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| Sunday, March 1, 2009 Final Score: New Orleans 99, New Jersey 96 Hornets Post Game Quotes
On the game: “We did a really good job in the last minute on both ends of the floor. We hit some really big shots, made key free throws and the Chris Paul steal at the end. We did a really good job on the out of bound plays and did not let the Nets have any good looks at the basket. Our fast break tonight was non-existent. We got to the free throw line a ton of times, which is good because we were aggressive. We have to have a balance. We have to be a little tougher defensively and buckle down a little bit better when we have to and then execute a little bit better on offense.”
On the hustle they showed tonight: “We just talked about trying to get this game here in New Jersey, we know they have been playing well and we are playing for a playoff spot. Therefore, we came out very aggressive, and I thought we were able to get some second opportunities on the offensive glass.” On the Nets: “We know that they have been playing really tough here, fighting for a playoff spot. I knew we were going to be in for a battle, but we were determined to come in here…we knew that if we had a close lead we would have a shot. Even though we were struggling with the pick and roll we were able to get some stops late and really convert those on our end.”
On how he initially hurt his toe: “My first year here with (the Hornets) it was in practice and I ended up having surgery in the offseason after playing though the season with it. It’s been fine since the surgery and hasn’t really bothered me.”
On how they stayed composed when the Nets made a run: “We feel like we are just one of those teams that never gets rattled. They hit a lot of big shots. We were up for most of the game but they just went on a crazy run and we just knew that at the right time we would make a shot.” Nets Post Game Quotes
On the team’s defense: “Well, we put them on the line a bunch. You know, West is a great player and we tried putting Sean on him, then putting Bobby on Tyson Chandler, and treating Paul with a switch to try and make them play a little different way. West is a great player, and they’ve got so many weapons, especially Paul, West, and the perimeter shooting. I mean, look, it was 94-90 and we gave (Rasual) Butler the three. Then we had a good possession and missed the shot. Then with the turnover, Paul jumped in between us. So, you know, we got the game where we wanted it, and someone is going to score the points. West is a great player, and we tried different things. I wish we didn’t foul him as much as we did, but he’s a super player. On whether or not he was surprised to see Vince ‘deferring’ to Devin towards the end: “Well, you know Vince was coming off what we call a ‘close-the-door’ and he saw Devin wide open. But he wasn’t deferring, he was just passing to the open man.” On Vince and Devin only combining for four points in the 4th quarter: “Well, you know, we may have worn down a little bit. But, like I said, we put ourselves in a great position at 94-90, and then it’s anyone’s game. We couldn’t muster a couple stops and we were just trying to get great shots on the other end.” On Jarvis diving into the crowd: “Well you worry about his safety, obviously. You know, you don’t want to see him get hurt and thankfully he didn’t. And, obviously, you don’t want to see anyone in the crowd get hurt as well. But, those are the type of hustle plays that we have to make.” On Jarvis being the type of guy to rely on for hustle plays: “Well, Jarvis gives us a great deal of punch off the bench, both offensively and defensively. It’s been hard on him because he hasn’t been able to have contact practice because of the sprained thumb. But he played with a great deal of energy tonight.”
On the end of the game: “I think we let the game slip away, besides that I think we played a pretty solid basketball game. In the fourth quarter we had some mental lapses, they got a couple key offensive rebounds and in the end it cost us the game.” On the last shot: “I passed up a shot but it was for a better opportunity, why not pass the ball to a guy who has a good shot that can possibly win the game.” On the last rebound against Tyson Chandler: “It was clean, I tried to push him away from the basket but the ball took a high bounce and bounced right to him, I just lost the height contest.”
On frustration of letting the lead slip away: It’s frustrating, we had two turnovers late, didn’t get shots at the basket and they got great shots at the basket. We played fabulous all game long, the energy was there, guys were making shots. The point guard play has to be better late in the game and we just have to execute our offense and do our best to make stops. We played an excellent game, but we didn’t finish the game like we wanted to. On the match-up with Chris Paul: It was definitely a good match-up. I played well and he obviously played well, his scoring really wasn’t going, but he was definitely getting guys involved. When you look at it at the end of the day all that really matters is the win and he got that. On losing a game in which he and the team were outplaying the Hornets: It’s disappointing, like I said we need these types of games, we can’t let these types of games go to waste, especially at home, especially in the playoff push that we are trying to make. These are the types of games we need to finish, we can’t waste the effort that we had today.
On losing the lead at the end: We fought back and got into the game in the third quarter and then let it slip away at the end of the fourth. We all felt like we let one slip away. Anytime you get a team like New Orleans down like we had, we have to put them away and we didn’t. They have a great player in Paul, him and West played great together and they got an athletic big in Chandler. On playing David West with an injured right hand: It’s tough, especially the way he was pounding, for me it was next to impossible. Because I can’t really use my left hand, it’s kind of hard to play him with one hand, it was really tough. On if this was encouraging for the playoff push: Yea, that’s the goal. The goal is to make the playoffs, like I said I think we played with a certain intensity level throughout the game to win, unfortunately we didn’t. We did a lot of good things tonight, a lot of good things. |
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