((On Mark Jackson’s coaching ability…)
“I think that he’s done a fantastic job with a team that people definitely did not expect this out of, but he’s instilled a standard and a system that they’ve bought into both defensively and offensively. He’s been consistent in teaching it and demanding it and you see the result.”
(On Patty Mills pace off the bench…)
“Patty always plays with energy and with aggressiveness and that never changes about him. His shots may go down, they may not go down, but he’s going to be scrappy and really competitive while he’s on the court. It’s always appreciated. He’s been a pro for a long time. He’s played all over the world and we knew exactly what we were getting and that’s what he’s giving us.”
(On the defensive success this season…)
“I think first facing the problem and having a group that has the character to stand up to that and realize that it was true and it existed. Then, having the passion to want to get to the top and work at it and put in the effort and they’ve done that. So far, we’ve achieved what we wanted to achieve and I think we can get better between now and the end of the year.”
(On Tim Duncan’s play this season…)
“You look at where our team is right now and he and Tony (Parker) have played All-Star basketball without a doubt. You look at Tim’s numbers. His points, his rebounds, his blocked shots, it’s just incredible what he’s achieving. He will be humble about it, but everything starts with him and he’s been spectacular all year.”
(On Tim Duncan’s increased shot blocking this season…)
“It’s just great timing. He is long, but he understands players. He knows how to take his best shot at it and his timing is superb.”
(On Richard Jefferson’s tenure in San Antonio…)
“He did just what we wanted him to do. We wanted him to up his defense and he did that for us. We wanted him to get confident in shooting threes and he did that. He did exactly what we wanted him to do and he did pretty darn well.”