May 1, 2003
Inside the Locker Room: May 1, 2003

Head Coach Paul Silas
Silas
(on the mood of the team after Wednesday's win)
There was a lot of excitement but we know what we have to do and what we're up against so we enjoyed last night but we still have to have that sense of urgency because you can't slip up because on and you're done.

(on if he still feels the Hornets will win to force a Game 7)
I still feel that way. If we can win up there in that hostile environment, we certainly can win here and it's a must win. We've just got to do it. It's not even thinkable that we can lose this game.

(on the mindset of the team)
My philosophy is always to think positive and losing is just not something that we think about. We're lucky enough to get Mash(burn) back and he led the charge. You don't know where it's going to come from. It has to come from somebody. Last night, it was George Lynch with two threes and two putbacks. It was just unbelieveable that he could come through that way so tomorrow night might have to be somebody else. Whoever it is, we just have to get it done.

(on trying to get David Wesley in the offensive flow tomorrow night)
He's got to do that. The third quarter (in Game 5) was when he really started shooting well and we've got to have him producing double-figure points for us because AI (Allen Iverson) is going to get his.





Lynch
(on his fourth quarter three-pointers last night)
It was big for our team. The playoffs are about guys stepping up when the opportunities are given and last night I had the opportunity to help my team win a game that was needed and I came through for them.

(on being not only defensive stopper but more complete player)
I'm one of those guys that just goes out there and plays the game, whether I get four shots a game or get 10 shots a game. I just try and shoot a high percentage. I try to shoot good shots when I'm open and I've worked all year for the last two years on being able to hit the open shot. It's finally paid off for me.

(on telling Baron Davis he was going to step up)
Last year, Baron and I were in the playoffs together and he would always ask me before the game 'Are you gonna punch your ticket?' and I'd ask him the same thing and we rode on that for a while and got to the second round. This year, we tell each other every game 'It's time to get our tickets punched' to advance to the next round. We're just trying to punch the ticket once again. It's about different guys stepping up when (Jamal) Mash(burn) and Baron (Davis) can't give us all that they've got. Mash is playing with a broken finger and Baron is playing on a bum knee. It's up to the rest of the guys to step up and make big plays and last night and I had my opportunity to make those plays.

(on wanting the win the series)
I want to win this series bad. That was my old team. I would love to beat them in this series in the first round and I know my teammates would like it too, but I think it's more me than anything. I'm sure those guys, Allen (Iverson), Eric (Snow) and Aaron (McKie) who played against me would love to beat me in this series, so it goes both ways. In those first four games, I think I was rushing it. I was rushing my shot and really wasn't relaxed. I was doing the things defensively and making plays that way, but offensively, I wasn't giving the team anything. Last night, coming off the bench, I had an opportunity to make some plays. I was relaxed and I made some plays.





Mashburn
(on how his finger feels) It is what it is and that's just pretty much the bottom line. It's been feeling the same way since it got broken. It hasn't changed at all. It's still the same. It's broken, pretty much and there's nothing I can do about it but keep on playing.

(on when he realized he was okay to play)
The swelling actually went down a little bit and then I went out there. I asked the guys to give me a little bit of time so I could heal up a little bit and I pretty much understand my body and know what it's capable of. I really wanted them to take care of home court, so after we lost that game and we came to practice the next day, I pretty much had the understanding and knowing that I was going to play the next day.

(on coming back home to play Game 6)
We're still down 3-2. We still have two games that we have to win and we have to take care of Friday night and just go from there.

(on being in front of the home crowd Friday night)
The fans are very important for me and a lot of these guys and for me, it's what in-between the lines. You want people out there to support you but you've got to take care of business on the court. You've got to win ballgames in order for people to support you so you've got to go out there and take care of business. If there's one person in the crowd or 20,000 in the crowd, you still have to go out there and perform and in order for us to keep on winning, we're going to have to play extremely hard and very aggressive.

(on the importance of bench people stepping up)
It's very important, especially during the playoffs. Everybody knows your plays. Everybody knows your personnel. Everybody knows what the starters are going to do and you have to get something from somebody they don't expect. I think they got it from Aaron McKie a couple of games and Eric Snow, his scoring a little bit. We got it from George Lynch. We got it from Jerome Moiso. That's what guys get paid to do. It's no surprise to me and it should be no surprise to them that they come out there and play. They're professionals and we have to come out and do what you have to do to help the team.



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