That's What He Said - Regular Season: Celtics vs. Heat

Boston Celtics

Doc Rivers

Re: What was said at halftime:
“I told our guys at halftime I knew their defense was going to be good but they missed some shots, too. I told them at halftime I was not happy defensively because they did not have a lot of points, but I thought they had good looks, and we can't play on luck. We want to be a great defensive team.”

Re: Was it as fun as anticipated:
“It was a big game. It was a fun game. We play Cleveland tomorrow, but it was a fun game. They're going to be a lot better when we see them again, and hopefully we are, as well.”

Kevin Garnett

Re: How big this game was:
“I just said to Paul as we were coming in here, I said, are we in The Finals already? You know? But it did have a lot of hype on it. A lot of good personnel on both teams, a lot of outstanding personnel. But to us it's about getting better and defending home court. Tonight was just that.”

Re: Miami's Big Three:
“Paul has his hands full, I have my hands full, Ray Allen had his hands full. Those three are going to be a force to be reckoned with. With know that. Very talented guys, but it's not one, two, three individuals that make a team. It definitely sets the foundation.”

Paul Pierce

Re: Ray Allen's knack for hitting big 3s:
“I've been a witness of it the last three years, and he's one of the best players that I've ever played with. It's an honor just to be able to step on the court with him night in and night out. You've got a guy that can take that kind of pressure off you, it's an amazing feeling. I don't know if you guys realize it, but Ray, he's hit so many game winners for us and so many clutch shots for us, we have confidence to get him the ball in these situations. He delivers nine times out of ten..”

Re: Shaquille O'Neal's presence:
“ think the numbers don't really tell you how big he is for us because I remember at one point in the game going to Ray, I think it was the third quarter, we looked up and we were six minutes and in the bonus because Shaq drew about four or five fouls. We're not a team that usually gets in the bonus that early, and that's the presence that he brings.”

Boston Celtics

Doc Rivers

Re: Why Boston's offense was so effective:
“We had twenty or thirty plays where there were six, seven, eight, or nine passes in the possession. The ball was hopping, and the ball didn’t stick. That’s all we talked about yesterday. We were not talking about playing Miami, we were talking about a good Celtic team is a good ball movement team.”

Re: More on the offense:
“I thought tonight was the first night where we had complete trust in the next pass. When you do that there is no guarantee you are going to win, but it is guaranteed someone’s going to get an open shot.”

Shaquille O'Neal

Re: Boston's physicality:
“We wanted to bring that physical presence to the game. We are not one of those teams that need to use other teams as a measuring stick. We know what we are capable of. We match up well with any team.”

Ray Allen

Re: Getting open looks at the basket:
“It seems like it is a cycle of events that take place, especially when Rondo penetrates the paint. At anytime you have four shooters on the floor. You have to give something up.”

Rajon Rondo

Re: Boston's offense and the game's atmosphere:
“It was how we moved the ball tonight; consistent possessions, play after play. It was a lot of fun. I love this type of atmosphere. I love the pressure.”

Boston Celtics

Doc Rivers

Re: Winning despite so many injuries:
“It was obviously a huge win for us, with all the stuff we have going on. You know, you think about the injuries; you know Nate (Robinson) had said he wasn’t going to play right literally five minutes before the game, and then came up and said he wanted to give it a go. Paul (Pierce) said he felt awful. And so, you know, we literally were thinking at one point, ‘We’re not going to have enough bodies to play this game.’ And to gut it out was great.”

Re: The contrast of play between the starters and bench:
“The bench won the game in the first half. They got us back into it. You know, it was amazing watching the two units play; the first unit was kind of dragging, obviously, and I thought all of them except for Rondo – and then the second unit comes in and we don’t change anything; they just – everything was quicker, harder, more desperate. And they made things happen. I thought in a role-reversal they showed the first unit how we were going to have to win this game. And then I thought our first unit took it from there.”

Re: Rajon Rondo defending LeBron James:
“It was Rondo’s idea. Really what it was, was that we just – I told him to pressure the ball, and he took that whoever brought it up. I didn’t mean that. He took it that way and then I stayed with it. He actually during a time-out thought we were going to switch back, and when I didn’t say anything he was surprised. Because I liked it.”

Paul Pierce

Re: The importance of this game:
“Today was just another game, by no means do I take anything away from Miami because it is mid-February. They’re going to be a different team in March, April, in the more important months when we’ll probably have to see them again.”

Von Wafer

Re: Winning despite Paul Pierce scoring only one point:
“If you had told me that he was going 0-10 before the game I thought chances we slim. It doesn’t surprise me (the win) because we’re loaded, we have a lot of guys that can play.”

Boston Celtics

Doc Rivers

Re: What changed in Boston's play throughout the game:
“We came out, and I loved what we were doing. We kept the game simple. Then all of a sudden we went in that stretch where every play had to be brilliant. Throwing lobs to J.O. (Jermaine O’Neal), and cross court passes where they are intercepted. I thought that just gave them (the Miami HEAT players) life.”

Re: The danger of allowing the Heat to get out in transition:
“You can’t turn the ball over against them (the Miami HEAT) because that gives them transition. (Dwyane) Wade was tough alone in transition last year, and LeBron (James) was tough alone in Cleveland. Now you put them together and you’ve turned the ball over now you should just stay here and take the two points.”

Re: Boston coming out hot and then playing poorly
“We played for seven minutes to start the game, I turn to Lawrence (Frank) and say ‘Oh this is the Celtics’ and then, bam it was gone.”

Paul Pierce

Re: Comparing the two teams' offensive performance:
“We just went away from what we were doing best – moving the ball and making the extra pass. Today was all about a great, grind game, and they won that war. At one point, I was watching from the bench at the way they were passing the ball and thought ‘that’s the way we usually play.' ”

Kevin Garnett

Re: The development of the Miami Heat:
“They showed some resilience when we took the lead. They were able to take the punch. The things they’ve been through throughout the year, it seems as though they have gathered some tough skin and figured out a way to show resilience and play through tough times, and it showed tonight.”

Jeff Green

Re: Issues Boston experienced during the game:
“On the offensive glass they killed us. We were not alert to a lot of things. It’s too late for excuses. We have to find a way to correct it, and fast.”

Ray Allen

Re: Comparing the two teams' offenses:
“Offensively, they did what they wanted to do. Offensively, we’ve been in a rut of not scoring points.”