HEAT Head Coach Stan Van Gundy

On the game:
“I thought that, despite them shooting 50 percent for the game, we played well. You can’t just go on the numbers all the time. I actually thought our defense, other than five or six possessions, was pretty good. Kurt Thomas shot the heck out of the ball, and we knew he would. We probably could have closed harder on him a couple of times, but he is probably one of the best pick-and-roll shooters in this league. He just doesn’t miss from medium range. He did a great job tonight. He always plays well against us. Stephon Marbury had a great night, but I thought we did a good job on him as well.”

On Shaq:
“Shaq was overwhelming tonight. That was a big story. His running in the break is great. If we can get him doing that three or four times in a game, it’s great. Just imagine if it was you out there and he’s running at you. It’s not a great sight if you are the defender. He’s got such great hands that he’s able to catch it on the run and finish. I thought he did the best job with his balance on his jump hooks and turnarounds. He was strong and balanced. I was kidding with him before the game; I told him we needed him to get 30 (points) and 15 (rebounds). That’s coaching guys, that’s coaching.”

On Shandon Anderson:
“I was very happy for Shandon. Games like this are good for guys like him. He and Eddie Jones both did a fabulous job on Tim Thomas. A big key to the game was him going up and competing against a 6’-10” guy and making it very difficult for them to get the ball inside.”

“We put Shandon out there not only because he has more size and toughness than some of the other guys on our team, but also he knows Tim Thomas. We thought he could do a good job. He played very well tonight.”

On winning after a loss:
“You always want to come back and win after a loss. You don’t want to go on losing streaks. Every coach in the league will tell you that you really want to get a win before you head out on these long road trips. We go out West now, playing five games against good teams. It was good to get this one tonight.”

On rebounding:
“It was a big emphasis after the other night. I thought we did a pretty good job. We took care of the ball well.”

HEAT Guard Eddie Jones

On the game:
“We knew it was important to we get a win tonight. We needed to get our rhythm back after our last loss. In our last game, we knew we gave up too many second chances, so we worked hard on rebounding the ball. A game like this before a road trip really helps to build confidence.”

On the upcoming road trip:
“We are looking forward to the road trip, and it is nice to leave on a game like this. We want to solidify ourselves as the top team in the league, so we need to go out on the road and get it done. Our last road trip was a great one. We want to have another trip like that.”

HEAT Guard/Forward Shandon Anderson

On the game:
“Shaq [Shaquille O’Neal] hits the floor a lot faster than most people think he can. He then gets the ball a lot deeper in the paint and there is nothing anyone can do. That really helps open the floor for us, and tonight, he did that. This win will allow us to enjoy our flight. We will be able to laugh on the plane. It is really important that you win the home games, especially before a road trip. I have had a lot of incentive to play well. The last few games I have had an opportunity to play. I wanted to take advantage of that and stay in the rotation. I want to get out there and be productive.”

HEAT Center Shaquille O'Neal

On the game:
“Stan told me before the game he needed 30 and 15 out of me. They weren’t really doubling that much. We felt pretty good tonight. We wanted to come back and get a big win after that tough loss the other night. We’re playing good; moving the ball, playing unselfishly, and doing the things it takes to win. We have a five game road trip against the great teams in the West. I think it’s a good chance to see how we stand against the upper teams in the West.”

“My thing has always been to try not to ever lose two in a row. The one the other night; we sort of beat ourselves.”

On Dwyane Wade:
“The conversations we’ve had, I’ve never told him how good he is. I just give him my advice on what to do against certain players. I think he knows he’s a good player but I think he feels he could be even better. I didn’t know he was 22 until I asked him how old he was the other day. He’s definitely the best second year pupil I’ve ever had; from little league to college to the Pros. It’s my job to continue to make him play better. I’m very impressed with his poise and his humbleness. I think we’re going to get along just fine because finally I have someone that is like me. My other two pupils were the opposite side of the moon. This guys on the same planet I am.”

New York Knicks Head Coach Lenny Wilkens

On the game:
“It is not so much having an answer for Shaquille (O’Neal), it’s the fact that our other big guys don’t know the offense as well as Nazr (Mohammed). Not having our other big guys know the offense as well as Nazr takes a little something away from us. They (HEAT) played well. They moved the ball around great. If we double-teamed them they made back cuts and hit some big shots. I think we outscored them in the second half and showed some improvement. Give them credit, they played very well. I think there were some missed calls. We need to play through situations like that. If we don’t get the call, we need to keep hustling and playing hard.”

Knicks Forward Vin Baker

On the Knicks-HEAT series:
“Both teams may meet again somewhere down the road. We’ve all got to get geared up to win against [Shaquille O’Neal] and the HEAT. He’s a great player, the best player of all time, but we’ll figure out a way.”

On what makes Shaquille O’Neal so difficult to defend:
“Two words, Dwyane Wade. When you’re chasing him with your eyeballs all night and you’ve got to defend against 300 pounds, it makes for a formidable match-up. So you’ve got to pick your poison. You can either continue to chase [Dwyane Wade] around with your eyeballs, or you can concentrate on the task at hand, which is ‘the Diesel’.”

Knicks Guard Stephon Marbury

On Shaquille O’Neal:
“Shaq causes so much attention that you have to double team him. He’s tough. He’s the best man in the NBA because no one demands as much attention as he does. I love Tim Duncan and all the other big guys, but whenever you’re the most dominant player in the game, you’re by far the best player in the game. That’s my opinion.” “[Shaquille O’Neal] demands so much attention, that it’s hard to watch Dwyane [Wade], Eddie [Jones] and all their other guys.”

Knicks Forward Kurt Thomas

On the Knicks-HEAT series:
“It’s been a little different these past couple of years. They’ve been playing well, and we’ve been on the lower tier. Definitely, a little different.”

On the game:
“You know they’ve been playing well. We knew we had to come in and play an exceptional game to beat them. Especially with [Shaquille O’Neal] inside. He requires so much attention out there on floor.”

On the HEAT:
“They’ve got a great team. They’ve got a great bunch of guys over there in the locker room, and they’re very exciting.”