March 2010 Post Game Quotes

Mavs vs Grizzlies | March 31, 2010

MAVERICKS HEAD COACH RICK CARLISLE
On tonight’s win: “It was a frustrating game for 44 minutes. We were getting a lot of good looks. We were working hard, even though we weren’t playing particularly well. In the first half, our undoing was turnovers and missed shots. Everybody kept battling and Dirk (Nowitzki) hit those two threes to tie it up. It really energized us and made it tough on them. Getting into overtime and being able to win, and getting your 50th (win of the season) in a night like tonight is meaningful because 50 wins are hard to get and this has been a very hard place for us to win games.”

On the Mavericks’ physical presence: “Our big guys were physical. They didn’t give us great scoring numbers, but they gave us a physical presence inside and that really helped us.”

On if the Mavericks’ “stole” the game: “We hung in. I don’t know if stealing it is the right term or not. It would have been easy to cave. They guys were determined.”

On have 10 straight seasons of at least 50 wins: “It’s a tribute to ownership. The commitment that Mark Cuban has made to have good players, create a good environment and get a full building. It’s work and it costs money. Not every owner is willing to do that. It’s very meaningful from that standpoint. You have to have guys that get it done on the floor. Not only playing being able to finish games and deal with nights like tonight. It’s easy to pack it in down 12 in the fourth (quarter). It’s a great win, but we have to get out of here quick and get ready for the next one.”

MAVERICKS CENTER BRENDAN HAYWOOD (11 points, 8 rebounds)
On the win: “This team doesn’t have any quit in us. We aren’t going to give in. As long as have a shot, we are going to continue to fight and play hard. We were in this same situation in Atlanta and we came back and won the game. We did the same thing tonight. Dirk hit a lot of big shots down the stretch. He brought us home.”

MAVERICKS FORWARD DIRK NOWITZKI (28 points, 5 rebounds)
On tonight’s performance: “I am just glad that I got going. We really had nothing going for a long time in the fourth (quarter). (Jason Terry) was really the only guy that kept us in the game. Then they made a run and were up by 11 (points). At that point it is either go for it or you take the (loss). We went for it. Our defense was phenomenal in the second half. We only allowed 40 points in the second half. Energy was great, but we need a little spark offensively. I was able to get going so that was great.”

On his shooting tonight: “I was about 3 for 16. At some point I was able to make that one three-pointer in the third (quarter). As a shooter, all you need is to see one go through. Sometimes it might be a free throw. Sometimes it might be a lay-up that gets you going. I was just happy that one when through and that I stuck with it. My teammates always support me and tell me to keep shooting. Obviously, I need to step up and be there for my teammates.”

HEAD COACH LIONEL HOLLINS
On the loss: “We turned the ball over and gave up 27 points with 17 turnovers. You can’t defend that. We just didn’t execute offensively. We settled and took a lot of long shots. We were 6-of-19 from the three point line. We were shooting 50 percent at halftime then winded up shooting only 41 percent mostly because we took bad shots. We had a small lead and had a little cushion. Dallas wasn’t having a lot of energy at first. We just took ourselves out of building on a lead the way we played offense. You can’t turn the ball over on a good team. We still had our chances down the stretch a few times.”

On the game: “We just came in and tried to play a hard game. We had some transition earlier and were able to get out and run a little bit. Mike [Conley] was able to attack the basket. We were in a pick-and-roll. Second half, they just went under Mike [Conley] completely. He still went under the basket a few times and made a couple of shots. That’s not how I went into the game, let’s put it that way.”

On the final play: ”It was a play for OJ [Mayo]. We didn’t execute it very well. I’ll take the blame for that.”

On the rhythm of Dirk Nowitzki: “They went to him, and he kept the ball later on. At the end, we had DeMarre [Carroll] on him, then had Darrell [Arthur] and Zach [Randolph] on him. Marc [Gasol] probably gives him the most trouble because of his length. Marc was out of the game and couldn’t play anymore. He’s a big time player. That’s what big timer players do. They play within themselves and within the team framework. When there’s time to win the game, they take over.”

GRIZZLIES FORWARD ZACH RANDOLPH (24 points, 12 rebounds)
On losing double-digit leads: ”It’s tough. We can’t close out games. That has been a big problem for us the whole season. We have to learn how to do that.”

On the team’s performance: “Dirk (Nowitzki) hit some tough shots. We turned the ball over and they made lay-ups off of those turnovers two times in a row. When we turn the ball over, we have to get back in defense transition first.”

vOn finishing the season: “We just have to play hard. It was a tough and frustrating game. We thought that we should have had it. Now we just have to get ready for New Orleans.”

GRIZZLIES FORWARD RUDY GAY (11 points, 8 rebounds)
On the fourth quarter performance: “They (Mavericks) frustrated us with the lineup that they ran. Also, Dirk (Nowitzki) woke up. We had him down most of the game, and he came back when we missed a big, key shot.”

On going against Mavericks defense: “It was probably because of their lineup mainly, but a lot of other things. Offensively, they really got to us and made it tough for us to execute.”

On losing a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter: “That goes to show that the game is never over. Basketball is a game of runs and no matter how many shots we make, the first three quarters are always game.”

GRIZZLIES FORWARD DEMARRE CARROLL (2 points, 4 rebounds)
On tonight’s loss: “I thought we really didn’t move the ball the same throughout the whole game. In the fourth quarter, everybody was running on adrenaline. That is one of the things a good team has to do – keep moving the ball and stay focused.”

On the team’s performance: “We need high energy. We fell off and we weren’t into the game mentally. That’s what a good team does. They take advantage of the little mistakes.”

On Coach Lionel Hollins at halftime: “He just told us to keep playing like we did in the previous three quarters and to keep moving the ball and being aggressive. We lacked aggressiveness and we really lost a lot of confidence on the defensive end.”

Mavs vs Nuggets | March 29, 2010

Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle
(On playing a complete game start to finish) “The key to the game was the job that Shawn Marion did on Carmelo (Anthony). He is one of the toughest guys in the league to guard and he took the challenge. Carmelo missed a few he normally he makes, but Shawn was right there most of the night. Fortunately, we didn’t have to finish with him. I thought we might have to go back in with him, but I’m glad we were able to give him the rest of the night off.”  

(On Dirk Nowitzki’s triple-double) “Very balanced. Timely shot making. Terrific passing. He’s a terrific rebounder, so that’s no surprise. It was good that he could get the triple-double. They are extremely difficult to get. Just really hard. It just goes to show where our team’s head was at tonight. It was an extra pass game, guys were moving it and doing the right things at both ends and were helping defensively. So, it is a win we needed real badly and I am really happy for the guys.”  

(Were you thinking about stopping Carmelo when got Marion last summer) “Well, it certainly is one of the good reasons to pursue Shawn for sure. Athleticism, length, experience, defensively ability, you know, let’s not forget the guy had 21 points. He really played well. We played a lot off of random movement tonight and he red situations well, he ran the floor well, he got to the free throw line a few times. It was his all-around game that drew us to him and drew Mark and Donnie to him. Nights like tonight is where you really need a guy that is different.”  

(On holding them off down the stretch) “Teams are going to make runs and with a team like Denver, it is never going to be a lopsided game. You are going to have to play the whole 48. I thought there were some key stretches. The fact that they played last night I think was a factor in the game. We tried to push the ball and make it a faster game as much as we could. But there were some key plays. Dirk’s three out of the timeout at the beginning of the fourth was key, they had cut it to seven. I thought that was really a big shot for us and we kind of regained some of the momentum. Denver is a terrific team and you have to play really hard, really physical, but you have to have poise to beat them and you have to play well and we did all of those things.”

Mavericks Forward Dirk Nowitzki
On his shooting tonight) “Felt like I missed some wide open shots believe it or not. I had some good looks there. My three-ball looked good, but my in-between game, I had a couple step backs and a couple of turnarounds that didn’t go down. So, that is something to work on, nobody is perfect.”  

(What does this win mean) “Definitely a big win. We are looking at the standings and Denver is right there with us, so we have been looking forward to this game for a long time. We felt like it was a great atmosphere, a playoff type atmosphere, physical basketball and the crowd was into it from the get go. This was definitely a fun win. We are at our best when we get some stops and run and get the ball into Jason Kidd’s hands and fill the lanes. We share the ball, we play off each other with a lot of energy and we love to play together. To me the game ball really belongs to (Shawn) Marion. He was fantastic tonight. To me Carmelo (Anthony) is one of the best scorers in the league and he did a phenomenal job on him, trying to stay down and make him take some tough shots. To me he was the player of the game.”  

(Talk about the development of Rodrigue Beaubois) “He is going to be great. He’s a work in progress still, we all know that, but I think the sky is the limit for him. He’s athletic, he’s long, he can shoot and penetrate and he’s quick off the dribble. So, he is going to really, really nice. His future is bright and he will be fun to watch for a long time. But, obviously he will have ups and downs in his rookie season, but as long as he keeps it moving and listens to J Kidd, one of the best point guards in the game, he has a great leader to look up to and could be great for a long, long time.”  

Mavericks Forward Shawn Marion
(On the win) “I think, we just went out there and wanted to get this win and gain some ground. This was a big win for us. We went out there and did what we had to do to get this win. I think, you know, that game for us was up there was a shaker for us. I sat out because I had a little injury, but they put a good whooping on us up there. It left a good taste in their mouth and a bad taste in ours, but at the same time, things happen and things change and we won the first game of the year, so we came back and we won this game and that is all that matters.”   

(On the team’s defense) “We do what we do to stop people. I think everyone is focused back in and we have some ups and downs here and there, but I think now everyone’s focus is really focused on stopping people like it was during the 13-game winning streak. I think if you just go out there and play defense like you want to and lose, then ok, but if you are playing good defense for the most part good things will happen and the offense will take care of itself.”

Denver Guard JR Smith
(On it being an uphill battle all night) “We haven’t been playing Nuggets basketball for the last few nights. When you allow a team to jump out on you, against some teams you can get back into the game but this is a tough team, especially playing them at home allowing them to start off with a 10 to 12 point lead and then trying to fight your way back.”

(On Dirk tonight) “It’s tough when he’s got it going. Plus we did leave him open for a lot of those threes, and he’s been known to knock those down. We try to get to him, but he just got open and did a hell of a job.”

(On the importance of this game) “It’s huge because going all the way to the Western Conference Finals, you want to have home court advantage. And everybody knows that the Lakers are going to have it at the end. So you want to have as much of an advantage as you can get.”

Denver Guard Chauncey Billups
(What was the biggest issue tonight) “They made a very conscious effort coming out and pushing the tempo knowing we played last night. It looked like they were just to say ‘Let’s just try to get up by 20 in the first quarter. Push it, push it, push it.’ They didn’t really run any plays. They just came out and pushed the tempo and tried to knock us out early in the first round, and we didn’t go away. Then they started to settle down and started executing. We cut the lead into the single digits but couldn’t seem to get over the hump. They kept getting timely offensive rebounds and timely second opportunities to hit the three-ball. Just tough stretches.”

(Will the second seed come down to the last game?) “It’s definitely going to be to the last game. There’s such great parity that two [seed] and seven or three [seed] and six, everybody is going to be so close as far as just the teams. Not record wise but just good teams that it’s going to make for some good series.”

Mavs vs Warriors | March 27, 2010

Coach Rick Carlisle:
“First off, I have to say that Roddy (Rodrigue Beaubois) had a great game. Coming into this game, we knew this was they type of team that he would be able to showcase his abilities. When he came in, he made a lot of great things happen.

He hit a bunch of three’s at key points in the game and that took some of the wind out of their sail and gave us a push when we needed it. It was a good win in a not-so-easy place to play. We were active at both ends. He has earned the minutes that he has been getting. The type of team we have is beneficial for him. To have the ability to play with a Jason Kidd and the rest of this team is only beneficial for him. It’s a smaller team that we played tonight, and that suited him.

The great thing about Roddy is he has been ready to play every time he has been called upon. I believe in the kid a lot. He will be out there if he will be able to help us win.

(On Jason Kidd’s scoreless night)He doesn’t care about scoring, he only cares about winning. He’s a true professional, and he helps this team go. He directs traffic out there for this team to be successful.”

Shawn Marion:
“We held them to one shot opportunities and that was helpful for us. We don’t look at the record of the teams we play, because this is the NBA so any team can win or lose. We are a veteran team, and we are all trying to get ready for the playoffs. We got a big spark off the bench from Roddy. We have a lot of different sparks off of the bench, and tonight was his night.”

Jason Kidd:
“Hats off too Roddy for his game tonight. He picked up a lot of slack for us. I wasn’t able to get a shot, and I guess he found them. The main thing is that we got the win, so we are all happy about that. We may have to add another player to this rookie class with Stephen Curry, Tyreke (Evans) (Brandon) Jennings and now Roddy. Stephen Curry is going to be a good player, if not a great player in this League. I look forward to seeing him and the rest of that class continue to grow.”

Coach Don Nelson:
“Well what a performance by (Rodrigue) Beaubois., unbelievable. We left him open a couple of times but it didn’t matter. He made shots when we covered him, when he was open. Nine threes, what a performance. I didn’t expect that. When teams come in here that’s what they ought to do. They shouldn’t fool around with us and put us out early. I thought the Mavericks did a great job with that by not giving us a chance or feel by dominating the whole game.”

“We had a couple of guys who aren’t feeing very well and I think it showed in their performance tonight. You have games that you have to go through like this and I am not mad at anybody. They played great and we didn’t.”

Anthony Tolliver:
On Tonight’s Game: “I had no clue, Chris (Hunter) said ‘good job on the 20 rebounds’ and I said ‘yeah right’. I didn’t have a clue it was anything like that. I just tried to go out there and play hard, and the ball kept coming my way and I kept trying to go get it. “

On Providing Spark For Team: “First half was pretty bad. Coach put me in at the four, and he said get in there and play hard. He really didn’t have to tell me that, that’s something I do every night. I just tried to do what I could, I didn’t shoot it great, none of us did really, but I knew I could help on the boards and knew I could get some extra possessions, extra shots for my teammates and tired to do that.”

Mavs vs Blazers | March 25, 2010

COACH RICK CARLISLE
ON GAME “They played well and we need to play better, I think it comes down to that. I think tonight they were more aggressive in the second half and they did a great job defensively down the stretch; they took us out of a lot of stuff and we need to be more aggressive offensively and execute better and work to create shots…They were extremely aggressive, particularly in the fourth. It’s frustrating to our team when we’re unable to get clean looks at the basket.”

ON BLAZERS “We had zero fast break points and they had 16, to me that means two thing: you need to get more stops to get in transition to get quality looks at the basket and we never had them under 50% the whole game and that was a problem for our running game. When you get beat 16 to nothing on the break it’s tough to win.”

SHAWN MARION
ON GAME “We just need to learn from it and give them credit, they took this one. We need to come back here next week; and that’s how you got to look at it…They did a good job of jamming and stopping us early and keeping the pace of the game, which you’ve got to give them credit for that.?

ON TEAM “We have a very deep and talented team and on any given night you can call on a certain guy to get the opportunities he can have a really good night and that’s all it boils down to…we have a balanced attacked, J-Kidd is our point guard and he’s going to control the floor and tempo of the game and try to get everybody involved the best way he can and coach will call the plays.”

JASON KIDD
ON GAME “They did a good job of jamming the ball and taking that aspect of the game (fast break) away. Also, when you make shots, that takes away the running game, so lessoned learned, and we have to understand what we have to do next time and that’s a big part of our game: getting out and running.”

ON BLAZERS “It’s the bottom line, they beat us three times and for us and this point in the season it’s not about 3-0 or 4-0 it’s about us getting better for the next step and I think we can look at this game and understand that next season this is how teams will play us and it’s good that it happened now and not next season.”

COACH NATE McMILLAN
“I just thought we played a good, complete game. From start to finish, our defense was good tonight. We were the aggressors. Other than that 6-0 start, after that, I thought we got aggressive on both ends of the floor. Defensively, this time of the year, you’re making adjustments. We played this team a little different as far as our schemes against Terry and Dirk. I thought our guys did a great job of executing the defensive game plan. It’s always good to knock down shots and tonight when the shots were falling for us, we get more aggressive, more excited about playing defense. We’ve seen that go the other way, but from start to finish, I thought our guys played good basketball.”

On Camby: “I think it’s a matter of him getting used to how we want him to play that center position. Tonight, he got in the paint, he was ducking in, making himself available. Again, teams are double-teaming and leaving guys open. He got rewarded tonight. He was in the paint, got to the free throw line, was knocking down his shots and got a rhythm. Defensively, part of the game plan was to get him on Dirk some and we thought he did a good job using his length against Nowitzki.

“We take tonight’s game and show that we can play with those guys that are ahead of us. Tonight, definitely a game we needed desperately and a very good team. We’ve had success against them, but a very good team. They’ve been hot and it should give our guys confidence to go on the road this weekend and try and take care of New Orleans.”

On scrappiness: “This was a team effort – you can just go down the list of guys. I thought they all played well. 25 assists tonight – we shot 50 percent for the game. Good ball movement – did a good job of taking care of the ball. Defensively, we disrupted enough to take some of their guys out. It wasn’t just Camby on Dirk, it was L.A. Our switches – we had some schemes we wanted to run if we had mismatches. Terry tonight, we did a good job of Nic and Rudy chasing him around. It was a solid team effort in both groups tonight.”

BRANDON ROY
“We knew they were going to be a good team and this was going to be a good game, we just wanted to protect our home court. It’s always fun when you steal two on the road early, and now it was our chance to protect our court. They’re still a good team, they’ve got a lot of weapons offensively, so I thought we did a good job of holding down the fort.”

On defending Dirk: “We did a good job. LaMarcus and Camby did a good job switching off, crowding him. He likes to get that elbow and lift. We crowded him all night and really forced him into some looks he didn’t like.”

On balanced effort: “That was a great night. Our bigs did a good job all night of rebounding and being aggressive in the middle of that zone. They’re the key, if they’re aggressive in the middle, it makes teams come out of that. Of course they did a good job of rebounding. Me and Andre did a good job of pushing the ball – just an all around good effort. “It was important – it’s just important to win right now but it feels good that you can beat a team that’s second or third in the Western Conference. This was a huge win for us. We’ve got to put it behind us and go on to New Orleans and try to get another one.” Is team finding its rhythm? “It’s tough to say. We’re just going to continue to take it one game at a time. I thought this was a great game bouncing back from our game in Phoenix but we’re going to go one game at a time. We’re not going to look at the next ten, we’re just going to look at New Orleans and try to play good basketball there.”

Mavs vs Clippers | March 23, 2010

Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle
(On winning without Dirk) “Ya, how about that? Well, listen that was a bad decision by Dirk. It put the team in a terrible situation and he knows it was wrong. If you get a technical, you get one and make your point and you got to let it go. He is too important to us. But hey, we had other guys that stepped up. I thought all of the guys that played in the game had a good impact. Najera played well. Stephenson for a few minutes on some defensive possessions gave us energy. Beaubois was ready to come in and he played big for us. And hey, this is one of those where you have to find a way. Well we ran the lob play for Roddy which worked and that got the crowd into it and it just kind of lifted us. And we just scrambled. We were playing zone with a small lineup and you know, just kind of running a make shift offense with guys playing bastard positions and it was all about will and finding a way.”

(On the play of Jason Kidd) “Great, I don’t know I mean what more can you say? Again, I thought he willed the team with his energy and his enthusiasm. He got guys engaged and you know, it wasn’t just playmaking it was shot making, it was assists, it was defensive plays, it was you know, giving guys confidence out there. Hey, I can’t say enough great things about Jason Kidd. Tonight and really the two years I have been with him. He is just phenomenal.”

Mavericks Guard Jason Kidd
(On having a good game on his birthday) “It was a nice birthday gift and a good birthday and I’m glad we got the win. Last night we played one good quarter and we forgot to play the last three. Today I thought we played a pretty good first half and then we kind of just let down and gave the lead away and we found ourselves in a dog fight. Then we responded and we all pitched in and did something well in the fourth and got a much needed win.”

(On the defensive effort and statement in the fourth quarter) “Well with our best players out, we all had to pitch in. Defensively we were talking and we were very aggressive and we rebounded out of the zone and gave them one shot and we also ran.”

Mavericks Guard Jason Terry
(On letting the Clippers hang around) “We had been terrible for whatever reason. But, for us it all starts on the defensive end. When we are able to get stops and get out and run in transition, as you saw our transition game was vicious tonight spearheaded by the play of Jason Kidd. Then Roddy Beaubois comes in and gives us some more uplifting energy.”

(On the run in the fourth quarter) “Well they didn’t at all. I mean Drew Gooden had a double-double working, a huge one in fact with 20 and 20. When they took him out of the ballgame we were happy for that. We were kind of undersized and then they kind of matched up with us, which led to our advantage. We were very active in that zone and was able to get stops, but more importantly we got rebounds and we got early opportunities in transition.”

(On the upcoming stretch of games) “Well even though we are not playing as well as we would like, we are not that bad either. It has just been a couple stretches here and there where if we really jump on these opponents and put them away it is a different story. Knowing that we are tied right now in second place, every game is critical. Like I said, we haven’t beat them all year so this is a big game for us. And then looking at Golden State and then Denver, so a big three game stretch for us and we want to win them all.”

Clippers Coach Kim Hughes
(On Dirk’s ejection) “I didn’t really think anything. As long as they have Jason Kidd, he’s their leader without question, and I didn’t think by any means that the game was over. They went to a small man zone and we fell into the trap that we started launching quick outside shots. We didn’t attempt to try to go inside, and it proved to be our demise. And when they made a little bit of a run making threes we kind of got caught up in the euphoria of that and tried to shoot threes of our own, and it just cascaded from there.”

(On Beaubois being a mismatch) “We had a bad matchup. Travis Outlaw gave up a lob play to him on the first play of the fourth quarter. It was a bad matchup. Travis has trouble guarding quickness like that. You can’t go to a zone against them because they are too good of a shooting team. It just put us in a position where we had to go back to our starters too early. I thought our starters played really good minutes, but our bench really didn’t do much tonight. They played over 15 minutes and had three defensive rebounds, and that’s not going to get it done.”

(On Gooden tonight) “He was good. He faded at the end, I think a little bit of fatigue. I thought he played very hard, he competed the whole time. I thought all of our starters played well.”

(Did you think you let one get away) “No, I don’t think so. I was disappointed that our bench didn’t help us. I think if our bench would have performed we would have won. But I don’t think anybody intentionally didn’t try to rebound or make shots. The bench had an off night tonight and we could have used 70 minutes of production. Instead we had to rely on around 50 and they were poor.”

Clippers Forward Drew Gooden
(Was that bittersweet for you; a great game for you but not able to get the win?) “It was tough. We clawed our way back into that game and they jumped the game up; went small and went to a zone. And we were stagnant offensively. That totally took us out of our rhythm. It was a great call by coach Carlisle.”

(Was it anything extra for you coming back and playing against Dallas?) “Yeah, it was. I still feel like they’re family, though. But I wanted to compete tonight and just be a professional and just compete against my old team.”

(Talk about the run Dallas made in the 44th) “Yeah, as I said they came with it defensively; getting stops, and steals. And the zone, it was tough to score in that zone. They were small, but we couldn’t exploit the mismatches. But you’ve got to credit them, that’s what makes them good.”

(When Dirk gets tossed like that, you’ve got to think your chances of winning increase) “Oh, of course, especially considering how he started off the game, shooting the ball lights out. I used to be on the other side of the fence watching him do that to other guys, but that was me out there that he was doing it to tonight. That was a big play for us to not have him in the game when he got tossed out. But we did what we were supposed to. We capitalized on that and took back the lead, but, like I said, they got in that zone and went small and totally took us out of rhythm.”

Clippers Guard Baron Davis
(What was the difference in the 44th quarter?) “I thought that we took some quick shots, and they got out and J-Kidd did what he does best. He was pushing the ball, and they were running and they couldn’t really score in the half-court, so they started looking to their transition. I thought the zone affected us a little bit, or affected us enough to kind of throw us off balance.”

(Kidd is 37 today. Does he look 37?) “Not at all. He’s a legend. He’s a great player, and they’ve got a great team. They all hustle and play for each other and that’s they’re one of the top teams in the West.”

(Were you guys surprised by the energy of Beaubois?) “No, we knew that he was coming in to provide some energy for them. And everybody on the bench was saying that he was going to be an energy guy coming in. It was just a matter if we could find somebody to sustain his energy or match it from our end, and he trumped everybody.”

Mavs vs Hornets | March 22, 2010

Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle
On the game: “The first quarter we were extremely aggressive and were guarding them (the Hornets) well. Our undoing was clearly the second and third quarter. Also our turnovers, when you turn it over 25 times for 35 points, it’s going to be hard to win a game. The Hornets took advantage of the forced turnovers they created. I just have to give credit to a good team, they drop five in a row and came here tonight ready to play.”

On lack of focus: “It’s disappointing, they (Mavericks) clearly have a focus problem that we must look at and fix before the post-season. And we have the ability to do it. We have a quick turnaround and everyone has to bounce back. The Clippers are a very talented and healthy team, we are going to have to do a lot better than we did tonight.”

Mavericks Guard Jason Kidd:
On the problems in the last 4 games: “I think the big thing is we’re being inconsistent. Maybe a little bit too relaxed. We understand how important these games are. We only have 13 left. For the last four games we’ve played 1 quarter each game, we’ve won games because of that and lost games because of that. It’s something we have to look at.”

On the latest difficulties: “That is a good question. It’s a long season and sometimes you look ahead and wish that the playoffs would start. There is still a lot to play for. You have to give the Hornets credit, they went out and took that first blow when we were up 15, and they turned it around and went up 7.”

Forward Shawn Marion:
On the game: “We got up 15 points and then basically called it quits. I think we just took it on the chin. We stopped everything we were doing. We got relaxed, and they got aggressive and started getting comfortable and making shots. That was basically it.”

Hornets Head Coach Jeff Bower:
On how the personality of the team changed: “I thought this was the best ballgame of the year…our stops were better, the cutting action was better and we seemed to have a better sense of purpose. They gave us great shots we could knock down, even in the first quarter. It was a very easy game to not play well in after all the traveling so I give our players so much credit for their concentration, their ability to cut the ball and their consistency on every play.”

On the Hornets’ defense: “Dallas attempted to make the push beginning in the first quarter, but we didn’t allow it. We had an outstanding effort defensively, and a couple of great possessions. I thought we also dealt with their zone defense very well. We were able to get consecutive stops in a row, while at the same time make points off of them.”

On Chris Paul’s return: “We were real pleased he was able to be back on the floor; his presence is very important to the team. It was an outstanding job on his part…the poise he showed really carried over to the rest of the team. Marcus Thornton also put an impressive mentality on the floor; he’s a player that’s growing and constantly improving. I am happy with all the players; they’re working hard and showing real improvement.”

Hornets Forward David West:
On the return of Chris Paul: “He’s our main guy, so anytime you can get him back in the lineup, you know he’s going to have an effect on the game. It was actually the first time we actually had an opportunity to be out there with him, just because of our schedule with practice. I thought for his first game back in a month, he was fine.”

Hornets Guard Marcus Thornton:
On the impressive comeback and win: “They (Dallas) came out early on and hit every shot they put up. We knew that wasn’t going to last the whole game…We just buckled down on defense in the second half and came out with the win. We’re just trying to get a little streak going. Why not start it out at home? We just came out with more intensity in the second half and came out to win.”

On his performance: “It was fun just going out there and being mentally prepared early and helping my team win.”

Mavs vs Celtics | March 20, 2010

Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle
“With the exception of the period in the fourth, we were playing from behind for most of the night. That made it tough. We got a seven point lead. You’ve got to be able to get some stops. We didn’t get stops. That was our undoing.”

(on lack of execution down the stretch) “No excuses. We’ve got to make plays. It’s tough when you are taking it out of the opponent’s basket to score and this is one of the best defensive teams. That’s going to make it harder. We’ve got to be better. I’m not going to make any excuses about that.”

(on 18 turnovers) “It was uncharacteristically high. And then 20 points of 18 turnovers was another bad part of the game for us. You’ve got to credit Boston. They played a very solid game. They turned it over some, too. But when they had to make plays, they were able to make them and make shots. We struggled.”

(on Rondo in the fourth) “He kept getting in the lane and he hit some outside shots. He’s one of those guys who nobody wants to say he’s a shooter but he makes more than his share of open shots and plays. He’s crafty and knows how to take advantage other guys out there. He made some big plays. Pierce. They all made their share of plays down the stretch. (We just) key stops at certain times would have meant a lot for momentum in the game. But a couple underneath out-of-bounds plays, they scored.”

Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers
(As far as wins go this year, does this one stand out to you?) “Yeah, it’s a good win. Number one, they’re [Dallas] playing so well. They’ve had three days off, had prep time for us, we played last night, and to come in and come back at the end and take the game away from them was huge for us. Our starters were the key today. They played terrific. Our execution down the stretch our last three or four games has been unbelievable. So, yeah, this was a good win for us. Big win, yeah I guess, but it’s just a good win for us.”

(Talk about Pierce’s performance tonight) “He’s starting to get his confidence. Right now he’s still searching a little bit; you can see it during the middle of games more. I got on him in a time out because I thought he was looking to pass too much, which I don’t think I’ve ever had to say that to Paul, and told him to just be aggressive, just be who you are, and he was that. I thought Rondo was sensational as well in the pick-and-roll package down stretch. More importantly I was just happy with our defense. We got stops, and then we made baskets down the stretch”

(Talk about Pierce and the rest of the team’s defense excelled tonight) “Yeah: Paul, Kevin [Garnett], all of them. Paul kept his hands up, was active, and Rondo had some great deflections. Our deflections were way up tonight. As you know, we chart them, and they were way up. Even when they were scoring in the one stretch we kept getting our hands on the ball, and they kept getting it back and scoring. But, you just think, overall, at the end of the day if you keep getting enough deflections one of them will bounce your way and it will break the game open.”

(How do you defend Dirk?) “You don’t. You pray. You know, he’s tough. He really is. He’s so long. There’s never been a player like him. There’s a new one in Oklahoma that’s similar: Durant. But other than that I’ve never seen anything like that. He’s a freak of nature. He’s long, he’s athletic, he can shoot, he’s tough, and I thought he had a heck of a game but we did as well as you could do.”

Boston Guard Rajon Rondo
(On Pierce tonight) “He made some big plays tonight. He picked up a charge and got a couple of steals. He was in the right spots tonight at times. The biggest thing is that Paul did a great job, and we’ve just got to do that every night.”

(Was this a big payback from the last game vs Dallas) “No it wasn’t payback. That game is over with and it’s a new time for us. We just needed a win. It wasn’t payback, we just needed to take care of business. “

“We did a pretty good job of executing.

Boston Guard Ray Allen
(What were you able to do down the stretch to win the game?) “I think defensively we made the right plays. We got stops but they had a couple of looks at the basket where it could have gone either way. Offensively we did some things where we got the shots we wanted.”

(About Rondo tonight) “He knew what he wanted to do. He had great confidence and the team was trying to play him to make him shoot the ball. But he attacked and put them on their heels and they weren’t letting us get the ball, or me for that matter. When he sees that he just attacks it and it gave us the aggression on offense.”

(On when Paul’s in attack mode) “It makes it so much easier because offense is stacking and we are going to him. He’s attacking and getting to the free throw line, so it makes it a whole lot easier.”

Mavs vs Bulls | March 17, 2010

Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle
(on Barea in the fourth quarter) “He came through great for us offensively with shot making. Defensively, he drew a charge one time. He helped us get through it. It was a tough stretch. They were making a charge at us. We needed to make some plays and he was involved in a lot of them.”

(on Terry’s return) “I thought it was a lot of very good signs. A lot of very good things. When you come back from two weeks and able to hit your first shot and get right into it offensively, that’s great. Conditioning is going to be a bit of a factor here for a few games until he really back into 100 percent. Twenty-four minutes, whatever he played, almost 25, he’s in during crunch time making the right plays. He didn’t get the ball to go down a couple of times but all-in-all very happy with the way it went.”

(on Terry continued) “I thought it would be ok. I wasn’t sure how many minutes was going to be the right number. The mask has worked out ok the last couple days of practice. But you just never know. He had nine points, went four-for-five in the first half, that was great. Gave us a huge lift. In the second half, he’s a factor on the floor because of all the attention he draws. He changes the geometry of the rest of the players. Even when he’s not scoring, he’s a factor.”

“I liked the way we played early. We really didn’t lose much of anything in the first half. I was a little disappointed in the way we ended the first half. They made a couple plays and we missed a couple shots. Sometimes it goes that way. Our focus was better. The last couple days of practice has helped us somewhat. We’ve got a couple more days now and then we’ve got one of the better teams in the East coming in.”

(on decision to not put Kidd in during fourth quarter) “He’s had some soreness the last couple days. About a minute or two into the fourth, he asked if he could ice down. And so that that point, he was done. We were going to have to finish the game without him. It was going to be JJ or Roddy in that role but they’ve been there before. That’s kind of how that went.”

tough when half your team is new.

Mavericks guard JJ Barea
“We were struggling a little bit in the 4th quarter to score. I started going underneath on the pick-n-rolls and got my shot going, felt confident and when they left me alone I just pulled up and shot it.”

“The last couple of games I’ve found my shot and today I felt comfortable and coach gave me the chance so I did a good job.”

“We’ve got to get better at closing out games, but as long as we keep getting those leads and as long as we keep getting W’s, it’s all fine.”

“Roddy and I are both good players. Roddy has done a great job helping us win and whoever is in the game has to play hard and help us win. He’s going to find a way sometimes to have us both out there on the court and give JKidd more rest.”

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki
“We really tried to recommit on the defensive end and we did a good job in the first half but we really couldn’t get a stop in the 4th quarter. We let them back in the game and that shouldn’t have happened. We were a step slow defensively in the second half.”

“Defensively we’re going to look at some stuff, look at the tapes like we always do after every game and look at some stuff that we need to get better at and take that day off tomorrow and relax and get ready for the Boston game on Saturday. From here on out after Saturday the games just keep coming till the rest of the season and it should be fun.”

“JJ really stepped up big in the 4th quarter and saved us. He made some big shots, two big three’s, two pull up jumpers behind the screens because they left him open and he really used the screen and knocked some shots down.”

Chicago Coach Vinny Del Negro
(On if his players came out sluggish tonight) “They make it tough. They make you look sluggish sometimes. They’re very efficient, very good offensively. But we had better effort in the second half, but the same thing, we cut it to seven then turn it over a few times. A couple of offensive rebounds hurt us. Like I talked about before the game, all the little things almost have to be perfect for us, especially against Dallas and some of the better teams. We didn’t get some long rebounds, we turned it over. But I liked the way the guys gutted it out, didn’t surrender to it and kept battling. That’s a good sign. It’s frustrating but you’ve just got to keep working and move forward.”

(On what made Dirk and Butler so difficult tonight) “The ball is going to be in their hands. The offense runs through Dirk. When Dirk’s not in there, Caron’s isolating and cutting to the basket. With everything right now, they have a big size advantage at us with the two and the three which makes it harder. They took advantage of that, but that’s why they brought Caron over. If Dirk is having a sub par night or average night for him, Caron’s a guy that can take over a game with his scoring. They are very deep. They’ve got size now with Heywood up front, and that’s why they are one of the better teams.

(Has Acie Law earned more playing time) “For right now. Everyone has got to improve. I never really worry about guy’s offensive tools. I think Acie’s has proven that he can get to the basket and do some things. But we’ve got to tighten up some things defensively, that’s how we won early in the season. We can’t control the paint and we’re not controlling penetration as well as we’d like. We just have to keep trying to find ways to improve in a lot of areas, and it makes it

Bulls Guard Kirk Hinrich
(Defensively you guys were a little bit better in the second half) “Yeah, we just were a little bit tougher in the second half. In the first half we gave up a lot of fastbreak points. We just played overall better in the second half.”

(Besides getting healthy, and can you guys improve?) “Well, defensively. I don’t know they [Dallas] finished up the game with but in the first half they were shooting a very high percentage, I’m assuming they finished the game that way. But, we’ve got to dig in on defense. We’re shorthanded; everybody’s got to step up.”

Bulls Center Brad Miller
(You guys have been snakebitten with the injuries, that didn’t help tonight) “It’s the joy, and the way the league goes. A lot of teams – that’s the thing – you’re always going to have injuries. There’s never been a team that at some point of the team wasn’t shorthanded. That’s just physically impossible in this league. We’re just obviously not playing good. Just a lot of new parts, a lot of big parts out, but nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. We’ve just got to try to get better with the guys we’ve got playing.”

Mavs vs Knicks | March 13, 2010

Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle
(on defense) “We were defensively. And, look, we were poor offensively, too. It was a poor performance all around. We really didn’t come close to winning a quarter. When you get thoroughly thrashed like that, it’s something that’s difficult. We’ve got work to do. We’ve got a long three days before the next game and we have a couple of practice days Monday and Tuesday where we’re going to have to get some things done.”

(on not being able to come back from slow start) “They hit 16 3s. We knew they are a team that has been streaky from the 3-point line. They are capable of both making 10 or 15, or they are capable of having a lot of misses. We obviously weren’t close enough to them early in the game to knock them off their rhythm. They got going. They are a very potent offensive team. They did a good job defensively tonight. The end result was really a lopsided game to say the least.”

(on if his team got a little full of itself) “I think this kind of night defines, to a certain degree, the adage about on a given night, anything can happen. I didn’t sense overconfidence or being full of ourselves but over a 24-day period when you don’t lose a game, you’re going to have teams gunning for you and you’re going to have teams showing up that are going to get hot. If you don’t have answers, it’s going to be ugly. Tonight was ugly.”

(on leading league in wins when trailing at halftime) “You’re look at the entire season as a sample. I think we are a lot different team in the last 25 days than we were the whole season. I’d like to know what the numbers were since the trade. If the symptoms are the same, that’s something we’re obviously looking to remedy. I talked it before the game. I’ve talked about it a lot this year. We’ve got to be a running team to be successful. We didn’t start running until halfway through the first quarter. Jason Kidd was, at times, getting rebounds and then outrunning the other four guys down the court with the ball. Running the floor and using the space on the floor takes a commitment. It took too long for us to get into that tonight. That was another problem. By that time, they’ve got things going and it’s more difficult to stop them.”

Dallas Forward Shawn Marion
(On the Mavs winning streak coming to an end) “You especially don’t want it to come to an end like this, but at the same time it was a great run. Now it’s time to start another one. I think we’ve just got to learn from it. It seemed like everything we did out there wouldn’t go right tonight. They hit everything, they had everything going, and they were attacking the basket earlier and once we cut them off from that they started hitting shots from outside. It just opened up the floor for them. We’ve got to just chunk this one up and throw it out the window.”

(Coach talked about the slow starts before the game – is that something that concerns you?) “Not really. I think we definitely could start a little bit better, but the first couple minutes are like everybody is still trying to get loose a little bit I guess. That’s what happened. So, it’s hard to sit here and pinpoint that, he’s probably got a valid point with that as well. But, it just depends. Sometimes you can start out really well, but if you’re missing your shots early, what difference does it make? It’s like a catch-22 with that. But, at the same time I think the intensity at the defensive end probably needs to be a bit better as well. That’s what I think is what he means. But, for the most part, learn from this and go back out there and start another one [winning streak].”

Dallas Guard Jose Barea
(On the winning steak coming to an end) “We had a good thing going. We just didn’t come out with energy tonight, we had a bad one. I’ve got to give credit to the Knicks; they came out to play, they made shots, and the made the game a lot harder on us tonight.”

(Do the slow starts concern you?) “No, we’ll be alright. We’ll come to practice on Monday and Tuesday, we’ll figure it out. And we’ll get back to playing good defense and playing with energy. We didn’t have energy tonight.”

(Was this a wake-up call?) “Oh, yeah, we kind of relaxed today. Yeah, we’ve got to get back grinding and working hard, and getting wins.”

Knicks Head Coach Mike D’Antoni
(What is your reaction to the team’s performance tonight?) “Well, great. I thought we competed, that’s what we talked about today. And it’s a lot more fun to play this way. Now, you can’t play good all night, you can’t make shots all the time, you can throw the ball away, but if you go out and compete and enjoy yourself and have some chemistry among yourselves, then why not? And they did it, and then obviously Toney Douglas stepped up and had a huge game, and gave us some things that we don’t normally have. The athleticism, making shots, Bill Walker, and you can’t just go down the whole list. They all brought something and turned into a great outing.”

(On the defensive end what did you see that you liked?) “That they were hustling, and playing together, and doing the things that we talked about and executing it every time, not just one every two times. We had very little ‘I fell asleep on that play’, where before it was a lot of times. And they just did exactly what we talked about and executed perfectly.”

(You think a team like Dallas could overlook a team like you guys?) “You’d have to ask Dallas that. Obviously, they didn’t play great tonight. But, I’ve been in the West before and every game is crucial for them, and the difference between the second spot and the third spot, or what whatever, I don’t know how much they overlooked us, or they just thought maybe it would be a little bit easier, but we played at a level pretty high. And I’m sure they’ll get back. Sooner or later they’ve got to lose, they’ve won about 13 in a row.”

Knicks Forward Al Harrington
“It feels good. Revenge is sweet sometimes. That’s a really good team over there but we just caught them at the right time. They were ripe for the picking. When you’ve had that much success, and you know the Knicks are coming in and you feel you can score a 150 points on them in your sleep, that team didn’t show up today. I guess we caught them by surprise, but it was a big win for us.”

(Where did this win come from?) “That’s just been us all year. When we can get a game where we can make shots and string them together, three or four stops at a time, we can beat anybody. We’re just happy that we were able to bounce back from last night’s debacle to win this one tonight.”

(What was the difference between the two games against the Mavs) “I think the main difference was that was a more focused Dallas team that we played in New York. Tonight we have to give ourselves a lot of credit too because we came out and played hard from start to finish. We never had any letdowns or when we got a lead we never let it go. We normally don’t do that, so there was a lot of focus on our behalf.”

Knicks Forward David Lee
“Bill played great. Tracie gave us a good lift in the third quarter, a couple of minutes where he hits a couple of tough shots. I thought we were just clicking on all cylinders offensively. But the game was won on the defensive end.”

(On the revenge factor from last game) “I wouldn’t talk about revenge. Dallas is having a great season, and we are really struggling right now. The fact of the matter is we had to be on our toes here because we didn’t want to get beat by 50 points again. The way Dallas has been playing, if we didn’t bring our best effort that was going to happen again. So that was motivation for us to come in and play our best. And maybe they took us lightly, maybe they didn’t. But they’re a great basketball team and they just didn’t have their best night tonight.”

Mavs vs Nets | March 10, 2010

Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle
(on the first half) “The first quarter was ugly and we played poorly. They shot a high percentage. Really what the game came down to was the defensive end. I believe they shot 32 percent the final three quarters but them shooting 67 or 68 in the first quarter was not the right way to start. They have some dynamic players. They are athletic, they’re hungry. They came out and hit a bunch of shots and we weren’t as good as we needed to be defensively so we got in a big hole. At half time, basically, we felt like if we could have a 40-point defensive half, we’d be in position to win the game. That’s exactly what we held them to. When we are playing with our bigger, more physical lineup, it’s going to be more about our defense.”

(on Kidd on Harris) “He was on him most of the night. Roddy was in foul trouble a lot of the night so he was the only guy to guard him. I know we had some transition and stuff where other people guarded him but there was really nobody else as a primary defender to put on him.”

(on 3rd quarter) “Our defensive disposition was stronger, we were more physical. We were more alert. We scored 31 that quarter. A lot of them came off transition off stop

Mavericks Forward Caron Butler
(On the fourth quarter surge to overcome the deficit) “Just mainly trying to be aggressive. In the first half in particular I wasn’t able to do so much with foul trouble, but other guys stepped up. Obviously it was a team effort and in the second half we tried to be more aggressive and play off Dirk and good things happened.”

(Are you surprised at all about the streak) “I mean I am not surprised because management did a great job of finding a perfect fit for this team. You know and with guys like Dirk, a Hall of Famer, and Jason Kidd, a Hall of Famer, and Jason Terry and guys like that, they made it easy to get acclimated to the offense rather fast. We only had one shoot around and were right into the rotation, so the credit goes to those guys and the coaching staff.”

(What is it like being on a run like this) “You try not to think about it and just prepare for each game the same way. Obviously if you’re superstitious you will keep the same routine and just remain positive and accept each challenge with open arms. You know, the next challenge now is New York after we get a day off.”

Mavericks Guard Jason Kidd
(On overcoming the slow start) “The biggest part was we were not playing any defense, you got to give them credit for getting out and being aggressive and tough from the start. You know, they got us down by a dozen and then like 15 or 17 and so we finally kind of woke up and started playing some defense for the last three quarters and got them under 45 percent.”

(What did you change after the first quarter) “Well Lopez and Harris they got going early and it ended up Brendan (Haywood) had a good game both defensively and offensively, he had a double-double, and it helps when you don’t have to double team and that is what happened there after the first quarter. We started to then play like we have been during this streak and we got serious there. We kind of came out flat and maybe took them, underestimated them, but once we got going we started the play the way that we need to.”

Nets Coach Kiki Vandeweghe

“This is a really good basketball team at home. You’ve got to play a perfect game to beat them here. We played very hard, I’m not sure we could have played a lot harder than tonight. We missed some shots down the end. I think the three threes, one by Beaubois two by Kidd, really hurt us. But it really was earlier than that. The second and third quarter we just couldn’t score, and they got their transition game going. This is a really good team, and I’m proud of the way our guys played.”

(On how they got back in the game) “They just buckled down on defense. And that’s what good teams do, they tighten up their defense, they figure out what you’re running. We still got open shots but they were tougher shots.”

(On if you were proud of his players for their comeback in the 4th quarter) “No question. A game earlier this season, we had a chance to get blown out, but we fought back, the guys kept it under control. I was proud of them, they fought very hard tonight.”

(On his team’s defense of Dirk) “There’s no defense to stop Dirk. Either he’s going to make shots or miss shots. But I thought we at least made him take tough shots. Humphries did a very good job. Josh Boone did a good job, everybody who guarded him. But it’s not just one guy, you’ve got to guard him with three or four guys.”

(What did you think of Kidd’s performance tonight?) “Terrific. Jason looked rejuvenated to me. He guarded anybody who got hot. He made tough shots at the end. He’s a great basketball player, there’s no question he’s really good for this team.”

Nets Point Guard Devin Harris

(You guys hung in their after Dallas made their run to begin the 2nd half) “Definitely, they made their run. Obviously, they’re a good team, and they’re going to make a run, and they came out in the 3rd quarter and they put their foot to the gas. But I’m proud of the way guys responded, and we got it back down to 1, but we just couldn’t get enough stops to really overturn it.”

(Disappointing to lose after containing Dirk pretty well tonight?) “What makes his team so good is that we did a pretty good job on Dirk tonight; he missed some shots and we got in his face a little bit. But then they have guys who can step up. We gave up a couple threes to Kidd in the 4th quarter, and then Caron [Butler] hit some tough baskets to get them over the top. But that’s what makes them a good team.”

Nets Center Brook Lopez

(On letting a close one slip away) “It’s tough because we were playing very well. We came out in the 3rd in a bit of a lull. And they stormed back, but we stopped the run for the most part, we just couldn’t finish at the end.”

(On the defense on Dirk) “Yeah, Jarvis [Hayes], Kris [Humphries], J.B. [Boone], they all just made it tough for him to get his shots up, and made it even more difficult for him to just catch the ball.”

(Offensively, what changed from the 1st quarter to how you guys played in the 2nd half?) “I think shots stopped falling a bit. They were sending a few more guys at me personally. Jarvis [Hayes] hit some big ones, and then we turned over the balls a bit much.”

(What about the 4th quarter; you guys didn’t lay down) “Yeah, it’s something we’ve been doing since the All-Star break probably. Pre All-Star break we were just giving in probably, but we’ve been fighting this whole time [since the break].”

Mavs vs Timberwolves | March 8, 2010

Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle
On Wolves turnovers "It helped a lot, I mean we weren’t necessarily doing a great job of stopping them, their field goal percentage was up over fifty for a lot of the night."

On others stepping up "It's been a true team. Somebody's down a little, somebody picks them up. Guys have stuck together; guys are competitive in practice and stuff, cheering for each other in games. When you get on a roll like this those kinds of things have to happen, they have got to stay consistent."

"We were able to get lead at the end of the first, which I think was a spiritual boost for us."

On Barea's injury "Were not sure how bad it is yet, he's getting x-rays so hopefully he's not too bad. Kind of a freak play, we'll get him to our doctors and try to get him back on the court."

On Marion "I'm really glad he had a big game. He's sacrificed so much of his game this year; you know to be one of the best defenders, to get rebounds, to be screener and a movement maker. Tonight he was a featured scorer, which he has been really the majority of his career. Its good for him, and every week I tell him how important he is to us and how much as a coach I appreciate what he's done this year. He is the guy who's made the biggest adjustment of any of the new guys we got. It's showing up in wins and losses."

Mavericks Guard J.J. Barea
On the Wolves "It's a team that we knew was going to keep coming at us. They played hard, they're talented, so they're always going to keep fighting; and they did a good job of that."

On the Wolves turnovers "Anytime you turn it over that much, it's not easy to win. I think we've been doing a good job lately of moving the ball and playing as a team, so that's always going to help us."

Mavericks Center Dirk Nowitzki
On the Mavericks' offense "Offensively I think we're a pretty good group. With the small lineup, we're moving the ball, we're playing off each other."

On passing in their offense "It's just a bunch of veteran players playing off of each other, so it's been fun sharing the ball."

On Shawm Marion "Obviously we all have to make sacrifices on a good team, we all know he can get a lot bigger numbers than what he's scoring. Ultimately if you want to win the championship the whole team has to make sacrifices."

Mavericks Forward Shawn Marion
On the Wolves "They're a hard-fighting, spunky team."

On their team "Everybody came here contributing, whether it was guarding somebody, hitting a couple of shots, making the extra pass or whatever."

Timberwolves Head Coach Kurt Rambis
"Our guys got off to a good start; I liked the way they played at the beginning of the ball game. They seemed to run out gas, and they lost their focus, had an extreme amount of trouble playing against the zone early until they figured out how to attack and get inside. Guys just didn't execute properly, trying to move the basketball, trying to force it inside too much instead of working the zone and using pass fakes and being attentive and we got high quality shots. So all that was good. Defensive wise we were okay in the ball game. What caused us a lot of problems was a lot of turning the basketball over, those were high scoring percentage points were higher for them, their percentage would probably be significantly lower but when you turn the basketball over 26 times for 34 points the differential was 24 points, you are starting in a hole of minus 24, you are just trying to dig yourself out of a hole its too big of an obstacle and thats been a problem for this young team all year, and it continues to be a problem. Until we correct that its going to make it very difficult to get wins."

"Moving the basketball against the zone should be one of the simplest things in the world to do. You always have outlets on your outsides because the zone stays compacted. Also, they did not do a good job of using their pass fakes and simply using the ball. You have to shift the zone, you have to stay inside and then go back outside, move it around the horn all the while you are looking inside to lure the basketball. But any time you try to hold it or force it, any time you telegraph passes you are going to be in trouble because they have too many eyes focusing on the ball. So our guys did not do a good job in those areas."

"Our guys want to win. They are trying to fight, they are being aggressive, they are trying to attack inside. I like Ryan Hollins aggressiveness, I don't always like his decision making; but I like his aggressiveness. When guys play hard there is a lot of physical contact and tempers are going to flare."

"[Kevin] didn't look like he had any energy to play in stretches, also a lot of it had to do with matchups, keeping an inside presence scoring inside for us as well as somebody out there that could match up with Dirk."

"His flagrant foul [did not look malicious]."

"Al started out well, and there were pockets in the game where he played well. There were times when he pushed himself through it; he had a good game for the most part. When they are going small and you have Nowitzki out on the floor we have to find somebody to guard but also be able to take advantage against their zone."

"I think we can matchup with guys, Beaubois, Barea; those guys were out there and so our one man can match up and I think Corey is very versatile, he can guard different guys, and so is Sasha just using their size."

"I probably shouldn't have [grabbed the ball]. I should have put more pressure on Dirk to save that basketball. I didn't think he could get to it."

Wolves Center Al Jefferson
"Too many turnovers against a great team like that. We just didn’t take care of the ball."

On good night personally ""I was working real hard before and after practice so I was just real anxious to get back. I feel like I let my teammates down, my fans down. I was real anxious to get back and get a win tonight. My confidence has been up, I have kind of lost my confidence in the past two weeks before my little trouble and I got my confidence back and I know what I'm able to do."

On game play "It was an intense game, I don’t think anyone was out there to hurt anybody. It's just the game of basketball though."

"If you want to be a playoff team you have to take care of the ball. You cannot have twenty some turnovers."

On turnovers "We have got to focus, we can't let bad plays, get us down. That’s one thing you deal with when you're on a team. It's so easy to feel sorry for yourself, but basketball is a game of mistakes. You know, you make a mistake. Life is mistakes. When you make a mistake you have to learn from them, just put them behind you and continue to move on. And that’s what we have to do out there on the court."

Mavs vs Bulls | March 6, 2010

Head Coach Rick Carlisle

On the fourth quarter

“(Derrick) Rose really got it going for them. They were getting out and able to run but we survived that because we were connecting offensively. He is really scary. He's so good. We'd played well for three quarters and then just did what we had to do in the fourth to win this one.”

On Dirk Nowitzki's play

“With Jet out the ball has to go through him. What was really good tonight though was the good game and contributions we got from everyone. (Jose) Berea and (Eduardo) Najera played well, as did (DeShawn) Stevenson off the bench. We knew we would have a tough game tonight as Chicago was a motivated team having lost a few games recently.”

On Rodrigue Beaubois's game

“He played great tonight. He had like 18 in that third quarter for us, which was a big lift. He hit timely shots for us then when the Bulls were on a run. We're going to need him to continue playing like that with Jet out.”

On their overall play “We're a motion team that has one of the great all-time point guards running the show. His contribution was huge in helping us play well. We also stepped into our threes and made them when we needed them. Kidd helped us spread the floor and he gets a lot of our guys juiced up. He has helped (Rodrigue) Beaubois with some of his encouragement and telling him to shoot. He does a lot more for us besides scoring. Everything starts on this team with (Jason) Kidd and (Dirk) Nowitzki.”

Rodrigue Beaubois

(You have had career highs in three straight games.)

What has that been like?) “It feels pretty good. I've gotten the opportunity to play so I'm trying to be aggressive; just play. My teammates have given me good passes. My coaches, everybody, have been helpful.”

(How much has Jason Kidd helped you?) “It's incredible. Jason Kidd knows the game. He knows everything. He's given me some advice and I really appreciate it.”

(On his excellent play in the third quarter.) “Jason Kidd pushed me saying, 'Just play, just play.' It was going in so I kept pushing and it was good.”

Jason Kidd

On the team

“I think we're loaded. We have guys who know how to put the ball in the basket and we all enjoy sharing the ball and being part of a play that's successful. Tonight I didn't have to score. My guys were knocking down shots. We got a lot of points in the paint and we made shots down the stretch when we had to.”

(Do you guys think you can beat anyone now?)

“We're not worried about other teams right now. We're just trying to focus on us getting better. The biggest thing is for us to get healthy. We went shorthanded tonight, but that just shows how deep we are. Everyone's focused on one thing, that's winning.”

On Rodrigue Beaubois

“He's a talent. He's going to be a special player in this league. He's a great student. He has all the tools to be successful. He's working extremely hard. This was his first back-to-back and he got a little tired there. He's a guy that people really don't know but he can shoot, he has long arms to defend, and you can't teach speed.”

Chicago Head Coach - Vinny Del Negro

Deng has an off game. Do you need Luol and Derrick to get a win?

“No, we scored 116 points which is plenty. We gave them 57% shooting. Both Butler and Beaubois were the difference in the game. They hurt us. We have to do a better job of controlling some of their guys. We rebounded a little bit better tonight but there were not a lot of misses so there were not a lot of rebounds.”

Struggling in this tough stretch? “In this game, I think their penetration really hurt us. Butler got off to a good start and put us back on our heels a little bit. We battled back but we missed some of our rotations and gave them some easy baskets in the lane. We buckled down a little bit in the 2nd half. But, they shot it well. We tried to double team Dirk, throw some zone at them and it got them off rhythm a little bit, but Dirk is so effective with the ball and he took over in the 4th quarter when he had to.”

Any explanation for some of the defensive breakdowns? “On the one play when Shawn Marion slipped to the basket, we tried to double team Dirk. Our weak side defense is not very good, but Shawn is one of the best in the league at slipping things. Anytime he sets a screen he slips out of it. He did that to us a couple of times early in the game and then the one in the 4th quarter. With his quickness and athleticism he was very effective. JJ (James Johnson) did not play much but was very effective. I thought he did a good job. His minutes have been up and down. I thought we needed a little spark in the 2nd half so I got Jannero Pargo in the game. They went small so I thought I'd get JP in there. He has the ability to hit some shots in a row, he's one of our best shooters. I've not gotten consistent minutes for him, but I thought he came in and did a decent job.”

Derrick Rose

“We gave it our all, but Dallas is a very good team. What we need to do is play, practice hard. The stretch of the tough games is not effecting my confidence. The team needs to find a way to win games. It is frustrating.”

“Dallas is a very good team with Nowitzki. They have good players around him and very good point guard.”

Kirk Hinrich

On scoring 116 points and not winning

“We just couldn't stop them at the other end. Dallas is 43-21 for a reason. They play well together.”

“I don't believe our confidence is taking a hit. We knoew what we're capable of doing. We can't get our heads down. We have to stay positive and just play.”

Luol Deng:

“Dallas is a good team. We cut the lead down but we couldn't get the stop. We need to lock down in the 4th quarter to win games.”

“We need to turn it around. We have 20 games left and we need to get wins. It's not about individual stats.”

“Dallas looks for the open shot, they move the ball and are very unselfish.”


“We can't get down because it will make the situation worse.”

Mavs vs Kings | March 5, 2010

Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle
(On the win despite missing players) “We found a way to win and the start wasn’t good obviously and there was some frustration, but it was all about holding it together, keeping the composure and bringing up the level of defensive energy. It was just too easy for them early. Beaubois gave us a great lift off the bench, I thought Stevenson gave us a lift. You know, Barea played well. Najera played solid. So, when you are thin like that you just have to collectively find a way.”

(Any update on Brendan Haywood) “I would think he would be day-to-day. But, he had some a little stiffness this morning and then he tweaked it on the jump ball of all times. So, that wasn’t a good start.”

(On the technical situation) “Well, I was just thought there was contact that should have been called a foul on two or three occasions and I had an opinion on it. My opinion was noted, but when you go out on the court sometimes you get one and sometimes you get two, so I got two and that was it..”

(On the team going on a run after the ejection) “I was certainly glad. I don’t take credit for that. In those situations, you have to get playing better. Whether or not the coach getting thrown out contributes to that, that is up for debate. I doubt it. I think we were due to play better and finally started getting some stops and look, the guys off the bench really helped too.”

(What is your feeling on this team) “When you go on a streak like this, everyone is gunning for you. Everybody wants to be the team to take you down. So, you are going to get everybody’s best game. We’ve had some slow starts, but it is something we have been able to overcome many times. We are working on starting better, but hey, it is a 48 minute game for a reason. So, the streak is alive. We get on the plane tonight and head to Chicago and lace them up again. We just have to keep this going as long as we can.”

Mavericks guard Roddy Beaubois
(How big a win was this tonight with all the guys out with injuries?) “It’s a big win for us and we really wanted to win this one because of Jet being out. We knew it was going to be difficult after Haywood wasn’t going to play but we did a good job and we’re happy about the win.”

(With Jet out you played a lot of two-guard tonight) “I really tried to be aggressive with Jet being out and we needed everyone to push themselves so I really tried to be aggressive and that worked and JKidd and JJ (Barea) really set me up tonight. We played great together tonight.”

“I’m feeling more confident out there and my teammates have been talking to me and everyday I’m feeling better.”

“The fans are incredible and I really like playing here.”

Mavericks forward Eduardo Najera
“We’re getting smaller by the minute that’s what Dirk said. We’re ok as long as we follow the concepts defensively and I thought our zone is what got us going especially in the first half and that kind of solves the height problems we just need to rebound a little bit better.”

(Talk about the zone defense?) “It definitely breaks the rhythm of the other team and we did a good job of playing zone. We have a lot of experience, we’ve played it before and it seems like we all are pretty smart defensively and we can hide some of our one on one weaknesses in our zone and it’s working so far really good for us and helped us win some games.”

“We’ve got to start playing better especially when we have the lead we stopped playing defensively and stopped running. We’ve got to get stops, get the rebound and go.”

Kings Head Coach Paul Westphal
“Well, we cut it to 2, and Tyreke [Evans] driving to the basket and he didn’t get the call. I’m not saying it was a foul, I’m saying he didn’t get the call. They did what veteran teams do – they put us away. Really the biggest difference in the game for us was we turned it over 17 times, they turned it over 8 times. And we’ve been really good at that lately and tonight we weren’t. And you give turnovers to a team like Dallas they get runs outs, get easy baskets, and that’s the one thing we couldn’t overcome tonight. I thought out of the 48 minutes we probably had 43-44 good enough minutes to think we could win that game. But those lapses, and the turnovers, we couldn’t overcome. Dallas is a very impressive, excellent team and I’m really proud of the way we played. I think that as we learn how to tighten up our offense a little bit we’ll have a lot better chance of coming out with a lot more of these wins. Anyway, tough loss for us against a great team.”

Kings Guard Beno Udrih
(What does it say about your team to make a comeback at the end of the game?) “We’re here to get better and play hard. We’re a young team and don’t have a lot of experience. So we’re just trying to learn and get better.”

(How much fun was it in the first half as the team was playing well) “It’s always fun, especially when you get going like that. Then they had a player too that was hot so it’s tough. They’re a good team, they have a lot of weapons, and congratulations to them.”

(What does it say about your team to hang with such a hot Mavs team that’s won 10 straight) “We played 42 minutes of good basketball. Against a team like that you’ve got to play 48 minutes, and six minutes in a stretch they made a run and it was too big of a run. A team like that, they always know how to run when they’re ahead to stay ahead. “

Mavs vs Timberwolves | March 3, 2010

Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle
(on Beaubois and Barea in absence of Kidd)
“We needed both of them to play and to play well. This was similar to the game in New York. Minnesota is a tough team because they are quick and athletic and push the ball hard. They just have a real strong drive it mentality. So those guys not only needed to be efficient on offense and hit their share of shots but stay in front of people and be solid defensively. I thought they teamed up well and helped us get the job done. It was unclear going in who was going to exactly play how many minutes. I was going to go based on how it as going.”

“Beaubois had a very strong game. He was able to finish and I thought he did a great job finishing hard.”

(on being outrebounded and allowing MIN to shoot 53%)
“The matchup is tough. Until I look at the film, I won’t have a clear picture of how good or bad we were or how much better they were on the boards. They are a great rebounding team. You’ve got Hollins, and Darko is long, and Love is a great rebounder. Sixteen offensive rebounds generates a lot of extra possessions and that’s one of the reasons their shooting percentage was high.”

“One positive was we turned them over 22 times. There were some good things that were happening other than the high shooting percentage. It was good that we were able to do that otherwise it would have been tough to beat them.”

Mavericks Forward Shawn Marion
(On the game being close in the fourth quarter)
“I mean, they are a spunky team. They played until the end and you have to give them credit for that. But at the same time, we had them on their heels and we should have put them on their backs. They made a run and was taking a lot of jumpers and they hit those shots and they got back into the game.”

(On going cold for stretches in the second half)
“Definitlay. I think for the most part there was no outside or inside. My mindset is always when we miss three or four shots is to take it to the basket, be aggressive. Don’t just settle for jumpers. At the same time, it is easier said than done sometimes. IF you are getting good looks and they are not going in, you just have to stick with it. Eventually they will.”

(On it being a physical game)
“This is a physical game. It is a part of the game. Be a big boy, it will be alright.”

Mavericks guard Rodrigue Beaubois
(On the importance of the win)
“For sure. The most important thing was to win this game because we won a couple games in a row, so it was important to win this one too even if Jason (Kiss) didn’t play. So, I think we did it and that was an important thing.”

(On his sporadic playing time lately)
“For sure it hasn’t been easy because you know, you never know when you are going to play. So, it is a tough situation. But, everybody tried to work with me and they talk to me a lot. So, even when I don’t play I think I learn a lot. I just have to be patient and keep working on the floor and be ready. I tried to keep my conditioning and I’ve been doing things with the staff. I run a lot. I just try to improve and play the pick and roll and just try to get better everyday. Just try to stay ready.”

Minnesota Head Coach Kurt Rambis
(On his team’s effort tonight)
“I was very pleased with the way that our guys played. They got down and there was some obstacles in their way, but they just continued to fight and play. We made some silly mistakes, which has been the hallmark of our team the entire year. We turned the ball over way too much and it cost us way too many points and that gives us a very deep hole that we have to find a way to climb ourselves out of. I was proud of how hard they played. I was proud that they regrouped and reorganized when things weren’t going their way. They got themselves back in the ballgame and they gave themselves a chance to win. I was very pleased. It was a tough loss, but I was very pleased with how they played.”

(On playing so well in Dallas)
“Some of it is match-ups, some of it is guys are comfortable here. Match-ups that favor us in some ways defensively. Match-ups that favor us defensively against them. There is so much what goes into playing a team if the match-ups favor you or not. It is the same thing in the playoffs. The record does not have as much impact as do match-ups.”

T-Wolves Guard Corey Brewer
(On the matchup)
“Yeah we like this matchup. We played hard tonight. We gave ourselves a chance to win but we had some tough breaks at the end.”

(On the difference tonight)
“We turned it over too many times. We had 22 turnovers and gave up 29 points off them, and you can’t win turning the ball over like that.”

Mavs vs Bobcats | March 1, 2010

Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle

(On tonight’s game)
“I think enthusiasm and heart is underrated with this team. All this stuff about a short turnaround wasn’t anything that discouraged our guys. We knew it was going to be a tough game; we knew it was going to be a 48-minute game. The latter part of the second quarter was a little disappointing, but at halftime, everyone said that we are going to keep battling. I did not expect us to put up a 31-point defensive half, but that is what it took. We were able to get it done, and it was a great win.”

(On the team’s defense in the second half)
“We had an idea of where they wanted to go, but they are an athletic, attacking team and it is tough to stay in front of them. It was a good mixture of covering well at the point of attack and helping. Anything less would not have gotten it done tonight.”

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki

(On tonight’s game)
“We really had to fight for this one. It wasn’t pretty and I think we looked a little slow at the start of the game. We have a bunch of veteran guys and we know how to stick around and keep it close on the road and I think that is what we did for the first three quarters. We were right there in the fourth (quarter) and made enough plays, got some good stops, and held them to 31 points in the second half. That really was the key to our success.”

(On the team’s defense in the second half)
“I thought we were great defensively in the second half. We were really scrambling, rotating for each other and trying to get the ball out of Stephen Jackson’s hands, and that was fun to watch. We picked the energy up a little bit. (In the first half,) we were a step slow to everything, especially in the first quarter.”

Mavericks guard Jason Terry

(On tonight’s game)
“Tonight, we had a tough Charlotte Bobcats team that is fighting for their playoff lives and we came out on a back-to-back and got the win. It says about this team mentally.”

(On the team’s defense in the second half)
“It was phenomenal. For us to be rotating and helping each other out the way we did, it looked good. It is going to take a minute, but the chemistry is starting to get there on both ends of the floor. It is a process and we know that, because we have new guys that we are trying to integrate into what we are doing.”

(On their current eight-game winning streak)
“Our schedule has been pretty good to us. We have had a couple of back-to-backs here and there but for the most part, we have already faced the teams we are playing. We are following the game plan, and guys are getting it done.”

Bobcats Head Coach Larry Brown

(On tonight’s game)
“It didn’t look like we had any organization at all. I know (Dirk) Nowitzki and (Jason) Terry can score the ball, but we held them to 89 points. I know they made shots, but at the end of the day, we didn’t put them at a disadvantage at all.”

(On the team’s struggles against the Mavericks)
“They’re a good team. You see what (Caron) Butler and (Brendan) Haywood have done for them, that’s a pretty impressive rotation. They have a lot of guys that know their roles. Jason (Kidd) gets them in everything, and it looked like Nowitzki made every shot. He got 27 points after taking 23 shots, and at the end of the day they scored 89 points and we gave up 20 points on turnovers. They are a team to be reckoned with.”

Bobcats guard Stephen Jackson

(On tonight’s game)
“We got beat by a better team. They played better. They looked like they were having fun, we looked like we weren’t having fun and enjoying the game. They ran the plays that they needed to run. Caron (Butler) and Dirk (Nowitzki) carried the team like stars are supposed to. They did everything right.”

(On the addition of Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood to Dallas)
“It’s changed them a lot because it takes a lot of the pressure off Dirk and (Jason) Kidd. Now he can be the great Hall of Fame point guard that he is by just getting guys the ball that need the ball. Rick Carlisle has a lot of trust in him to get that done. With Caron and Brendan, they are a better team and it’s been showing. They’ve won eight in a row and they’re playing real good right now.”

Bobcats guard Raymond Felton

(On losing five of the last seven games)
“We’ve got to get past it somehow. We don’t want this to be another season where we could have and we should have. One way or another we’ve got to work through the kinks and work through the problems that we’re having right now and get back to the things that we were doing when we were on the winning streak. We’ve got to figure it out.”

(On Wednesday’s game in Boston)
“It’s a big game. It’s going to be a tough one against a good team in their building. At the same time, we’ve won there before, so we’ve got to go and get another one. This is a big week for us – it’s a very big week – so we’ve got to make things happen.”