Postgame Quotes - December 16, 2011

Detroit: Lawrence Frank | Brandon Knight
Cleveland: Byron Scott | Kyrie Irving

Pistons Head Coach Lawrence Frank
On First game of exhibition game) “Some of the things that stand out are avoiding needless fouls, they made more free throws than we attempted, obviously our turnovers led to easy baskets, weak side defensively, not shrinking the floor. So, this shows you where we're at, obviously we have a lot of work to do. Got some guys that got put into different situations, that's what I love about the preseason, especially a close game, because now it shows those guys, especially those young guys, anytime you step on the hardwood you want to win the game, regardless of exhibition or regular season.”

(On offensive rebounding late by Cavaliers): “Well, if you look at it, they set the tone early in the first quarter, they probably had six (offensive rebounds) and had eight in the half. A lot of those are cause and effect, whether it be our turnovers that led to transition opportunities, whether it being beat on pick and rolls, it's kind of the domino theory. So we just have to work at it tomorrow.”

(On Brandon Knight): “I thought he played with great energy, he was on the floor, made some nice plays on the pick and roll...every one can see he is going to be a very, very good player. I think the guy on the other side (Kyrie Irving) showed he's a pretty good player, too. That's the great thing about this league, every year it turns out great young players. It's a good first taste, it's a build up. I thought Brandon did a nice job.”

(On shot selection): “It was probably typical of the first game when we had possessions that were rhythm possessions; I can live with those shots. The possessions I have a hard time with are the ones where we over dribble or over pass; those are the ones that have to be corrected. For the first performance, it is what it is, but we're going to have to be a whole lot better and crisper.”

Pistons Guard Brandon Knight

(On playing against Kyrie Irving) “I didn’t really pay much attention to the match ups. I tried to get everything else right as far as running the team, making smart decisions, trying to compete and getting defensive schemes down. That was really my main priority. It was fun to finally play again; it’s been a while since I’ve been able to run up and down the court in a game.”

(On his play) “I think I did pretty well, but there’s always room for improvement, you can always get better. I’m going to watch tape and see the areas I can improve in, not just me, but us as a team, and how I can make the team better. I thought we did well just for an exhibition game, but a lot of room to improve always.”

(On size and speed of the game) “Not really, this is what I kind of expected. Now it’s just about getting better, getting more reps and adjusting to an actual game rather than practice.

(On being rusty): “It’s our first actual game to run up and down the court, to get out there and play a game was a little different.”

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Cavaliers Head Coach Byron Scott
(On the game) “We finally got a game under our belts. I'm happy with the effort. I thought our effort was terrific defensively and offensively. Obviously we have a lot of work to do but we kind of knew that going into it that the defense was going to be ahead…real happy with our effort but I’m not happy with the 21 turnovers. We have to do a better job of taking care of the ball.”

(On Kyrie Irving’s play): “I thought he played okay. Again, like I said, you can see that he is a rookie. Five turnovers for him is too many. He has to do a better job of taking care of the ball on offense but in his first game in nine months I'm not going to be too critical of him but defensively he could have done a lot better. That’s one area on the floor where I know he can be a little bit more of a pest on that end of the floor with his quickness.”

Cavaliers Guard Kyrie Irving

(On first game): “Nerve wracking, especially trying to get my nerves out. It was a good start for our team and we're going to continue to get better as we go through this process. I was happy with our effort from everybody. The first group, Ramon and all the other veterans and starters did a great job and the job for our second group was to come in and continue that pressure and that energy even though we did have a little more turnovers. I had a lot of turnovers myself but I'm going to continue to get better every single day.”

(On hurting ankle): “I think that was my welcome to the NBA thing. I didn’t get a foul call so I had to keep on moving and get back on the defensive end and I played my game. Once I got settled in I started to slow down. I was thinking a little bit too much and I let my instincts take over. Once that happened, I think I got my teammates involved and I played really well.”