Postgame Quotes

Nets Coach BYRON SCOTT
On the defense:
"That is more of the team that I am used to seeing. We were aggressive on both ends of the court, especially on the defensive end. Our frontcourt guys really took the challenge to be aggressive tonight and I think they did a heck of a job guarding guys. That is the way we played all year long on defense and we have not gotten a lot of recognition for it.”

On Jason Kidd's aggressiveness:
"I didn't see any difference in Jason then I saw in the first game. I thought that both games he has been real aggressive on both ends of the court. Tonight he obviously did a great job of getting everyone else involved. We did a much better job running the' offense. Like I say, defense is the key for us. If we are aggressive on the defensive ends, that gives us a chance to run and rebound and we did both of those things pretty good tonight. "

On defending O'Neal:
"First we started offwith Kenyon guarding him. I came to him this morning and suggested what he felt about guarding him and he said that he wanted to. Kenyon did a heck of a job getting him out. Instead of him catching it on the box, he was catching it on the elbow, which was about 14 or 15 feet. To us, this is to Kenyon's advantage."

On difference between Games 1 and 2:
"We just weren't ourselves in Game I. We have a lot of guys who haven't been in this position before. We have a bunch of young guys. They had a little taste of it in Game I and unfortunately we lost, but I think we gained from it. Our. guys understand that this is still a basketball game. Our guys were a lot more relaxed today then they were during the other game."

RICHARD JEFFERSON
On the big win:
“Definitely there was a lot of questions about us coming into the Playoffs, especially after the first game. We still, to their credit, have to go down there and win one. It is going to be a tough battle and we have a long way to go.”

On the difference between game one and game two:
“There wasn’t really too much of a difference. I think we came out a little bit tight, we still played solid defense. Last game they were hitting some though shots. Our defensive intensity stayed the same this game, but a couple of balls, couple of shots went out way this game.”

AARON WILLIAMS
On the game:
“We were just trying to be as little more physical, trying to take it to them defensively. They took it to us in the first game. Getting them off the block and coming at them with double teams definitely helped us.”

On the difference between game one and game two: “Whatever it was it worked. Hopefully we can come with the same intensity and the same game plan for the next game, and get the same result.”

KEITH VAN HORN
On the game:
“I think we just wanted to come out and play Net basketball like we had throughout the whole regular season. In the first game it was not there, we were not playing like ourselves…we just wanted to get back to playing solid Net basketball, playing good defense, rebounding the ball and pushing it like we have all year.”

JASON KIDD
On the difference between game one and two:
“I think everybody was a little bit more relaxed. We have a special team. In the locker room before game one it was like everybody just woke up. Tonight it was a little different. The guys who crack jokes, cracked jokes. You can tell that the atmosphere was different. They gave me a sense that everybody was ready to play tonight. It might sound kind of funny, but this team has been relaxed all year. I think Saturday was a different team.”

On the crowd:
“I think the crowd has been great all season. The numbers probably haven’t been great. People who come to the games and have voiced their opinions. I think they helped us to a victory tonight. You need everything you can get, especially energy wise. I think the crowd helped us settle in early. I think that was a big difference. The crowd Saturday was just like us, on edge and didn’t know what to expect.”