Post-Game Quotes
Head Coach Gregg Popovich
(On the execution down the stretch…was he concerned) “Coaches are always concerned about execution from the beginning of the game to the end of the game. I thought our big three pulled it out for us; they dug down deep. Tony carried us in the third quarter and then Manu and then Timmy. Those three guys were great tonight. We had to dig deep with them and they were the reason we won the game. I thought Sacramento did a great job.”
(On DeJuan Blair coming off the bench...is he getting into a rhythm…showing more than last year) “Well, he’s only done it twice (come off the bench). I thought he did a great job tonight. I thought he was real energetic and played well for us off the bench.”
Dejuan Blair
(On if this was a game where the Spurs had to dig down deep to get the win) “It was a tough win, but we got it. On to the next one. We just have to come out even harder tomorrow.”
(On if it will be hard to win games on the road trip if the Spurs play like they did tonight) “Of course. It’s hard to win like that. They came out playing great shooting. We didn’t play good enough ‘D’ tonight and we still got the win, so we have to pick something up.”
(On if Manu Ginobili sparked the team with the threes) “Yep, that’s Manu Ginobili. He sparks the team and he just started hitting. They started missing shots and we started pushing back at them. My hat goes off to Manu. We just got to keep going. We can’t count on Manu to do everything.”
(On how he approached his new role coming off the bench) “Just bring energy off the bench now. That’s the only thing. Just come in here and play the same and be the same person. I’m not starting no more.”
(On if any of the guys gave him counseling on what it means to come off the bench) “No, I did it enough last year to know what it is. Hopefully, I can be the spark that they need off the bench with Gary (Neal), George (Hill), and Matt (Bonner), so I just got to come in and play hard.”
Manu Ginobili
(On if it was a throwback ‘Big Three’ game) “We played pretty well down the stretch and made a few buckets, but I don’t think any of us three our happy with the way we all played. There are games where you can win if you get it tight in the last three or four minutes, but sometimes it won’t happen. You just got to play better for 48 minutes and today we were not there. It was a disappointing win.”
(On if the Spurs can play like tonight and expect success on the road) “Not especially with the next three opponents we have. There are some opponents that are going to let you do this, but Houston needing desperately wins to get to the eighth seed, and then Miami and Dallas, two of the best teams in the league, so it’s not going to happen. We’re going to have to play way better from minute one to the 48th and go back to where we were 10 days ago defensively. The last three games were pretty poor in that regard.”
(On what the problem was tonight) “A little sloppiness. We were not as aggressive as we usually are and we were just kind of waiting for things to happen. We didn’t go get the win and take it, we just waited. So as I said before, against some teams it’s going to happen and you’re going to get them. I don’t think against any of the next three opponents it will. We got to go back to the way we were playing two weeks ago.”
Head Coach Paul Westphal
(Opening statement) “It was an impossible dream for us. We’re sitting here talking about how we could have beaten the Spurs on their home court, but maybe we could of. I thought it was a first class NBA game. We had some great production off the bench. We took it right down to the wire. (Manu) Ginobili did what he does. I was very proud of our effort. I thought we played the pick and roll as well as we’ve played it all year. It’s hard to stop them, because they’re the best in the league at it. I have a lot of reason to be proud of my team. It’s still tough to take a loss with you. We played a first class game. We have to learn how to play without fouling and we need to draw fouls. That’s another step in the direction that we need to go.”
(On the run the Spurs made towards the end of the fourth quarter) “(Manu) Ginobili made three or four in a row, he was sensational. Throughout the game they didn’t really blink. We couldn’t shut them down at all. They were extremely efficient at that time. We missed a shot or two and we made a turnover and the next thing you know we’re down seven or nine and we still didn’t quit. We just couldn’t get over that hump.”
(On how you defend against a player like Manu Ginobili) “You can’t. You try to make him go right; everybody says to make him go right. You try to double team him at certain times, but he’s seen it all. He’s one of the very best players in the league and he’s particularly great in fourth quarter situations.”
(On the Bat situation in the game tonight and how close it came to him) “If that thing would have come six inches closer I probably could have knocked it into next year. I think it’s some kind of conspiracy every time we come here there’s a bat out there on the court. It’s just more gamesmanship from Popovich I’m sure. Do you always notice it’s always flying down on our end.”
Jason Thompson
(On the play of the second unit tonight) “We were trying to bring some energy. The starters played pretty solid. It was neck and neck. We were down by like six and then came back and got the lead, and it kept going back and forth. We were just trying to give them a spark. Omri came off the bench and played well and I tried to do the same.”
(On his struggles earlier in the year coming off the bench) “It’s something I’ve never really done before. I think to get my feet wet a little bit I had to go through it. If it’s something consistent then I can be consistently used to it. It’s something I haven’t experienced, but it felt pretty good [tonight].”
(On the frustration of having the lead and seeing it slip away) “It shows the youth of our team. I know we have some young guys and some older guys. Beno wasn’t here, but Luther stepped up and played pretty well against Tony [Parker], defensively. It’s tough. They’re the best team in the league and they’re in their own place. We definitely didn’t play how we wanted to against them at home, so we owed them one. It was neck and neck, but Ginobili hit two big shots to kinda of open the game up a little bit.”
Omri Casspi
(On the tough finish to the game) “They made shots. Manu had back-to-back 3’s and they got a little bit of a lead. We didn’t get shots on offense and unfortunately we had a couple turnovers.”
(On their game plan against the Spurs) “Before the game when people asked I said the game will be decided by the pick-and-roll defense. It was one of our best defensive games of the season. In the first half we were making an impact on the ball. Luther did phenomenal individual work on Tony tonight. Besides that we were doing a great job stopping the penetration and clogging the paint.”
(On their offense at the end of the game) “We went through stuff that we usually do. They played good defense. Marcus had one turnover, and then we got an open shot and missed it from the corner. They got a little lead and they know how to use the clock at the end of the game.”
Haha!(On the Bat situation in the game tonight and how close it came to him) “If that thing would have come six inches closer I probably could have knocked it into next year. I think it’s some kind of conspiracy every time we come here there’s a bat out there on the court. It’s just more gamesmanship from Popovich I’m sure. Do you always notice it’s always flying down on our end.”
Pop is in their heads.
Very cool comments on their part..
"...They know how to use the clock at the end of the game." Good comment from a youngster.
We've won a few games this year against young teams--and coaches--who didn't manage the clock well at the end. The disciplined experience of our Big 3 and great coach shows in the way we use the clock, when behind or ahead.
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