Utah Jazz Game 2 Round 1 Quotes - Playoffs 2008

JAZZ COACH JERRY SLOAN
(on the game) "I think, first of all, we expected them to come and play a lot tougher and they were a lot tougher tonight. They really battled us all night long. If it hadn't been for some big shots we would have been in trouble. ai think you have to give them credit. They came hard and stayed after us all night long."

(on Utah's play) "We made some big shots. It seems like every time we got in trouble we'd fight back and get a big shot or a big rebound. Andrei had some numbers the other night to support the offense but tonight I thought he did a great job defensively and got some big rebounds."

DERON WILLIAMS
(on going ahead two in the series)    "It was great for us to come out the way we did tonight and not just settle for the one victory. We want to get both of them and be greedy. I thought we did a great job of attacking T-Mac the whole game. We've just got to go back now and take care of business. We're happy that we are up 2-0 because they have beaten us before in our arena this year. They are going to be ready. They are going to be fighting for their life."

CARLOS BOOZER
(on Deron Williams) "Oh, yeah. He came out, he was aggressive, he came out driving the ball, driving the ball especially after the first quarter I think he had three three's in four minutes. In the second half he was using the pick and roll to get in the lane and make things happen for us."

(on getting two road wins) "It's big for us. We came in here trying to get game one. That was a tough task but we accomplished it. And then game two tonight was a tough one as well but we held our composure down the stretch and got a win. We've got to take care of business on game three. We know they are going to play a lot better. We have to come out and match their intensity."

ANDREI KIRILENKO
(on Scola's 4th quarter foul) "It was a foul. It was a game rule violation and it was called a foul. It was the right call in my opinion. It was one of the key plays in the game but there were a number of key plays in the fourt quarter."

(on going back to Utah) "I'm tired of Houston and I want to be home. We can't be relaxed at home or they will force us to pay. It's been perfect so far. We need two more wins and we can't relax. We are confident in every game. It's not going to be easy at home. Houston will fight and we will have to meet their fight."

(on Tracy McGrady) "He is great! An unbelievable player. We try and double and triple team him and it is hard for him to play that way. He was definitely tired at the end. We definitely pay more attention to him in the fourth quarter and force him to take hard shots."

MEHMET OKUR
(on his three point shooting) "I stayed hungry and I stayed with my shot the whole game. My teammates created open shots for me and I felt real good. I was focused and I hit my shots."

(on the playoffs) "It's not over yet. We're very happy to get two wins here in Houston. We've played good at home all season with the best record in the league. We have to do the same things in Utah that we did in Houston and be ready to go after them at home."

KYLE KORVER
(on his two shots at the end of the game) "The shot clock was running low and Deron threw me the ball and if the backboard didn't get my first shot I
thought it might  have gone in. I got the ball back and shot a floater and it went in. It all happened kinda quick. The first shot felt good but it was also
kind of embarrasing."

(on the game) "The effort was there and it was a great game. We knew we would get their best effort. We had different guys step up. Our bench has been a big part of this team all season."

PAUL MILLSAP
(on the game) "We feel pretty confident as a team. We took care of business here in Houston. T-Mac played tremendous but overall we played better as a team."

(on the playoffs and going home to Utah) "There will be no complacency with this team at all. Our next game in Utah is very important. We need to continue to do at home and close out the series."

ROCKETS COACH RICK ADELMAN
(on the game) "The guys played their tales off and we just didn't do enough to win the game. Deron Williams really hurt us in the last six minutes of the game but we have to give our guys credit. The only thing we can do is go to Utah and try to get the next game. We're going to have to hear all the things everybody has to say but it really comes down to what we have to do in Utah, the next game. "

(on the controversial foul with Luis Scola) "Trying to get me fined. You can't say anything, you can't. All I can say is, you look at that play and I just saw briefly. I didn't look at it very long. He put his hand on Kirilenko's shoulder. Kirilenko fell back like a truck just hit him and you're going to make that call at that time of this game with just six seconds before Luis went to the basket and he got hammered?The same guy didn't make the call. All that stuff that went on in the game, you're going to make that call at that time? I really have a hard time with that."

TRACY MCGRADY
(on the game) "I'm pretty tired. Fourth quarter I didn't have anything. It's tough man, banging with these guys. It's a physical team but I didn't like how we came out. What really got me going was that Matt Harpring has a football mentality. He's a very physical guy and we kind of got into it down there and that kind of got me going a little bit but from that point on, my team followed me."

(on the loss ) "It is what it is. There's  nothing I can do about it but go out there and do what I did tonight and lead my team. I just fell short. I don't care about the criticism."

SHANE BATTIER
(on the controversial foul with Luis Scola) "No, I didn't really see it. It was a rare call. Usually at the end of the game they let you play a little bit but I really didn't see what the play was or the call was."

(on why they couldn't hold a lead) "You're not going to knock out anyone in the playoffs. You're not going to knock out a good team like the Jazz but you have to have a sustained effort for the entire time. We tied the game up late and they were right there. We just couldn't make that play to put us over the top."

LUIS SCOLA
(on the Rockets being down 2-0) "It's 2-0 so it's a little more difficult. Playing here or playing there, it shouldn't be a problem. We have to come in tomorrow and watch video and find out what we did wrong so that we can get better. We have to go step by step, starting with the first game. We'll just try to win and it's not over."

(on his feeling on his controversial foul) "I don't like to put the loss on the ref.  I don't think that's fair. It was part of the game and sometimes they make good calls and sometimes they make mistakes just like we do. I don't think we lost because of them."

BOBBY JACKSON
(on the Rockets fourth quarter comeback) "I think that's been our strong point all year. We fought and we are going to continue to fight until this series is over with. We are not going to give up and that's the good thing about this team. Regardless of how bad you beat us, we're going to continue to fight."

(on Utah coming up with a lot of loose balls) "That just shows you how hard they play. The determination of that team. They go after every loose ball and that's what this game is about. If you can't get the loose balls and you let the opponents get them, there's no chance you're going to win this game. You can try as much as you want but if you can't come up with the big loose balls or the hustle plays, you're not going to win the game and that's what they're doing right now."