Nov. 1, 2008 at Conseco Fieldhouse
Pacers 95, Celtics 79
PACERS COACH JIM O'BRIEN
(General) "A great victory for the Indiana Pacers, a terrific crowd and our guys competed at the very highest level against a very good basketball team. We were very active defensively. I was very happy with that phase of the game. "
(On Danny Granger’s fourth quarter hustle play) "It was a hell of a hustle play. He pressured Pierce, got a deflection and dove face first to get the ball. I went to congratulate him and he smiled at me and I saw what happened (Danny losing front teeth). It’s ironic that’s a play made by a guy who just signed a long term deal and wants to help us get back in the playoffs. It was only one win but I certainly think the fans saw a full out effort for 48 minutes.”
PACERS CENTER RASHO NESTEROVIC
(On how bad his foot injury is) "Foot’s not bad, I think. We must wait until tomorrow and find out for sure."
(On his role) "I am still trying to find a spot and be comfortable and help this team win."
(On the team) "We must continue to be aggressive and play good defense because good defense creates good offense.”
PACERS GUARD T.J. FORD
(On the game) "We know how important it is to come in and get a good win in front of the home crowd. Everybody has a goal and that goal is to win. Offensively, we know we can get better. Our defensive schemes were good tonight and created good offense for us. We just want to play hard and get our fans back in the seats.”
PACERS GUARD MARQUIS DANIELS
(General) "We started very well and controlled the tempo of the game. We played great half-court defense the whole game."
(On being healthy) "I thank God that I am healthy. My knees, hamstring and all are good now."
(On the team) "We just want to play hard, get better and win games. We have a great locker room atmosphere now.”
CELTICS COACH “DOC” RIVERS
(On the Pacers) "Jim had them prepared. They were ready to go from the start. They had fresh legs, clearly. They just played much harder than us."
(On new players) "The character on this team is up. You win with character and they can flat out play."
(On Danny Granger) "He played like he had a new contract. He’s a great player. Not many people know about him but they will."
(On the Celtics) "We were bad all game and we didn’t deserve to win that game.”
CELTICS GUARD RAY ALLEN
(On the Pacers controlling the entire game) "I think they did everything they wanted to do tonight. Early in the game, they set the tone and we didn’t have an answer for them."
(On turnovers and missed free throws) "Every time we turn the ball over, we’re taking a possession away from ourselves and losing an opportunity to score, while giving the opponent a possible easy score. As for free throws, we lose a chance to score with the clock not moving and allow us to get back into the game. That is unlike us."
(On back-to-back games) "We’ve been doing this for a long time. There is no excuse for that."
(On the Pacers) "It’s a long season. We’ll see them I think four times this year. I like the way they look. They play well together and it seems like they are sharing the brunt of everything on offense and defense.”
CELTICS FORWARD PAUL PIERCE
(General) "It was a combination of a lot of things. We didn’t play well, but Indiana did what they had to. Give them a lot of credit. They executed, made their run, and we didn’t match their energy. We have to expect every team’s best, especially on the road and in their home opener. I don’t think we kept our composure and it showed out there. "
(On back to back games) "That’s no excuse, every team has to go through that. I just take my hat off to them. They really played well.”