Post Game Quotes
Jazz 112, Lakers 125
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NEXT: PLAYOFFS 2009
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Jazz Quotes
Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan
on the outcome of tonight’s game:
“Well we didn’t give much of a battle and knowing that we’re going to have to play them again, it looks pretty bleak. Hate to say that but it’s one of those things.”
on the Lakers:
“They’re a terrific team. They play, pass the ball, and do just about everything you’d ask a team to do. They have guys that can make big shots, guys that just know how to play basketball, make the game look simple.”
on steps to take to prepare for the first round of playoffs:
“Obviously we’re going to have to play with a great deal more intensity. We’re going to have to be a better defensive team, and try to get up and play people a little bit more than what we did this particular game and see what happens. We can’t pick and choose. We have to come up against one of the toughest teams and we had to fight like the devil to get here. I think our guys did a terrific job to do that considering all the things that have happened so far. Now there’s a whole new season starting. You don’t start off with injuries, everybody’s healthy, get everybody on the same page and see what it’s all about.”
on things to improve upon for Sunday:
“It all depends on how we prepare, get ready to play them and try to do a better job defensively. Out there they just kill us with the way they pass the ball and the kind of open shots they get. That’s what their system does. They get the kind of players to fit into it and they’re in pretty good shape.”
on Andrew Bynum’s contribution to the Lakers:
“There’s another long body. They’re awfully long out there, we’re not long with the people we have and they do a terrific job. He’s a wonderful young player and adds a lot to the team.”
Deron Williams
on playing against the Lakers in the first round:
“It’s going to be a tough series. There’s no way around it, it’s just they’re the best team in the West. But you know I feel like we can beat them. We just have to steal one here. We haven’t been a good road team but you know we have to do it.”
on the big Lakers run in the 2nd half:
“They got hot, I did a double take myself; I looked up and I thought it was a10 point game but it was 20. They can score points in a hurry.”
Ronnie Brewer
on the poor 2nd half performance:
“They made runs, knocking down shots, executing their offense, and we just missed some shots. They got up on us a little bit and it was just too far and we couldn’t come back.”
on what to improve on when playing against the Lakers in the first round:
“We have to match their intensity, play better defense, and knock down shots. CJ Miles is going to come back and that’s going to be helpful, Mehmet is going to be back so hopefully with a full roster, we can compete.”
Kyle Korver
on what adjustment to make facing the Lakers:
“We have to play together and we have to play hard. We’re a system team; when we try to go out there and do it one-on-one we’re alright but we’re not great. We have players here who fit a system and when we run that system well we can be good, but if we get away from that, that’s when we get in trouble.”
on playing against the Lakers the first round:
“Obviously the Lakers are the best team in the West as of right now but we weren’t trying to avoid anyone. Obviously we want to play them some other time down the road but you have to play them sometime, you mind as well play them first.”
Lakers Quotes
Lakers Coach Phil Jackson
on tonight’s game:
“I liked it. It was a spirited contest. It was a really good game for both teams I thought, you know, going up against each other.”
on all of the fouls that were committed in the first half:
“That’s the way they like to play ball. They take it as far as they can take it at you and create a situation like that. We know that; we just weren’t prepared for the energy they came in this ballgame with. This is their fourth game in five nights but it tells you something about who they are.”
on whether he has seen what he wanted to from Andrew Bynum:
“Well, some of it is about dealing with the penetration that is coming at him as a defensive stopper – both he and Pau. We got some turnovers at, you know, the end of the third, beginning of the fourth quarter and those same situations that changed the ballgame around for us. Other than that, they were in our faces coming down the lane and we weren’t and didn’t block many shots. You know, second chance opportunities were there for them and fouls.”
on what concerns him about Utah in the playoffs:
“They’re going to drive the ball down into your throat with Williams and then get to the foul line.”
on using a lineup of Shannon, Sasha and Trevor:
“They were very good. They like to run and they like to play a fast paced game. They’re good together.”
on the Lakers having 39 assists:
“I thought we were really crisp. Our passing was good. I thought we had five turnovers in the first quarter which bothered me. You know, that’s too many. But, you know, we adjusted as the game goes on. Sometimes that takes some time.”
Andrew Bynum
on how he felt about finishing up the regular season:
“It feels great, I feel well-rested. I am very, very, very excited. I have never played in an NBA playoff game, well I played in Phoenix for a minute but that doesn’t really count. I think I have a great chance to help push us over the hump.”
on how he is feeling since the injury:
“I am still a little bit off on my timing. I feel like my fitness is there; I am able to stay on the court and I am not getting very tired.”
on his feelings towards playing in the first playoff game:
“My adrenaline is going to carry me all the way through that game. I won’t be getting very tired.”
Trevor Ariza
on playing Utah again in the playoffs:
“We just came out and played the game tonight. I don’t think we should be worried about any opponent or any team, I know we will come out and play hard.”
on the difference between tonight’s game and the past few games:
“I think we played harder today then we have played in the last few games. They made us play hard; definitely, I think that is the difference between today and the last few games. I think we were moving the ball a lot and sharing the ball and everyone was playing together today and that is what we really need if we are going to make this run that we are talking about.”
Shannon Brown
on what Andrew Bynum adds to the team:
“It is definitely a whole different ball game. He brings size, defensive presence, and scoring. He has gotten a lot better over the years.”
Kobe Bryant
on tonight’s game:
“We had a game to play so we played it. We don’t care about who we play or who we match up with, we just go out there and do what we do. In terms of getting in their heads, I think that they have such a great coach that it doesn’t matter what we do tonight or what we did before, he is going to have his guys ready to go.”
on guarding Deron Williams in the next game against Utah:
“Of course, we have a bunch of capable guys [to guard Williams]. He is a problem. He was a problem for us last year and he will be a problem for us this series.”
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