Detroit: Lawrence Frank | Jason Maxiell | Greg Monroe
Atlanta: Larry Drew | Al Horford
(On preseason finale): “We obviously have a lot of work to do. I think there were some good things on both ends, and obviously some things that we continually need to work on. But it’s always good to play good basketball going into it, yet you always have to be real, you can’t get a false sense of what it is and we have a lot of work to do.”
(On first quarters): “I thought our guys were focused and locked in. I like our team spirit. I like our attitude and approach. I thought we had contributions from a lot of different guys. Defensively, when we weren’t turning the ball over, we were fairly solid outside of some high pick-and-roll situations. Offensively, I thought we had several good ball movement possessions.”
(On Andre Drummond): “The great thing about Andre, why we have such huge faith in what he’s going to be, is that he’s a phenomenal young man. He’s as coachable of a guy as we have. So anything that he struggles with, we have unbelievable faith that he’s going to get it, because of the strength of his character.”
(On wrapping up preseason): “Everyone is healthy, minus Corey (Maggette), so that’s always a win. What I’m pleased about is that I like our spirit, and I like our group. I like the fact that when we’ve had disappointing nights, we’ve bounced back resiliently. Outside of maybe two times, we’ve practiced really hard and really well. I like the fact that our guys support each other, and the fact that our guys know that we have a lot of things to work on to get better, and they’re willing to do it.”
(On protecting the paint): "Of course, that’s something we talk a lot about in practice, protect the paint, protect the paint, protect the paint, and in the first quarter against Minnesota we had no offensive rebounds, so we tried to commit tonight to protect the boards offensively and defensively.”
(On Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe): "It was good. It’s something Greg will have to get use to playing the four, but it’ll work out."
(On Drummond’s progress): "He’s working hard. He’s got his motor going right. He needs to be more physical down low, and be a lot stronger and more verbal out there."
(On having a satisfactory preseason): "I think we did great, but we have a long way to go. I definitely think we are a good basketball team. I don't think we've reached our full potential yet, and there are some places we can get better."
(On the team's future): "We need to focus on one game at a time instead of thinking about the long term or making predictions. Right now, we have to get ready for the season."
(On playing with Andre Drummond): "We play well together. As we get more comfortable playing with each other I think we will make a good pair. There are some things I have to work on because the coverage changes when you are playing power forward."
(On preseason): “First of all, let me say I am excited that we have gotten through our preseason. I knew this would be a very tough game; particularly Detroit always has a tough team. Particularly at home they are a very physical team.”
(On game): “We had a defined game plan coming in here, but not having Zaza (Pachulia), not having Jeff Teague (was tough). Originally my game was to play more of a rotational lineup. In essence I tried to give these guys some playing time, get some minutes and try to use as many bodies I could.’
(On Lou Williams): “Lou (Williams) is very good for us. He’s a guy that can score. He can make plays off the dribble. When he gets in the game, we really expect him to turn it up particularly on the offensive end. He’s done that for us this preseason. He’s a great piece to have.”
(On absence of Zaza Pachulia): “Zaza is a big part of the team. It’s just another preseason game, but we are looking forward to having him back for opening night.
(On road losses): “It happens when the team is very new. Those are things that we will correct and take care of we are looking forward more than anything for the real season to start.”