duncan228
05-06-2008, 10:57 PM
http://neworleanshornetsblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/byron-scott-tuesday-post-practice-q.html
Byron Scott Tuesday post-practice Q&A
By: Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.com
With his team leading San Antonio 2-0 in the series, New Orleans coach Byron Scott fielded an assortment of questions from reporters after practice Tuesday at the New Orleans Arena. Highlights from Scott’s 10-minute discussion with the media:
Q: Are you surprised by what has happened in the first two games, with how you’ve dominated the Spurs?
Scott: A little bit. But you’ve got to give our guys a lot of credit. They’ve been very focused on preparing for San Antonio. Our guys have been so active on the defensive end, and the mistakes we’ve made have been kept to a minimum. When you beat the defending champions by 18 and 19 points, it shows how good you are as a basketball team. But it also shows people around the league that what we’ve done this year hasn’t been a fluke. We are for real, and we’ve got a very good basketball team.
Q: Do you feel like you match up well against the Spurs after playing them six times?
Scott: I don’t know. I think the fact that we have some pretty athletic bigs, to match up with Tim Duncan, and we have athletic perimeter guys… we have been very intelligent as far as what we are trying to do. We’ve stated all along that we don’t have the best individual defenders in the league, but as a team, we’re pretty darn good. We’ve been doing a heck of a job of crowding spaces (on offensive players) and taking away certain things from certain guys. We have to give our guys credit for studying the tapes and knowing what the tendencies are on (Spurs) individuals.
Q: Was Game 2 the best your team has rotated defensively? It seemed like the Spurs didn’t get any open shots in the second half.
Scott: Well, they had a few (open shots). We saw on tape that they had a few too many. Our biggest thing is we want to contest every shot. That’s our gameplan. But the open shots that they had in Game 1 and last night, they just didn’t make them. If we contest, we make those shots a lot tougher.
Q: Why has your team become so hard to stop right now?
Scott: We’ve got a great point guard who makes great decisions. We surrounded him with individuals who can knock down shots. You’ve got to honor those guys (defensively). We’ve got an athletic big who can probably outrun any center in this league. And we’ve got a power forward who can play inside or outside. We’ve given a young point guard the tools he needs to be successful.
Q: Have you made better adjustments than the Spurs in the first two games?
Scott: I don’t think so. I just think our guys are executing the gameplan better. I think Tim Duncan said it best, that our players are just swarming around, rotating extremely well, and we’re rebounding well. On the other end, they’re not leaving Peja (Stojakovic) or Morris Peterson (open), so it gives (Chris Paul) or David (West) ample opportunities to get the ball in the paint.
Q: What is your assessment of how your team has played in the second half, where you’ve outscored the Spurs 56-33 and 60-41? Is it because you’re more athletic and they can’t get you into a halfcourt game?
Scott: We know we can’t beat them playing their style. But if we play our style, we think we have a great chance. We know we can’t dump it down inside, like they do with Tim Duncan. We have to get up and down the floor, create turnovers. We’ve come out extremely well in the third quarter. Guys have come out looking to attack.
Q: Do you feel like your team is earning more of a reputation for being a good defensive club?
Scott: Well, I think that’s just because everybody looks at us as a running team. We said from Day 1 one of our main goals was to be one of the top five defensive teams in the league. We were able to accomplish that. Each month we gotten a little bit better on the defensive end. In the playoffs, you get to hone in more on what other teams are trying to do. I think everybody believes that we’re one of the best defensive teams that is left in the playoffs.
Q: Before the playoffs you said you thought Peja Stojakovic would be the X-factor for your team. Do you feel that’s been the case?
Scott: I think he’s been fantastic. He’s a guy where, we knew if we had him as our third scorer, we’d be tough to guard. With David, CP and him, he’s been everything we thought he would be in the playoffs.
Q: Has Bonzi Wells been what you expected when you brought him here at the trade deadline?
Scott: He’s been more. He’s fit in extremely well with our guys. They all get along very well. He brings a toughness that we knew he would bring. Obviously he was a guy we thought could score for us in the postseason. He’s been a great teammate for these guys and a guy with playoff experience. He’s been in this situation a bunch of times and understands what it’s all about.
Q: You mentioned that nine of 10 writers you saw picked the Spurs to win this series. As an outsider, who would you have picked?
Scott: It depends. If I had a chance to be here every day with this team, I would have picked the Hornets. If I was an outsider looking in like you guys, I probably would’ve picked San Antonio. They’re the defending champions, they’ve got all the experience.
(But) I’m not blaming the writers. I’m glad they did that. [grins] Because it’s bulletin-board material for us. We have a young team that likes the underdog role and being doubted. It kind of serves us in terms of what we’re trying to accomplish.
Q: Do you think that view of your team changes after these two games?
Scott: No, I don’t think so. Because there are still people who think we’re going to lose this series. I think what we’ve done is get everyone’s attention.
Q: The Lakers are holding a news conference today, presumably to announce that Kobe Bryant has won the MVP award. Can you address the MVP race?
Scott: It’s been a great battle. Chris has done himself proud, and done this organization proud. Like Chris said the other night, just to be mentioned in that breath as an MVP candidate, is an honor. He turned 23 today, so hopefully he has a lot more years left in this league to achieve that goal. But I’m happy for Kobe – I’m a big Kobe Bryant fan. I thought if Chris didn’t get it, because of where this team has come from, that it should’ve been co-MVPs. But you can’t be real disappointed in the selection.
Byron Scott Tuesday post-practice Q&A
By: Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.com
With his team leading San Antonio 2-0 in the series, New Orleans coach Byron Scott fielded an assortment of questions from reporters after practice Tuesday at the New Orleans Arena. Highlights from Scott’s 10-minute discussion with the media:
Q: Are you surprised by what has happened in the first two games, with how you’ve dominated the Spurs?
Scott: A little bit. But you’ve got to give our guys a lot of credit. They’ve been very focused on preparing for San Antonio. Our guys have been so active on the defensive end, and the mistakes we’ve made have been kept to a minimum. When you beat the defending champions by 18 and 19 points, it shows how good you are as a basketball team. But it also shows people around the league that what we’ve done this year hasn’t been a fluke. We are for real, and we’ve got a very good basketball team.
Q: Do you feel like you match up well against the Spurs after playing them six times?
Scott: I don’t know. I think the fact that we have some pretty athletic bigs, to match up with Tim Duncan, and we have athletic perimeter guys… we have been very intelligent as far as what we are trying to do. We’ve stated all along that we don’t have the best individual defenders in the league, but as a team, we’re pretty darn good. We’ve been doing a heck of a job of crowding spaces (on offensive players) and taking away certain things from certain guys. We have to give our guys credit for studying the tapes and knowing what the tendencies are on (Spurs) individuals.
Q: Was Game 2 the best your team has rotated defensively? It seemed like the Spurs didn’t get any open shots in the second half.
Scott: Well, they had a few (open shots). We saw on tape that they had a few too many. Our biggest thing is we want to contest every shot. That’s our gameplan. But the open shots that they had in Game 1 and last night, they just didn’t make them. If we contest, we make those shots a lot tougher.
Q: Why has your team become so hard to stop right now?
Scott: We’ve got a great point guard who makes great decisions. We surrounded him with individuals who can knock down shots. You’ve got to honor those guys (defensively). We’ve got an athletic big who can probably outrun any center in this league. And we’ve got a power forward who can play inside or outside. We’ve given a young point guard the tools he needs to be successful.
Q: Have you made better adjustments than the Spurs in the first two games?
Scott: I don’t think so. I just think our guys are executing the gameplan better. I think Tim Duncan said it best, that our players are just swarming around, rotating extremely well, and we’re rebounding well. On the other end, they’re not leaving Peja (Stojakovic) or Morris Peterson (open), so it gives (Chris Paul) or David (West) ample opportunities to get the ball in the paint.
Q: What is your assessment of how your team has played in the second half, where you’ve outscored the Spurs 56-33 and 60-41? Is it because you’re more athletic and they can’t get you into a halfcourt game?
Scott: We know we can’t beat them playing their style. But if we play our style, we think we have a great chance. We know we can’t dump it down inside, like they do with Tim Duncan. We have to get up and down the floor, create turnovers. We’ve come out extremely well in the third quarter. Guys have come out looking to attack.
Q: Do you feel like your team is earning more of a reputation for being a good defensive club?
Scott: Well, I think that’s just because everybody looks at us as a running team. We said from Day 1 one of our main goals was to be one of the top five defensive teams in the league. We were able to accomplish that. Each month we gotten a little bit better on the defensive end. In the playoffs, you get to hone in more on what other teams are trying to do. I think everybody believes that we’re one of the best defensive teams that is left in the playoffs.
Q: Before the playoffs you said you thought Peja Stojakovic would be the X-factor for your team. Do you feel that’s been the case?
Scott: I think he’s been fantastic. He’s a guy where, we knew if we had him as our third scorer, we’d be tough to guard. With David, CP and him, he’s been everything we thought he would be in the playoffs.
Q: Has Bonzi Wells been what you expected when you brought him here at the trade deadline?
Scott: He’s been more. He’s fit in extremely well with our guys. They all get along very well. He brings a toughness that we knew he would bring. Obviously he was a guy we thought could score for us in the postseason. He’s been a great teammate for these guys and a guy with playoff experience. He’s been in this situation a bunch of times and understands what it’s all about.
Q: You mentioned that nine of 10 writers you saw picked the Spurs to win this series. As an outsider, who would you have picked?
Scott: It depends. If I had a chance to be here every day with this team, I would have picked the Hornets. If I was an outsider looking in like you guys, I probably would’ve picked San Antonio. They’re the defending champions, they’ve got all the experience.
(But) I’m not blaming the writers. I’m glad they did that. [grins] Because it’s bulletin-board material for us. We have a young team that likes the underdog role and being doubted. It kind of serves us in terms of what we’re trying to accomplish.
Q: Do you think that view of your team changes after these two games?
Scott: No, I don’t think so. Because there are still people who think we’re going to lose this series. I think what we’ve done is get everyone’s attention.
Q: The Lakers are holding a news conference today, presumably to announce that Kobe Bryant has won the MVP award. Can you address the MVP race?
Scott: It’s been a great battle. Chris has done himself proud, and done this organization proud. Like Chris said the other night, just to be mentioned in that breath as an MVP candidate, is an honor. He turned 23 today, so hopefully he has a lot more years left in this league to achieve that goal. But I’m happy for Kobe – I’m a big Kobe Bryant fan. I thought if Chris didn’t get it, because of where this team has come from, that it should’ve been co-MVPs. But you can’t be real disappointed in the selection.