PrintGame 3 Pregame Quotes
April 23, 2004 - A few members of the Rockets spoke about the pivotal Game 3 of their first round playoff series with the Los Angeles Lakers.
STEVE FRANCIS
On whether or not tonight’s success depends on Yao:
If we can get our big man (Yao) going early, I think that helps not only the perimeter guys, but even guys that come off the bench. He knows that it’s going to be a tough job for him every night, regardless if we’re playing the Lakers or whoever. But the task at hand is playing the Lakers and I know he knows it starts with him.
On the magnitude of tonight’s game:
It’s tough for us because we’re down by two games and we’re playing at home. It’s tough, but I think it’s good. It’s a chance for us to show improvement over the three days we had off. It’s a chance to get back to playing after the last game.
On what the Rockets have learned in the series thus far:
You have to stay intense for four quarters. You can’t play one half, two quarters. You have to play four quarters. They (the Lakers) have guys who have been in tough games, guys with a lot of playoff experience. So we have to play the full court.
On whether or not the Rockets playoff inexperience has been overblown:
Of course, the more games that you play, the more playoff experience you have. But I think now is a good time for us to continue to get better, as far as experience in the big games, whether it’s on the road or even if it’s at home. Our inexperience, I don’t really think it plays a big factor in the first two games. Every team gets into a run. And the way you stop runs is by playing solid. Last game we weren’t able to stop their runs when they got going into the third and fourth quarter. We want to be able to try to stop their runs and they’re going to try to stop ours.
On how the Rockets are going into tonight’s game:
We don’t want to think desperate. When you think desperate, that’s when you panic. I don’t think we’re in a real position where we need to panic. We want to play sound basketball. That’s how we won our 45 games in the regular season, by playing professional basketball.
On envisioning tonight’s game:
You’ll have to wait and see. I have confidence in us, but I want to get to the game tonight and hopefully we’ll be able come out ready.
YAO MING
On the focus of tonight’s game:
We believe in our resolve.
On his thoughts on the media’s attention to his comments on being exhausted:
Tired is tired. I was just telling the truth. But I can say right now; I’m not tired.
On what a win tonight would do for the Rockets:
It just means we have to win the fourth game.
On how the Rockets playoff experience has affected the team:
I don’t have much experience, just two games.
JIM JACKSON
On the sense of urgency for the Rockets as they approach tonight’s game:
We feel very confident at home. The past two games are behind us. There’s nothing we can do but look forward.
On the lack of playoff experience for other members of the team:
It’s a factor in some sense from the standpoint of really understanding the significance. But it’s still a game of basketball. The intensity level goes up two or three notches, but you still have to make shots, play defense, rebound – those things don’t change.
On this game being a do-or-die situation:
It’s a game we have to come out and dominate from an early standpoint. And we have to play 48 minutes. Last game, we played a good first half. The second half, we didn’t play good basketball. It’s a matter of coming out and playing a complete game.
On the performance of Yao in tonight’s game:
He has to be dominant in the sense that he has to draw the double team. We have to make sure that he’s very aggressive. Whether he’s making or missing shots is not the issue. He has to be aggressive going after the ball. He has to be aggressive in asking for the ball and he has to aggressive rebounding the ball.
CUTTINO MOBLEY
Mobley addressing the media:
Can I ask you a question? Who aired the something – I don’t listen to sports, or read. I just watch basketball games. But somebody aired the thing that I said about the family problem the other day. And my friend told me that on 610 (AM radio) that people were killing me. Who would do something like that? Like why would you do it like that? It wasn’t to be mean. It’s just that basketball’s one thing and my family is different. I cherish my family – that’s what I’m trying to say. When people criticize the individual, we take that to heart. I love fans and the crowd and everybody. But I wouldn’t want anybody to be mad at me about anything. I’m not that type of person. I’ve been here six years. Well, this is my sixth year. I don’t really appreciate that. It’s not cool. I feel bad about it. I didn’t mean for it to come off like that. If anybody’s going to air something, air that I’m sorry – if I offended anybody.
On defending Kobe Bryant tonight:
He’s clever. He’s a ball player. He’s a student and I’m a student also. He got me in a couple tricks the other day that a lot of us use, especially when you study the game.
On the difference between defending Kobe in Games 1 and 2:
There’s not really a difference. He made four more field goals, but a lot more free throws. He limited the fouling that we did. I’ll do my best. That’s all I can do. He’s Kobe. It’s like Tracy (McGrady), anybody else. You get a lot of attempts (at shots), you’re a good, talented player – one of the best in the league – you’re going to score.
On recognizing and reacting to the stretch of the game that starts to get away, before it gets too late:
I really don’t know. I don’t have playoff experience. It’s a new season. You don’t get as many fouls (in the playoffs). You don’t get any called. You've got to learn how to adjust faster than in the third quarter. You've got to adjust in the second, I guess. I can’t tell you. That’s like me telling you how to spend a trillion dollars. Bill Gates can tell you. I can’t tell you. I don’t know.
On whether or not more playoff experience would have helped the Rockets in the first two games:
Definitely. It’s a learning process. If you have experience, it’s easier to adapt.
On whether or not the first two games give the Rockets more confidence in the playoffs:
I hope so. I definitely hope so. The second game wasn’t as bad – little foolish fouls and a couple of layups that we gave up we shouldn’t have. We should have attacked the bucket a little more – just things like that. But as far as that, we were right on top of them through the end of the third. The fourth quarter, it kind of fell apart.
On knowing the team doesn’t want to go down with three losses after tonight:
You can’t really be too serious because you’ll take the fun out of it. You’ll think too much. I tried to be like that yesterday and I just didn’t feel good about myself. Today I woke up, after playing cards with my mom last night and had fun – laughed a little bit, watched some games, she cooked a good meal. I just relaxed and let the game go and I woke up today happy. I’m blessed and I have another day. And we are going to go out there and try our best tonight. That’s all we can do.
On tonight’s game:
We’ll see tonight what happens. We’re going to have some fun. I know the Toyota Center is going to be rockin’.
JEFF VAN GUNDY
On approaching tonight’s game with desperation:
We just have to play well and play better. I think we were plenty desperate to start the series. We just have to play better.
On dealing with the stretches where the game starts to fall apart:
I think that’s a great question for tonight because I think L.A. is going to come in here, obviously looking to go right at us. We know we’re going to have to do that best by believing – real belief, great intensity, great discipline and concentration and poise.
On Karl Malone’s compliments of Van Gundy:
I appreciate the compliment and I appreciate greatness in players like Malone, obviously. I just would have appreciated if he could have sat out a few more times against us. Because since he’s been back, it’s changed things around for us. The tandem of O’Neal and Malone is far different than the tandem of O’Neal and Medvedenko or O’Neal and Walton or O’Neal and Cook. It’s different for us and Yao has to figure it out against two very, very good defenders. Malone has had one of the most unique careers in the NBA. Until this year, he never missed, second-leading scorer, evolved himself from a poor free throw shooter into a very good free throw shooter, a poor passer to a very, very good passer – one of the great passers of big men in the game. I obviously admire what he’s done. With that being said, I think tonight isn’t about glorifying one of the great teams; it’s about trying to go out there and win.
