Post-Game Quotes
Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich
(On if he felt the team left it all out on the court on Friday night’s game) “No. Not at all. You can’t assume that just because you got whipped so thoroughly. That is too simplistic a conclusion. They were more physical then we were and very aggressive. I thought that we picked up our physicality and defense in the second half but that was way too late—we were down too far.”
(On if positive note that (Steve) Novak and (James) Anderson got some playing time) “(Jokingly) It’s always good to try to find something positive when you get beaten so badly. Then you will say that Tim (Duncan) and Manu (Ginobili) got some rest. So I guess that is good. (Sarcastically) So let’s go get beat by 30 every night so we can give them some rest. I don’t think that is a good path to go down.”
(On length that (Andrew) Bynum gives in the paint) “His length is superior. So is Pau (Gasol). Together they are a heck of a defensive tandem down there. They do a great job. That is why they are NBA Champions the last two years. (Jokingly) Or I guess one of the reasons—I guess Kobe (Bryant) has something to do with it too.”
(On size giving the Lakers the advantage) “I think to start the game if you saw the offensive boards—it really hurt us.”
Tim Duncan
(On the effect of Andrew Bynum’s presence) “I think he was a key to the game today, offensive rebounds, a bunch of second shots, defensively, he bothered a lot of people in the lane, and just his size was definitely the difference tonight.”
(On the ball movement) “We moved the ball fine. We moved the ball fine. They just clogged it inside, they did a good job challenging shots. With their length, they can do that. They give you a little space and challenge you at the end.”
(On the shots not falling even with open looks) “Yeah, things just didn’t fall and the exact opposite on their end. I thought defensively, we were decent in the first half. We got some hands in their faces, they just made shots.”
(On if he’s eager to get back on the court after a loss like this) “Yeah, I definitely want to get back out there. Even the time we were down so much, I wanted to get back out there just to try get a rhythm and to see the ball go in the hole, but we’ll have practice tomorrow and we’ll use that and then we’ll get back to the game on Wednesday.”
Manu Ginobili
(On the difficulties the Lakers’ length gave them) “Early, it was very important. Bynum and Gasol made us take a few bad shots, they even blocked them. Offensively, they were just unbelievable. First half, we just couldn’t stop them. 64? I don’t know how many points they scored. 68? They were great and we couldn’t make one, so that was an easy win for them. After a quarter, they were up 25 almost, so there was no game.”
(On if it was shocking to see how out of control the game got so quickly) “Yeah, of course nobody expects to be losing by more than 20 in the first quarter, but the way the game presented itself, they were making every shot. We couldn’t make layups, threes, free throws, anything, and besides they played more angry. They played with more edge. We were a little, not soft, but waited to see what was going to happen and they came to get it. They deserved it.”
Gary Neal
(On if it was just one of those days) “Yeah, it seems that way. They came out and jumped on us early and got a pretty comfortable lead. You got to give them credit. They came out, they were extremely physical. They came out with a lot of intensity. It took us a while to react and once we were down 20 points, it was hard to fight back.”
(On if there’s a positive to take away from the game) “When you lose like this, it’s not as bad as it seems just like when we won the Miami game, it’s not as good as it seems. It’s one game. Unfortunately, it was against the Lakers, a team we’ll probably see in the playoffs, but it happens. We got to continue to work. This is a warning sign right here that we have to continue to work and continue to improve. We know that. We have a great group of guys and we’re all going to do that.”
Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson
(Have you been waiting long for a game like that?) “We played really well. We caught them by surprise. I think at the start of the game we got off the gun pretty well.”
(Was this the best you’ve played all season?) “Against this type of opponent, yes. We’ve played better with a better point margin, but not against this type of opponent.”
(On Bynum’s contribution in the first quarter) “We talked to Andrew at the break about defense and about what type of effect he can have on the game. He really showed it tonight.”
(What has changed defensively over these last seven wins?) “We’ve given Chuck Person some dedicated moments in practice to work specifically on our defense. He’s really been good with the guys and has handled it pretty well. We’ve taken the extra time defensively in practice rather than doing as much execution offensively as we have in the past. It’s taken awhile. It took us about a month to adjust to what we were doing differently. We still have guys making mistakes, but that’s going to happen for awhile.”
(On playing his starters late in the game) “I didn’t like the way our bench was playing. They just didn’t have a rhythm out there and they were settling for outside shots. They were just out of focus a little bit.”
(On the potential for injury playing starters late like that) “I don’t try to think about something like that. I put it out of my mind. You just have to play this game. It’s tough to do it.”
(On Kobe’s technical) “I haven’t even seen it. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know if it was warranted or what the call was. He does have to watch his activity level out there.”
(On their height advantage) “Our length is imposing. Pau is an agile guy and has the ability to play outside as a four, so that really makes it special.”
(On sending the wrong message to his own team by putting the starters back in) “They understand. It got under 20 points and the foul situation was in their favor. You just have to be careful in this game. It’s a game of extremes.”
Kobe Bryant
(On having the starters in the game late in the fourth quarter) “It was to send a message to the second unit. You got to compete. You still got to play hard. You got to come in and do your job. That’s why [Phil Jackson] put us back in.”
(On the importance of making a statement today) “We’re playing well and it’s kind of important to keep that going. Today was a good test to see how much we’ve improved since the All-Star break. We passed today.”
(On how much they’ve improved) “We’ve improved a great deal. Defensively we’re minimizing our mistakes and not making as many mistakes as we were in the first half of the season. I think that’s the big difference.”
(On their defense) “We’re very unselfish defensively, and what I mean by that is that we compensate for each other. We didn’t care about guarding our men individually. We did it collectively. I think that was the key.”
Ron Artest
(What happened on the play with Bob?) “He was a casual floor seat holder who casually walked to his seat, and forgot that it was a game. I know next time he will be aware; I guess he didn’t expect that.”
(Did you have a good time out there on the court?) “No, not really. I did that a long time ago in Sacramento and Houston. I do it now and then sometimes.”
(What does this win say?) “It doesn’t say much. San Antonio is a great team and at the end of the day it’s a win, it’s a loss for them. I’m sure that’s how they’re taking it, it’s definitely not a statement game or anything. They will be back, it’s not like we can duck them or it’s not they can duck us. Eventually we will be playing each other again in the regular season and we’ll see what happens from there.”
(What is the reason for the big offensive change since the all-star break?) “I haven’t really noticed it. I don’t know what it is honestly, but I’m hearing a lot of people talking about the defense. I haven’t really been paid attention to it, I just been always trying to move ahead and just move forward. I don’t really understand exactly what’s happening, I don’t even know the percentages but I guess we’re playing hard.”
(How would you describe the 1st quarter?) “First quarter, we played alright. We played together, everybody was aggressive. I thought was the main thing, everybody came out to win.
the lack of rebounding is our major problem since few weeks now. We get killed too by Memphis. We won't win it all with this kind of rebounding effort. In the west everybody has size, I don't care about our O rebounds but I do care about the Defensive ones.
^ Test speaks the truth.
If that helps you sleep better...^ Test speaks the truth.
Bynum went on to get 17 rebounds in only 27 minutes, and what he said afterward was as notable. “Their starters definitely quit,” he said. (mysa.com - Buck Harvey column)
I'm looking forward to Wednesday's game, but I can't wait for the roadies at Miami, Dallas and LA. Andrew Bynum has probably never been confused with someone of superior intelligence, but if his comment about the Spurs starters "quitting" does not provide fuel for this team until they bring home that fifth championship this season, I don't know what will.
Can you guys imagine a Spurs player after a game, say the Miami game, saying that the Miami starters "quit"? What a stupid, backfiring comment, first off, but that is also highly unprofessional. I think that Bynum was dumb for saying that, but it still is an indictment of how the Spurs were manhandled yesterday. They must now accept nothing less than excellence until May or June, whichever it shall be. That includes the regular season. I hope that Duncan, JEFFERSON (repeat, did you hear that Jefferson?), and company heard Bynum loud and clear.
Its one thing for a head coach to angrily call his team soft, but quite another to be a veteran, highly respected organization with high standards of workmanship and effort to be called "quitters" by an archrival.
That should be devastating. It should be devastating to the Spurs or, better yet, to the Lakers if the Spurs throw that back in their face.
I sure hope the Spurs don't try to shrug that one off and instead use that for fuel. You won't find any better motivation than being called a wimp by your colleagues. Make no mistake, if Bynum said it, the entire Lakers roster agrees, whether they'd admit it or not.
I can't wait till Bynum's knee shatters in a 1000 pieces again. Classless pos
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