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May 5 Practice Report May 4 Brown, Hill and Williams quotes May 2 Brown, McKie, Snow quotes May 1 Ayers, Thomas and Van Horn quotes April 27 McKie and Snow quotes April 25 Brown, McKie, Snow and Van Horn quotes 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 - May 5
"Well it has always been difficult, but I think it is more so now. I think now we are making a more concentrated effort to say we are going to put Ben (Wallace) in a position to affect any drive to the basket. I think the greatest example, if you watched the game yesterday, was (at the) start (of) the game, he isn't only going to guard (a big man) and he isn't only going to be with another big (man). He is guarding (Pat) Garrity, and (Wallace) isn't even playing Garrity out at the three. Obviously, they say we are going to give them something so we can keep our strength at home where we want it. The logical thing is to put him into, and whoever he is guarding, into a lot more situations whether it be pick-and-rolls or getting other men into open areas with dribble penetration to try to take advantage of when Ben Wallace goes to challenge everything." "When those kind of things happen, especially with the numbers of blocked shots one guy gets, you obviously try to keep challenging him, and just like the shooter can get into his own, so can shot-blockers when their timing is perfect that night. We are going to have to find some ways that when he doesn't come and play people, we have to do something to take advantage of that before we even drive him and try to attack the basket. When you do go to the basket, be aware of the fact that sometimes a missed shot is as good as a made shot if he comes to challenge it because maybe you can clean it up with an offensive rebound."
"Actually, I think it is too early to even talk about that. I just think, the main thing is we approach it and take it one game at a time, one series at a time, like we did with New Orleans." On the keys against Detroit "I always think the key to any basketball game is just playing great defense and rebounding more than anything. We know we have to try to contain Ben Wallace, keep him off the boards more than anything in the series because he is such key to the Pistons Organization." On Ben Wallace "I am still a basketball fan more than anything. I still like to watch the games. What can I say? He does everything for them. I think he is the key, the anchor, for their whole defense. The main thing with a guy like Ben Wallace is just trying to keep a body on him because he is such a great rebounder. As far as the offensive end, I know he likes to go in and block shots, so my main thing is to try to stay aggressive put a body on him. Pump fake him and try to get him in foul trouble." On the importance of rest and the day off "I think the rest is good because we have injuries and gave everybody an opportunity to relax a little bit. But sometimes the other teams just keep playing so you are just in a constant state of playing during the season that it doesnt really matter if you rest or not."
"That is basketball - he is competitive. That is what you think about your whole life - going up against people that are competitive in nature just like yourself. He is a tough one. He is a guy that was with a few teams, and people didn't look at what he brought to the table as something that could carry a team over the hump. But now everybody in the league is looking at him. He is a very important piece to their team, and they have a pretty good team." On Derrick Coleman "He has been great. He gives us a big body under the basket and somebody who can play on both ends. Derrick has been great rebounding the ball for us, blocking shots, doing a little bit of everything." On the 76ers strategy on offense "You want to continue to be aggressive and attack the basket no matter who is under there. The best way to get to a shot-blocker is to attack them and try to throw your body into them. We aren't going to change our game-plan but (Wallace) is definitely one of the better shot blockers in the league."
"It feels good. We just want to play. Now that we have our opponent, we can just focus on the things that we need to do to win." On the 76ers success in road games this season "It's nice to know that we can win on the road, but it doesn't guarantee us anything. We've won games on the road, and we've lost games at home. It is a different season now. We've prepared ourselves to be able to win games on the road. We approach each game like we can win, no matter where it is being played." On Chauncy Billups' ability "He has been playing great all year, and whenever he plays great, it seems like Detroit wins the game. We have to do some different things to make it tough for him." On Ben Wallace's ability "They have the best shot blocker in the league (Ben Wallace). You have to make them make plays. (Wallace's) best effectiveness is when he is making baskets. I don't think you need to go in and challenge him - I think we need to make him play, maybe take him away from the basket. If he tries to block shots, then our guards really need to protect their opponent off the offensive glass. He tries to block every shot so maybe we need to find the open man. We need to be aggressive. I think he is a threat on the offensive glass, but is more of a threat defensively." On using what another team says to get motivated "If guys need to hear another team say something to get them motivated, that is sad. Detroit's motivation shouldn't have been that Tracy McGrady or the Orlando Magic said something, it should have been that they were down 3-1. That should have been their motivation. What other people say doesn't really matter. You take it personally, but I'm not out there trying to beat them because one guy said something. I'm going out there because I want to win." On playing in Michigan "I have family, in-laws, and friends from college that all still live there. But I'm just going to get a victory. I understand why we are there, so it isn't a vacation. I have a lot of ticket requests, but that doesn't mean I'll get a lot of tickets."
"(Wallace) is a guy who is going to come out and play hard, rebound the ball...he is a great athlete, but I think we need to bring a lot of energy to the table as far as keeping our eye on him. That is the most important thing." On how Detroit compares to New Orleans "It is kind of like New Orleans I guess as far as rebounding, but Detroit only has one guy that really is going to come out and rebound. I basically am going to try and do what I did in the first series, which is rebound and play defense. I have to try to match up with Ben." On getting blown-out by Detroit earlier in the season "That happens to a lot of teams. There is always a point during the regular season where somebody is going to get blown-out. That is the way it is - somebody is going to come out hot and they did that night, but that is in the past now. We just have to get ready for them in Game 1." |
