PISTONS HEAD COACH STAN VAN GUNDYRE: Overall thoughts on tonight’s game“We quit getting stops so we could not run. I thought the pace was fine, but we just did not get any stops after that. [The Clippers] shot the ball very well, moved the ball very well, and we could not keep up. They shot the 3 well. They totally tore our defense apart.”
PISTONS HEAD COACH STAN VAN GUNDYRE: Defensive performance in tonight’s game“That is a very good offensive team. We certainly did not play well defensively. They were a step ahead of us the whole time. Right from the beginning, with [J.J.] Redick, we were six feet off of him. They were just at a quicker pace offensively than we were at defensively. Certainly our defense could have been a lot better, but you have to give them a lot of credit too. They played very well, moved the ball very sharply, and they do everything at a very crisp pace with a lot of skilled guys.”
PISTONS CENTER ANDRE DRUMMONDRE: Playing late in the fourth quarter of a blowout“I was not sure why I went back in the game [in the fourth quarter], but I am assuming that [Stan Van Gundy] wants me to work on my craft. They got the ball to me in the post and I did what I needed to do.”
PISTONS CENTER ANDRE DRUMMONDRE: Experience thus far with new coach Stan Van Gundy“It has been great experience so far, despite the losing. [Stan Van Gundy] is just full of knowledge and experience. The winning is going to take place. It has been a tough streak so far, but we are going to be fine. We are not really worried. It has been excellent so far with Stan.”
PISTONS CENTER ANDRE DRUMMONDRE: Differences between now and his rookie year“I feel like I have matured a lot more. I feel like I understand the game more and know what it takes to be a good player. I think I am more of a vocal guy on the court now and I play a lot harder.”
PISTONS FORWARD GREG MONROERE: Differences between the first quarter and the rest of the game“We started slacking off on defense and they started getting the ball off of rebounds. So [the change in the game] was a combination of both not getting stops consecutively and their getting a lot of second chances off the boards.”
PISTONS GUARD JODIE MEEKSRE: Personal performance in third game since returning from injury“I felt like I got into a bit of a rhythm. It is only my third game back, so I have to take it day by day, and when I am open, shoot it with confidence.”
CLIPPERS HEAD COACH DOC RIVERSRE: Jordan Farmar’s high energy and defense“Jordan [Farmar] was great. I am hard on him more than any other player right now, because I think he has that in him. Forget the offense, I just thought that Jordan [Farmar] turned his energy on. That is what I have been on him about. I told him that he will only be playing 20 minutes, so there is no reason to save your energy. I thought he was great. His defense changed the game.”
CLIPPERS HEAD COACH DOC RIVERSRE: Glen Davis’ performance“Glen [Davis] was great. We told him to play as hard as he could and when you get tired, give us a signal. He did it twice which was great. I love when a player plays hard enough to come out of the game. That is always a good sign.”
CLIPPERS HEAD COACH DOC RIVERSRE: Overall thoughts on the regular season“I think the season is a three-part season. During the first 20 games, everyone is excited. Those are easy games to get up for. During the last 20 games, everyone who is going to the playoffs is excited. The middle 40 games are the hard ones. It is when your team gets better and tougher. It is when you learn about yourself. These are the tough ones and it is hard. Those are the games when you have to figure it out. You have to grind through them.”
CLIPPERS GUARD CHRIS PAULRE: Overall thoughts on tonight’s game“Our defense was a lot better. We saw on the road that our defense was letting up, so our offense could not get out and into transition. We were fouling a lot and taking the ball off the net, but tonight we did a lot better job with finishing.”
CLIPPERS GUARD CHRIS PAULRE: Jordan Farmar’s performance“It was great. We are all a new team and everybody has been trying to find themselves. Jordan [Farmar] has been trying to pick his spots. Tonight he just played a lot freer. He was aggressive and he was fun to watch.”
CLIPPERS FORWARD BLAKE GRIFFINRE: Thoughts on Chris Paul’s trade to the team“The biggest thing from then to now is that it was just another piece of making this franchise something respectable and honest. It was a big moment for Clipper fans, the team, for us, and for everybody to have a guy [Chris Paul] come here that probably could have gone anywhere. I also remember the excitement that it came with it.”
CLIPPERS CENTER DEANDRE JORDANRE: Tone of the game“I think once they [Pistons] made their run, we still came out flat. We cannot get complacent with our team. We have got to be able to play 48 minutes worth of basketball. I think we still came out a little flat in the beginning of the game, but we got ourselves together, gathered ourselves, and we know that in order to win games and championships, we need to come out and get stops, so that‟s what we did.”
CLIPPERS CENTER DEANDRE JORDANRE: Contribution to tonight’s game“[I was] trying to limit those guys [Pistons] to one shot. They have a really good team, so keeping them off the boards, setting screens, rolling and putting pressure on those guys really opened it up for some easy looks.”
CLIPPERS CENTER DEANDRE JORDANRE: First home game after a road trip“After losing two games in a row, it feels like we lost 10 in a row. Coming back home and being able to win a basketball game and close a team out is always a really good feeling.”
CLIPPERS CENTER DEANDRE JORDANRE: Play of Jamal Crawford and the Clippers second unit.“The Sixth Man of the Year? He [Jamal Crawford] is a problem. That‟s all I can say about Jamal. He‟s become an even better defender for our team. Even on nights like this, where he struggled a little bit offensively, he had seven assists for our team. He‟s definitely going to draw double-teams and a lot of traps. He‟s really unselfish when guys are keying in on him. Our whole second unit [played well]. Baby [Glen Davis] played well tonight. His antics were great and really gave us a lift. Jordan [Farmar] played well. CDR [Chris Douglas-Roberts], he‟s back healthy. Turk [Hedo Turkoglu] shot the ball great. So, whenever we get Spencer [Hawes] back, it will help our second unit be even stronger, but we have to come out with better starts as a first unit.”
CLIPPERS GUARD J.J. REDICKRE: Overall thoughts on tonight’s game“We just started getting stops. Our defense was great in that second quarter. Our bench gave us a great lift in the first half, got us back in the game and then took the lead, so a big credit to them. In the third quarter, we just got stops. They were stuck on 53 for a while it seemed like and we were just able to get some stops.”
CLIPPERS GUARD J.J. REDICKRE: Overall thoughts on tonight’s defense“First of all, our defense starts with our offense. When we play good offense and score the ball, then a team is going against our set defense. I think we have a pretty good half-court defense. When we play good offense, our defense should be pretty good too.”
CLIPPERS GUARD J.J. REDICKRE: Having a balanced offense tonight“It makes things easier on our best players when guys are working hard to get open shots and when the ball is moving. When we are getting to our second and third options, teams cannot load up as much on Chris [Paul] and Blake [Griffin]. We want them to take as many shots as possible, but when we are balanced we are good.”