Post Game Quotes -- Nov. 28, 2006

George Karl - Denver Nuggets Head Coach
"Basically we didn’t play Nuggets basketball. We didn’t play any D. We didn’t create any running game. We let a team that executes pretty well execute. Defensively we didn’t ever get into trying to stop people, we just thought we could outscore people. We weren’t running. We weren’t playing a tempo game. From about the five minute mark of the first quarter on, we didn’t run. We were standing, holding playing NBA (expletive) basketball. I think my team has grown up a little bit. This is twelve games, thirteen games and this really is the first flat one we’ve had. Which is somewhat a ratio that a good team has in a NBA season, about five or six times a year you just can’t get the energy. It’s disappointing to me on the home court. I don’t know what its been on this home court, it just bothers me that we’re not more focused and more demanding of our performance. We had an opportunity to use the altitude and use how we play a little bit better and we just seemed to play around with the game a little bit."

Andre Miller - Nuggets Guard
"We got off to a good start, but giving up thirty some points in the second quarter and that let them get into a rhythm. No matter how hard we tried to pick up the game, they got into a rhythm and were getting some easy shots. We just relaxed, that’s what it looked like. We don’t have time to relax in this league. We can’t take teams for granted. This was one of these nights were we did take a team for granted. This first month we’ve put ourselves into some uncomfortable positions, giving away leads and giving up big quarters."

"The second quarter was big for them. That gave them some confidence. The third quarter they kept it close and anything can happen in the fourth. We’ve been together for a few years now, so we should know not to come out here and play that type of basketball. Sometimes the ball doesn’t fall our way and tonight was a night where they built on that and took advantage of our mistakes."

Carmelo Anthony - Nuggets Forward
"I think in the fourth quarter they outplayed us. Roberts and Warrick got off to a good start and towards the end we couldn’t really do anything with them. It was their night. It wasn’t our night tonight and they won the game. We’ve got to go back and get better tomorrow. I think we got complacent (in first quarter) with our lead. We settled down and stopped attacking and stopped running the way we were doing in the first quarter. I never knew that (Memphis losing streak at Pepsi Center). Anytime we give a game away on our own court, it’s our fault. (About intensity) We didn’t have that tonight. Hopefully it was a one night thing and we pick it back up Friday. I think we are going to have games like that, where we are going to have to find intensity somewhere, energy from somewhere. Everybody had got to pick each other up."

GRIZZLIES QUOTES

Mike Fratello - Memphis Grizzlies Head Coach
"Obviously, kind of an interesting game from the standpoint of how we got started versus how we ended up. I couldn’t be prouder of a bunch of guys. They came in against a team that was red hot, won eight out of nine and we got some outstanding performances. Lawrence Roberts, career high scoring 16 points, and Mike Miller, career high assists with 14. We shared the basketball, had thirty assists tonight. It’s tremendous, 45 baskets and 30 assists. Most importantly at the end we had to get some big rebounds when they missed shots, and we came up with them. We were able to come down on the other end and convert. Obviously, we haven’t had a whole lot of success here in this building. And for us this year, the road has been difficult. We’ve had some good games, some tough games, but I’m happy for the guys. They’ve worked hard."

Chucky Atkins - Grizzlies Guard
"Mike Miller played a good game which helped us win. He set a lot of pick and rolls for us. We got another ball game tomorrow. Basically what we’ve got to do is let it all hang right now and attack. We got a nice win tonight and now we’ve got a tough game tomorrow.”