Quotes from Wednesday media session

[Kori Ellis]

LARRY BROWN

Q. Both these teams are really good defensively, do you have a theory or an explanation perhaps about why all three games have kind of blown up in the fourth quarter and haven't been nip and tuck down the stretch?
COACH LARRY BROWN: No, I have a theory in Game 1 and 2: They had so much control, and then we expended a lot of energy to get back. We were down 17 or 18, cut it to seven late, and then you know, you've got to play perfect at the end. We didn't come down with the defensive rebound and they made a shot and it was and that kind of took the air out of us.
Then Game 2, we got down 23, cut it to eight, and that was a foul on Ginobli with two seconds on the shot clock, he hits two free throws, and again you've got to play perfect. I think that kind of took the winds out of our sails.
Last night you know, we just made plays at the end like they have made all series. I think the critical part probably was the end of the third quarter, you know, we went on that 9 2 run, and I think it gave us a lot of confidence and a lot of life and maybe well, I don't know what happened with San Antonio, but we played perfect in the fourth quarter, in every area.

Q. Are you surprised a little bit that not one game so far has come down to like a one possession game in the last minute?
COACH LARRY BROWN: Yeah, but the way they played the first two games, after the Miami series, I don't know, they dominated in so many areas those first two games.
I think when I was a coach at San Antonio, we had a series with Portland when I was there. They drilled us the first two games in Portland. I think we came back and drilled them two games. We went back Game 5, they drilled us. We came back Game 6, we won, all of a sudden game 7 was a nail biter. That was a play that we had Rod Strickland, and I didn't think it was a bad pass. We just had bad communication.
But, I don't know, usually you do expect games with the two teams that are left to be, you know, real compe ive. I certainly felt last night was compe ive. You know, as a coach you never feel like the game is over. But I would think that if we can play with the same kind of energy we did this last game, that, you know, hopefully the games will be decided at the end.

Q. Knowing what McDyess has been through with his knee situation, what goes through your mind when he's mixing it up and being aggressive and physical?
COACH LARRY BROWN: Well, better now than I was when we first got him. And I can relate to that, when I was a college coach, I had a kid named Archie Marshall, in the NCAA Final Four, he tore his knee up in the semifinal game. Then he came back and missed the whole next year, but he started practicing in January. Every time he jumped I had a well, I have acid reflux, but I felt like I had it. And then the next year, you know, every practice, every time there was a jump ball or something like that, or he jumped in the crowd, I had a hard time with it. I've had same reaction with McDyess when he came. You know, he's been through so much. You know, I'm sure he's told you he's thought about giving it up. He's worked so hard.
So I asked him every trip down the court, I think, how he was feeling, and I've gotten better over the course of time. I've said this numerous times, that, you know, we have the best therapist or guy in the world in Arnie (Arnie Kander, strength coach) and he's given McDyess a lot of confidence and has really helped him. But from a personal standpoint, yeah, I worry, and he gets mad at me. But you know I see signs. They tease him, "Oh, that looked like Phoenix," or, "Oh, that looked like when you were in Denver." And he's been better each day. We gave him days off during the season, but he's gotten better each day, and I think I've gotten better.

Q. Kind of talk about Lindsey and Antonio McDyess coming off the bench and what they have done for you. That was supposed to be one of the advantages that the Spurs had coming in, that their bench was deeper than your guys.
COACH LARRY BROWN: Again, you know, last year, if you look at our bench, and I remember hearing all the comments about us as we went through the playoffs, the contributions of Corliss (Williamson) and Mike James and Memo (Okur) and Lindsey and Elden made, you know, that's ten deep. It was obvious, I don't think we win without a bench that deep.
This year, you know, and it's not their fault, but we lost Carlos Delfino, who I think would definitely be in the rotation now if he had not gotten hurt. But our bench has really been short. Elden played more in the Miami series because of the matchup with Shaq, obviously. In this series, with as much as they go up and down, you know, I've got to be real careful when we can use him, but I'm not afraid to. So our bench has come down basically to Lindsey and McDyess, and when you play against a team as good, as well coached, as deep as San Antonio, it's critical that those guys come in and are productive.
For instance, last night, when I looked at the stat sheet at halftime, you know, I think I had five guys play 19 minutes or more. You know, at halftime, all I kept thinking was, I've got to find a way to get McDyess and Lindsey and maybe Carlos in the game so we'd be a lot fresher down the stretch.

Q. Can you talk about what you expect from each of those guys, Antonio and Lindsey when they come into the game?
COACH LARRY BROWN: Yeah, well, Lindsey, even at 34 is as good an on ball defender as there in the league, and when you play against a dribble drive team and penetration team like them, and you have Ginobli and Parker, he can play both of them. I mean, nobody is going to stop either one of them, but he can play both of them. He's strong enough to fight guys on the post and quick enough to keep people in front. If you don't have that, you've got no chance against San Antonio.
McDyess, when you consider how good Timmy is and how well they get him the ball and include him in their offense, you need a guy like McDyess, who is not only an offensive option because you need that coming off the bench; he's a defensive option for us with his quickness and athleticism. As many pick and rolls as they put us in, if your big guys can't get out on screens and move their feet, you've got no shot. I look at him like another star. You know, with Rasheed and Ben and McDyess, I think we're as deep as any team in the league at the four and five position. Game 2, even though our team got beat, McDyess got a lot of confidence in that game, and I think it carried over last night.

Q. Rip seemed to have a more patient game as far as attacking the defense and Bruce, he used his head a little more about how he wanted to go at it, did you talk to him at all about that and is there anything that you liked that he did yesterday that he had not done in the first two games?
COACH LARRY BROWN: One, he's playing against an unbelievable defender. You know, Bruce never gives up. He's really intelligent. He's real physical. So he's got a challenge.
I think if you look at the run San Antonio has had, he had to guard Marion, he had to guard Ray Allen, he had to guard Carmelo, he can guard you in the post, he can guard you out on the perimeter. He's relentless in what he does.
I think Rip is starting to figure out that he can't back him down and do herky jerky things. You've got to do what you do best and that's come off the screens and shoot the mid range jumpshot.
Joe and I talked, we try to set screens a little differently because of the way they were defending in hopes of helping him a little bit.
I think he started to understand that when he comes off a screen, he's got to shoot with rhythm, not worry about where Bruce is, not worry about drawing the foul and just playing.
And then the other thing, I think he got some easy baskets yesterday on the break, and if you get some easy baskets, sometimes your jumpshot is not as difficult, and that really helped him. But he was relentless last night on both ends, and I think you've got to be that way against Bruce.

Q. As a whole, the defense was certainly more aggressive last night, but specifically, what did you guys do differently against Manu Ginobli?
COACH LARRY BROWN: I don't think we did anything. You know, one, he's not going to have a game like that I get so tickled about not having any superstars in these playoffs. You know, you've got Tim Duncan, you've got him, anybody that's watched the playoffs can recognize how special a player Manu is.
But our offense was better, so I think it made our defense better. We got back, I think they scored four or five points on the break, and if you ask Pop, I think they would probably consider their team as good an up and down team as there is in the league, at least I do. So I think the fact that we got our defense set, didn't give easy baskets up in transition, you know, helped us contain him a little bit.
But I don't think there's any way you're going to stop him. He's just relentless and he can take it to the goal. You know, he's making the three ball. I always thought when you played him, you've got to hope he shoots jumpshots, and lo and behold the first two games, I'm hitting my assistants and blaming it on them. (Laughter)
You know, I don't think he got easy baskets in transitions, which helped us.

Q. How much more of an effort was there to maybe be a little more physical with him?
COACH LARRY BROWN: We didn't talk about being physical with any one player. We talked about how hard we needed to play in order to win. I think after the Miami series, a lot was taken out of us and we never matched the energy that San Antonio put forth on every possession. I don't think our guys realized until after we were too down if you're going to have any chance against them, you've got to play unbelievably hard, and usually when you play hard, you know, you're obviously more aggressive, you don't worry about fouls, you just play and I think that was the key.

Q. Popovich and a couple of his players talked about how you guys did a much better job at passing and things like that. Was that a conscious effort on your team's part going into Game 3 to do a better job in the passing lanes?
COACH LARRY BROWN: You know, we got 23 points off turnovers and made them turn it over 18 times. We just talked about trying to take things away from them. I really believe if you react defensively, you're going to get beat. We tried to act a little bit you know, we trapped a little bit, we fronted on the post a little bit. You know, we got out on pick and rolls much better.
I just think that Ben set the tone early. You know, I believe it would impact any team if you're driving for the goal like they did in Game 1 and 2, and there's nobody there, either to take the charge or to make you pick up your dribble or block the shot. I would believe that you'd have in your mind you can take it to the goal at any time.
I remember when we played Indiana, the game they beat us here, I kept hearing them say, "Hey, just drive the ball, you know, we're not guarding dribble penetration." Well, last night, Ben has five blocks at the beginning of the game, a couple of them were on post plays but most of them were on dribble penetration. So that got us going. That made us more active. And again, we did the acting instead of reacting.

Q. You talked a little bit about how anyone who has watched these playoffs can recognize Manu as a special player. Can you talk a little bit when a guy goes from being a very good player, who whatever he gives you is a plus, to a star, who is expected to do it night in and night out, and when he doesn't, there's a lot of focus on, well, you didn't do this this night, just how difficult that is and what a gap that is and what a player has to handle in being that.
COACH LARRY BROWN: Well, it's almost like being in our situation. Last year, you know, we weren't the champs, and there were a lot of games we played against teams that I didn't think gave their best effort against us; we had none of those kind of games this year. Every time we stepped out on the court, I thought everybody was bringing their "A game". That's why I've always had so much admiration for, you know, teams like San Antonio, Chicago, the Lakers and Boston, when they were making their runs, because every single night, it's a big game. And yet, you have to have so much respect for guys that can bring it every single night and I think that's what it is when you talk about being a star. You know, everybody takes a challenge against you, and you have to be ready for that challenge every single night.
But a lot of times, I don't buy looking at stat sheets, whether a guy had a big game or not. Sometimes stars, just by being out there, make other players around them better. That's how I judge the best players in this league. You know, Tim Duncan can get 12 points in a game and I think he can impact the whole game just by his unselfishness and the attention he draws and the way he plays.
But it's not an easy thing. You know, it takes special players to be ready to play every single night at a high level because, you know, I'm sure that the person that's going against them wants to prove a point, and then when you do it on this stage, I always hear that, you know, guys make a reputation in the playoffs. Well, one, you're playing against the best compe ion obviously, and I don't do this before every game during the regular season, so I realize the impact.
But he is special. You know, I got to watch him you know when Pop drafted him in '99 in Puerto Rico. I marveled at what he did last summer in an unbelievably difficult situation, and to be honest with you, I'm a huge fan of that kid. He doesn't take one possession off, that's why I feel good about our league when I see players like him and all the young stars we have.


RASHEED WALLACE

Q. Rasheed, besides your names, what would you say that you have in common with Ben Wallace and what is your relationship with him in this Detroit Pistons team?
RASHEED WALLACE: I was definitely excited when I first got here to be teamed up with him. It's fun but yet it's hard to be his teammate for the simple fact that he was Defensive Player of the Year three out of last four years, so, you know, everyone knows that he has his side of the block covered, so I've got to try to do what I can do to cover my side of the block.
But as a person and teammate, Ben, he's a good person. You know, he has definite family morals, respect, values and he's just an all around cool person.

Q. Do you see your role behind the scenes as sort of the team comic, keeping everybody loose? It seems like guys are always talking about how you're joking around.
RASHEED WALLACE: Yeah, definitely, because at times like, this especially this is our second time here, for some guys on the team it's their first time, so just try to keep them loose and not all tense where if a guy throws a pass away or misses a shot, it's not the end of the world. Just got to go back down to the other end and play defense.

Q. Is it a different feeling waking up this morning and coming to the arena today now that you guys have gotten the kind of game under your belts that you know you guys are capable of playing?
RASHEED WALLACE: Well, we're still down 2 1, so we're not sitting up here jumping for joy. We still have to go out there and try to accomplish what we did last night, tomorrow, and that's our bottom line. That's our main focus.

Q. Do you guys feel like you got back to the physical style of defense you play, or do you need to see in the next game to know for sure if you guys are back to what you were?
RASHEED WALLACE: Well, I think for the next game it will probably be said. We know we have to come hard. We know we have to bring some energy that we brought last night to match their effort.

Q. Antonio obviously earlier in his career was a very athletic player and a lot of dunking, how have you seen him change as a player over the years and how much have you seen him embrace his role with you guys that he has coming off the bench?
RASHEED WALLACE: McDyess is a good player. Dyess and I go back to high school, watching each other, little Christmas tournaments and things like that. But, you know, watching him as he was drafted with me and the teams that he's been on, he's been a great athlete beginning of his career, ran into a couple knee problems, but that didn't stop him. That didn't break him down. He went in rehabilitation, got his knee back together and here he is today. You know, he had that determination that, okay, he had a couple serious, career ending injuries, but he would not let that stop him to get where he wanted to go.

Q. How emotional has this run been for Antonio, The Finals, knowing what he's been through and how much it's taken for him to get to this point?
RASHEED WALLACE: I know he has to be feeling real good with himself. You know, it wasn't planned or whatever for him to be here. Like I said, he had that determination to get through his injuries. I know he's real happy to be here, but I know he's not satisfied with being here.

Q. You guys threw Tim off a little bit last night and he's always had a history of coming back strong after off games, what do you look for from him tomorrow?
RASHEED WALLACE: I think to be more involved. You know, he's a major part of their offense, don't matter if he's not even scoring the ball, every time they bring that down the court on the offensive set, he's touching that ball. I think they will probably look to get him some more touches.

Q. Just talking to Gar Heard, he was basically saying the way he saw your game as capable of scoring 20 on any given night but not really having the ego of a scorer, do you agree with that or how do you see yourself? Do you need to be more demanding to be a great scorer?
RASHEED WALLACE: No, I'm not trying to be a great scorer of the game. Great scorers was Kareem, Mike, Larry Bird, they were great scorers, but I'm not out to be a scorer in this game.
Personally, it doesn't matter to me if I had the worst career stats in NBA history as long as I got my ships. The ships, it shuts everything up.

Q. Chauncey was saying that one of the common denominators on this team is that everybody on this team or almost everybody has been kicked to the curb at some point, undrafted guys, guys who have bounced around, and you got a chance to come here and reinvent yourself a little bit. Do you think that's one of the things that strengthens and unites this team?
RASHEED WALLACE: Definitely. We did have a couple of guys that were not drafted, McDyess with injuries. Guys came on different paths, and it wasn't easy to get here. I think, definitely, that is one of the things that strengthens us as a team and going out there and having each other's back.


CHAUNCEY BILLUPS

Q. When this series started, these were two defensive based teams, people thought the games would be played pretty close to the vest, and all three of them have kind of blown up in the fourth quarter. Do you have a theory or an explanation why that may be happening?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: I don't. I don't really know, you know, why that's happened. I thought these games would all be, you know, 82 87, playing in the 80s, early 90s, you know what I mean.
I really don't have an explanation. I think you've got, you know, two similar teams in the way that we approach the game and the way that we play the games. I just know that it's going to be a good, long series, you know what I mean. I don't know anymore that the game is going to be 82 89, you know what I mean. It's proved me wrong in that aspect. So I really don't. I can't pinpoint why.

Q. Antonio McDyess was giving you credit as being one of the guys that helped kind of talk him into coming out here and playing again. Knowing that he was so close to quitting, how tough was it to kind of help convince him and how glad are you now that he finally could take that offer to come here?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Yeah, McDyess, he was man, he went through some very dark days with his surgeries and things. And me being one of his closest friends, I was there to kind of talk to him and help him through it a little bit and just tell him that, you know, you can still shine, you can still be a part of something special. You don't have to go to a situation where you have to be the main man anymore, but you can still be looked at in a great perspective.
I think he trusted in what I was saying, he believed in it, and I'm just very happy that he gave it a second chance. I'm even more happy that he gave a second chance with us, you know, because he could have been somewhere else and starting and had a great, great season, he could have done that. But I think he knew where his career was at, he knows what's most important, and that's winning and being a part of something special. He took advantage of it.

Q. Has he always had that positive at ude? The other day he was saying that had he not been injured, he would still be an All Star, but he could not be playing for a championship. So he can always find the good in everything.
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Yeah, he does. He's a very humble guy, man, very humble. He's always had that kind of at ude. Like you said, if he had not been injured, he would still be he'd probably be a seven , eight , nine time All Star by now.
But everything happens for a reason, and we're finding out, you know, why those injuries happened for him.

Q. Can you breathe a bit easier today now that you've finally got the kind of game out of the way that you guys know you're capable of playing?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Not really, man, not really. We're still down 2 1.
I thought we played with a lot of energy yesterday, but I don't think that we really clicked the way that we can. I thought our effort was just there. We just played hard. We just played the way we're supposed to play effort wise. I thought we could have executed better sometimes during the game, throughout the game, but, you know, when our effort is there, we can make some mistakes and we can, you know, not execute as good as we need to do sometimes, because we're going to make some energy plays and we're going to get some extra possessions. I thought we just played as hard as we need to play, and if we can continue that, then maybe we can start, you know, doing some other things better and executing better.

Q. The way the point guard position has evolved over the years, how do you describe the way you approach it, the way you do it? And how do you balance the things that you do with some of the responsibilities that haven't changed?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Well, it's tough, it's tough because I'm pretty much a scoring point guard, you know, an aggressive point guard. I think these last two years with Coach Brown, I've learned when is when and when it's not. So that's taken me some time to adjust to, but I think the position now, man, there's not too many point guard out there that can't score anymore. That's just the game has changed, you know what I mean. You look at all of the top point guards in the league, all of them are scorers or can score and keep the defense honest.
But the position has definitely changed. I think that the way that I play the game and the way that, you know, a lot of other players that play this position play the game is the way that it is now, you know. Like it or not, that's just how it is now.

Q. Do you still have to do, particularly last night, things that steady your team, especially offensively, keep things organized?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Oh, no question. No question. It's still a point guard position. It's still the quarterback. You've still got to get the ball to the right people at the right times in their spots, and being aggressive doesn't mean you shoot the ball all the time. It just means making plays for everybody; it doesn't have to be for you.
Like I said, the position has changed in the game a little bit, but you still have to be the quarterback out there and you've still got to be looking to get everybody else off.

Q. You're the type of point guard that against whom generally Tony Parker has problems, how would you rate your head to head so far in these Finals? I would say it's pretty even, but I would like to have your opinion.
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: You know, this whole thing is not about me versus so and so or whatever. I don't I don't really rate head to head match ups, because it's the Pistons versus the Spurs, you know what I mean. It's not Chauncey versus Tony or Rasheed versus Duncan or Tay versus Ginobli. It's us versus them. No matter if I'm winning a head to head battle with Tony Parker or not, if my team is winning, I'm winning, but we're down 2 1, so he's winning basically. It's not about personal or individual match ups.

Q. Would you say that he has improved defensively compared to the previous seasons?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Has Tony Parker improved defensively? I mean, he's a good defender, he's fast and he's scrappy. I think he has problems with me because I'm so much bigger and stronger than he is, you know, just like on the other end, he's so much faster than me so it's difficult for me. We both have our strengths and our weaknesses, you know what I mean, but he's a scrappy defender.

Q. There's so many potential emotional ups and downs in the course of the playoffs, how much that's Rasheed's personality, sense of humor helped you guys avoid those?
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS: Well, he's the best at, you know, keeping everybody loose, but at the same time, he has a serious approach to the game. We know that he's always going to be there, you know what I mean, whether it's offense or defense, he's going to be there, he's going to make the right plays at the right times. Like you said, he has that tendency to keep everybody loose, and I think we've got the kind of personnel that nobody really gets that tense anyway. We play every game like it's, you know, like it's regular season, you know what I mean. We don't put no extra pressure on ourselves, even though y'all do, we don't. We play the same way, we go in the locker room the same way, the speech is the same every night, you know what I mean. We're all for one another.


BEN WALLACE

Q. Are you aware that you pretty much are the man of the moment?
BEN WALLACE: You know, I'm aware that I got some things done, I was able to get to the offensive boards and any time you get some offensive boards you put pressure on their defense and have to guard for another 24 seconds.
As far as dominating the game, I thought everybody played major roles coming out with execution, you know, the defensive rotation was great for us. It can be a little bit better but it was a great effort by everybody. That's the type of effort we need to have night in and night out in order to give ourselves a chance to win games.

Q. Do you think you guys did that good of a job or was Manu hurt?
BEN WALLACE: You know, you want to take the credit for shutting guys down, but that's something that rarely happens. I think you see the replay, he bumped knees pretty good, and you know, anytime you get that sting, you really don't know what to do, whether you want to push it or to lay off it, but whatever you're going to do. We played solid defense, you know, by him being a little bit injured so, that worked in our favor as well.

Q. What about Game 4? How do you guys prepare for Game 4?
BEN WALLACE: Every game from here on out is important to us. To get back to what we want to be. We want to be back at the top and we put ourselves in a position, you know, with an opportunity to do that, so now every game is important.
You know, I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself to go out and make things happen for this team, you know, to try to get stops, get rebounds, you know, try to make it easy for guys to loosen up and just go out and play their game.

Q. Did you feel mentally worn down coming into The Finals?
BEN WALLACE: I had a lot going on, you know, sure, surrounding me, coming into The Finals and, you know, it's a tough situation. But like I said, all you can do is just continue to keep putting your best foot forward and continue to come out and do what you can do to help your team. Like I said, hope that's enough.

Q. Last year when you played Shaq, you played in the final round, could you have played another round after that? Is this different because you played Shaq and there's another round after that?
BEN WALLACE: Yeah, without a doubt. You know what it takes to win games. I've been in this league for a long time, and you don't get to this point by not being able to go out and give your best effort night in and night out.


RICHARD HAMILTON

Q. What was the difference last night, Rip?
RICHARD HAMILTON: Yeah, you know, it's just that I was making shots. I think that I was using my teammates a lot more than I was in Game 1, you know, and I got a lot of open looks. Guys did a great job of setting screens and giving me wide open opportunities.

Q. But it never affected your willingness
RICHARD HAMILTON: There's too many shots in the game of basketball to get frustrated over a shot. I've got to say, I believe every shot that I shoot is going in. I remember (UConn Coach Jim) Calhoun used to tell me all the time, he used to tell me, "Rip, your problem is, you think that every shot you shoot is going to go in.

Q. Did Ben set the tone last night?
RICHARD HAMILTON: Definitely he did, from the first when he got the steal, you know, his energy was off the hook. You know, he rebounded, he had five blocked shots in the first quarter and we just fed off that.

Q. Manu, was he hurt or did you guy do that good of a job on defense?
RICHARD HAMILTON: I don't know if he was hurt or not. I think he went down early in the first quarter, but he came right back in.
I think the guys did an excellent job of just trying to step up. When he tried to drive, guys stepped in the lane, tried to take charges and tried to cut off his pass and things like that.

Q. Does it look any different looking through that mask? Did you have to get used to it?
RICHARD HAMILTON: Oh, yeah, at first it was tough, it was going off and on. They tried to get me to wear it after the first time I broke it but I said no way. It was one of those things that I had to get adjusted to and now it's just like wearing a head band.


TAYSHAUN PRINCE

Q. Talk about the collision.
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: I don't know if he bumped me or what. I don't know what happens as far as that.

Q. Did he look different after that?
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: He slowed up a little bit. I thought Brent Barry came in and played very well and scored some points. But other than that, when he came back in, I don't know if that affected him or not, but the important thing for us is just to keep our focus and our energy up on the defensive end.

Q. Could you talk about that feeding frenzy after you guys got all those steals.
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: We really just turned the ball over a few times and we capitalized on it. Things just weren't working there, and after the third we had a stretch where we made plays and things went well. We got some steals and that kind of played into everything.

Q. What did you guys say to yourself collectively after the first two games?
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: That's going to happen no matter what, you're down in the series, that's something you can't be worried about, just have to go play basketball. No matter what the series; you have to keep fighting.


ANTONIO MCDYESS

Q. You seemed to really respond well after Game 1 and Game 2.
ANTONIO MCDYESS: Yeah, I think I was pretty much relaxed in Game 2 and just carried over to Game 3. I think for me it's just a matter of getting the butterflies out and going out there and playing.

Q. Are you still catching yourself every day, being at this point right now, to get to this point?
ANTONIO MCDYESS: Yeah, but right now, it's just a matter of getting a win. You know, just happy to have the opportunity to play on this team. Like I said always, and like I say, I could be at home watching this, and instead, I'm playing.

Q. What made you ultimately decide this was the best fit for you in Detroit?
ANTONIO MCDYESS: When I came here to visit, Joe told me he watched my last 18 games, and in the East Coast, that's pretty late, I'm in the West. I talked to Chauncey and had an opportunity to play with Chauncey before and I had an opportunity to play with Larry. That pretty much made my decision, and what more can you ask for, they are world champions.

Q. Do you worry about the knee anymore?
ANTONIO MCDYESS: I try not to. Sometimes it causes a little pain sometimes more than times, never in games, but other than that, I never try to think about it.

Q. Do you have to work on it to warm it up especially before games?
ANTONIO MCDYESS: For games, no, not for games.
For practices I kind of do a lot of stuff in the weight room before practice and everything, but before the games, I never do anything with it.

[Kori Ellis]

GREGG POPOVICH

Q. When this series started, the perception may have been that these teams played defensively and close to the vest and perhaps we were in for a lot of close games, but all three have kind of been double digit games. Do you have a theory or an explanation as to why all three of the games have kind of blown up in the fourth quarter?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: No. (Laughter). And I will spend absolutely no time thinking about it. But I thought it was a great question. (Laughter).
I try to get over the loss with a little humor.

Q. How has the scouting report on Antonio McDyess changed from the days in the late '90s when you would prepare to play him?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: The way he's playing and the way he's playing last night, not much. You know, the one move he did last night, the little Danny Manning with the pump fake and the step through, another pump fake and he banked it in, he did a great job, making shots, going to the hole for rebounds, being aggressive, he was an fantastic. So in that sense, that's the Antonio McDyess that we all remember.

Q. Tim Duncan gave me the same terse answer you just gave the distinguished gentlemen. COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Terse is a little harsh. Humorous answer.

Q. You have the best home record in the league and you get out on the road, 21 20. What's different about your team on the road? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Is that our road record? 21 20? Really? It was that bad?

Q. I believe.
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Does anybody know that for sure? Is that true? (Laughter).
Well, that's a little strange, because we talked about it, usually we have a heck of a road record and we're a little shakier at home, and that's been year in and year out. All of a sudden this year, we were a monster at home and a little bit shakier on the road.
I think the record is a little bit strange because there was a period there where we weren't whole as far as Timmy, he's very important, he missed the last, whatever games, 12, 13 games and we lost a lot of away games during that stretch. So the number is a little skewed because of that, so we're not quite as bad on the road as the regular season indicated, and if you look at the playoffs, we've done pretty well on the road. We won three in Denver and we won in Seattle, we won in Phoenix, and we just haven't won here.

Q. On the theory that you're never as bad as you look when you lose and never as good as you look when you win
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Wait a minute, let me think about that. Got it. Sometimes I'm a little...

Q. Is there anything that you can take out of looking at the game again might have you feel better than you might have immediately afterward?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Not a whole lot. We actually gave up the 23 points off turnovers, we really did give up 20 points on the board, so it's pretty hard to feel good about that.
We didn't have very many people play well. I thought we suc bed to their pressure. I thought they did a great job. What they did a great job was they sustained it for 48 minutes. It wasn't like, you know, they played a good quarter here and a good quarter there. For 48 minutes, they played like a team that didn't want to go down 3 0, and it just wasn't going to happen. And we participated in that by not executing, for instance, press offense, by not making an extra pass, playing in the crowd, that sort of thing.
So there's some things that we can do to help ourselves, whether they impress you or not. It's not like they didn't try to play hard in San Antonio, but we executed. Why didn't we execute here? I don't know. If I knew, we would have done it better.

Q. The rare times that Tim has an off game, he always seems to bounce back big, what is it about his make up that allows that?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: He's hardest on himself. He didn't have a good game last night but I won't even talk to him about it for tomorrow night. I mean, that's the way he is. He will pound himself, he will go over it in his head, he watched the film with us today, and he knows what he's got to do to respond. And he'll do everything in his power to do that, and he usually does respond very, very well.

Q. Could you comment on how Manu's thigh is feeling today and do you expect him to be 100% tomorrow night?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Manu is fine. He took a hit and it bothered him for a while. It's sore, so on and so forth, but he'll be fine for tomorrow night.

Q. How would you describe the differences, I guess, in the way they actually attacked Manu defensively yesterday, and what do you have to do to kind of get him back on track for Game 4?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: You know, they played him similarly. They switched a lot and switched out on to him. I think they did a better job last night of other people crowding the lane. But he was in a different game last night. You have to understand about rhythm a little bit with players, you know, like somebody gets quick fouls in the beginning, they get taken out of a game, they come back in and they never really get involved the same way.
When he came out with the injury, then he got a couple of fouls and he came out because of that. By the time he got back in the game for any meaningful period, Tony Parker was having a good game at that time and we didn't really go to Manu much, and all of a sudden it's the third quarter, that sort of thing. So I think rhythm had a lot to do with his game last night and the other part of it was they really did crowd him and we need to do a better job of kicking it to an open person instead of playing to the crowd. And that's not just him; that's the team.

Q. From what you know of Manu's personality, how has he dealt with this kind of situation where he really ran into a wall and how does he bounce back from it?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: He does it in two ways: You know he's a very smart man, so intellectually he can figure out what went on. He'll watch the film analytically and he'll understand the game and he'll see what went on, or he did see. And secondly, on an emotional level, he will allow that cup to fill up again and play his game the way, for instance, the way Ben played last night, coming with that ferocity.

Q. He has touch a frantic style, is that emotionally driven, is that a big part of what gets him
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Yeah, it's emotional but it's very controlled. You're not going to see him beating his chest and pointing at people and doing the whole MTV thing. It's emotional but it's more out of a desire to win. It's well directed emotion.


TIM DUNCAN

Q. What do you guys have to do to combat their defensive intensity from last night?
TIM DUNCAN: Execute. It's all about execution. We helped them a lot last night, watching the film a little bit, but they were great with their energy and with their pressure. But we didn't make the moves or we didn't execute the plays to counter that, so it's all about execution.

Q. You've always had a history of after having a so called off game for you coming back really strong. Is that something that you're concentrating on and make a point of doing?
TIM DUNCAN: I don't want to have back to back bad games. These guys are a very good defensive teams and I hope to come out and would like to be more effective. I don't want to have a game like I did last night.

Q. They say that as Ben Wallace goes, so go the Pistons, but he's a defender. Tim, how do you shut down a defender?
TIM DUNCAN: We're not worried about shutting him down. He's an energy guy. He played great last night. We're going to do our best job to keep him off the boards, and see what happens.

Q. Could you talk a little bit about how Antonio McDyess has changed as a player since you played him in your younger days when he was in the West?
TIM DUNCAN: He's not as explosive but at the same time he's been playing really well. It looks like he's really getting his rhythm, really getting into a flow there and he looks a lot like the McDyess of old. He's making strong moves, he's using his fadeaway jumper. Defensively, he's really strong and rebounding the ball real well and he's getting to the post.

Q. Last night Ginobli indicated that maybe having a couple of big games, he's gotten swept up with all of the attention and it's kind of distracted him. You, having been on this stage, do you see a chance where maybe you'll say something to him to calm him down and bring him back to earth?
TIM DUNCAN: Not at all. Not at all. He's a lot like me, he doesn't want to have those two bad games in a row. He's going to refocus and he's going to do what he has to do to either get away from the attention or to refocus once the game comes about and do a lot better job with it. We all watched film today. We all saw what we did, and a lot of us will watch the game again.
So we'll see what's going on, and as I said, those guys did a lot, but we helped them with our lack of execution and making that extra pass that we haven't done the first two games.

Q. You've had a lot of experience in Game 4's, can you talk about the importance of that 3 1 separation versus 2 2? Obviously they are all big games, but in order for them to get any more momentum, the importance of this next game?
TIM DUNCAN: Yeah, these guys, they came in here and they held court for this first game. As you say, it is just a real difference maker, it's a whole new series being 2 2, as opposed to being 3 1. But we're approaching this game, as you said, as important as any other game. We want to really jump on these guys. We just want to take care of the things they weren't taking care of in this last game and we want to execute better and we want to match their aggressiveness and match their energy and play from there.

Q. You had the best home record in the league, but you're only 21 20 on the road. Can you explain that?
TIM DUNCAN: No.

Q. You say that you don't want to have back to back bad games, is there anything specific about yesterday's game that you feel you have to change and is anything specific going into the next game that you feel you have to do? I mean, is it scoring, is it just defensive
TIM DUNCAN: Personally?

Q. Personally. You, yourself.
TIM DUNCAN: Just being stronger with the ball. I thought I was a little lackadaisical with the ball, I got it knocked away a couple of times, telegraphed a lot of my moves, and just made bad moves. So it's about being a little more assertive on the offensive end, being a little more crisp on the offensive end, but at the same time, they also got a bunch of offensive rebounds and killed us in that respect. So I have to be a part of that and make sure that I get bodies on people and cut that down as much as possible.

Q. Just talk about looking back at the film, did you guys feel there was more unforced errors in last night's game?
TIM DUNCAN: Yeah, it was a lot of just lack of execution, I want to tell those guys, I thought they played an excellent game, but fourth quarter, nine minutes left, it's a four point ballgame despite all the turnovers and all that we gave up on the offensive glass. If we execute and we play a solid game from there on, it's anybody's ballgame, but we let it get away from us.


MANU GINOBILI

Q. How do you feel and are you going to be 100% for tomorrow?
MANU GINOBILI: Yeah, I will. I'm okay today. I'm going to be better tomorrow. So try to get ready, not only my body, but mentally, too.

Q. What do you remember about your first year in being guarded by Bruce during practice? We asked Duncan what Bowen's defense was like and he said we should ask you.
MANU GINOBILI: Well, it was a matter of being every day against him, and it was tough because we know he's one of best defenders in this league, and it really helped me, because he's a guy that takes a lot of pride of playing D, not getting beaten, and he studies you a lot, too. So it was a great learning process for me from training camp to even going through the first four or five months of compe ion.

Q. There's a little confusion over your injury, a lot of people thought it was your knee. Can you talk about it. Was it a bruised quad? Did it tighten up overnight? Any swelling?
MANU GINOBILI: It's right above the knee. I had it for the first time against Phoenix, I think. So if I get kneed again in the same spot, it just hurts me.
But I'm going to be fine, doing treatments. It's not going to limit me for tomorrow.

Q. You said that when you first came in you came back physically and mentally, explain how you come back mentally from your first off game after two really big games?
MANU GINOBILI: Because we didn't do too many things right. We allowed them too many offensive rebounds, we turned the ball over too much, we didn't execute that well. We made too many mistakes. We have to be ready mentally to be more focused and play with more aggressiveness, because we can't let them get us in our heels. So I think it's not only, you know, have energy and but playing well and executing well.

Q. But you personally, too, will it be tough for you to come back from that game?
MANU GINOBILI: No, no. I think we're going to be fine. We've been through a lot of difficulties for the whole year. We just played a bad game. They played a good one. So we are confident in ourselves. We know we can do it.

Q. How would you describe how they played defense against you personally yesterday?
MANU GINOBILI: Aggressively, they help a lot on every pick and roll, they collapse the paint. We tried to move the ball but we didn't do it as efficiently as we did in Game 2. So we've just got to give them credit and we've got to try to find the way. I think it's the fact of not playing a great game as a team, I don't think that it's so much about how they played D on me, but on everybody. And if Tim didn't have a good game, I didn't have a good game, it's tough. Tony as our go to guy, it's going to be tough. Not many of our guys were playing well.

Q. What do you have to do specifically going into Game 4 so that you can work around some of that stuff?
MANU GINOBILI: What stuff?

Q. Just the way they played all of you guys a little more aggressively.
MANU GINOBILI: Just playing as aggressive as them. As I said after Game 1 or 2, I don't care if I score 25 points. If I score eight but I move the ball well, make less turnovers, execute better, I think we have enough weapons to score, than me or only Tim. I think if Tim is having a day off, Tony and me can score more, and either Robert or Bruce, whoever, the same if Tony is not playing well or with anybody.
We've just got to move the ball better and find the open shooter.

Q. When you came into this league, you were a bench player and then you became a role player and now you're a guy that a lot of people are looking at now. I know the other day you said you didn't feel that comfortable with it, but I wanted to ask you, are you ready to deal with that and how difficult do you think it will be to deal as a spotlight player, where people are kind of looking at you?
MANU GINOBILI: It's not such a big difference. You just realize that you draw more attention and defenses prepare a little more for you. But if you think obviously I deal with that my whole life. Every summer I play with the National Team, where I'm the go to guy. I played four years in Italy, where I'm the go to guy. I was the go to guy. So it's not that it's something so different, so new for me. It's just NBA Finals and the media, you know, is multiplied by ten, so everybody's asking questions, the same questions all the time. So it can take you out of the basics a little bit. But I don't feel that it's going to be a whole problem for me.

Q. Just kind of follow up on that, do you feel that's just your temperament and that's how you approach things, or do you think there's a difference in being a very good player and a player who is willing to accept the responsibilities of being a star and that obligation every night? Is that something you've prepared yourself for or temperamentally is that just who you are?
MANU GINOBILI: I think it's hard to prepare for something that is not the right thing for you. I think I'm ready and I'm willing to do take it. Of course, I've got too much prove. I've got to keep getting better, keep playing more solid and every game, but I'm willing to take it and I think I am ready.

Q. Richard Hamilton says he's very sore after playing you, you're probably one of most physical guys in the league, you play with every single part of your body, you hit hard, etc. Is that a fair description of Manu Ginobli?
MANU GINOBILI: I don't know, I never played against myself. But I'm not the one that has to be chasing him all over the place or probably for him, guarding me. I have a particular way of playing and I go to the basket a lot and hit and get hit a lot. But I think defensively, it's all Bruce Bowen, having to chase him, bump him and be close all the time.

Q. Having been a go to player all your life to coming to the pros, how much has it affected your game playing with a player like Tim and especially in this series and the last few games, what has it meant for you as a player when Tim plays well and when Tim doesn't play well like he did last night?
MANU GINOBILI: Well, of course we are a different team when Duncan plays well and he's dominating, because he opens the court for everybody and we all have room, open shots and everything, because somebody got to go at him to double team. But I think we played some good games without him being dominant. So we just don't have to blame it on him, of course he didn't have a great game, okay. We've just got to go over it and all of the other players have got to step up. We just didn't have enough players to play good to succeed in such a tough arena like this one.

Q. Talk a little bit about the rebounding edge that the Pistons have enjoyed in two out of the three games here so far?
MANU GINOBILI: Yeah, I think we only dominated them in Game 1, but it's a big key in this game. They have very good offensive rebounders. They have got like 20, I don't know how many, but too many points off those offensive rebounds. So if we consider both teams defensive teams and we let them score 20 points of offensive rebounds and another 20 of turnovers, 40 points in these kind of games are enormous, you know, there are too many.
So we've really got to improve and try to cut those both in half for having an opportunity to win.


ROBERT HORRY

Q. Do you feel that the momentum has shifted in this series?
ROBERT HORRY: Momentum never shifts in this series. Everybody has momentum. It's just who goes out and plays well. We're in their building, they are going to play well. We just have to try to withstand their pushes and come out and play with some aggression and not turn the ball over.

Q. What specific adjustments do you feel like you need to make to combat that aggressiveness you saw in that Detroit defense last night?
ROBERT HORRY: Just got to be more basic. A lot of our turnovers were trying to be too fancy, a lot of our turnovers were in a rush. We just have to be basic and poised. We kind of tried to break too fast instead of being more poised with it and executing.

Q. Pop says it's easy to react after a loss, do you agree with that?
ROBERT HORRY: I think so. It's easy to react after a win, too. It's just how you go in with the outlook, and right now, you know, we have to go in with a positive outlook because we are in a hostile environment and do the things that we need to do to get wins, and that's not turn the ball over and keep them off the offensive boards.

Q. Was what they did last night more strategic or was it just energy?
ROBERT HORRY: I think it was a little bit of both. I think it was more just being in their building in their comfort zone. In their building they play extremely well and they get a lot of energy from these fans. When they started the game off, he got a dunk and a free throw, that gave their crowd a lot of energy and they gave that to the team and that pushed them to a victory.

Q. The only time you've lost two in a row was at Seattle in the postseason, is there anything that you can take from that experience that you learned not to have another two game losing streak?
ROBERT HORRY: Well, you can take something from it, but we're playing a totally different team. We're playing a better ballclub, a better defensive club so, we've just got to push on and be mentally focused and be solid. You know, that's the one thing that hurt us, we wasn't very solid with the basketball.



TONY PARKER

Q. Is there a reason for the lopsided games, is there a reason for that, is it just home court?
TONY PARKER: I don't know, but I thought all three games were very close. It's just the fourth quarter, San Antonio, Detroit, they come with big baskets and it comes quick. I think every time in the first three quarters, it's very close, very physical and in the fourth quarter, you know, somebody is making big baskets, like Manu the first few games and last night, Hamilton and Wallace hit some big baskets to win the game for Detroit.

Q. Tony, in Game 4, do you expect it to be closer with so much to play for for both teams?
TONY PARKER: Definitely. It's a huge game, a huge game for both teams. We definitely need to get one on the road, and Detroit definitely needs a win to come back in the series. So I'm looking for a great game and a lot of intensity tomorrow. It's going to be very tough.

Q. Was Manu hurt or did they do just that good of a job on the defense?
TONY PARKER: We kept asking if he was okay and he said he was all right. I don't know, you know, I guess he was okay.

Q. What did you see that enabled you to get as many points as you did last night versus the other?
TONY PARKER: For myself? Nothing special. I just made a couple outside shots, you know, and that had helped my confidence, tried to penetrate a little bit more. I felt pretty good last night, but it was tough, because Timmy and Manu never got going, so I had a little bit more shots.


BRUCE BOWEN

Q. A lot of tough calls?
BRUCE BOWEN: That happens in the game. You take away some of our turnovers and some of our mental mistakes and maybe those tough calls aren't much of an issue.

Q. What was the big difference for them last night?
BRUCE BOWEN: Well, we knew that they were going to come out and play hard and play well in their home. So, you know, you understand that they are going to have the energy at home, just as we had our energy at home. It's a matter of us bringing our energy on the visitors' court now.

Q. Is there any one player that stand out in your mind that set the tone?
BRUCE BOWEN: I think Ben did. It's like you watch the game, you watch the first part of the game, Ben gets a steal, the dunk. That's not how you want to start off a game away from home. That just energizes their team. That picks their team up and makes them more heightened and more hyper.

Q. You didn't have the ball movement and you guys were not moving the ball offensively and you didn't have the creativity that you had in the first two games from an offensive standpoint.
BRUCE BOWEN: Okay. What's the question?

Q. Do you agree with that?
BRUCE BOWEN: Oh, yeah, I agree.

Q. Why is that? Why after the first two games of moving the ball so well, creating good shots, you didn't have that last night?
BRUCE BOWEN: Well, I think part of it, you have to give credit to Detroit and their physical style of play it. Kind of took us out of some of the things we were trying to do. You know, sometimes when that happens, it isn't as easy as moving the ball as you once did before.

Q. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you describe the intensity for Game 4? What you can you anticipate?
BRUCE BOWEN: Well, you know what happens when you assume certain things, and I definitely don't want to do that, but, you know, we understand we have to come out with a better effort, better energy as well, pay attention to detail and taking care of the basketball, those things, you can expect, I think if not the same, a little bit more from Detroit. Because they are at home, you know, they want to get the victory on their home court.
They set some good screens, it's what they do. They ran their offense well, but, you know, part of it is miscommunication and that's what I mean as far as faltering in certain areas where I shouldn't have.

Q. Rip was saying he thought that that took a toll because they were getting better screens and better contact with you.
BRUCE BOWEN: It happens. With your good shooters, you want to set them free and that's what they did. They did a good job of executing that, and you give credit where credit is due. Rip had a great game last night and he's capable of that and I understand that.


NAZR MOHAMMED

Q. How important is Game 4?
NAZR MOHAMMED: This is very, very important. It's as important now as it is during the regular season trying to win games. It's hard to beat teams when you turn the bomb over and give them extra possessions, but also a big key that hurt us was on the offensive glass. They did a great job of getting to the offensive glass and we have to also limit that, too.

Q. When teams are getting turnovers like they did yesterday, how does that change the game?
NAZR MOHAMMED: It gives them extra possessions and in situations like this, extra possessions are key. You have to go down and execute your offense and get an opportunity to score, I mean, you take time off the clock if you're leading and then just it helps whoever is recovering the ball.

Q. Heading into Game 4, you guys came here to at least get one and you still have two more chances to do that.
NAZR MOHAMMED: We take each game one game at a time. We wanted to win last night and we're going to go out and try to win tomorrow night. But, you know, we just want to be focused, execute the game plan. We were disappointed that we turned the ball over so much, so we'll try to take better care of the ball and just execute the game plan.

Q. Can you talk about getting the fouls early?
NAZR MOHAMMED: I would have never predicted I was going to get two fouls in a minute and 20 seconds. It was disappointing, but that's the way the game goes sometimes. I've probably done it before. I've probably picked up quick fouls before, but I just tried to keep my focus and, you know, stay in the game and we were fortunate enough to be up one by half.
It was a tie game late in the game and I think we were only down by like three or four going into the fourth or something like that. So it was still a game that we had an opportunity to win. You know, my foul trouble happened but we were still in the game and had an opportunity.

[1Parker1]

Q. You didn't have the ball movement and you guys were not moving the ball offensively and you didn't have the creativity that you had in the first two games from an offensive standpoint.
BRUCE BOWEN: Okay. What's the question?

Q. Do you agree with that?
BRUCE BOWEN: Oh, yeah, I agree.

Gotta love Bruce Bowen.

[T Park]

Uh oh, the Spurs done and got pissed off........


Good to see.....

[ducks]

Last night Ginobli indicated that maybe having a couple of big games, he's gotten swept up with all of the attention and it's kind of distracted him. You, having been on this stage, do you see a chance where maybe you'll say something to him to calm him down and bring him back to earth?

OUCH MANU