Post-Game Quotes
Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich
On the activity level of DeJuan Blair the last few games - “He’s a guy who plays with a lot of energy and if he didn’t play with that activity, I would be surprised. That’s what helps make him who he is.”
On Tony Parker and the play in the fourth quarter - “I thought we stuck with it and it took until into the fourth quarter to finally get a flow and get a rhythm, both defensively and offensively. Tony was a big part of that.”
On free throws - “It made it tougher on us because we had good opportunities at the line and obviously didn’t take advantage of it. But down the stretch, we did a much better job.”
On if the big fourth quarters have been a factor in allowing him to keep some minutes off of Tim Duncan - “Tonight I just thought the team that was on the court was doing the job, so Manu and Timmy stayed on the bench. Sometimes there’s a certain flow going on in a game and a group is doing well, so there’s no reason to change it.”
On creating opportunities defensively in the fourth quarter - “I thought that was really important. We shifted well; got in the way of people; used our hands well and got a lot of deflections. It turned into good offensive at the other end.”
Tony Parker
On fourth quarter defense - “We definitely played better defense in the fourth quarter. They were playing well, they were making shots and we had a lot of turnovers tonight so it made it difficult on us. In the fourth quarter, we got better.”
On getting the offense going in the fourth - “It was a weird game. Nobody could get into a rhythm but it’s just one of those games you have to play for 48 minutes and keep playing.”
On if it was amazing to see his team up 15 in the fourth - “We made some shots, we made three or four stops in a row and Richard [Jefferson] made two big threes and we got a lead. The score definitely doesn’t reflect the game, it was tough the whole game.”
On DeJuan Blair - “DeJuan’s playing great lately. He’s playing with a lot of energy and is playing great defense. He got a lot of steals again tonight and he’s on the boards like always.”
DeJuan Blair
On the fourth quarter - “Richard Jefferson hit threes in the corner. We were penetrating and passing and playing great defense and rebounding. The fourth quarter just went our way.”
On Tim and Manu sitting in the fourth - “I think it says a lot that two of our best players are out and we’re still moving. I think it will give a lot of confidence in the rest of the team. We just keep getting better every game and keep having confidence in each other.”
On if he's feeling more comfortable lately - “Yeah I’m feeling a lot more comfortable. My teammates have been keeping me in the mix and it’s given me a lot of confidence and I’m taking full advantage.”
Manu Ginobili
On if it was surprising to see the Spurs up so much in the fourth - “Yeah, definitely. It was looking like a tough game, hard to score and then the team that finished the game got hot and started to move the ball very well. We found a way to score and made like five threes in a row. When that happens, it makes everything easier.”
On what it means for the team to explode in the fourth quarter without Tim Duncan and himself - “It’s great, we know we have depth, no doubt. You see our bench with George Hill, Matt Bonner that can go for seven threes in Oklahoma City, Gary Neal, Antonio McDyess. We have a deep team and if we can use it smartly, things like that can happen. When Tony [Parker] started dishing and being aware of everybody, they bring it.”
On the ball movement - “I think we were not as good today, at least I wasn’t. Especially in the fourth quarter, we found so many open threes. It’s something so basic and so important because it makes everybody happy and feel like involved in the offense that when we start playing one-on-one the whole time or pick-and-roll, if we can really attack the seams and kick it to the open teammate, everybody explodes for good and everybody gets confidence. It’s something that we’re trying to do more often and it’s happening the last few games.”
On Richard Jefferson's three-point shooting in the corner - “You can see him work on it everyday and now we’re seeing results. He’s feeling more confident. He feels better in the system, he understands it better, and his shot’s been very reliable. He trust him even more and he’s in a great situation now.”
Hawks Head Coach Larry Drew
On if this was the case of too many turnovers in the fourth quarter - “Absolutely. We talked about that at the start of the game. Coming in and playing this Spurs team, the one thing that we could not do was turn the ball over. In the fourth quarter we lost our composure and we made some unwise passes. As I told the guys at halftime, all it takes is two or three short spans of possession before the game can get out of hand, that is why we had to be on top of our game especially with turnovers against this team. They do make you capitalize. We just didn’t get it done in the fourth quarter. Defensively we couldn’t stop them, but it all started with our turnovers. I thought we were right there in the middle of the quarter but there were some costly mistakes.”
On how the defense changed when Josh Smith went out with cramps - “It changed a little bit. We had to execute and limit them to one shot and more importantly, we had to take care of the basketball and we didn’t do that, especially in the fourth quarter. Against a good team like San Antonio, you can’t have those types of mistakes.”
On frustration of hanging with them the whole game but coming up short - “Yeah it is frustrating. That has kind of been our case—the same way in Miami. Going down the stretch in the fourth quarter, we were right there and we had the opportunity. I thought tonight we also had an opportunity, but we just didn’t get the job done. It’s those types of mistakes, especially in crunch time that you have to eliminate; especially against a good team, because it’s really tough to bounce back if you don’t execute down the stretch, if you have costly mistakes, if you don’t come up with the loose ball rebounds. Good teams will make you pay. ”
On if game plan changed by using Josh Powell at the 5 position and didn’t have ZaZa Pachulia- was that a factor? - “Not at all. We had enough big bodies. With Josh Powell playing the five it allows me to play a guy that can stretch the defense a little bit. But that didn’t work to our advantage tonight.”
On what they learned about themselves the last five minutes of the game - “The learned the things that we talk about all the time. On the road, you have to play good especially going down the stretch. It’s a road mentality that you have to have that is a little bit different than being at home. You can play a little bit looser at home because you have the crowd behind you, but when you are on the road you have to keep the crowd out of the game. When you turn the ball over and then take some bad shots, then they run it down your throats. The crowd then gets into it, and then you lose your momentum.”
Josh Smith
On his cramps - “I feel a little better, but it was just cramps. Luckily it was just that. I think I might have aggravated the hamstring a little bit on that block. Then when I tried to come up, I felt something coming, so I came out trying get as many fluids as I could and get back in the game. When I got back in the game, I felt it even more so I didn’t want to be out there hurting my team. I know that Josh Powell is a great backup so I felt that he would give us a better chance.”
On if he will be able to go tomorrow night - “I think I’ll be able to go. It has to be something real disastrous for me not to play. I’m a try to drink as many fluids as I can when I’m on the plane and when I get home. Try to get in the cold tub before the game and maybe get an IV or something like that to get the fluids I need in order to play.”
On how frustrating it is to watch the game get away at the end - “It was probably one of the closest shots we had in beating this time. I felt that I could have done something for us to win that game and close that gap. A couple of blown coverage’s when I went out the game. It’s always frustrating when you know you can help your team but I just wasn’t able to shake those cramps off. ”
Jamal Crawford
On the team's performance - “I thought it was pretty good, we had some late turnovers late that kind of hurt us. But other than that, I thought we played a good game. To get a lead on a team like that in the fourth quarter says you played a good game, but we had some key turnovers that cost us late.”
On the lead getting away - “I’m not sure, they are a very disciplined team. There a team that’s only lost 3 games all year. There are sound in every aspect, so we knew they would make a run and they did that.”
On Josh Smith's absence - “Yea, not having Josh there at the end really hurt us. I think that he brings so much to the team so we need to be as fully strength as we possibly can, especially with Joe out.”
Funny, Larry Drew's comments reek of being scared of the Spurs. Respect is one thing, but to tell you team to not lose, instead of telling them to step on the gas and put this thing away, that sorta epitomizes that team's entire existence. Warning is fine, but it sounded like they felt they won the game just because they had a small lead in the 4th, like there's some consolation for that. Good teams need to get past that and only focus on the win.
On the Hawk player's ankle being broken
Manu: That play was nasty, son
"As I told the guys at halftime, all it takes is two or three short spans of possession before the game can get out of hand, that is why we had to be on top of our game especially with turnovers against this team. They do make you capitalize."
The Spurs' explosiveness is already starting to get into peoples' heads. They have played 22 games so far. In 13 of those games, they have had at least one quarter with 34+ points. (Three times they have had two quarters with 34 or more points.) The other teams know that if they let up for just a few minutes, the Spurs can run away from them. That reputation will just feed on itself, because the basket starts looking really small when you know you have to score every trip down the floor. It will take a really good team to keep their composure when the Spurs start showing signs of making a run.
I thought it was impressive that the Spurs opened the game 6-14 from the FT line, and then went 10-11 down the stretch. That also says a lot about the composure of this team. I remember in years past, when they started missing FT's, it would just get worse.
the Hawks are the most mentally weak waste of talent teams n the league last few years
I can't wait for the Spurs to play the Lakers, Celtics, or the Mavs again. Those are the true tests.
Add the bulls w/ Boozer to that. Duncan is going to defenitely need Splitter's help against them now. The ginger isn't going to cut it.
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