Game 1 Post-Game Quotes
Post-Game Quotes
Orlando Magic 99 v. Detroit Pistons 94
The Palace of Auburn Hills
April 20, 2003
Detroit Pistons Head Coach Rick Carlisle: “Well you look at the statistics in this league and when you play from behind a large percentage of the time you lose. Just because you get behind early doesn’t mean that you should be out of the game. We are disappointed with the loss and obviously the way we played. I thought Orlando played a great game. They were able to get the job done. I really think that when we break this game down, you’ll find that we obviously didn’t shoot a great percentage. We are going to have to take a large look at the shots that we are taking. A lot of them were quick, and at Orlando’s tempo. When you shoot 34 percent in a playoff game it is just very unlikely that you are going to win. However, a lot of plays on the defensive end did influence that. (on Tracy McGrady) This guy is arguably the best guy on the planet. And we know that, and we know that he is going to score some points. He is doing some spectacular things out there. We are going to have to try to do a better job on him. If he goes for forty plus every game, it is going to be really hard for us to stop him.”
Orlando Magic Head Coach Doc Rivers: “I’m obviously very proud of our guys. I thought they played with great energy and intensity the entire game. You look at a team as young as ours, and to only have eleven turnovers, and to play defense the way that they did tonight. I am just really proud of them. (on Darrel Armstrong) He had a huge game for us. It wasn’t just his numbers but his activity. I thought the two guards helped us out tonight, Daryl and Jacque out on the floor, the two point guards helped us. And Tracy McGrady, you know what I loved about his game tonight is that he did it in spurts. He got guys involved and then he tried to take over some. Just really good patience by him. Detroit had three or four or five good runs against us, and we answered to runs with big rebounds, or a big stop or a big score. For a young team I don’t know if we can play any better. Before the game we talked about our young guys, Steven Hunter, Drew Gooden and Gordan Giricek all being X factors to Orlando.”
Pistons Center Cliff Robinson: “ It wasn’t the fact that we didn’t score. We didn’t play defense as a team. It’s not scoring. That’s not what our team has been built on over the last few years. That’s the way we’ve been playing and because of that, it’s been effecting our defense. We continue to take quick shots after guys worked to get a steal. After we’ve worked to stop somebody on the defensive end, and we go down and give them the ball right back, it’s going to have an effect on your defense. . . When you come down and take quick shots and they don’t go in, it’s going to look like you can’t score. If you come down and you take quick shots and they’re going in, then you’re a great offensive team. . . We didn’t pay enough attention to the game plan, of how we were going to play pick-and-rolls and play different situations. . . (on Tracy McGrady’s performance): He’s a tremendous player, he’s going to make plays. When we do manage to stop him, we have to try to do a better job on the other end and make a play. . . (on Ben Wallace’s effort): I thought he played well. Of course he’s going to be a little hampered because he’s just getting back, but he did what he had to do.”
Pistons Guard Jon Barry: “I thought they were able to rest Tracy (McGrady) in the first half because they were playing well enough. They had an eight or 10-point lead throughout and they got him nine minutes on the bench, which is a lot more than normal. . . I thought they defended well. I thought there were a lot of shots that we had that we just didn’t make. If you shoot 31 percent, it’s awfully difficult. . . . They took it to us, for whatever the reason, we played horribly and to be even close, to have it at one late in the fourth, it was amazing. We got beat -- we should’ve gotten beat a lot worse. We shouldn’t have had any chance to win this game.”
DARRELL ARMSTRONG: (On playing Chauncey Billups) Jacque (Vaughn) started out well. He had him struggling in the beginning. I just tried to keep him in front of me, put a hand in his face and make him miss shots. In the fourth quarter he really struggled. When you get to the free throw line it helps out a lot but somehow some way he still didn’t get going from the field so that was good. I have to give credit to our points guards, to our big man and everybody because he’s a real good point guard. Rip really shot the ball well for them, Robinson played well, shot the ball well. We were playing hard. They were playing hard too but I think we were more physical on the defensive end. We’re (Armstrong and Wallace) are from the same conference and I knew he was going to play. It didn’t surprise me. I looked at him at the beginning of the game when he caught the ball underneath and tried to go up for a dunk. He really didn’t get any lift, he really didn’t jump the way I know he can jump. But he’s a warrior. He stayed out there and competed. The thing he did well for the team is knock down free throws with 7 for 8 and also 13 rebounds with 11 on the defensive end. I don’t think he was himself but I think having Ben out there is still a presence.”
TRACY MCGRADY: “We just kept attacking. We kept playing aggressive. Coach told us we had to stay aggressive and keep attacking and to keep our composure. As a young team that’s what you have to do. We were just moving the ball around. I felt good on the offensive end, I felt like I could get any shot and I just kept attacking and things were falling for us. The ultimate goal for me, and I hope for a lot of guys, is to win a championship. Obviously I want to get out of the first round because I’ve been put out three consecutive years. It’s just something I’m out to prove to a lot of people that although I’m the only all-star on the team, I’m capable of pulling this off. When I’m feeling good out on the basketball court. When the jumper is falling for me, you’re pretty much at my mercy. I just stay attack mode when I see it’s one-on-one. Those guys are pretty solid on the defensive end but you just have to keep coming at them, and that’s what I was doing. I was being relentless out on the basketball court.”
Detroit Pistons Head Coach Rick Carlisle: “Well you look at the statistics in this league and when you play from behind a large percentage of the time you lose. Just because you get behind early doesn’t mean that you should be out of the game. We are disappointed with the loss and obviously the way we played. I thought Orlando played a great game. They were able to get the job done. I really think that when we break this game down, you’ll find that we obviously didn’t shoot a great percentage. We are going to have to take a large look at the shots that we are taking. A lot of them were quick, and at Orlando’s tempo. When you shoot 34 percent in a playoff game it is just very unlikely that you are going to win. However, a lot of plays on the defensive end did influence that. (on Tracy McGrady) This guy is arguably the best guy on the planet. And we know that, and we know that he is going to score some points. He is doing some spectacular things out there. We are going to have to try to do a better job on him. If he goes for forty plus every game, it is going to be really hard for us to stop him.”
Orlando Magic Head Coach Doc Rivers: “I’m obviously very proud of our guys. I thought they played with great energy and intensity the entire game. You look at a team as young as ours, and to only have eleven turnovers, and to play defense the way that they did tonight. I am just really proud of them. (on Darrel Armstrong) He had a huge game for us. It wasn’t just his numbers but his activity. I thought the two guards helped us out tonight, Daryl and Jacque out on the floor, the two point guards helped us. And Tracy McGrady, you know what I loved about his game tonight is that he did it in spurts. He got guys involved and then he tried to take over some. Just really good patience by him. Detroit had three or four or five good runs against us, and we answered to runs with big rebounds, or a big stop or a big score. For a young team I don’t know if we can play any better. Before the game we talked about our young guys, Steven Hunter, Drew Gooden and Gordan Giricek all being X factors to Orlando.”
Pistons Center Cliff Robinson: “ It wasn’t the fact that we didn’t score. We didn’t play defense as a team. It’s not scoring. That’s not what our team has been built on over the last few years. That’s the way we’ve been playing and because of that, it’s been effecting our defense. We continue to take quick shots after guys worked to get a steal. After we’ve worked to stop somebody on the defensive end, and we go down and give them the ball right back, it’s going to have an effect on your defense. . . When you come down and take quick shots and they don’t go in, it’s going to look like you can’t score. If you come down and you take quick shots and they’re going in, then you’re a great offensive team. . . We didn’t pay enough attention to the game plan, of how we were going to play pick-and-rolls and play different situations. . . (on Tracy McGrady’s performance): He’s a tremendous player, he’s going to make plays. When we do manage to stop him, we have to try to do a better job on the other end and make a play. . . (on Ben Wallace’s effort): I thought he played well. Of course he’s going to be a little hampered because he’s just getting back, but he did what he had to do.”
Pistons Guard Jon Barry: “I thought they were able to rest Tracy (McGrady) in the first half because they were playing well enough. They had an eight or 10-point lead throughout and they got him nine minutes on the bench, which is a lot more than normal. . . I thought they defended well. I thought there were a lot of shots that we had that we just didn’t make. If you shoot 31 percent, it’s awfully difficult. . . . They took it to us, for whatever the reason, we played horribly and to be even close, to have it at one late in the fourth, it was amazing. We got beat -- we should’ve gotten beat a lot worse. We shouldn’t have had any chance to win this game.”
DARRELL ARMSTRONG: (On playing Chauncey Billups) Jacque (Vaughn) started out well. He had him struggling in the beginning. I just tried to keep him in front of me, put a hand in his face and make him miss shots. In the fourth quarter he really struggled. When you get to the free throw line it helps out a lot but somehow some way he still didn’t get going from the field so that was good. I have to give credit to our points guards, to our big man and everybody because he’s a real good point guard. Rip really shot the ball well for them, Robinson played well, shot the ball well. We were playing hard. They were playing hard too but I think we were more physical on the defensive end. We’re (Armstrong and Wallace) are from the same conference and I knew he was going to play. It didn’t surprise me. I looked at him at the beginning of the game when he caught the ball underneath and tried to go up for a dunk. He really didn’t get any lift, he really didn’t jump the way I know he can jump. But he’s a warrior. He stayed out there and competed. The thing he did well for the team is knock down free throws with 7 for 8 and also 13 rebounds with 11 on the defensive end. I don’t think he was himself but I think having Ben out there is still a presence.”
TRACY MCGRADY: “We just kept attacking. We kept playing aggressive. Coach told us we had to stay aggressive and keep attacking and to keep our composure. As a young team that’s what you have to do. We were just moving the ball around. I felt good on the offensive end, I felt like I could get any shot and I just kept attacking and things were falling for us. The ultimate goal for me, and I hope for a lot of guys, is to win a championship. Obviously I want to get out of the first round because I’ve been put out three consecutive years. It’s just something I’m out to prove to a lot of people that although I’m the only all-star on the team, I’m capable of pulling this off. When I’m feeling good out on the basketball court. When the jumper is falling for me, you’re pretty much at my mercy. I just stay attack mode when I see it’s one-on-one. Those guys are pretty solid on the defensive end but you just have to keep coming at them, and that’s what I was doing. I was being relentless out on the basketball court.”
