DETROIT PISTONS HEAD COACH STAN VAN GUNDY: (On team’s play in fourth quarter): “We hit a really bad stretch where we lost it, they took a five or six point lead. We didn’t melt down at all, we went from there and played. I thought that was a big step forward for us. A lot of times those kind of games get away but we played very well down the stretch.”
(On balanced scoring effort): “The balance was very good. With our team, it may not always be balanced, it may be like when Greg(Monroe) carried the big load the other night or Caron(Butler) in Minnesota. The point is, it’s not going to be one guy every night. We need to play good offense, move the ball and take the shots as they come.”
(On Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s confidence this year): “Confidence comes from work and I honestly believe that. When you’re prepared you tend to be more confident and that guy(Caldwell-Pope) has worked his butt off. He got ready, he had a great summer league, he’s worked virtually every day with Bob Beyer, he watches film and works in the weight room. That’s what leads to his confidence.”
DETROIT PISTONS FORWARD JOSH SMITH: (On his put back layup late in the game): “I saw the angle of it. I was just trying to position myself to get it and try to make a play on it. The clock was going down with the shot clock, so I just wanted to make a quick play on it.”
(On performance of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope late in the game): “He didn’t really get an opportunity last year to play and be able to get a feel for the game. This year, it all started with Summer League this summer. He has more confidence knowing he can come in and be affective. When he plays under control he’s a good two guard to watch and his future’s very bright and his work ethic is strong.”
DETROIT PISTONS GUARD KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE: (On guarding Brandon Knight): “He got it going, he’s a great point guard in this league. You’re not going to hold a great point guard down for long. He got his shot going but I tried my best to stay in front of him and I did a good job.”
(On the difference between guarding a point guard and a two guard): “Point guards are more patient with the ball, look for their shot second. Two guards just want to score the ball.”
MILWAUKEE BUCKS HEAD COACH JASON KIDD: (On what needs to change): “We fought for 48 minutes. This game had a lot of possessions. You've got to take care of the ball. We fought back we gave up offensive rebounds at the wrong time, but there was a lot of good things for us to learn from. We kept fighting on the road and put ourselves in the position to try and we the game. We just came up short.”
(On Jabari Parker’s performance): “I think he’s again not trying to impress. He’s letting the game come to him. He’s attacking he made some early jump shots. We like that he’s trying to make plays for his team.”
(On coaching a young team): “Whether they make a mistake, a turnover or a missed defensive assignment, they understand that once they make a mistake they keep playing. We have a lot of guys that are young. This is going to be a good learning experience for us. We've got to be able to execute on both ends if we want to win.”
MILWAUKEE BUCKS FORWARD JABARI PARKER: (On tonight’s game versus Pistons): “It wasn't enough. I’d rather take a game where I score four points and we win the game. It’s just all about winning. I didn't do enough. It’s just about how you finish more than you start. It’s mostly defense. It’s just rebounds, you know? It’s more about effort. That’s all it takes. We’ll see how I do next game. It’s about consistency. I just don’t want to have a bad game.”