(On the game tonight): “Wow, what a game. It was big play after big play on both ends of the floor. We had a lot of guys that were really good for us. Kyrie (Irving) was spectacular. His performance on both ends of the floor was tremendous. 39 points, 12 assists, five rebounds and three turnovers in 48 minutes, that’s a heck of a job. Both of our bigs getting double-doubles and five blocks between them is a great performance. I thought our role players did what they’re supposed to do to try to help us win. Jarrett (Jack) was big for us off the bench. C.J. (Miles) hit two big threes. A guy like Henry Sims’ number hasn’t been called yet in the regular season. I thought he impacted the game and had a big rebound put-back for us. He played tough defense and in a matter of 13 minutes, he had five rebounds. You gotta give Philly credit. They clawed, they scrapped, they hit big shots when they needed to, but at the end of the day when you have a guy like Kyrie and you’re able to believe you can get stops as a unit and trust that your teammates are going to play the right way on both ends of the floor, you’re going to get plenty of opportunities to win and that’s what it came down to tonight.”
(On Kyrie Irving’s three attempts to win the game): “I was shocked it got to three. He’s a spectacular player and I thought each time, he took the right shot. I applaud him for trying to close the game the right way. He believed in himself. He believed in his teammates, the system and the coaches throughout the course of the game. When it was on the line, we put it in his hands so he can have an opportunity to go and get it and he got it for us.”
(On Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters and Jarrett Jack on the floor together): “Tonight, I felt it was the right time to experiment and it worked out. It’s something we talked about. It’s something we liked because we feel like we’re tough enough. You got a guy like Jack who can guard some of the bigger guys and Dion or Kyrie can guard the two’s so we feel like we match up well. What it does for us offensively is it makes us that much more dynamic because we got three guys who can go create. If people close out wrong or slip up, not only can they all create but they can shoot and pass. It was a neat thing to watch those guys feed off of each other. The trust and belief was there the entire time.”
(On his game-winning shot): “The Sixers did a great job of crowding the paint the first two times I shot to try to win the game. We were in great spots offensively and at the end, they came for a double-team and it just fell right into my hands. I attacked Michael Carter-Williams on the outside and they didn’t have any shot-blockers in the paint, so luckily enough, I made the shot.”
(On if he felt his first two game-winning attempts were going in): “Yeah I felt good about them, with the exception of the second one. (Jarrett) Jack was wide-open in the corner and I should’ve kicked it out to him. You notice those plays after you have your mind made up, but I’ve got to watch it on film.”
(On his rhythm the past couple of games): “I’m just staying patient. Beginning the season with a new offense, everybody has to find their way. I have to be patient and believe that it’s going to work to the best of my ability. That’s what I’m trying to do; take the shots they give me while still being aggressive.”
(On what changed for him in the second half): “I just had to continue to take shots. My biggest thing is that I make it tough on myself when I fade. When I went straight up and down, I made almost every shot. In overtime, I was fading again. I just have to go straight up and down and make sure I follow through.”
(On what to say to the team after the game): “I just said how proud I am of them. That was a great NBA game, and to continue to fight and continue to try to find any way possible to stay in the game and try to find a way to win – I’m proud of them. The only negative of tonight is that we lost.”
(On if he’s worried about the heavy minutes played by certain players): “I am worried. You’re there and you know the game is grueling and you know you have capable guys on the bench and a coach makes a decision. You go with your guys. Maybe I could have gotten one of the younger guys in for a minute and then gotten him back out, but I’ve never been a big believer in “sit for 40 seconds and then come back in” and think that they’ve gotten any type of rest. The game moves at such a quick pace, so we just decided to go with our guys and I think the fitness level was good. I didn’t think fitness or fatigue was a factor.”
(On final plays with Kyrie getting the ball): “It’s such a group effort, we try to bring our bigs up and corral them and stay with them and we don’t care what their guy does and put two on him; he is just incredibly allusive and skilled and you can’t corral him, you can’t keep him in front of you. He’s just a really good player. He’s one of those unusual guards and how to guard somebody in the NBA, you see Durant do it and you see different skilled guards do it – he’s one of them.”
(On game-tying basket): “It was a tough shot, but when I faked and I saw that he jumped, I knew I could shoot over him because I had some height on him. I just tried to get the best looking shot I could get and it was lucky enough to go in.”
(On playing in what could be considered a “fun” game): “It was definitely a fun game. Everyone played pretty well and the crowd was in it. People on their team played well and there were a couple tough plays, but you can’t do anything about it. It’s just part of the game.”
(On tonight’s result): “It’s cool. It went well. I attacked as best as I could. I tried to get to the line. I probably could have gotten to the line a couple more times, but it’s all good.”
(On playing in Ohio): “It’s always cool to be welcomed back and to have family in the stands. It’s definitely a blast. I just try to go out and play hard.”