Post Game Quotes (Mavs Game Four)
Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich
On the improbability winning the game, despite Tim Duncan going 1-9 & winning on Friday by not making one three-pointer - “I don’t know how improbable it is. You win or lose in different ways. Each game has its own characteristics and personality, you go with the flow. We did make some three’s tonight. George Hill was something else.”
On whether this was the most physical game between the teams - “I think so…I’m trying to think quickly. It was hard fought and very physical.”
On what he would say to the Big Three tonight being Antonio McDyess, DeJuan Blair and George Hill - “I would say they helped us a great deal. Without their play, we would not have won the ball game. Teams win and lose and it takes a little bit of everybody. Tim had the tip-in down the stretch. Continuing to play is always key, no matter how the night is going.”
On the defense played against Dirk - “Antonio did a good job number one guarding a great player; that was the most important part of the whole deal. Everybody else was very active. In general, I thought the activity was good and that helped us with Dirk.”
On if he thought Manu was tentative - “I don’t think he was tentative. It’s not in him. He doesn’t know how to do that.”
On DeJuan Blair - “He did a great job for us on the boards, he scored and played pretty good defense. He reacted pretty well for a young guy in a big playoff game.”
George Hill
On the game - It was a fun night tonight – it was a great team win. We just have to keep pounding the rock and believe in each other and we will come out on top.”
On his confidence after tonight's game - “My confidence is high, it’s been something that’s been high all year. I worked all summer to come up this year and be an offensive and defensive threat for this team. Starting with this summer, it’s been fun learning different ways to help win games. I just try to keep learning and try to help my team get better.”
On feeling healthy again - “I finally have my feet back under me; I have been struggling with a bum ankle for the last couple of weeks. I have done a lot of rehab that got me back to 100 percent. The main thing about all of this is just belief in myself and just play and not worry about my ankle.”
On his scoring and the overall balance of the team - “It shows that we are a complete team. They believe in me and it shows they have confidence in me and I just try to deliver. It’s the big three but for one of them to kick it out to a second year player says a lot. The big three will give you a chance to contribute and play that’s all you can ask for. It’s always the big three. You have to have everyone step up because you can’t rely on just the big three. There is struggle in the game but it is a team game but individuals can contribute and help win games. I think we did this better in the second and we held each other accountable. It takes all 15 of us to win every game and that’s exactly what our team mindset is right now.”
On playing at the same time as Tony Parker - “It’s pretty fun, not a challenge. It’s more of playing faster and trying to mess with the lineup. Playing with Tony is great because we can both play the one and two and get up on defense and speed up the tempo of the game. It was a good job by Pop to try to put us in situations to speed it up and boost up the lead that we had.”
On tonight's physical victory - “It’s fun. We dream of playing in big games that are physical, not trying to hurt other players but just being compe ive. You don’t want to back down and both teams have had a great job of being physical so far. All you can do is keep your head level and keep playing.”
Antonio McDyess
On winning when Tim, Tony, and Manu all struggled - “If you look at just the numbers of those three guys you would definitely think we lost the game, but that just means the rest of us have to step up. It was unbelievable how we came out in that second half and jumped on them and got this win.”
On their third quarter comeback - “It was a grind. We came out there from the start and said we have two quarters left and we’re going to leave it all on the floor. We came out talking to each other. I think the crowd made a big difference because they got us into the game. We kind of fed off of them and started making some shots and then didn’t look back.”
On feeling like a 7 seed entering the playoffs - “We really didn’t approach it that way. Whoever we got in the first round we felt like we were going to go out there and give it our all and try to take the series. It’s still not over. We have a long way to go and we just have to keep battling and get this series.”
On holding Dirk to just 10 shots - “It wasn’t the defense. He just wasn’t taking them. It looked like he was a little reluctant because we were shifting on him a lot and getting off of him. I don’t think he ever really knew when to take his shot. He had some open shots, but he just wasn’t taking them.”
On their demeanor when the game started to get chippy - “Because this team has been there so many times and in this position, when it gets so close and tight like that I don’t think we panic. I think this is a team that always stays on one pace and never gets panicky. We always pull it out when we do that.”
Tony Parker
On the game - “That was a big win for us. Lot of intensity out there…very physical. We had a tough first half, but we played well in the second half. George had a huge game and made some big shots for us. We played good defense in the second half.”
On winning when Tim struggled - “Tim does a lot of other stuff. He plays defense. He got a lot of rebounds…blocking shots…assists…just his presence out there. He demands a lot of attention. Even if he didn’t shoot the ball well, he’s fine. He’s still effective for us.”
On the physicality of the game - “It’s always physical against them, always. Anytime we play them in the playoffs, it’s always going to be like that. It’s a big rivalry.”
On being up 3-1 and being in control of the series - “It’s a great win, but we know it’s going to be a long way to go. Dallas is not going to quit and we’re going to have to be ready for the next game.”
On feeling like a 7-seed entering the playoffs - “Not really. We have a lot of confidence in this team. We didn’t have our best regular season because we have a lot of new guys and we had to find a chemistry. Once the playoffs started we played a lot better, and now we’re playing our best basketball. Hopefully we can keep it going.”
On having the firepower to keep up with Dallas - “With Timmy not making shots and Manu struggling a little bit, George stepped up big. That’s what happens when you have different weapons and different guys who can do stuff. One of the guys will hopefully get hot, and tonight that was George.”
On McDyess's game - “Dice played unbelievable. He was playing defense…did a great job on Dirk. He was getting to the offensive boards and he was knocking down shots. He’s playing great.”
Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle
When asked when you hold the Spurs’ Big Three to 20% from the field and you still give up the win - “Well when you get another guy going 11 for 16 and hits five three’s it could easily happen. If you additionally get your ass kicked on 5 to 7 loose ball plays that certainly contributes to losing. We played hard, but there’s a set of plays in the last couple of games where we got to get down ands dirty. We have to come up with balls that are 50/50 balls. That’s where the game is being won and lost in the trenches.”
When asked what Dallas has done well these past two games - “I thought we played hard, we battled. Again there are a number of plays that we have to be the aggressor on and we didn’t do that tonight. We didn’t shoot well early, but we were very aggressive and very strong willed. The other part of our undoing was the third quarter. We had 7 or 8 turnovers and shot 27 or 28% then the Spurs got on a run that we needed to stave off sooner.”
When asked why his team was so bad in the third quarter - “The Spurs defense picked up and we needed to respond better to it. That’s the best answer I can give you, without seeing the film. When it gets loud we have to keep our composer and we could have done better at that too. It’s a tough loss.”
When asked if his team is a long shot to win the series - “I’ve been with a team that’s done it before, so it can be done. It starts with winning game five. That’s got to be the starting point. We’ve got to play and win the game.”
Brendan Haywood
On the Spurs' ability to adapt - “I think George Hill played a great game tonight. You always have to tip your hat to someone that beats you however I think tonight was more about what we didn’t do as a team. We didn’t have composure down the stretch. We got all the time done that we wanted to tonight and the big three didn’t have a great game. The big three was nullified for once in tonight’s game but we didn’t find a way to take advantage and win tonight. Tip your hat to the Spurs because they won the game tonight."
On being down 3-1 in the series - "This team has won thirteen straight games before so three straight is very attainable. Is it hard to win three games in a row during the playoffs? Yes it’s hard but if it wasn’t everyone would be playing in the NBA. The way I look at this series is one game at a time. We have a game on Tuesday and I don’t look any further than that. If we don’t take care of the game on Tuesday there won’t be another game later in the week. We have to win one game and go from there."
On the Spurs defense - "I think we have to make plays. We have players like Duncan and Blair on our guards. So if we can spread the court out so we can take those guys out and make the Spurs pay by forcing them to move there feet on the perimeter."
On the physical play - "I don’t think it got too physical. The NBA has an image to maintain. I grew up watching NBA basketball and this was not as physical as I've seen."
Jose Barea
On the game - "We need to win at home and get ready to play here again. You have to give the Spurs all the credit tonight. They played harder and wanted it more than us."
On the third quarter - "We couldn't score the ball during the third. We need to do a better job. We can’t not score."
On the loss of composure - "That’s all part of the game. Loss of composure comes in tough games like this. When you have a lot of contact loss of composure is going to happen."
On winning three games in a row - "It’s possible. We need to take things game by game and make sure we win at home and get the chance to come back here and give it our best."
On the Spurs' adjustments - "I think the Spurs picked up the intensity on defense. Once they picked up the intensity we had a hard time scoring the ball."
Dirk Nowitzki
On the game - "We did our job on defense and I thought if you told me before the game that we would hold the big three to the numbers they had in the game, I would have said we win the game. In Game Three we didn’t give up any 3-pointers and tonight that happens – it’s just the way the basketball goes. We couldn’t generate enough offense. We are doing decent on defense but we just can’t generate scoring and offense. It was a brawl, a street fight. Both teams kept plugging away but we just didn’t make enough plays. Shooting in the low 40 percent won’t cut it in this series. We have to get the long rebounds if they shoot 3-pointers. We have to get those rebounds and the loose balls. We fought and battled but didn’t make enough plays."
On the play of George Hill - "You have to give Hill credit; he was unconscious from the 3-point line. McDyess made shots, Blair came in and had a big contribution and their bench was really good. Richard Jefferson made some shots and big plays. The Spurs role players stepped up and had a good game."
On the third quarter - "They picked up energy and started to play better, we have to keep our poise a little better in the future and they were physical but we just didn’t respond in the right way. If you are up you can’t let the game swing by 18 points and only get 11 points in the third quarter. It’s not going to cut it."
On the Spurs' defense covering him tonight - "They ran at me from the get go, on the block and on the dribble they came after me. When I was isolated on the free throw line, they came at me as well. After the game I had two days ago they weren’t just going to watch me shoot. They were aggressive tonight and got the ball out of my hands. They aren’t guarding some of our guys and ignoring them but they are living with contested shots in the corner. Their bigs close out and contest the 3-point baskets and live with those shots but we didn’t get a lot of them tonight."
On losing Game Four - "It’s not pretty. We thought we could get one down here. We had our chance and played well in the first half and had the lead but gave it away too easy in the third. We have to stop the bleeding at home because we’ve lost three in a row. We have to go home and win because we definitely need one."
On the frustration with the 1-3 deficit - "It's tough. I'm not going to sit here and lie. In Game Two we should have had it at home and we feel we should have had one here. We didn’t and it’s frustrating but we have to keep fighting until it's over and go from there."
Maybe they couldn't muster up enough offense because they had to focus their energy on the defensive end. Playing defense isn't easy which is one of the reasons why the Spurs go through scoring droughts.
Dallas isn't used to bringing it at both ends of the court like the Spurs. That is why this series is 3-1.
...
Good comments from Brendan Haywood.
Great stuff, thanks for posting.
Thanks for posting Duncan228.
I wish they'd posted more on Rick Carlisle's part. I thought he played it as cool as he was capable of during the presser, but something he said seemed fishy. I remember him talking about how he might give Najera a little more run next game (assuming he plays) because Carlisle liked what he saw when Najera was on the floor and that he thinks Najera did great. Well, Najera's playing time was all of 47 seconds, and the only "productive' thing he did was commit a flagrant 2 on Manu.
The 3rd qtr was truly a joy because it showed that this team is begining to jell and show some grit. I think pop is right on about how every game is different. He didn't dwell on the fact that his big 3 were off, or that the bench was big, he acted like he expected guys to step up and do their jobs. They are playing with confidence, a fragile thing in the NBA but it's the essense of what makes a champion. Our new guys are learning, our big three has to show the way.
If they cannot advance I will be sad only for JaSon Kidd because they'll be fighting for a le against the more agressive and younger teams next season(Oklahoma is one), this might be his last chance, (maybe another team revamp for Dallas team again? who knows), but hey they are playing against San Antonio and Tim Duncan is not satisfied with 4 championships so... SORRY
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