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KoriEllis
08-26-2004, 05:56 PM
www.usabasketball.com/sen...uotes.html (http://www.usabasketball.com/seniormen/2004/04_moly6_quotes.html)

LARRY BROWN, USA Head Coach

Opening comments:
It was a great game. We were able to keep the lead in the first half with some severe foul trouble. Most of the game we were in foul trouble, but I think a lot has to do with the way they drove the lane and got the ball inside. Under the circumstances we shot the ball, moved the ball better, only had eight turnovers and that's been a big problem for us throughout the tournament. This was a great team we played against. (Pau) Gasol was incredible. They hurt us on dribble penetration. But for the most part, taking care of the ball and generally taking good shots, having our bench help us when Timmy (Duncan) and Lamar (Odom) were in foul trouble, got us through today.

On the enthusiasm of the team in the game today:
I don't know. I think Stephon talked about it. We've been together awhile, not enough time as far as I'm concerned. We've been through some difficult times. It's a young team and I think the adversity we've had, getting blown out by Italy in Germany, playing so poorly against Puerto Rico, giving the game away against Lithuania, sometimes adversity brings you together a little bit. And sometimes that young enthusiasm is a good thing. We have become much closer as a group and that was vital tonight.

Explanation of team's final timeout against Spain:
When I asked for a timeout it was an 8-point game and I think some time went off the clock and when I saw the score I told the timer we don't need the timeout. He gave it to me anyway.

We had basically turned the ball over twice against their press and I was still trying to teach and win the game but when I saw some seconds went off the clock and saw how late it was I tried to wave it off, but they wouldn't let me. So you're going to live with it and move on.

NOTE: In international basketball, a coach may request a timeout with the scorers table. The timeout is given at the first deadball when the team requesting it has offensive possession or on a foul. You are, under international rules, allowed to request a timeout and if it has not been called, wave the timeout request off.

On the crowd cheering for Spain and not the USA:
I think it's a good thing that the crowd is cheering for other people. I don't think it has anything to do with what's going on in the world. We've won so much. Sometimes we haven't acted the best. But I look at it as a compliment. They want us to lose because we're supposed to have the best teams and the best players. I've been saying this forever, the world has improved so much. The coaching is better, the players are better, our league has benefitted by all the foreign players and it's only going to continue. But we're the big guy on the block right now. As far as I know, no pro team has lost a gold medal in the Olympics and I would hope that they would cheer for the underdog. They do it in our country. They even cheer for Detroit (laughs).

USA assistant coach GREGG POPOVICH:

The Spanish coaches were angry about the last timeout. But, we didn't call the timeout then. The rules here are different. We had lost the ball earlier when we were bringing up the ball and we wanted to talk to our team about press offense. So, we had to go say ‘timeout,' but that was before that. The timeout was already at the scorer's table. You don't get it right away. By the time we got it, we didn't need it. Coach (Larry Brown) and I both went to the table to try to take it away, but they blew the whistle. It was unintentional.

If it was the NBA and we called it like that, it would be bad. I can understand why the coach was upset. He has a great team. It was a difficult loss and I would have been angry too.

Sure! Timeouts are different in the NBA than they are here. In the NBA you call them immediately, when things happen. In Europe you have to put in for a timeout. So we had already put in for a timeout before that moment and it was set. We wanted the timeout because we had just lost the ball on a press earlier so we wanted to set our press offense better because we are still trying to teach them that sort of thing. So, the timeout was already there. So, when there was a dead ball coach said we got to take it off, we will take it off. So, we turned to take it away like we don't want it now because so much time had gone by, but they blew the whistle and the timeout came. So it wasn't intentional, nobody's trying to embarrass anybody. The timeout was already set at the bench.

CARMELO ANTHONY

How important was it for the U.S. to put your best game of the tournament together at such an important time?
We know what our goal is and that's the gold medal. We got together as a team before the game and everybody said what we had to do and we went we went out and did it together.

One of the Spanish players said if you continue to shoot like that from outside, that no one is going to be able to beat you.
Well, we are a very athletic team. Sometimes our shots will be going in and when our shots are dropping like that, like you said, it is pretty hard to beat us.

A lot was said about your playing time coming into this game, to get the opportunity to come in and hit a big shot like you did, how special was that for you?
The opportunity came, it was knocking at the door and I let it in. I am approaching the game the same whether I get 30 seconds or 30 minutes.


CARLOS BOOZER
The more games we play, the more practices we have, we are getting better. Everyone contributed tonight. The guys who were in the game and the guys who didn't. Everyone contributed to this win tonight.

On the fact Duncan was in foul trouble and you had to help contain Pau Gasol?
Gasol is a terrific ballplayer. He had a great game. We handled him a little better in the fourth quarter. It was tough for us because Timmy was in foul trouble and we had to step up.

On Marbury's great game
He had the best game. He carried us through different parts of the game…first quarter, third quarter and big time in the fourth quarter. He is one of our leaders, since he's one of the oldest guys on the team. He carried us tonight.

What was the difference for the USA in today's game?
The passing, the defense and the aggressiveness, as we got out and pressured guys for 94-feet. Our guards were great, they were denying the wing passes and playing great defense. Just playing great basketball.

On future opponents, maybe Greece who you have played already?
It doesn't matter. There are good teams everywhere. We just look forward to playing whoever we play. We're going to go home, get some rest and watch some tape of whoever we play, then we'll go from there.

TIM DUNCAN

What specifically did you do to help keep Gasol down on the fourth quarter?
We tried to keep him in front of us. He was getting to the basket, getting a lot of layups and dunks. We wanted to make him take shots over the top of us. We thought if we played it that way, the percentages would work in our advantage. Down the stretch we made shots tough for him and it worked out for us.

Do you feel if you continue to make outside shots like you did tonight that no one can stop you?
It is a key, but defensively we have to stay solid. That is our big key. When we stop people, get rebounds and push it up we're going to find defenses out and get wide open shots.

Marbury today sets an Olympic record for a U.S. player for most points in a game, how huge was he?
He was great. He took the game over from start to finish. He just took it over. There isn't much else to say except that. He was huge. He shot the ball very well, extended the zone, got them out to where they had to play man to man. I thought he did a great job of moving the ball. He shot the ball very well, very confident.

I know he came in and worked out yesterday on our day off, trying to get himself ready for this and he was prepared to play the game.

Are you getting better and better?
Yeah, we've been getting better every game. We're excited about our position and we are excited about what we can do.

Was this kind of a breakthrough game for you?
It was a win or go home game for us.

You guys seem to be coming together at the right time.
We did a great job today. We moved the ball very well. We played as a team. Defensively we were solid. We made adjustments throughout the game, although they were playing very well and were scoring some points, we were making adjustments and I thought it helped us towards the end.

How physical was the game and was it getting a little chippy towards the end?
It was very physical. It was just a weird basketball game in that sense because you don't know what is a foul and what isn't a foul. It seems lopsided some times, but you just have to play through all of it and I thought we played very well.

How helpful was it for Richard Jefferson to hit those shots early on and then for Marbury to hit throughout the game and Allen?
It helps every time we hit a shot. Honestly. Not just for the facts of the points, but it makes them start thinking of what they're doing. They have to come out of their zone a little bit, it spreads them a little bit, we find gaps. It's all about moving the ball when you play against a zone. And then making them pay at the end.

On Carlos Boozer's game today
He was huge for us. He was great. I think a lot of guys came in and made something happen.

ALLEN IVERSON
On the great game and support that backcourt gave the team
We needed anything today, regardless of whether it was backcourt or frontcourt. We played well tonight, as Stephon had a great game and he put us on his back. We were able to make some things happen.

It was a game for the veteran players tonight?
Yes. The veterans played a lot but the young guys were there when the opportunities presented themselves. And that's what we need. We need our guys to understand that we do have roles now and whenever you are called to go in and play basketball, you've got to do it.

Are the guys on this team playing better and having a better understanding of the type of game you want to play for Coach Brown?
The system is really not that hard. It is play together and play defense. There's not a whole bunch of x's and o's. I don't think guys have trouble adjusting to it. We had a couple losses, so that in itself, makes you buy into what the coach wants.

On the issue at the end with the Spanish coach?
We called a timeout to set up our press offense. We threw the ball away a couple times and almost threw it away on another occasion, so he had called the timeout way before the lead went up. Obviously, we would never be out here trying to do anything to embarrass anyone. We lost two games and nobody tried to embarrass us, so it would be stupid if we tried to do that to anybody else.

With Coach, it has to be that somebody took something the wrong way. He's one that would never ever try to go out and show somebody up. He made some comments to us the other day, when guys make plays, make like you've made the play before. And, if Coach was about something else, he never would have made that comment. Obviously, he would never try to come out and show somebody up.

Are you confident now?
If we weren't confident, we might as well go home. Without confidence, you can't win in this tournament.

RICHARD JEFFERSON

We're getting better. We've been telling everybody from the first game on that we're getting better. Even in our loss against Lithuania we had a 10-point lead, we just couldn't hold onto it. Tonight we had a 10-point lead again, but we were able to hold on.

A lot of people were saying that Spain was the best team in the tournament. The fact that we came out and basically dominated from the beginning to the end of the game. We'll feel confident about whoever our next opponent is and we're looking forward to tomorrow.

We've been getting better. There are some unreal expectations for us here. You put a team together for two weeks and expect them to be perfect. The only thing we can promise is that we're going to keep getting better, we're going to keep learning, we're going to keep working.

We're getting better. We struggled early, but that's because it's a young team. We have young guys who are getting used to everything. Our team defense has gotten better, our understanding of the European game has gotten better. We're also shooting the ball better.

What about your perimeter defense, Spain didn't shoot the ball very much from outside today:
Yeah, but they got into the lane way too much. They got wide open looks and we can't allow that. They're not a big 3-point shooting team like Lithuania or some of these other countries. We've got to be able to keep the guys in front of us and take away that 3-pointer.

One of the Spanish guys said that if you shoot like you did tonight, it's going to be hard to beat you. Do you agree?
Oh yeah, but it's a matter of getting used to everything. You have to get use to the way teams are playing, you have to get used to the ball, everything. And now that we're getting a little more comfortable ... you saw that against Angola, you saw that with this game. We're starting to shoot the ball better, even Lithuania, we're starting to get better slowly.

On Stephon Marbury's record-setting 31-point game:
It was huge. He got it going and coach did a good job of getting him going and getting him in the plays and allowing him to get comfortable. He passed up so many shots at the beginning of the tournament, it's a matter of him finding his groove with this team and I think he found it.

He's a tremendous player. Everybody has been trying to finding their groove with this team. It's a matter of getting comfortable, understanding your shot, understanding your role and maximizing your opportunity and he did a good job tonight.

You've got to feel good about putting it together when it really counts:
Every game counts. The one thing I've been saying is that we've been getting better. If you look at our first game against Puerto Rico, our next game and our game after that. Even Lithuania, we had a good lead we just didn't hold on. Against Angola we got better. Tonight we showed how much over the past two weeks our team has improved.

We're getting used to the way teams are playing us. We're getting used to the way guys are starting to understand where the shots are going to come, when they're going to come and when to take them. That's probably going to be the biggest thing for us the rest of the way.

It's not a matter of where we put it together, it's a matter of having enough time. Do we have enough time to put it together. I feel like we do. We need things to come together like they did today. If this team was together for a year, year and a half, if this team was together every day for three years, I think we'd be undefeated by a 20-point margin. But the fact that we have such a limited time to get our zone defense in, to get our zone offense in, to get your press defense, your press offense, all of that stuff to try and get in to become a team is tough.

Thoughts going into the fourth quarter:
To outscore them. We want to win every quarter. Today we did a good job, even when they made a run, to not let it effect us. To not let the refs' calls effect us. Anybody watching the game can see that it's a little different than what we're used to in the NBA. That takes a little adjustment. Not only mentally but also physically.

What was the key to slowing down Pau Gasol in the fourth quarter?
Getting used to the way he's playing. Again, it's a different game out there. Getting used to how he's getting points out there. He got some free throws, he got some easy buckets early and we can't allow that to happen.

On getting into foul trouble early:
It was frustrating. Other guys did a great job. But one of the strengths of our team is our depth. You take me out and you put Shawn Marion in. You take out Tim Duncan and put in Carlos Boozer. We don't lose much (at any position). We have a talent all the way down the line.

On his experiences in Greece:
My whole time in Greece depends on one thing. I'm not here to see sights or travel around, I'm here to try and win a gold medal. For me, I haven't too much sightseeing, I haven't done too much traveling around. I have seen some other sports to represent our country. For the most part I stay at our place, stay focused on trying to win the gold.

STEPHON MARBURY

On today's game:
This afternoon we came out and played with a lot of emotion. Guys are well aware of how we've been playing from the beginning of the Olympics. Guys' mind-sets are that if we don't come out and we don't play from the jump, these teams are so good, we're not going to give ourselves the opportunity to win. Again, we wanted to go out and attack on the defensive end. We knew that Pau Gasol was going to have a big game because he's their guy and they go to him a lot. Our main concern was playing with a lot of energy and a lot of effort.

Did you come in feeling like you had to start shooting the ball?
Not at all. When I first came here, coach Brown told me I was going to score by accident. Don't even worry about scoring, just go out and play. The last couple of games he's been coming up to me and telling me that I need to take those shots when I get open. But my mind-set when I came here was to pretty much run the team. Get everyone involved, try to be the leader on the court. Basically go out and play as hard as I can to try and win a gold medal.

I went to the gym the other day because I knew I wasn't shooting the ball well. I knew I was capable of shooting the ball better. I haven't been playing basketball all summer. So when I came into the Olympics I wasn't even thinking about scoring. When I realized I had to make the open shots, I went to get in some extra shots in the gym. I pretty much started shooting the ball before practice and after practice. As anyone who knows anything about basketball, repetition is the key to shooting the ball well.

When the whole Dream Team thing started in Barcelona, it seemed that the whole world was rooting for the U.S. Now it's obvious almost nobody is rooting for you.
Coming here, the way international basketball has changed, how many international players are in the NBA now, it's changing. I think that the players are a lot better. The whole world is looking at how basketball is looking at basketball totally different. They used to look at it as the U.S. as being the most dominant. Whereas now, with international play, countries feel that they're the best teams. You can't doubt them for that, you can't fault them. When we go into games, this group of guys, we go into the games trying to win. We're not going into the games thinking about who's cheering for us and who's not.

Is it fair to say that the better the opponent is, the better you guys play?
I think it is fair to say that, but unfortunately as a team it shouldn't be that way. We're growing as a team each and every day. The assessment of us now is that we know how to play games, we know how to play defense together, we're communicating and we're talking. When you build that camaraderie playing with each other for a long time, as far as our shooting today, I think we've been playing against zones so much that it really doesn't matter anymore if they play zone or they play man. Preferable, we're starting to like playing against zones. When we go back to the United States we'll be able to play against the zone a lot better.

Was it hard to get in those extra shots in the gym, where did you go to get those shots?
It wasn't hard. We have a practice facility and we timed it where the volleyball team was about to practice and I went in about an hour and a half before they started on our day off. I just shot the ball. I got back into my groove, shooting the ball the way I know how to. For me, it's been a great experience playing under coach Brown. It's not been easy, it's tough because he demands so much from you. To try to play your game and try to do exactly what he wants, have that combine at once, it's been a challenge for me. But it's been a great challenge for me and when I go back to my team, everything I've learned from coach Brown, I'll bring it to New York. I think it'll help me with my teammates and with my coach.

SHAWN MARION

This was your best game yet. Are you guys happy and proud?
Oh yeah, definitely. It was a great effort for everybody on the team. We came out there and were ready tonight.

What was the difference today? Spain was good, but at the end you pulled it out.
It was good. We made a run at them early in the first half and we got a nice little lead. Then they made a run back at us and closed off before the halftime. It was going back and forth for a little bit in the second half. When the fourth quarter came we turned it up another notch, we got some good stops. We got a 10 point led to cushion ourselves, then we walked in at the end.

Was this a breakthrough game that you needed here in Athens?
I wouldn't say that , I think we have been headed the right way in all of our games. We are just taking them one game at a time. We have to play the winner of Greece and Argentina next and that's what we have to focus on now.

We had two good teams out there. We were going back and forth all day. We got it together in the fourth quarter and made some big stops and had our run. We tried to have everybody help each other.

I have been impressed with all the teams. We have been trying to take it one game at a time. Now, we have the winner of Greece and Argentina and that's who we have to worry about.

On what this big win does for the team, now heading into the semifinals?
We have to play defense. We have to go out there, play defense and stop people. We played better all-around defense tonight. They made a run, we made a run and it was going on for a bit. Then, the fourth quarter came along and we turned it up another notch and had some big stops.

LAMAR ODOM

On today's game:
We just wanted to play hard, play our game. They have a great player on their team (Pau Gasol), who's a great player in our league. I tip my hat at his performance tonight. The coaches obviously have a great scheme, figuring out what they want us to do. We wanted to play our game, have a lot of confidence in our abilities. We feel that if we do what we're supposed to do we can win.

People have said that if this team plays its best, you can win this tournament:
We can play even better than tonight. I want to see us where if we get a 10-point lead, a nine-point lead, I'd like to see us get tighter. Start taking care of the ball a little better, our shot selection get a little better, our defense get tighter, push up on these guys and start to wear them down. We can't get a 10-point lead, let them hit a wide open lead, come down and turn it over, they come down and hit a bucket and now it's a game again. I would love to see us turn it up, every aspect of the game if we get up by 10 or 11 points. We can really use our athleticism to make our defense get our offense going when we're up by nine or 10 points.

Is this the kind of tournament where your depth can really make a difference here?
I hope so. Some of these guys, like (Pau) Gasol who probably play a lot of minutes. They were 5-0 and he probably plays a lot of minutes. We've got guys who can come in and out, put a body on him, go from one tall guy to a big guy like Carlos Boozer to a quicker guy like myself. You saw Tim Duncan, Shawn Marion guard him a little bit today. He's a great player.

On being back on the right track:
Our confidence level has always been high. Sometimes too high and that works against us. There's a difference in being confident and cocky. You don't like to be cocky because sometimes when you're cocky you get humbled in the worst way. When you're confident and you do everything that you're supposed to do as a group, even when you lose you have no problem with that. That's what competition is all about. Especially the competition here. We're trying to play hard, especially on defense, trying to wear them down. We have 12 guys who we can just run in and run out, run out and run in. We try to wear you down as the game goes on and today that's probably what happened.

On the crowd:
That's what makes it more fun to win. When you feel that people are against you, it pushes you. It always has for me. It's like whenever you're playing a board game and whoever you're playing against starts talking and think they're going to win. Then when you beat them, it makes you almost proud about winning.

On the USA's outside shooting:
The outside shots were opening everything up for us. Stephon (Marbury) really shot the ball like Stephon today. That really opens us up. Tim Duncan, they're not going to let him beat them. He's going to get double and tripled and we have to pick up the slack for him, play our roles.

We've got players on this team who can hit it from anywhere on the court. Sometimes if you feel like you're open, you've got a good look, you have to let it go. That's what Stephon did tonight.

DWAYNE WADE

It was a nice win for us. We're a step closer to our goal. Tomorrow we have to come out with the same energy we had today.

It was a good game. We had guys step up for us. I think Lamar (Odom) did a great job in the second half of sticking on (Pau) Gasol and other guys like (Carlos) Boozer (stepped it up). It was a great game.

Someone seems to step it up each game and it was Stephon Marbury's turn today:
He's been working hard, he's been doing some extra shooting. Tonight he proved that works. He was hot for us, he was the star tonight. His name's Starbury. He did a great job.

What did you feed him last night to get him going like that? His shooting slump is over:
I hope he continues to shoot that way. He was the star tonight. They call him Starbury and he was the star for us. I hope he plays the next two games as confidently as this one because he can hit those shots. We all know that and he did it today.

On his defense creating offensive opportunities for the USA team:
I'm comfortable on defense. I know the coaches want me to go in and put pressure on the ball. I feel comfortable. Offensively I haven't found my rhythm yet, but on defense I am. I try to come in and make a difference. If I can get my hand on the ball, I'll go do it.

On the intensity in the second half of the game:
It was great. It was great to come out on the winning side of that experience. That's the way it is. These guys want to win bad, we want to win very bad. You had two competitive teams going at it today.

How will it be playing three games in three days? Will it be an adjustment?
It is an adjustment but at this time, it isn't going to matter at all, especially the last game being a gold medal game. You give it your all and you see what you've got.

What do you have to do tomorrow. It will be against either Greece or Argentina. What does team USA have to do tomorrow?
I think we have to look at it defensively. Also continue to knock down shots. Continue to make stops. And continue to get the ball to our post man, Tim Duncan. If we do that, it will continue to open up things for us. We wan to continue being aggressive. Whether we have the lead or we are down , continue to keep playing.

How do you play through the histrionics of some of their players, flopping around. I think the foul disparity in the first half was 14 to 5. How do you play through all those whistles?
We know you can't worry about that. We know we were at a disadvantage on the fouls today, but we just kept playing hard and playing aggressive defense.

How good was it to see Stephon Marbury make a couple of shots early and then be the guy down the stretch?
It was great, especially because he had been in the gym, doing some extra shooting. Everyone knows that Stephon can hit that shot as good as anyone else, especially off the dribble. He did a great job of doing that today It was great to see a guy step up and be a star today and he certainly was.

jupiterhal
08-26-2004, 11:10 PM
Team USA is showing class.
If the rest of the World press can't see who is more mature, classy and respectful- Spaniards or Americans, I say screw them.
:gun

SAmikeyp
08-27-2004, 01:38 AM
To be fair though...we can't blame a whole country for the actions of one dipshit. Just like when some Americans go overseas and act stupid...its not all of us.

IcemanCometh
08-27-2004, 01:42 AM
we could send them tpark