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POSTGAME QUOTES
 Mike D’Antoni:
On the game:
“There were moments that we (Los Angeles Lakers) gave up a foul shot or a rebound that turned into a three-point shot. There were extra shots that we gave them (Miami HEAT) and we didn’t rebound. You have to give them credit. They were fast and cover a lot of ground.”
“Turnovers were the problem in the last nine minutes of the game. Again, you have to give them (Miami HEAT) credit. We just didn’t make the right play at the right time; they did.”
“They (Miami HEAT) were quicker to the ball. All the 50/50 balls they got and they are much more athletic than we (Los Angles Lakers) are. We need to be a little bit more alert. Our foot speed is not as good as their food speed.”
“We (Los Angeles Lakers) tried to make some hard passes that we didn’t complete.”
On LeBron James:
“He (LeBron James) is so efficient at shooting. He really has no weaknesses. He is about as good as you can get, I would think. Maybe someone else will come along who is better, but he is playing really well right now.”
“He (LeBron James) shoots three-pointers better, he posts up and keeps working on his game and getting better. That is scary.”
On the Los Angeles Lakers:
“We (Los Angeles Lakers) competed tonight. We are making strides. The Miami HEAT set the bar so this is good for us and we will use it as a learning experience.”
On Metta World Peace:
“Well, he (Metta World Peace) struggled on defense against LeBron James, so I don’t know if that is struggling for anybody. He (LeBron James) is just so good.”
 Earl Clark:
On the game:
“They just hit some tough shots. We had some turnovers at the end. Dwyane (Wade) and LeBron (James) took the game over. We got to slow down and execute.
On the road trip:
“I loved the way we played. We didn’t give in. We’re coming along. We’re going to keep fighting.”
On LeBron James:
“He’s tough. He’s strong, fast and can shoot the ball. He’s just a great player. That’s all I can say.”
 Steve Nash:
On the game:
“We had our chances, but we weren’t good enough tonight. We had too many breakdowns. I think also that we had an opportunity to stretch the lead many times in the game. We didn’t deserve it (the win). Tonight we did a good job in areas for long stretches, but not well enough. At times, we got a little bit stagnant. ”
On the road trip:
“It’s not a disastrous trip, but we would’ve liked to have gotten another one. We still have a chance to continue a run here on out.”
On the challenge to countering the Miami HEAT:
“They have terrific athletes, especially on the perimeter with Dwyane (Wade) and LeBron (James). You got to take care of the ball and keep them out of transition.”
On LeBron James:
“He’s been even better than last year, this year. He’s playing at a level rarely seen.”
On the team:
“We’re still trying to find ourselves. It’s hard. We had a lot of injuries. We haven’t had a lot of time on the court together. We’re not a fully formed team.”
 Kobe Bryant:
On LeBron James:
“It’s very difficult (to guard LeBron James). He’s playing exceptional basketball. I think he’s figured out his game and how to use his size. I think he’s a little more focused than when he was younger. When you’re a young player, particularly him, you expect things to happen. Your career seems like it’s endless. I think he’s at the stage of his career in which he’ll value each year; and take the significance to his training and take the significance to focus for each game. I think it’s taken his game to another level. It’s tough. They have some great pieces around him too that makes it tough to lock in on him. He’s a fantastic passer. With his size, he can look over the defense like Magic (Earvin Johnson) could. At his size, I think it’s important that he’s added to his game is the ability to square up and shoot. He seems to have a lot of confidence in his jumper, which opens up the rest of the game for him. He seems to have a phenomenal year every year.”
On the game:
“For the most part, we played hard. They have a couple of sensational players over there (Dwyane Wade and LeBron James). They made some big plays. Dwyane (Wade) got himself going in the fourth quarter that created a cushion for them. He started doing what Dwyane Wade does, making sensational play after sensational play. They carried the momentum from there. We got to chase down some rebounds. We did okay on the glass, but it seemed like they got all the big ones that kind of turned the tide.”
On the road trip::
“Pau’s (Gasol) injury is a big setback on this road trip. I felt like this trip could have been a little bit more successful. All in all, it’s okay.”
On forgetting about Dwyane Wade’s greatness:
“I don’t (forget how good Dwyane Wade is). I’m definitely not in that category. Not me. I know what kind of problem he is. I tried to focus on him as much as I can. They (Miami HEAT) have two very special players; two of the best that we have seen. He seems to be rounding into form. You saw that break way dunk that he had. That’s the younger Dwyane (Wade).”
On an unfair advantage playing the Miami HEAT:
“I can’t complain about it since I had another guy (Shaquille O’Neal) some odd years ago that dominated the league. I can’t really say too much.”
 Erik Spoelstra:
On the game:
“Well we had to fight for that one. That’s good. We had to scrap, change our mentality a little bit there in the third quarter. We were way too caught up in the officiating. Regardless of what we thought or not, including myself, it was distracting us at the task at hand. We just focused on things we could control and that’s playing better and doing our job. Our activity level all the way up to that point was very good. Then it spiked to another level in the third quarter, but we did it with a better discipline and focus and commitment in the fourth quarter.”
On the game and the HEAT’s defense:
“In the first three quarters it wasn’t the lack of effort. Our guys were being active we just made a lot of mistakes.”
“We just had a much better focus and commitment in the fourth quarter. Then you couple that with the activity and you get the deflections and the steals and so forth.”
On Dwyane Wade’s play in the fourth quarter:
“Both ends he was tireless tonight. I planned on getting him out for a couple minutes in the fourth quarter, but he was playing with so much energy on both ends of the court. Then in the last five minutes he had to take the challenge against [Kobe] Bryant. So he was doing it at both ends. That’s what makes him special, LeBron [James] is special, Chris [Bosh] is special. That’s why we wanted all three of those guys to set the tone for our franchise because they are true, two-way players. They are franchise players. To be a real franchise player you have to be a two-way player and you have to be committed to it at both ends of the court.”
“Offensively he just made all the right decisions. He was aggressive, but he also got off the ball when he needed to. He set up his teammates for open looks.”
On LeBron James’ fifth straight game where he scored over thirty points:
“I say this to Miami fans . . . don’t take it for granted. He’s making greatness look easy.”
“His game has improved over the years, but secondly, because of the spacing and the trust that there isn’t the stress level on his part, or any of our guys, that you have to make the shot. They feel more confident now than ever in the offense. If you don’t have it the next guy will be able to make the play. There is a freedom of mind when you play that way. He is a very intellectual basketball player, so he feels that.”
On Chris Bosh’s play:
“I thought that once he got his flow in that first sweat and that second wind he really helped us and found a comfort zone. His rebounding was great. His activity level was great. He just does things that are rock solid for us. We all know that. You don’t want to take it for granted but every time he is out, even with the big blow out the other night, you just realize how many little things that he does for us to be successful.”
On Mario Chalmers’ and Norris Cole’s play in tandem:
“What we want is 48 minutes of rock solid, point guard basketball. In the tenure of this team we probably play more point guard oriented basketball than we have in the past. So it’s critical that those guys give us positive minutes. They root for each other. They’re learning how to be effective in a hybrid point guard position for us.”
 Dwyane Wade:
On the game:
“No matter what is going on in LA (Los Angeles) it is always fun to play that team because you know you’re always going to get their best, they’re going to compete. Kobe Bryant is one of the best competitors ever to play this game. You have to bring your A game no matter what. It was a fun game to play here on a Sunday afternoon. Our fans were in it and we were up for the challenge.”
“We had a few breakdowns early on which a team will have but when it comes down to it we understand what we have to do for each other on both ends of the floor.”
 LeBron James:
On the game:
“You could feel the buzz in the arena today. We were just happy that we were able to play our game, weather some of their storms that they had and come out with a win.”
On Dwyane Wade:
“He was great, better than good. His legs are under him, you can tell on his jump shot, he is finishing up top and he is penetrating and getting to the rim too. He is getting healthier and healthier each and everyday and each and every game. It is a huge plus for our team and I know how great he feels right now.”
“We understand how great he is and how much he means to our team. He is a big part of our team and we can’t win without him.”
 Chris Bosh:
On the game:
“I love winning. I’ve been on teams where it (to win one ball game) was the hardest thing in the world to do. It never gets old.”
“It is good to be back out there. It is kind of weird not playing.”
“Any time I go out there I expect to play the regular game.”
On LeBron James:
“You come to expect it a little bit. He has really improved this year. As amazing as that is to say, he finds a way to get better.”
“It is the same shot selection, they are just going down.”
“We all want to be aggressive, not only shooting the ball but taking the ball to the rim and trying to get to the free-throw line and get some easy points.”
“Maintaining the save level of consistency with the efficiency is very unique. I don’t think anybody has really seen it before.”
“Throughout the course of the season he just finds a way to get better.”
“Now he is posting the same numbers with less shots. It just sounds crazy but he just gets it done.”
On Dwyane Wade:
“When he gets on a roll we all know how he is. We called some great plays for him. He took what the defense gave him. He was doing pretty much everything.”
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