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| Wednesday, December 9, 2009 Final Score: New Orleans 97, Minnesota 96 Hornets Post Game Quotes
"Well that was quite a win. Certainly all the numbers point to this being a loss on the road, but we feel fortunate to be able to leave here with a victory." On game-winning shot by Paul: "We did a lot of simple things tonight and it was effective. We were able to get into a little more of a drive and kick thing in the first stretch when we went very small. Chris, Marcus, and Darren all did a great job of applying pressure and the threat of the dribble was something that opened up shots for us." "When you're in the middle of the battle, all things considered, you just try to keep fighting until you start to get that surge." On finishing quarters strong: "Obviously when you are behind it is even a bigger factor and so much more important. We had targets to try and get this back to single digits to give ourselves a chance to fight it out. There were several stretches [that] if we didn't get a key stop it was going to be really hard to keep going. But we always seemed to be able to get that one play to keep us in the hunt."
On the game-winning shot: "Coach drew the play up in the timeout and our team showed great poise in going out and executing it to perfection. It was a handoff with David West and myself, and we just read it. If he would have backed up I probably would've came over the top. Fake high, go low." On Posey drawing three charging fouls at the end of the game: "That turned us around, and that turned the whole game around for us. We were able to capitalize on those. That's Pose for you. That's something that won't show up on the stat sheet. Even though I scored the winning basket, James Posey was the leader for this game." On ending the losing streak: "Now we know that as a team we have the confidence to win on the road. But not only win, we also showed a lot of perseverance. Down sixteen we could have thrown in the towel and been like, we can't get this one, but we fought back." "We just picked up the intensity. First half we were dead, offensively and defensively. They were able to go anywhere they wanted and get whatever they wanted."
On ending the losing streak: "It's funny, but it is reality. We needed this one so bad. Somehow we didn't play good basketball at all, even tonight. We got a win, but it was so inconsistent. We have to be more focused about executing our game plan and stay with it." "We didn't do a good job in the second quarter. We didn’t put the pressure on them, they swung the ball from side-to-side, got a couple of easy ones in transitions and they are a talented team." We approached the second half with our game plan, we put our pressure on them and had a lot of deflections, and Pose was big on defense. He drew like two or three charges in a row and that made the difference for us." Timberwolves Post Game Quotes
"I thought our guys did a really good job in the first half (missed…) pushed the ball, for the most part had great opportunities …. Our offense got sloppy, we were turning the basketball over, we stopped getting the ball inside which was so productive for us in the first half, and then everything went downhill from there. We didn't win the third quarter, and we didn’t win the fourth quarter. In the late game situation, we made some errors in judgment, in how we were supposed to defend their last couple of out-of-bounds plays, and it cost us dearly." Did Jonny just lose sight of Paul as he went to the basket [on the last play]? "Well, there was some of that. Damien should know better. So often, the man taking the ball out of bounds is the most dangerous man. We were supposed to be switching between both those situations so that you always have players going away from the basket; you don't want players toward the basket. If anything, they should be settling for long shots that take them away. We don't care if someone's going away from the basket, we just don't want somebody making a basket cut… You have to send people to where your teammates are, because you know the switch is going to happen." Did you want Wayne to take the three? "No, it's just -- he was fine. We were going to call a timeout and just make a good, educated play. The pick wasn't as well-set as I would have thought, but in some point in time we have to be able to score in those situations--or get to the free throw line--so that's what I'd like to see more. Attacking the basket, being able to draw significant contact, where there's no indecision as to whether there's a foul created or not, but we're making sure that we get a wide-open shot." Are you surprised that they went back to look at Corey's basket? "Was I surprised? No, those are the rules of the game." A few times Al had good position on the inside… were guys just not seeing him? "Well, that's part of it. That was part of the things we wanted to do really well against Toronto… most guys saw the video of themselves just standing there, not punching in, having guys deep in the point … we either weren't punching in or we didn't see the guy. We watched it on tape; we showed everybody "this is what we're looking for, this is what's available," and we just have to find those guys. And we did a terrific job. We did an exceptional job in the first half. We just couldn't replicate it the second half." You always say that things are about effort… (asking about two plays w/Flynn and Wilkins)… who's fault? "When Paul was the one taking it out of bounds, that's the most dangerous guy… In a switch situation, which is what we were in, you always want players going away from the basket, you never want players cutting in toward the basket. So they were supposed to send them away from the basket, and then the switch would have happened in both occasions going out away from the basket." So was it Wilkins not sending him in a different direction on the in-bounds? "They both fell for fakes. That fake where they jumped on the high side rather than just going "okay, you want to go high, that's okay," they both over-jumped and both of them got caught." Ball getting passed inside but the ball was getting picked of: "We get stagnant. That's what I was telling them in the second half. I don't want it to happen where we just go down the floor and everybody on the planet knows exactly what we're doing. That's not what was productive for us in the first half. We were moving the basketball, we were using our offense, we were making cuts, we were changing sides of the floor, getting into pick-and-roll situations, and then we were getting to the roll man and punching in… I don't mean when we come down the floor and Al Jefferson just stands and everybody goes to the left block and then we have to struggle with ten seconds trying to cram the ball to him, and then they just double-team him… he settles for a 17-foot jumper, that is not what I'm talking about. And that's what happened a lot of times in the second half. We weren't executing our offense and we weren't moving the basketball, and we weren't changing sides on the floor…" What do you do when an opponent so deliberately leaves a player open as often as they did with Brewer? "He's got to do a good job of making sure he keeps his man occupied. That's one of the principles of a sound offense, that if they're not going to guard you--if they're not going to pay attention to you--on example was when he slashed and cut to the basket and he got himself a layup. The offense has to stay spaced, and the offense has to create some movement so the defense can't just lock in on people. He made the right decision in that court, but there's a lot of times when he's not making the correct decision." Should [Brewer] not be flashing out? "Well, we have other post players that are inside, but it's up to Corey to regain his form, get his confidence back, but the position that he plays requires that he knock down open shots. He doesn't have to create shots, but he has to knock down open shots." Compare Flynn tonight to Friday? "I like what he did in the first half. A lot of it had to do with our defense, and he's pushing the basketball, That's my mind's eye of how he's capable of playing, and he also did a better job of organizing their offense and seeing people inside, whether controlling people or punching people. That's the sort of court vision that I anticipate him having on a regular basis. He's just going to continue to learn, continue to make mistakes, and continue to grow. All of these situations what we go through on game days are all learning experiences… A lot of your lessons are painful. As long as a player is receptive, as long as a player continues to work hard--which he does--he's going to learn from these mistakes and they're going to be valuable learning experiences. They hurt, they sting, but you learn from them."
"That's definitely a tough one to swallow. There are so many things in this game that contributed to this loss. I wouldn't just say free throws. A lot of turnovers in the third quarter and they scored off of. Some games we just miss free throws and tonight were one of those games." On looking ahead to the Lakers: "They are definitely good, one of the best, if not the best team in the NBA. The size of their front line is unmatchable, two seven footers then you have Kobe Bryant." On Hornets success shooting the ball: "This is the NBA and you can't stop everybody, you have to hope to contain some guys. It was one of those nights where they were hitting everything and we just couldn't do anything."
"They just kept making plays, making big runs. Peja hit some tough shots." On the Brewer's shot that was called back: "We thought it was good, but that is what they put the replay in for. It was still a tied game at that point, we had plenty of opportunities to win the game, they made the best of it and that is how they got the win." On close losses as opposed to blow outs: "It is painful; take some good with the bad. Now we know what we are capable of doing, so we have to win those games now. Now we have to buckle down and stay focused on what got us the lead or what got us to that point. We know that teams are going to step up the defensive pressure, execute, set harder picks and do those things, we have to match that. We have to execute better defensively and offensively in order to win." On making strides offensively: "I have just been aggressive, taking guys off the dribble. Guys that are slower than me I think I have the miss match to get into the heart of the defense, making plays for myself and kicking it out to open guys. That is how I have been able to make strides offensively. You have to pick and choose your spots when to attack and be aggressive, and that is what I have been doing. We have all been playing well, getting great chances at the end, but we are just not finishing it off."
On playing in front of the crowd, and poor second half play: "We are having tough droughts in the second half, the third and fourth quarter. Eventually as a young team you will get over that hump and step your game up in the second half." On free throws: "Last night in Toronto they got a lot more attempts than us and they knocked them down. Tonight we got a lot of free throws and we didn't knock them down. Free throws are telling in our last couple of games." On teams' shooting high percentage: "They really knocked them down. It is just a polar opposite of what happened last night. It was on us, we didn't match their intensity, and we didn't contain their run. And like I said we didn't hit our free throws." On his hand: "My hand feels one hundred percent, it feels great out there. One thing I keep doing is shooting the ball well and trying to rebound." |
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