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April 24 • Practice report • Brown, Coleman and Van Horn quotes April 22 • Brown, Iverson and Snow quotes April 21 • Practice Report • Brown, Mckie and Van Horn quotes April 19 • Brown, Coleman, McKie and Snow quotes April 18 • Practice Report • Brown, Iverson, Thomas and Van Horn quotes |
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Practice Quotes - April 25
“I don’t know. I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about our team and how we can prepare. We are going to prepare just like they have everybody. They played pretty darn good when they were banged up. They showed me an awful lot the way they competed and got contributions from a lot of different people. We have to just play the right way.” On whether the possibility of Mashburn or Davis sitting out changes his preparation “I don’t know what it would change. I think you can just talk about, ‘well maybe they’ll run this (play) more than that. Maybe this guy will be a primary option.’ I don’t know. You can always talk about that. The bottom line is you don’t have a lot of time in between games, so the important thing is to build on things you did good and try to correct things you think you need to improve on.” On what improvements he would like to see made by the Sixers “We have to try to put two halves together in terms of execution and effort. I think our defense, for the most part, was pretty solid. I thought we didn’t handle dribble-penetration very good in the last game. But for the most part, (the defense) has been pretty good. We rebounded a lot better in Game 2 and that is going to be critical. We have to have better execution on offense. We can’t settle for quick shots. We have to try to get everybody involved. I looked at Boston (against Indiana) and (Celtics forward Paul) Pierce took eight shots last night. They got everybody involved. I think we need to get people involved and step up and take pressure off Allen. I think that’s important. It was helpful that Kenny (Thomas) and Derrick (Coleman) had opportunities (in Game 2).” On if he wants Allen Iverson to take less shots “I want Allen to take a lot of shots. I think that’s they way he plays, because he will try to get everyone involved anyway. But I don’t want Allen settling for quick shots. I think he’s got to try to explore getting great shots. That is what he has tried to do and he’s gotten better at it.” On what he wants from Keith Van Horn “If he rebounds and defends, everything will take care of itself. We are 2-0. He has made a contribution. Just having him out there makes everybody better. I think he has to be in a position where he demands the ball. The big key for him is, when he rebounds and defends, we are better. That way he will stay on the floor, and when he is on the floor, it opens it up for everybody.” On the media coverage related to the recent incident involving Allen Iverson “I said this before. I talked about this days ago. We were concerned about how he’d react and stuff like that, and he went out and got 55. I don’t know what has changed seven days later.”
General Manager Billy King
On the recent incident involving Allen Iverson“I haven’t seen all the facts. I’ve seen speculations and what’s been reported. Like I’ve said before, I think any time there is a shooting in Philadelphia, we all should be concerned, not just when it could be a possible basketball player or star athlete. It should be a concern for the city any time someone gets shot.” On whether or not Allen Iverson puts himself into dangerous situations “That area – Second (Street, where the shooting occurred) – I think we’ve all been there. There are some great restaurants and some great establishments, so I think to say the lifestyle and the area that he was in (were bad choices), that’s a bad accusation. There are a lot of people in that area that go to that area. I’ve had numerous conversations with Allen. I think Allen is smart enough to realize it.”
“It’s not a distraction at all. Our main concern is with him and that he’s okay. We can’t control what people outside of this organization want to do. Our main concern is him and making sure that he’s okay.” On his concern for Iverson “I don’t have half the problems that he has. He’s a megastar. He’s the star among stars. Everybody wants a piece of him, everybody wants him to sign this and sign that. He can’t please everybody. That tends to make people a little upset. Our main concern is him. Maybe the thing that he needs to do is beef up security.” On the prospects of playing against a Hornets team dealing with injuries “I think they have some capable guys over there on the sidelines that we haven’t seen. They have a guy, Courtney Alexander, who can go in there and put some numbers on the board. They brought Robert Pack in (in Game 2), and he gave them a great lift. So, you never know.”
“I’m looking for a team that is going to play well, play better, play as hard as they can. They are going to play like they are down 2-0. I think we have to come in with the same urgency.” On the injured Jamal Mashburn and Baron Davis “I wouldn’t be surprised if both were out there. We are preparing like both will be out there, until they say they are out. We prepared for Baron until we were told he was out. But I think what we need to do also is, we need to prepare for some of the other guys on the bench. I think we weren’t too prepared for what Robert Pack brought to the table.” On Head Coach Larry Brown’s examination of areas the Sixers need to improve upon “For some guys, it’s tough to hear. But when you look at it from a coach’s standpoint, that’s his job. His job is to make sure that we don’t get overconfident, to make sure that we understand that we are up 2-0 but we still have a lot of room for improvement. We have a lot of things that we need to correct, change and do better to keep winning in this series.” On the recent incident involving Allen Iverson’s affect on the team’s focus “It doesn’t affect the team at all. We are worried about Allen and his health. He’s fine, so hopefully the police will handle it. I’m quite sure they will do their job. I’m quite sure Allen has done all he could do to help. It doesn’t affect us whatsoever.” On Iverson “You are talking about a kid that is as tough as nails. He’s been through so much in his life. It’s just one hurdle of the many that he’s had to jump.”
“I think, in terms of being a professional athlete, my biggest concern is my children and their safety. That’s my biggest concern – being high-profile and having children that are around and out. That concerns me. As far as my own personal safety, I never really worry about it.” On how important the play of the frontcourt is to the team’s success “Not just our frontcourt, but our whole team. We need to have a great team effort. That’s what it’s going to take to beat these guys. They are a solid defensive team, and they are not going to let one guy beat them. I think, collectively, as a team, we should continue to put a great effort together.” On Hornets Forward Jamal Mashburn “I don’t think we expect he is out. I think we just have to expect him to play. Obviously, a day can make a big difference as to how someone feels. He might feel a lot better tomorrow. We just need to approach it as if he is playing.” |
