Head Coach Doc Rivers' Quotes, 4/18/02
“It was a great season for us, really when you think about it and when you think about all the other teams that didn’t make it. Some teams used the injury excuse. Our team chose not to use that excuse. We chose to just keep playing.
“We had some of our key guys injured, Grant Hill missed most of the year, Mike Miller missed almost 20 games, Tracy McGrady missed almost 10 games.
Yet, you are still in the playoffs and you are very happy.
(How did you weather the storm) Our guys are use to it…It’s what’s happened to us in the last three years more often than not. I think we have a great spirit on this basketball team. I look at this team and the sum is greater than the parts. When you put this group together it is a pretty darn good basketball team, one of my favorites, maybe the favorite, just because they try so hard every night.
(On Tracy McGrady) Tracy brings you a star. He does everything for your basketball team. He might be our best rebounder. He could be our best passer. He is our best play-maker and he is definitely our best scorer. When you have one guy who is best in all those categories that usually means he’s a great player and he is. And he’s young. It’s scary to think that Tracy’s 22-years-old and in five years he’ll be in his prime.
(On if team will be rested) I don’t know if anyone will be rested, not just us but everyone. It was a difficult season for everyone for whatever reason. That’s what you hear from all the coaches, how tough the season was. I think a lot of teams did have injuries. I also thought the schedule was clumped together for whatever reason, but we are all here, we’re still standing and we’ll be ready.
(On Charlotte) Jamal Mashburn and Baron Davis are obviously the two key guys we’re going to zero in on and try to contain, but I also think it’s the others on Charlotte who have hurt us. You know Mash is going to have a decent game and the same for Baron Davis, but the George Lynchs, Wesleys, Magloires, Stacy Augmons…those are the guys we need to try and stop.
(On home court) One game…we’ll take two, but if we get one game we come back and now we have home court advantage. That’s how the playoffs work. You win on the road you have it. You lose one at home and you lose it.
