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Postgame Quotes - May 14
Game 5 - May 14, 2003
Pistons 78, Sixers 77
Brown |
"Well they won with sixteen seconds to go. It shouldn’t have gotten down to that. You know your not allowed to walk on the sidelines. We wanted to let the clock run down a little bit, take our foul. Then I thought we almost played great, and then Chucky (Atkins) kept coming and made a tremendous plug. We were hoping that they would throw the ball back. We denied pretty good, and I thought Allen (Iverson) did a tremendous job of pressuring the inbounds. He just got in on full stride and there’s not much we could do. And he made a tough shot. I thought Derrick (Coleman) was coming. You’ve got to give them credit…they made two big shots. But sixteen seconds to go on the sidelines, that last possession, that’s when they lost. They made two plays, and we didn’t get it done. We made a big time three to give us a chance. You’ve got to give them credit."
On the last play of the game
"I don’t know how we stayed in the game with Keith (VanHorn) going two for ten and Allen five for twenty-five. I thought we defended, kept fighting back. I know it was a really difficult, game too, but this one really stinks. Derrick (Coleman) was phenomenal. I thought a lot of guys stepped up. We rebounded the ball well, defended. We had a horrible first quarter. I think that they had a lot to do with it. They were great. We got back in the game in the third period early, and then we missed two free throws early. We had a chance to cut it to four, and then all of a sudden, boom it’s eleven and we’re fighting for our lives again. I admire my team. They did some special things to get themselves in a position to win. It’s going to be a tough ride home. "
Coleman |
"We just have to go back to Philly, get a win and force a game seven. He (Chucky Atkins’ with the winning shot) just made a great play. We got down but we kept continuing to fight. One bounce, one rebound, the game is over and we’d be up 3-2. It just bounced the other way tonight. We have to get home and get ready to play Friday. I just play the game. I go out there, try to get on the offensive end, get on the glass and do whatever it takes. I had better numbers last year. I’m just doing what is asked of me. It’s not surprising me because I know what I’m capable of doing. I don’t take anything away from Ben (Wallace). I think he’s a great defender but I just constantly try to keep my body on him as far as rebounding. Even with that (Iverson and Van Horn struggling), we still had a ball game. That’s a positive part of the game we can take away. If the ball bounces the wrong way we go home with a victory. Chucky just made a great shot. That’s just the game of basketball sometimes.”
Iverson |
"I feel bad obviously, just because we lost. I’d rather get beat by 30 points in a blowout than lose a game like that. But that’s the way it goes, that’s the way the ball bounces. That game was just like life, that’s the way it goes sometimes. It’s a bad feeling but it’s been like that for us all season. We just always have to do everything the hard way. Hopefully we can get back home, get a win and try to get back here and start over again. This is definitely a team lose. Every time we lose I’m not going to put everything on me. It’s a team game, that game (Game 2) I had a chance to ice it with free throws and didn’t get the job done. This game is one of my worst games in the playoffs, I struggled shooting. I felt that my effort was there and I gave all the energy I had, I just didn’t made shots tonight. I missed a lot of shots that I’m accustomed to making. I kind of put us in a bind early in the game, I rushed it more than I used to do and just moving so fast out there being so anxious. But no, I don’t put this on myself. This is a team lose. It’s always a team lose when we don’t get it done. I just struggled tonight and the good part about that whole thing is that I struggled the way I struggled and we lost the game at the buzzer. That says a lot about our team and the character of our squad."
Snow |
"It’s tough, but you can’t let it be a carryover. You just have to analyze the film, look at it, digest it, and swallow that pill. We lost. Whether we lost by ten points or at the buzzer, we lost. You’ve got to take the loss, and you’ve got to go out and win two in a row. We have to win on Friday first. They leave me a lot, especially when Allen and the guys make plays to the basket and Allen passed back door cut to DC and I just try to go to the open space. I don’t pretty much look to shoot three pointers but I just happened to be open and just be out there. I just wanted to get a shot up and if I didn’t make it we had a chance to get a rebound. People are talking about Chauncey being out, but they forget that for the past couple of years Chucky Atkins was a starter. He’s a started in this league. They pay him like a starter, he’s been a starter here. I don’t think it’s a situation where you have a guy that is coming in that can’t play. "
Van Horn |
“I really don’t think you can put it into words. I think everyone is just numb now. Especially with the way we fought back that’s just the best way to put it, I’m just numb. We haven’t played great on the offensive end but defensively I thought the two games we played here, we played great. It’s just frustrating. I think right now we’re just frustrated by the loss tonight."
On his initial reaction to Chucky Atkins’ game-winning shot
"I was just shocked. I knew that they would count it. I was just shocked."
On Derrick Coleman’s play
"He played great tonight on the boards and shooting the ball. He just had a solid series. I knew it wasn’t over when Eric (Snow) hit that shot with five seconds left. I don’t think anybody thought it was over. I don’t think we necessarily got too excited because we knew we had to play nine seconds of good defense. I thought it (trying to use up remaining fouls) was a smart play. Chucky Atkins just made a great shot.”
Carlisle |
"Well it was an exciting game; a lot going on out there. There were a lot of guys stepping up out there on both teams. I just thought that the game was played at an unbelievably high level of competitiveness. That’s what playoff basketball, to me, has always been about. It doesn’t matter if it was a high scoring game or not. I thought both teams really competed. Philly struggled to shoot the ball; Iverson had a tough night, but their rebounding kept them in the game. We obviously had a couple guys step up with big nights. Chucky Atkins was huge going in for Billups (Chauncey). Hamilton (Rip) played well. Wallace was, again, great on the boards. The two young guys, Prince (Tayshaun) and Okur (Mehmet), played real well down the stretch. It’s tough for young guys in a play-off situations, but they’re learning a lot and they’re learning fast. Barry (Jon) stepped in, in the fourth (quarter) and in the second quarter and gave us some energy too. I thought he was a factor in the game as well. (On the final play) Well, we knew that they had a foul to give. We were trying to run something to put Tayshaun (Prince) at the top. I knew that it would be a situation where they would do a great job of denying, and they would probably take a foul. It was a huge play for us. Snow (Eric) had just hit a big three to put them up one. I am just really proud of our team for hanging in, and finding a way to win."
Atkins |
"I was just praying that it went it (on the last shot of the game). I had made a couple of mistakes late in the game, one when I threw the ball away and Allen (Iverson) threw the ball off of Tayshaun (Prince) and another one when I left Eric Snow with a wide open shot. I was just trying to make up for my mistakes and the first play we designed for Tayshaun and (Philly) played it well and he threw it back to Memo (Mehmet Okur) and they had a foul to give so they fouled. The second time we switched places and they put me in the opposite corner and I just tried to roll off and get some speed, get some momentum going to my right and throw up a shot I have been practicing all year long. I’ve watched (Allen Iverson) play for seven years and I have yet to see anybody who can really shut him down. He is the go-to guy and he is going to get his looks. My whole concept of the game is to try to make him work for every opportunity to get the ball and then once he gets it, I try to make him shoot tough shots. The guy is a freak of nature. He runs all day and he has so much strength for a guy his size. The fans have been great all series long and all (throughout the playoffs). What we have to do is maintain our energy level for 48 minutes. I think (when we play at home) we get a 10 or 12 or 15-point lead and we don’t look for the kill like we should, I think. A lot of times we get lax and those guys have been to the finals before, so they know how to win games."
Barry |
"We’re a good defensive team and tonight (Eric) Snow hit a huge three. We did a good job taking it out of Allen (Iverson’s) hands and they kicked it to Snow and he hit a big time shot. We have a lot of guys that like to have the ball at the end of games. Chauncey (Billups) has been huge for us, for the most part he is the guys who makes those shots and Chucky (Atkins) stepped in and Tayshaun (Prince) hit another big shot tonight. Memo (Okur) played well; he had some opportunities tonight and we know how big this was. If you lose this game, you’re in big trouble."
Hamilton |
"I always try to come out aggressive. I had a nice little rhythm. I think that Chuck was giving me the ball early where I could make a play and I would just try to make a play. If I didn’t make a play I would try to pass it to him and he would try to make a play. I had a great rhythm and I just kept trying to feed off of it. And I just said to myself, let me do it for 48 minutes, just keep doing it for 48 minutes but it just got cut short at halftime. Anytime you chase a guy like Allen Iverson around for 40 something minutes each and every night, and I run around myself on the offensive end so there is no time to rest. Just try to stay poised, stay aggressive and try to get my teammates involved. It was definitely a defensive game. Derrick Coleman was big for them on both ends of the floor. Our objective was to try to contain Allen, and we did a good job of that. Derrick Coleman had a good game but we just said, “Just keep sticking with it.” It’s a possession game when it comes to the third and forth quarter, so we try to take our time and get easy baskets. He’s a great player (Allen Iverson), I try to switch it up how I’m guarding him. He’s great at creating fouls, great a pick and roles, he’s great at coming off screens and great at everything else. So I try to mix it up, I just don’t try to play him one way."
Okur |
"(The ending of the game) was fun. Of course when it was a tie game everybody tried to help everybody else do their job. Our bench players did a great job tonight and we need to keep it up."
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