad are you now that he finally could take that offer to come here?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Yeah, McDyess, he was man, he went through some very dark days with his surgeries and things. And me being one of his closest friends, I was there to kind of talk to him and help him through it a little bit and just tell him that, you know, you can still shine, you can still be a part of something special. You don't have to go to a situation where you have to be the main man anymore, but you can still be looked at in a great perspective.
I think he trusted in what I was saying, he believed in it, and I'm just very happy that he gave it a second chance. I'm even more happy that he gave a second chance with us, you know, because he could have been somewhere else and starting and had a great, great season, he could have done that. But I think he knew where his career was at, he knows what's most important, and that's winning and being a part of something special. He took advantage of it.
Q. Has he always had that positive attitude? The other day he was saying that had he not been injured, he would still be an All Star, but he could not be playing for a championship. So he can always find the good in everything.
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Yeah, he does. He's a very humble guy, man, very humble. He's always had that kind of attitude. Like you said, if he had not been injured, he would still be he'd probably be a seven , eight , nine time All Star by now.
But everything happens for a reason, and we're finding out, you know, why those injuries happened for him.
Q. Can you breathe a bit easier today now that you've finally got the kind of game out of the way that you guys know you're capable of playing?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Not really, man, not really. We're still down 2 1.
I thought we played with a lot of energy yesterday, but I don't think that we really clicked the way that we can. I thought our effort was just there. We just played hard. We just played the way we're supposed to play effort wise. I thought we could have executed better sometimes during the game, throughout the game, but, you know, when our effort is there, we can make some mistakes and we can, you know, not execute as good as we need to do sometimes, because we're going to make some energy plays and we're going to get some extra possessions. I thought we just played as hard as we need to play, and if we can continue that, then maybe we can start, you know, doing some other things better and executing better.
Q. The way the point guard position has evolved over the years, how do you describe the way you approach it, the way you do it? And how do you balance the things that you do with some of the responsibilities that haven't changed?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Well, it's tough, it's tough because I'm pretty much a scoring point guard, you know, an aggressive point guard. I think these last two years with Coach Brown, I've learned when is when and when it's not. So that's taken me some time to adjust to, but I think the position now, man, there's not too many point guard out there that can't score anymore. That's just the game has changed, you know what I mean. You look at all of the top point guards in the league, all of them are scorers or can score and keep the defense honest.
But the position has definitely changed. I think that the way that I play the game and the way that, you know, a lot of other players that play this position play the game is the way that it is now, you know. Like it or not, that's just how it is now.
Q. Do you still have to do, particularly last night, things that steady your team, especially offensively, keep things organized?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Oh, no question. No question. It's still a point guard position. It's still the quarterback. You've still got to get the ball to the right people at the right times in their spots, and being aggressive doesn't mean you shoot the ball all the time. It just means making plays for everybody; it doesn't have to be for you.
Like I said, the position has changed in the game a little bit, but you still have to be the quarterback out there and you've still got to be looking to get everybody else off.
Q. You're the type of point guard that against whom generally Tony Parker has problems, how would you rate your head to head so far in these Finals? I would say it's pretty even, but I would like to have your opinion.
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: You know, this whole thing is not about me versus so and so or whatever. I don't I don't really rate head to head match ups, because it's the Pistons versus the Spurs, you know what I mean. It's not Chauncey versus Tony or Rasheed versus Duncan or Tay versus Ginobli. It's us versus them. No matter if I'm winning a head to head battle with Tony Parker or not, if my team is winning, I'm winning, but we're down 2 1, so he's winning basically. It's not about personal or individual match ups.
Q. Would you say that he has improved defensively compared to the previous seasons?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Has Tony Parker improved defensively? I mean, he's a good defender, he's fast and he's scrappy. I think he has problems with me because I'm so much bigger and stronger than he is, you know, just like on the other end, he's so much faster than me so it's difficult for me. We both have our strengths and our weaknesses, you know what I mean, but he's a scrappy defender.
Q. There's so many potential emotional ups and downs in the course of the playoffs, how much that's Rasheed's personality, sense of humor helped you guys avoid those?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Well, he's the best at, you know, keeping everybody loose, but at the same time, he has a serious approach to the game. We know that he's always going to be there, you know what I mean, whether it's offense or defense, he's going to be there, he's going to make the right plays at the right times. Like you said, he has that tendency to keep everybody loose, and I think we've got the kind of personnel that nobody really gets that tense anyway. We play every game like it's, you know, like it's regular season, you know what I mean. We don't put no extra pressure on ourselves, even though y'all do, we don't. We play the same way, we go in the locker room the same way, the speech is the same every night, you know what I mean. We're all for one another.
BEN WALLACE
Q. Are you aware that you pretty much are the man of the moment?
BEN WALLACE: You know, I'm aware that I got some things done, I was able to get to the offensive boards and any time you get some offensive boards you put pressure on their defense and have to guard for another 24 seconds.
As far as dominating the game, I thought everybody played major roles coming out with execution, you know, the defensive rotation was great for us. It can be a little bit better but it was a great effort by everybody. That's the type of effort we need to have night in and night out in order to give ourselves a chance to win games.
Q. Do you think you guys did that good of a job or was Manu hurt?
BEN WALLACE: You know, you want to take the credit for shutting guys down, but that's something that rarely happens. I think you see the replay, he bumped knees pretty good, and you know, anytime you get that sting, you really don't know what to do, whether you want to push it or to lay off it, but whatever you're going to do. We played solid defense, you know, by him being a little bit injured so, that worked in our favor as well.
Q. What about Game 4? How do you guys prepare for Game 4?
BEN WALLACE: Every game from here on out is important to us. To get back to what we want to be. We want to be back at the top and we put ourselves in a position, you know, with an opportunity to do that, so now every game is important.
You know, I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself to go out and make things happen for this team, you know, to try to get stops, get rebounds, you know, try to make it easy for guys to loosen up and just go out and play their game.
Q. Did you feel mentally worn down coming into The Finals?
BEN WALLACE: I had a lot going on, you know, sure, surrounding me, coming into The Finals and, you know, it's a tough situation. But like I said, all you can do is just continue to keep putting your best foot forward and continue to come out and do what you can do to help your team. Like I said, hope that's enough.
Q. Last year when you played Shaq, you played in the final round, could you have played another round after that? Is this different because you played Shaq and there's another round after that?
BEN WALLACE: Yeah, without a doubt. You know what it takes to win games. I've been in this league for a long time, and you don't get to this point by not being able to go out and give your best effort night in and night out.
RICHARD HAMILTON
Q. What was the difference last night, Rip?
RICHARD HAMILTON: Yeah, you know, it's just that I was making shots. I think that I was using my teammates a lot more than I was in Game 1, you know, and I got a lot of open looks. Guys did a great job of setting screens and giving me wide open opportunities.
Q. But it never affected your willingness
RICHARD HAMILTON: There's too many shots in the game of basketball to get frustrated over a shot. I've got to say, I believe every shot that I shoot is going in. I remember (UConn Coach Jim) Calhoun used to tell me all the time, he used to tell me, "Rip, your problem is, you think that every shot you shoot is going to go in.
Q. Did Ben set the tone last night?
RICHARD HAMILTON: Definitely he did, from the first when he got the steal, you know, his energy was off the hook. You know, he rebounded, he had five blocked shots in the first quarter and we just fed off that.
Q. Manu, was he hurt or did you guy do that good of a job on defense?
RICHARD HAMILTON: I don't know if he was hurt or not. I think he went down early in the first quarter, but he came right back in.
I think the guys did an excellent job of just trying to step up. When he tried to drive, guys stepped in the lane, tried to take charges and tried to cut off his pass and things like that.
Q. Does it look any different looking through that mask? Did you have to get used to it?
RICHARD HAMILTON: Oh, yeah, at first it was tough, it was going off and on. They tried to get me to wear it after the first time I broke it but I said no way. It was one of those things that I had to get adjusted to and now it's just like wearing a head band.
TAYSHAUN PRINCE
Q. Talk about the collision.
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: I don't know if he bumped me or what. I don't know what happens as far as that.
Q. Did he look different after that?
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: He slowed up a little bit. I thought Brent Barry came in and played very well and scored some points. But other than that, when he came back in, I don't know if that affected him or not, but the important thing for us is just to keep our focus and our energy up on the defensive end.
Q. Could you talk about that feeding frenzy after you guys got all those steals.
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: We really just turned the ball over a few times and we capitalized on it. Things just weren't working there, and after the third we had a stretch where we made plays and things went well. We got some steals and that kind of played into everything.
Q. What did you guys say to yourself collectively after the first two games?
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: That's going to happen no matter what, you're down in the series, that's something you can't be worried about, just have to go play basketball. No matter what the series; you have to keep fighting.
ANTONIO MCDYESS
Q. You seemed to really respond well after Game 1 and Game 2.
ANTONIO MCDYESS: Yeah, I think I was pretty much relaxed in Game 2 and just carried over to Game 3. I think for me it's just a matter of getting the butterflies out and going out there and playing.
Q. Are you still catching yourself every day, being at this point right now, to get to this point?
ANTONIO MCDYESS: Yeah, but right now, it's just a matter of getting a win. You know, just happy to have the opportunity to play on this team. Like I said always, and like I say, I could be at home watching this, and instead, I'm playing.
Q. What made you ultimately decide this was the best fit for you in Detroit?
ANTONIO MCDYESS: When I came here to visit, Joe told me he watched my last 18 games, and in the East Coast, that's pretty late, I'm in the West. I talked to Chauncey and had an opportunity to play with Chauncey before and I had an opportunity to play with Larry. That pretty much made my decision, and what more can you ask for, they are world champions.
Q. Do you worry about the knee anymore?
ANTONIO MCDYESS: I try not to. Sometimes it causes a little pain sometimes more than times, never in games, but other than that, I never try to think about it.
Q. Do you have to work on it to warm it up especially before games?
ANTONIO MCDYESS: For games, no, not for games.
For practices I kind of do a lot of stuff in the weight room before practice and everything, but before the games, I never do anything with it.
Q. Both these teams are really good defensively, do you have a theory or an explanation perhaps about why all three games have kind of blown up in the fourth quarter and haven't been nip and tuck down the stretch?
COACH LARRY BROWN: No, I have a theory in Game 1 and 2: They had so much control, and then we expended a lot of energy to get back. We were down 17 or 18, cut it to seven late, and then you know, you've got to play perfect at the end. We didn't come down with the defensive rebound and they made a shot and it was and that kind of took the air out of us.
Then Game 2, we got down 23, cut it to eight, and that was a foul on Ginobli with two seconds on the shot clock, he hits two free throws, and again you've got to play perfect. I think that kind of took the winds out of our sails.
Last night you know, we just made plays at the end like they have made all series. I think the critical part probably was the end of the third quarter, you know, we went on that 9 2 run, and I think it gave us a lot of confidence and a lot of life and maybe well, I don't know what happened with San Antonio, but we played perfect in the fourth quarter, in every area.
Q. Are you surprised a little bit that not one game so far has come down to like a one possession game in the last minute?
COACH LARRY BROWN: Yeah, but the way they played the first two games, after the Miami series, I don't know, they dominated in so many areas those first two games.
I think when I was a coach at San Antonio, we had a series with Portland when I was there. They drilled us the first two games in Portland. I think we came back and drilled them two games. We went back Game 5, they drilled us. We came back Game 6, we won, all of a sudden game 7 was a nail biter. That was a play that we had Rod Strickland, and I didn't think it was a bad pass. We just had bad communication.
But, I don't know, usually you do expect games with the two teams that are left to be, you know, real competitive. I certainly felt last night was competitive. You know, as a coach you never feel like the game is over. But I would think that if we can play with the same kind of energy we did this last game, that, you know, hopefully the games will be decided at the end.
Q. Knowing what McDyess has been through with his knee situation, what goes through your mind when he's mixing it up and being aggressive and physical?
COACH LARRY BROWN: Well, better now than I was when we first got him. And I can relate to that, when I was a college coach, I had a kid named Archie Marshall, in the NCAA Final Four, he tore his knee up in the semifinal game. Then he came back and missed the whole next year, but he started practicing in January. Every time he jumped I had a well, I have acid reflux, but I felt like I had it. And then the next year, you know, every practice, every time there was a jump ball or something like that, or he jumped in the crowd, I had a hard time with it. I've had same reaction with McDyess when he came. You know, he's been through so much. You know, I'm sure he's told you he's thought about giving it up. He's worked so hard.
So I asked him every trip down the court, I think, how he was feeling, and I've gotten better over the course of time. I've said this numerous times, that, you know, we have the best therapist or guy in the world in Arnie (Arnie Kander, strength coach) and he's given McDyess a lot of confidence and has really helped him. But from a personal standpoint, yeah, I worry, and he gets mad at me. But you know I see signs. They tease him, "Oh, that looked like Phoenix," or, "Oh, that looked like when you were in Denver." And he's been better each day. We gave him days off during the season, but he's gotten better each day, and I think I've gotten better.
Q. Kind of talk about Lindsey and Antonio McDyess coming off the bench and what they have done for you. That was supposed to be one of the advantages that the Spurs had coming in, that their bench was deeper than your guys.
COACH LARRY BROWN: Again, you know, last year, if you look at our bench, and I remember hearing all the comments about us as we went through the playoffs, the contributions of Corliss (Williamson) and Mike James and Memo (Okur) and Lindsey and Elden made, you know, that's ten deep. It was obvious, I don't think we win without a bench that deep.
This year, you know, and it's not their fault, but we lost Carlos Delfino, who I think would definitely be in the rotation now if he had not gotten hurt. But our bench has really been short. Elden played more in the Miami series because of the matchup with Shaq, obviously. In this series, with as much as they go up and down, you know, I've got to be real careful when we can use him, but I'm not afraid to. So our bench has come down basically to Lindsey and McDyess, and when you play against a team as good, as well coached, as deep as San Antonio, it's critical that those guys come in and are productive.
For instance, last night, when I looked at the stat sheet at halftime, you know, I think I had five guys play 19 minutes or more. You know, at halftime, all I kept thinking was, I've got to find a way to get McDyess and Lindsey and maybe Carlos in the game so we'd be a lot fresher down the stretch.
Q. Can you talk about what you expect from each of those guys, Antonio and Lindsey when they come into the game?
COACH LARRY BROWN: Yeah, well, Lindsey, even at 34 is as good an on ball defender as there in the league, and when you play against a dribble drive team and penetration team like them, and you have Ginobli and Parker, he can play both of them. I mean, nobody is going to stop either one of them, but he can play both of them. He's strong enough to fight guys on the post and quick enough to keep people in front. If you don't have that, you've got no chance against San Antonio.
McDyess, when you consider how good Timmy is and how well they get him the ball and include him in their offense, you need a guy like McDyess, who is not only an offensive option because you need that coming off the bench; he's a defensive option for us with his quickness and athleticism. As many pick and rolls as they put us in, if your big guys can't get out on screens and move their feet, you've got no shot. I look at him like another star. You know, with Rasheed and Ben and McDyess, I think we're as deep as any team in the league at the four and five position. Game 2, even though our team got beat, McDyess got a lot of confidence in that game, and I think it carried over last night.
Q. Rip seemed to have a more patient game as far as attacking the defense and Bruce, he used his head a little more about how he wanted to go at it, did you talk to him at all about that and is there anything that you liked that he did yesterday that he had not done in the first two games?
COACH LARRY BROWN: One, he's playing against an unbelievable defender. You know, Bruce never gives up. He's really intelligent. He's real physical. So he's got a challenge.
I think if you look at the run San Antonio has had, he had to guard Marion, he had to guard Ray Allen, he had to guard Carmelo, he can guard you in the post, he can guard you out on the perimeter. He's relentless in what he does.
I think Rip is starting to figure out that he can't back him down and do herky jerky things. You've got to do what you do best and that's come off the screens and shoot the mid range jumpshot.
Joe and I talked, we try to set screens a little differently because of the way they were defending in hopes of helping him a little bit.
I think he started to understand that when he comes off a screen, he's got to shoot with rhythm, not worry about where Bruce is, not worry about drawing the foul and just playing.
And then the other thing, I think he got some easy baskets yesterday on the break, and if you get some easy baskets, sometimes your jumpshot is not as difficult, and that really helped him. But he was relentless last night on both ends, and I think you've got to be that way against Bruce.
Q. As a whole, the defense was certainly more aggressive last night, but specifically, what did you guys do differently against Manu Ginobli?
COACH LARRY BROWN: I don't think we did anything. You know, one, he's not going to have a game like that I get so tickled about not having any superstars in these playoffs. You know, you've got Tim Duncan, you've got him, anybody that's watched the playoffs can recognize how special a player Manu is.
But our offense was better, so I think it made our defense better. We got back, I think they scored four or five points on the break, and if you ask Pop, I think they would probably consider their team as good an up and down team as there is in the league, at least I do. So I think the fact that we got our defense set, didn't give easy baskets up in transition, you know, helped us contain him a little bit.
But I don't think there's any way you're going to stop him. He's just relentless and he can take it to the goal. You know, he's making the three ball. I always thought when you played him, you've got to hope he shoots jumpshots, and lo and behold the first two games, I'm hitting my assistants and blaming it on them. (Laughter)
You know, I don't think he got easy baskets in transitions, which helped us.
Q. How much more of an effort was there to maybe be a little more physical with him?
COACH LARRY BROWN: We didn't talk about being physical with any one player. We talked about how hard we needed to play in order to win. I think after the Miami series, a lot was taken out of us and we never matched the energy that San Antonio put forth on every possession. I don't think our guys realized until after we were too down if you're going to have any chance against them, you've got to play unbelievably hard, and usually when you play hard, you know, you're obviously more aggressive, you don't worry about fouls, you just play and I think that was the key.
Q. Popovich and a couple of his players talked about how you guys did a much better job at passing and things like that. Was that a conscious effort on your team's part going into Game 3 to do a better job in the passing lanes?
COACH LARRY BROWN: You know, we got 23 points off turnovers and made them turn it over 18 times. We just talked about trying to take things away from them. I really believe if you react defensively, you're going to get beat. We tried to act a little bit you know, we trapped a little bit, we fronted on the post a little bit. You know, we got out on pick and rolls much better.
I just think that Ben set the tone early. You know, I believe it would impact any team if you're driving for the goal like they did in Game 1 and 2, and there's nobody there, either to take the charge or to make you pick up your dribble or block the shot. I would believe that you'd have in your mind you can take it to the goal at any time.
I remember when we played Indiana, the game they beat us here, I kept hearing them say, "Hey, just drive the ball, you know, we're not guarding dribble penetration." Well, last night, Ben has five blocks at the beginning of the game, a couple of them were on post plays but most of them were on dribble penetration. So that got us going. That made us more active. And again, we did the acting instead of reacting.
Q. You talked a little bit about how anyone who has watched these playoffs can recognize Manu as a special player. Can you talk a little bit when a guy goes from being a very good player, who whatever he gives you is a plus, to a star, who is expected to do it night in and night out, and when he doesn't, there's a lot of focus on, well, you didn't do this this night, just how difficult that is and what a gap that is and what a player has to handle in being that.
COACH LARRY BROWN: Well, it's almost like being in our situation. Last year, you know, we weren't the champs, and there were a lot of games we played against teams that I didn't think gave their best effort against us; we had none of those kind of games this year. Every time we stepped out on the court, I thought everybody was bringing their "A game". That's why I've always had so much admiration for, you know, teams like San Antonio, Chicago, the Lakers and Boston, when they were making their runs, because every single night, it's a big game. And yet, you have to have so much respect for guys that can bring it every single night and I think that's what it is when you talk about being a star. You know, everybody takes a challenge against you, and you have to be ready for that challenge every single night.
But a lot of times, I don't buy looking at stat sheets, whether a guy had a big game or not. Sometimes stars, just by being out there, make other players around them better. That's how I judge the best players in this league. You know, Tim Duncan can get 12 points in a game and I think he can impact the whole game just by his unselfishness and the attention he draws and the way he plays.
But it's not an easy thing. You know, it takes special players to be ready to play every single night at a high level because, you know, I'm sure that the person that's going against them wants to prove a point, and then when you do it on this stage, I always hear that, you know, guys make a reputation in the playoffs. Well, one, you're playing against the best competition obviously, and I don't do this before every game during the regular season, so I realize the impact.
But he is special. You know, I got to watch him you know when Pop drafted him in '99 in Puerto Rico. I marveled at what he did last summer in an unbelievably difficult situation, and to be honest with you, I'm a huge fan of that kid. He doesn't take one possession off, that's why I feel good about our league when I see players like him and all the young stars we have.
RASHEED WALLACE
Q. Rasheed, besides your names, what would you say that you have in common with Ben Wallace and what is your relationship with him in this Detroit Pistons team?
RASHEED WALLACE: I was definitely excited when I first got here to be teamed up with him. It's fun but yet it's hard to be his teammate for the simple fact that he was Defensive Player of the Year three out of last four years, so, you know, everyone knows that he has his side of the block covered, so I've got to try to do what I can do to cover my side of the block.
But as a person and teammate, Ben, he's a good person. You know, he has definite family morals, respect, values and he's just an all around cool person.
Q. Do you see your role behind the scenes as sort of the team comic, keeping everybody loose? It seems like guys are always talking about how you're joking around.
RASHEED WALLACE: Yeah, definitely, because at times like, this especially this is our second time here, for some guys on the team it's their first time, so just try to keep them loose and not all tense where if a guy throws a pass away or misses a shot, it's not the end of the world. Just got to go back down to the other end and play defense.
Q. Is it a different feeling waking up this morning and coming to the arena today now that you guys have gotten the kind of game under your belts that you know you guys are capable of playing?
RASHEED WALLACE: Well, we're still down 2 1, so we're not sitting up here jumping for joy. We still have to go out there and try to accomplish what we did last night, tomorrow, and that's our bottom line. That's our main focus.
Q. Do you guys feel like you got back to the physical style of defense you play, or do you need to see in the next game to know for sure if you guys are back to what you were?
RASHEED WALLACE: Well, I think for the next game it will probably be said. We know we have to come hard. We know we have to bring some energy that we brought last night to match their effort.
Q. Antonio obviously earlier in his career was a very athletic player and a lot of dunking, how have you seen him change as a player over the years and how much have you seen him embrace his role with you guys that he has coming off the bench?
RASHEED WALLACE: McDyess is a good player. Dyess and I go back to high school, watching each other, little Christmas tournaments and things like that. But, you know, watching him as he was drafted with me and the teams that he's been on, he's been a great athlete beginning of his career, ran into a couple knee problems, but that didn't stop him. That didn't break him down. He went in rehabilitation, got his knee back together and here he is today. You know, he had that determination that, okay, he had a couple serious, career ending injuries, but he would not let that stop him to get where he wanted to go.
Q. How emotional has this run been for Antonio, The Finals, knowing what he's been through and how much it's taken for him to get to this point?
RASHEED WALLACE: I know he has to be feeling real good with himself. You know, it wasn't planned or whatever for him to be here. Like I said, he had that determination to get through his injuries. I know he's real happy to be here, but I know he's not satisfied with being here.
Q. You guys threw Tim off a little bit last night and he's always had a history of coming back strong after off games, what do you look for from him tomorrow?
RASHEED WALLACE: I think to be more involved. You know, he's a major part of their offense, don't matter if he's not even scoring the ball, every time they bring that down the court on the offensive set, he's touching that ball. I think they will probably look to get him some more touches.
Q. Just talking to Gar Heard, he was basically saying the way he saw your game as capable of scoring 20 on any given night but not really having the ego of a scorer, do you agree with that or how do you see yourself? Do you need to be more demanding to be a great scorer?
RASHEED WALLACE: No, I'm not trying to be a great scorer of the game. Great scorers was Kareem, Mike, Larry Bird, they were great scorers, but I'm not out to be a scorer in this game.
Personally, it doesn't matter to me if I had the worst career stats in NBA history as long as I got my ships. The ships, it shuts everything up.
Q. Chauncey was saying that one of the common denominators on this team is that everybody on this team or almost everybody has been kicked to the curb at some point, undrafted guys, guys who have bounced around, and you got a chance to come here and reinvent yourself a little bit. Do you think that's one of the things that strengthens and unites this team?
RASHEED WALLACE: Definitely. We did have a couple of guys that were not drafted, McDyess with injuries. Guys came on different paths, and it wasn't easy to get here. I think, definitely, that is one of the things that strengthens us as a team and going out there and having each other's back.
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS
Q. When this series started, these were two defensive based teams, people thought the games would be played pretty close to the vest, and all three of them have kind of blown up in the fourth quarter. Do you have a theory or an explanation why that may be happening?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: I don't. I don't really know, you know, why that's happened. I thought these games would all be, you know, 82 87, playing in the 80s, early 90s, you know what I mean.
I really don't have an explanation. I think you've got, you know, two similar teams in the way that we approach the game and the way that we play the games. I just know that it's going to be a good, long series, you know what I mean. I don't know anymore that the game is going to be 82 89, you know what I mean. It's proved me wrong in that aspect. So I really don't. I can't pinpoint why.
Q. Antonio McDyess was giving you credit as being one of the guys that helped kind of talk him into coming out here and playing again. Knowing that he was so close to quitting, how tough was it to kind of help convince him and how glad are you now that he finally could take that offer to come here?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Yeah, McDyess, he was man, he went through some very dark days with his surgeries and things. And me being one of his closest friends, I was there to kind of talk to him and help him through it a little bit and just tell him that, you know, you can still shine, you can still be a part of something special. You don't have to go to a situation where you have to be the main man anymore, but you can still be looked at in a great perspective.
I think he trusted in what I was saying, he believed in it, and I'm just very happy that he gave it a second chance. I'm even more happy that he gave a second chance with us, you know, because he could have been somewhere else and starting and had a great, great season, he could have done that. But I think he knew where his career was at, he knows what's most important, and that's winning and being a part of something special. He took advantage of it.
Q. Has he always had that positive attitude? The other day he was saying that had he not been injured, he would still be an All Star, but he could not be playing for a championship. So he can always find the good in everything.
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Yeah, he does. He's a very humble guy, man, very humble. He's always had that kind of attitude. Like you said, if he had not been injured, he would still be he'd probably be a seven , eight , nine time All Star by now.
But everything happens for a reason, and we're finding out, you know, why those injuries happened for him.
Q. Can you breathe a bit easier today now that you've finally got the kind of game out of the way that you guys know you're capable of playing?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Not really, man, not really. We're still down 2 1.
I thought we played with a lot of energy yesterday, but I don't think that we really clicked the way that we can. I thought our effort was just there. We just played hard. We just played the way we're supposed to play effort wise. I thought we could have executed better sometimes during the game, throughout the game, but, you know, when our effort is there, we can make some mistakes and we can, you know, not execute as good as we need to do sometimes, because we're going to make some energy plays and we're going to get some extra possessions. I thought we just played as hard as we need to play, and if we can continue that, then maybe we can start, you know, doing some other things better and executing better.
Q. The way the point guard position has evolved over the years, how do you describe the way you approach it, the way you do it? And how do you balance the things that you do with some of the responsibilities that haven't changed?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Well, it's tough, it's tough because I'm pretty much a scoring point guard, you know, an aggressive point guard. I think these last two years with Coach Brown, I've learned when is when and when it's not. So that's taken me some time to adjust to, but I think the position now, man, there's not too many point guard out there that can't score anymore. That's just the game has changed, you know what I mean. You look at all of the top point guards in the league, all of them are scorers or can score and keep the defense honest.
But the position has definitely changed. I think that the way that I play the game and the way that, you know, a lot of other players that play this position play the game is the way that it is now, you know. Like it or not, that's just how it is now.
Q. Do you still have to do, particularly last night, things that steady your team, especially offensively, keep things organized?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Oh, no question. No question. It's still a point guard position. It's still the quarterback. You've still got to get the ball to the right people at the right times in their spots, and being aggressive doesn't mean you shoot the ball all the time. It just means making plays for everybody; it doesn't have to be for you.
Like I said, the position has changed in the game a little bit, but you still have to be the quarterback out there and you've still got to be looking to get everybody else off.
Q. You're the type of point guard that against whom generally Tony Parker has problems, how would you rate your head to head so far in these Finals? I would say it's pretty even, but I would like to have your opinion.
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: You know, this whole thing is not about me versus so and so or whatever. I don't I don't really rate head to head match ups, because it's the Pistons versus the Spurs, you know what I mean. It's not Chauncey versus Tony or Rasheed versus Duncan or Tay versus Ginobli. It's us versus them. No matter if I'm winning a head to head battle with Tony Parker or not, if my team is winning, I'm winning, but we're down 2 1, so he's winning basically. It's not about personal or individual match ups.
Q. Would you say that he has improved defensively compared to the previous seasons?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Has Tony Parker improved defensively? I mean, he's a good defender, he's fast and he's scrappy. I think he has problems with me because I'm so much bigger and stronger than he is, you know, just like on the other end, he's so much faster than me so it's difficult for me. We both have our strengths and our weaknesses, you know what I mean, but he's a scrappy defender.
Q. There's so many potential emotional ups and downs in the course of the playoffs, how much that's Rasheed's personality, sense of humor helped you guys avoid those?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Well, he's the best at, you know, keeping everybody loose, but at the same time, he has a serious approach to the game. We know that he's always going to be there, you know what I mean, whether it's offense or defense, he's going to be there, he's going to make the right plays at the right times. Like you said, he has that tendency to keep everybody loose, and I think we've got the kind of personnel that nobody really gets that tense anyway. We play every game like it's, you know, like it's regular season, you know what I mean. We don't put no extra pressure on ourselves, even though y'all do, we don't. We play the same way, we go in the locker room the same way, the speech is the same every night, you know what I mean. We're all for one another.
BEN WALLACE
Q. Are you aware that you pretty much are the man of the moment?
BEN WALLACE: You know, I'm aware that I got some things done, I was able to get to the offensive boards and any time you get some offensive boards you put pressure on their defense and have to guard for another 24 seconds.
As far as dominating the game, I thought everybody played major roles coming out with execution, you know, the defensive rotation was great for us. It can be a little bit better but it was a great effort by everybody. That's the type of effort we need to have night in and night out in order to give ourselves a chance to win games.
Q. Do you think you guys did that good of a job or was Manu hurt?
BEN WALLACE: You know, you want to take the credit for shutting guys down, but that's something that rarely happens. I think you see the replay, he bumped knees pretty good, and you know, anytime you get that sting, you really don't know what to do, whether you want to push it or to lay off it, but whatever you're going to do. We played solid defense, you know, by him being a little bit injured so, that worked in our favor as well.
Q. What about Game 4? How do you guys prepare for Game 4?
BEN WALLACE: Every game from here on out is important to us. To get back to what we want to be. We want to be back at the top and we put ourselves in a position, you know, with an opportunity to do that, so now every game is important.
You know, I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself to go out and make things happen for this team, you know, to try to get stops, get rebounds, you know, try to make it easy for guys to loosen up and just go out and play their game.
Q. Did you feel mentally worn down coming into The Finals?
BEN WALLACE: I had a lot going on, you know, sure, surrounding me, coming into The Finals and, you know, it's a tough situation. But like I said, all you can do is just continue to keep putting your best foot forward and continue to come out and do what you can do to help your team. Like I said, hope that's enough.
Q. Last year when you played Shaq, you played in the final round, could you have played another round after that? Is this different because you played Shaq and there's another round after that?
BEN WALLACE: Yeah, without a doubt. You know what it takes to win games. I've been in this league for a long time, and you don't get to this point by not being able to go out and give your best effort night in and night out.
RICHARD HAMILTON
Q. What was the difference last night, Rip?
RICHARD HAMILTON: Yeah, you know, it's just that I was making shots. I think that I was using my teammates a lot more than I was in Game 1, you know, and I got a lot of open looks. Guys did a great job of setting screens and giving me wide open opportunities.
Q. But it never affected your willingness
RICHARD HAMILTON: There's too many shots in the game of basketball to get frustrated over a shot. I've got to say, I believe every shot that I shoot is going in. I remember (UConn Coach Jim) Calhoun used to tell me all the time, he used to tell me, "Rip, your problem is, you think that every shot you shoot is going to go in.
Q. Did Ben set the tone last night?
RICHARD HAMILTON: Definitely he did, from the first when he got the steal, you know, his energy was off the hook. You know, he rebounded, he had five blocked shots in the first quarter and we just fed off that.
Q. Manu, was he hurt or did you guy do that good of a job on defense?
RICHARD HAMILTON: I don't know if he was hurt or not. I think he went down early in the first quarter, but he came right back in.
I think the guys did an excellent job of just trying to step up. When he tried to drive, guys stepped in the lane, tried to take charges and tried to cut off his pass and things like that.
Q. Does it look any different looking through that mask? Did you have to get used to it?
RICHARD HAMILTON: Oh, yeah, at first it was tough, it was going off and on. They tried to get me to wear it after the first time I broke it but I said no way. It was one of those things that I had to get adjusted to and now it's just like wearing a head band.
TAYSHAUN PRINCE
Q. Talk about the collision.
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: I don't know if he bumped me or what. I don't know what happens as far as that.
Q. Did he look different after that?
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: He slowed up a little bit. I thought Brent Barry came in and played very well and scored some points. But other than that, when he came back in, I don't know if that affected him or not, but the important thing for us is just to keep our focus and our energy up on the defensive end.
Q. Could you talk about that feeding frenzy after you guys got all those steals.
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: We really just turned the ball over a few times and we capitalized on it. Things just weren't working there, and after the third we had a stretch where we made plays and things went well. We got some steals and that kind of played into everything.
Q. What did you guys say to yourself collectively after the first two games?
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: That's going to happen no matter what, you're down in the series, that's something you can't be worried about, just have to go play basketball. No matter what the series; you have to keep fighting.
ANTONIO MCDYESS
Q. You seemed to really respond well after Game 1 and Game 2.
ANTONIO MCDYESS: Yeah, I think I was pretty much relaxed in Game 2 and just carried over to Game 3. I think for me it's just a matter of getting the butterflies out and going out there and playing.
Q. Are you still catching yourself every day, being at this point right now, to get to this point?
ANTONIO MCDYESS: Yeah, but right now, it's just a matter of getting a win. You know, just happy to have the opportunity to play on this team. Like I said always, and like I say, I could be at home watching this, and instead, I'm playing.
Q. What made you ultimately decide this was the best fit for you in Detroit?
ANTONIO MCDYESS: When I came here to visit, Joe told me he watched my last 18 games, and in the East Coast, that's pretty late, I'm in the West. I talked to Chauncey and had an opportunity to play with Chauncey before and I had an opportunity to play with Larry. That pretty much made my decision, and what more can you ask for, they are world champions.
Q. Do you worry about the knee anymore?
ANTONIO MCDYESS: I try not to. Sometimes it causes a little pain sometimes more than times, never in games, but other than that, I never try to think about it.
Q. Do you have to work on it to warm it up especially before games?
ANTONIO MCDYESS: For games, no, not for games.
For practices I kind of do a lot of stuff in the weight room before practice and everything, but before the games, I never do anything with it.