DETROIT PISTONS HEAD COACH STAN VAN GUNDY:
On allowing 71 points in the first half:“We didn’t guard anybody. We came with no energy. We couldn’t keep up with their pace. We couldn’t guard them on pick and roll. Brooklyn played very well, moved the ball, shot the ball very well. They outplayed us for 48 minutes in every aspect of the game. Every game is a new game and we brought nothing to the table defensively tonight and we couldn’t guard anybody, so of course it’s disappointing. ”
On Andre Drummond:“We gave him the first half and the first seven minutes in the second half and he was just, in my opinion, bringing absolutely nothing to the game. I don’t know if he was tired or what the deal was, but he didn’t bring any energy to the game. We put Aron Baynes in the game and I thought we played a lot better and a lot harder. So I think it was just a matter of sticking with the guy who was getting the job done, and we needed to play hard at that point. I thought Aron was bringing more to the table. He hadn’t played as many minutes last night, whatever it is, he just brought more energy to the table. Andre had a rough night. He didn’t have much energy and so we tried to go with somebody else. ”
DETROIT PISTONS FORWARD TOBIAS HARRIS:
On tonight’s game:“They (the Nets) got to the basket at will, shot the ball and made shots. We never got down and we never dug deep to really come out and get some stops in a row, especially in the first half. They got what they wanted and were able to exploit a lot of things. You know they built a lot of momentum going forward so in the second half it was a little too late for us. At the end of the day these are games that we need. We gotta be a good team on the road and we have to win games on the road, especially games that we should win. And that was tonight. We should of came out of here with this victory but we have to learn from it and grow from it. ”
On the Nets offensive performance:“That’s on us too. We can’t allow that to happen. When teams are making the three ball and also driving to the lane and getting easy baskets, we have to as a team evaluate that and see what we can to do to get better at that. They didn’t feel us pretty much all the way through the first half; they didn’t feel us at all. They got to do whatever they wanted.”
On Detroit’s defense:“It was a lot of breakdowns, especially in getting back. It was a lot of breakdowns but it’s no excuse. We know, every guy in this locker room knows that defensively we didn’t perform for a good enough effort to win tonight’s game. It can’t be like that if we want to be a very good team.
DETROIT PISTONS GUARD KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE:
On the Nets hot shooting night:“The first half we played poorly. We didn’t get back in transition and everything they shot was at the basket, no contest, no stop on the drives. That was our fault in the first half.”
On the Pistons’ defense:“I was surprised about it. Playing the start of the season we’ve been great defensively and tonight we just let them run over us, and that’s not us.”On if it was a lack of communication by the Pistons on defense:“A little bit of both. We weren’t running back in transition, so they were at the rim. And that communication when Andre (Drummond) came to help, nobody synced so they got an easy basket when they drove. Once we did come to help in sync they kicked it out for threes. In that first half they had us spread out a lot. ”
BROOKLYN NETS HEAD COACH KENNY ATKINSON: (On finding balance playing iso basketball): “
On the Trevor Booker block at the end of the game:“That was spectacular, but that’s part of who Trevor Booker is and why we brought him here – how hard he plays and his defensive instincts. It was really evident on that play. It’s funny, that was a great block, but I thought a lot of guys stepped up at the end, made big defensive plays, big defensive rebounds against a good team.”
On what he saw from Brooklyn offensively:“That’s kind of the beauty of playing a team offense. Sean (Kilpatrick) played that offense all summer. In Summer League he played a ton of point guard, he was handling the ball and I told him at halftime, ‘just pretend it’s Summer League and bring the ball up and get us into motion.’ The offense was good. I thought we really ran out. Our pace was excellent, quick open shots and good job by our guys running out and getting to our space and good spots.”
On Jeremy Lin’s injury and Isaiah Whitehead’s performance:“No update yet. The doctor said he’ll let me know. They’re still evaluating, they’ll evaluate him again tomorrow when he comes to the facility. We can have more for you then. But, Isaiah (Whitehead), what can I say? That’s the beauty of sport, that’s the beauty of the NBA – that you get another chance to do it and you get another opportunity. I’m really proud how he stepped up in front of his home crowd. Good stuff.”
BROOKLYN NETS CENTER BROOK LOPEZ:
On Trevor Booker’s last possessions of the game:“Those plays were just so huge for us, and he always brings that. He always brings that intensity, and it is definitely contagious. If we continue to play the way we played tonight as far as energy and effort and plays like that, getting balls, we will be alright.”
On the mentality of today’s game:“I just wanted to come out with a better mindset and better energy. I wanted for each of us to do the same and we were all disappointed in ourselves after Chicago, so we just tried to step on the floor right from the first minute and be different. ”
On how confident the team is:“Obviously it is tough to be there without (Jeremy) Lin but we are confident he will be alright and we already want him back. It is great to see the guys stick together, play within each other and just trust each other. Like I’ve been saying every day, that’s where we will find our true strength and that’s what is going to make us a great team, so we need to trust in that right now and continue to improve.”
BROOKLYN NETS GUARD SEAN KILPATRICK
On playing the point in the second half and staying composed:“Those guys (the Pistons) did a great job of making runs, and one thing that we were trying to keep in our minds was that they were going to continue to try to make runs, but we still had to keep the play within the game. We can’t start panicking because they made a run, and I think, especially with our point guards on the bench, they did a great job of telling us what to see and how to read the defense and what was open, and I think that was something we kind of took advantage of.”
On whether there was an adjustment for him mentally when playing the point:“Yeah, I mean, I noticed as soon as Jeremy (Lin) went out. I was like, ‘I’m going to have to play the point’ because that was something I did throughout Summer League and Coach (Kenny Atkinson) did a great job during the summer, making sure that I played the point because you never know when that time is going to come when you do need to play the point. So I just want to just continue to keep getting everyone involved and make sure that I was staying aggressive on top of that, because as a point guard it’s kind of tough. I mean, I said to Jeremy when I came back, ‘I don’t know how you do it.’ I said, ‘I mean, this is kind of crazy.’ I felt good to embrace that though. I knew that I had him in my back pocket talking to me and making sure that I was looking at Coach almost every play just to figure out what to run, and I think I adjusted well to it.”
On how the team is embracing doing the little things:“I’ve been saying it all week. We don’t have the luxury of not playing hard at repossession and I think that’s something that we’re starting to instill within this program. The best thing about it is that the young guys are getting it. Today, for example, you saw Isaiah (Whitehead) doing a lot on their point guard and really pressuring him. He did a great job of doing that; and especially with Trevor (Booker) really running down and catching that block after we turned it over. I think that’s something that we fed off of, and that’s something that we really expect from Trevor. He’s a guy that makes those high energy plays, and he really gets us going.”BROOKLYN NETS POSTGAME QUOTESSEAN KILPATRICK NOVEMBER 2, 2016