Postgame Quotes: Spurs vs. Cavs 6/07/07
Gregg Popovich
Tim Duncan
Tony Parker
Manu Ginobili
Michael Finley
Robert Horry
Bruce Bowen
Fabricio Oberto
Mike Brown
LeBron James
Drew Gooden
Anderson Varejao
Daniel Gibson
Donyell Marshall
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Larry Hughes
Sasha Pavlovic
An interview with:
COACH GREGG POPOVICH
Q. You came out of that time‑out early in the second quarter after you had lost the lead, and Parker kind of ignited you guys with a couple shots and a couple feeds. What did you say during the time‑out, and talk about what Parker did to kind of turn the game around.
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, I think Tony, he plays his best basketball when he's aggressive, and I think at that point he started to do that more than he did the rest of the contest or the previous part of the contest.
Our aggressiveness often times begins with him, no matter how anybody plays him in the pick‑and‑roll, his ability to penetrate or get the ball to the other side of the court gets us going, so that's basically what he did.
Q. What did you say during the time‑out if you can share that?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: No, I can't.
Q. Defensively against LeBron, can you just talk about how you felt that you guys executed and the game plan going in against him?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I was pleased with our defense. I thought after the long layoff that we maintained a pretty good intensity defensively. We were a little bit discombobulated, I guess, to start the game offensively, but I thought defensively we kept our focus pretty good for 48 minutes, and that's what got us through tonight.
Q. Kind of talk about Bruce Bowen's individual defense against LeBron and also your team concept against him.
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, you know, Bruce always guards the best player on the other team, or at least nine times out of ten, depending on who we're playing. But he takes great pride in guarding the other team's best player. He doesn't always stop him. Our team defense is what we count on, but team defense begins with individuals taking responsibility, and I think Bruce does that very well. The team followed through and helped out pretty good, and LeBron didn't have a great night. Sometimes shots don't fall for people.
You know, next night he may shoot 60 percent. Same things happen to our players. But tonight he just didn't have a great night shooting.
Q. Can you talk about how much of you guys' experience might have helped because it seemed like after you called that time‑out you guys became a lot more patient and maybe a little bit more deliberate in your offense.
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I don't know. I don't know how to quantify that. I know the experience is probably important in understanding that games are 48 minutes long and there are going to be ebbs and flows in every game, but beyond that, I can't quantify it.
Q. At halftime did you make any major adjustments? You came out and outscored them by 10 and put the game out of reach. Due to major adjustments or good execution on your part?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: We made no major adjustments.
An interview with:
TIM DUNCAN
Q. Defensively the game plan, can you just talk a little bit about it and how you felt you guys executed it?
TIM DUNCAN: All in all I thought we did a pretty decent job. Fourth quarter we gave up a little more than we should have. I thought they did a good job of dissecting it big towards the end there. But all in all I thought we contained very well. We did a pretty good job on LeBron, not giving him the lanes that he's used to. We won the game, we held them to 76 points. That's right where we need to be.
Q. Did you sense LeBron getting frustrated and he went 0‑for‑7 shooting in the first half and his shots kept clanking and his passes being tipped away? Did you kind of sense some frustration?
TIM DUNCAN: Honestly that's not something I was looking for. We were just trying to stick with the game plan and doing the same stuff. Honestly I didn't know he was 0‑for‑7. I knew we were doing a pretty good job on him, but I didn't know his numbers.
He's so good at finding guys with his size, we just needed to keep hands in there. Like I said, we got a couple hands on balls, which helped our defense a whole lot.
Q. What is it about you guys that every round no matter who the star is, you guys seem to figure out a way to slow that person down?
TIM DUNCAN: Well, you have to. You've got to in this league. Stars carry teams, and our coaches do a great job of putting a game plan together, and if we're able to stick to it, we do a pretty good job of containing people. It helps a little bit to have somebody like Bruce. That's definitely not something you look past.
He's guarded every position throughout these playoffs, and he's done a great job with it. So a lot of credit to him. But all in all, our team defense tonight was really good, and I think that's what's going to be the key for us.
Q. Can you just talk about the discipline that's required for your defense to play solid half‑court defense for 18, 19, 20 seconds of a 24‑second clock, even if they readjust, repost, do all the things teams normally do, that you guys still fight through screens, still beat them to spots, still close out on shooters throughout the entire shot clock?
TIM DUNCAN: It takes five guys understanding what we're doing, understanding a game plan and sticking with it. Even with the repicks and the reposts and everything else, it might be a different guy in the play, but we've been sticking to what we do. I think that's a lot of credit to our coaching staff getting us prepared at that point, and five guys on the floor, whoever it may be, getting it done. Five of them played great tonight. Francisco stepped up and played really well for us, got us some stops, some rebounds, scored a couple points. We just get play from different people. I think guys continue to step up, guys that aren't usually there continue to step up for us.
Q. Were you surprised at the ease with which you and Tony got to the rim for dunks and easy lay‑ups tonight?
TIM DUNCAN: I was surprised the first two shots I made that I got to the rim, yeah, absolutely. They adjusted their defense and I don't think I got as easy a look for the rest of the game. But to start the game, to come out of the gates and
two baskets like that helped me tremendously.
Q. And with Tony, too; he seemed to be able to get to the rim whenever he wanted?
TIM DUNCAN: Tony gets to the rim all the time, and there's no knocking anyone, the Cavs or anyone else. But with his quickness, his ability to finish in the lane, he gets in there almost at will. People make adjustments and he's got to make adjustments, too. I have no doubt they'll try to prevent that as much as possible and really pack that lane in. But night in and night out, he does it against just about anybody.
An interview with:
Tony Parker
Q. Tony, coming out of that time‑out in the second quarter, you really caught fire. What did Pop say to you guys to get you going?
TONY PARKER: Well, me personally, he told me to be aggressive. He told me to get to that Phoenix mode, you know, when I played against Phoenix and was going under all the time, and so he told me, shoot 25 times if you have to, because if I'm not aggressive we can't do nothing because they're going under every pick‑and‑roll, and that's what he told me. He told me to stop thinking about it because I was trying to be in between, between passing or shooting. So when your coach says that, it helps. So then I played free and I got out in the second quarter and carried on second half.
Q. During that time he was really calm, too?
TONY PARKER: He was not panicking. It was just the first game. It's going to be a long series. Every game is going to be very tough.
Pop, you know, very calm, and told us what he wanted us to improve and try to get better. You know, we didn't play for a long time so the first time was try to get our rhythm back and try and get in that mode.
Q. They're such a good team at taking charges defensively. How did you avoid the contact and still manage to get to the rim?
TONY PARKER: Try and go faster than them, you know. Try and go faster, try to think ahead at what they're going to do, make quick decisions, even if I have to pass it early or if I'm going to go all the way, just the timing, when I penetrate try to think ahead. Varejao is one of the best at doing that, coming under the players and taking charges. He got me in the second half and in the fourth quarter. Hopefully it'll be the only one and I'll try to do a good decision every time.
Q. The second half did you guys make any major adjustments in the locker room and come out in the second half with a different approach, or was it just better execution?
TONY PARKER: Not really. We just said ‑‑ Pop talked about execution and being more focused and bring more energy, play tougher than the other team played with a lot more intensity. We didn't do nothing special. I think we just brought a lot of energy in the second half and made sure we get a lead, and we kept it. We had a good lead, 18 points, and then Cleveland made their run and they came back. But overall, second half we played better on offense, and defense we did a better job.
Q. Talk about just the defensive game plan you guys had on LeBron tonight.
TONY PARKER: We were just trying to contain him, make sure we don't give him any lay‑ups, any dunks. Every shot make it tough, and just stay a little bit on the pick‑and‑rolls, not just hedge and leave right away, make sure we stay on him and force him to pass the ball. I thought overall the team effort was great on defense. Everybody was focused on LeBron. Every time he got transitioned, everybody got back, shadow, make sure we don't give him easy ways to the basket because he's strong and he gets a lot of easy baskets like that.
Overall everybody was paying attention to him and make sure we don't give him any easy stuff, and the basket he got, it was two like tough threes. We'll take that.
Q. Just a follow‑up. Were you
surprised at how
LeBron struggled tonight or when you watched Bruce work against a guy are you just kind of accustomed ‑‑
TONY PARKER: I think it's a little bit 50/50, maybe a little bit. He just missed shots and that's going to happen. A little bit it was good defense by Bruce. But I'm not worried about him. He's going to get back and he's going to be aggressive. He's showed before, especially that series against
Detroit. So we've got to stay focused and make sure we don't give him easy stuff because he can store a lot of points really quick.
Manu Ginobili
Q. (Talk about all the hype surrounding LeBron and the Cavs, while people don't seem to be spending as much attention on the Spurs.)
MANU GINOBILI: We're not that kind of team. We don't have any shining personalities. We are kind of the vanilla of the NBA, so probably it doesn't draw much attention. I think people still talk about us and respect us.
Q. What would it say about Tim to win a fourth title?
MANU GINOBILI: Well, even though he ‑‑ regardless if he wins it or not, he has been one of the fine players in the history of the NBA. So I don't think it depends on the fourth, fifth or third. I think he made a name for himself very clearly in all these years, an 11‑time All‑Star, or I don't know how many, but all he accomplished. So I don't think it depends on him winning a fourth championship.
Q. How do you feel going into these Finals instead of the previous two?
MANU GINOBILI: I'm feeling great. I've got that feeling that came earlier than the first two times, so this week was very long for us. We can't wait to play again, but it's a great feeling, and it's always got that sweet flavor to it.
Q. Can you talk about what LeBron has done for Cleveland? Remember when you came in the league they were kind of at the bottom and he's just turned them around right away. Your thoughts on how quickly he's been able to do that.
MANU GINOBILI: It's kind of impressive, especially after all the pressure that everybody put on him. He responded so well, not only individually but as a team, too. He's special, so you've just got to give him credit because the guy is good.
Q. You're going to send a lot of guys at him, Bowen and you and ‑‑
MANU GINOBILI: Yeah, he plays almost the same game and we don't do that. We are going to be rotating and trying to change the looks on him. But we know how good he is, so we are going to just try to limit him as much as we can.
Q. You're obviously a streaky player out there. When you get in those kind of streaks, do you go in and say, this is what the team needs now, or do all of a sudden you just feel hot and decide I'm going to ‑‑
MANU GINOBILI: No, it's not that I turn it on whenever I want. It's not that easy. But the team knows me, and they know that when I am in that kind of streak they're going to go at me and they're going to call plays for me, and I just try to stretch it as much as I can.
Q. You guys may be the vanilla of the NBA. What's wrong with vanilla?
MANU GINOBILI: There's nothing wrong with it. I think we all like it. It's a good vanilla, it's not a boring vanilla.
Michael Finley
Q. (Talk about this being your first Finals appearance.)
MICHAEL FINLEY: It's been an exciting experience. You know, you can never redo your first, and I'm trying to enjoy all the hoopla that surrounds it but at the same time keeping my focus on the task at hand, and that's Cleveland. But over all I'm enjoying it.
Q. How frustrating has it been for you the last 13 years and not getting here, and what's that feeling been like?
MICHAEL FINLEY: It's been frustrating, but when you come into the league you think it's something that's a given, that you make it to The Finals in your first four or five years, but this is a tough league. I've had a lot of ups and downs throughout my career, but right now I'm very thankful to have this opportunity to play in The Finals, and I'm just going to make the most of it.
Q. You said a few days ago before you even knew it was Cleveland that it hadn't really hit you yet. Yet when you see all this, you know it's Cleveland. Has it hit you yet that you're in the NBA Finals?
MICHAEL FINLEY: I guess. I'm seeing you guys and doing a press conference like this. It's here now. It's time to really get focused. I'm really excited, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow's game.
Q. A lot has been made about LeBron being in The Finals with the Cavaliers. If the Spurs win, Tim Duncan will have won four titles. Why do you think that people are so excited about LeBron?
MICHAEL FINLEY: Well, LeBron is an exciting player. You can't take anything away from him. He's done a lot for the city of Cleveland. He's done a lot for the game of basketball. So for people to be excited for him in his first NBA Finals is well‑deserving.
But Tim, this is his fourth, so it's pretty old news for him. I mean, the league is about new, exciting things, and LeBron is that thing right now.
Q. What does it say if Tim were to win four? Does this make him one of the greatest ever?
MICHAEL FINLEY: I think win or lose, in my opinion, he's still considered one of the best players to ever play the game, just because of the success he's had before these Finals and the type of person he is. I mean, when you have the type of attitude that he has as a champion on and off the court, he's well‑deserving of everything that he gets.
Q. How much is Manu the wild card on this team? He's obviously a very streaky player.
MICHAEL FINLEY: Well, I wouldn't see him as a wild card. I mean, he's a wild player, but I wouldn't see him as a wild wild card because he's an All‑Star in my eyes. Any other team in this league, he's an All‑Star, but he's a guy who's willing to sacrifice the best ‑‑ what's best for the team. If it means coming off the bench he's willing to do that. So for him to be considered a wild card, I don't think so. I think he's going to give us what he's been giving us throughout these playoffs, and that's consistent play, being the All‑Star that he is, and hopefully he'll give us a better chance of winning.
Robert Horry
Q. You've got to feel like you kind of own the NBA.
ROBERT HORRY: No, no way. I've just been very fortunate to play with some great players to get me to this destination.
Q. What would a seventh ring mean?
ROBERT HORRY: It would mean a lot because growing up I had two posters in my room, Magic and Pippen. I passed Magic and I passed Pippen, two of the people I admire most in this game, and I never thought I would be in a situation to be able to pass them, and it would be a great feather in my cap.
Q. What was it about those two guys that made you idolize them growing up?
ROBERT HORRY: 6‑9, do it all, and that's the way I wanted to be. I wanted to be a basketball player. I didn't want to be one‑dimensional, I wanted to try to be a complete player, and I thought those two guys were complete. You look at the things they used to do for those teams, they are superstars, but they didn't want the accolades, they just tried to make the people around them better and good out and do things to get W's. That's how I am; I just want to go out and try and get W's.
Q. What is it about this year? Why do you turn it on right now?
ROBERT HORRY: If you look at this year it was kind of crazy for the team coming in. We started out slow. We never hung our heads. We said, just be patient, everything will work out in the end. That's the thing about being a better ballclub. Sometimes you're not going to play well, you've just got to maintain the ship and not let it sink and that's what we were able to do. We were able to maintain it, keep playing hard because we knew that the talent we had on the team was no reason for us not to get here.
Bruce Bowen
Q. What do you think about the challenge of guarding LeBron. What specific things do you try to do?
BRUCE BOWEN: Any way I can gain 40 pounds overnight? He's so strong and young that I just ‑‑ it's hard to believe that he's 22 years old and the body of a 30‑year‑old and has been working out his whole life. That creates problems. There's nothing you can do about that. There are certain things you can do to adjust to it, but when people are just physically gifted and that talented, it creates a difficulty.
Q. Did last summer help as far as knowing a little bit more about it?
BRUCE BOWEN: We didn't play against each other. I was on his team so I was the beneficiary of a lot of those passes. It was something fun to be a part of, to be able to get to know someone on a personal level. But the personal level now is just strictly respect because we understand that he wants to win, I want to win, and we're going to do our best to help our teams do that.
Q. Guarding somebody that has a green light all the time, though, does that change you at all as far as your approach?
BRUCE BOWEN: That's basically what I do night in and night out. The thing with situations like that is making sure you don't get frustrated. They're going to have shots. It's not like they're going to give him ten shots and maybe you can take away three of them. They're going to continue to figure out a way to get him going, and it's important that we just stay the course throughout the whole process of the game and just keep pounding the rock, so to speak.
Q. (Inaudible).
BRUCE BOWEN: Well, it only helps, I think, with adverse situations. You almost know that you can't get too high or too low with one call or two calls. You have to move on to the next play. And in the process of moving on to the next play, you try as quickly as possible to adjust to whatever it is that has been done and go from there.
Q. What do you use to go from Nash and Williams to now LeBron?
BRUCE BOWEN: As part of the process and during the season, there's times where it's Kobe, Tracy and Ray. I think it allows me to stay sharp mentally as far as not allowing any complacency to set in because I understand that it's important for what I do for my team to be on every night.
Quotes from:
Fabricio Oberto
Q. (Talk about this being your first time in The Finals.)
FABRICIO OBERTO: You know, the media, all the stuff going around these games, for us ‑‑ for me it's been ‑‑ for most of the guys on the team, has been getting used to The Finals and getting used to it pretty quick. No, just enjoy and try to have fun.
Q. Are you ready?
FABRICIO OBERTO: Yeah, I'm ready.
Q. (Talk about the difference in the NBA game versus the international game.)
FABRICIO OBERTO: You know, sometimes when it's kind of trying to get in the right position, trying to be quick and get in the right spot, here the rules with the circle, you have to be ready. When you start playing year by year, you learn more about three seconds. I remember my first season I was getting a lot of three seconds.
Q. What about playing soccer growing up?
FABRICIO OBERTO: I was really bad, so that doesn't help me (laughter), really, really bad.
Q. Can you talk about Zydrunas?
FABRICIO OBERTO: He's really a big guy and really long. When you've got to try and put it on the paint, it's always trouble. Now you've got to really prepare for that match‑up.
An interview with:
COACH MIKE BROWN
COACH MIKE BROWN: San Antonio was terrific. They were terrific, especially defensively. They defended us very well, didn't allow us to get in the paint at all, and when we did get in the paint there were three bodies there. And when we did kick the ball, they did a great job of spreading out and contesting our shooters.
Having said that, we've got to make sure that we continue trying to drive the basketball, continue trying to get in the paint. But we have to have multiple drives and kicks so when we kick the ball out, we've got to try to drive again and then kick it out and drive again until we can get in there for lay‑ups or for fouls. But you've got to give them credit. Not only that, I thought most of the loose balls they got on the floor and got after.
And then they beat us in some other hustle areas. I thought on the offensive glass they really hurt us by getting 13 offensive rebounds and 19 second‑chance points. So you've got to give them credit. There are some things I feel we can do better as a team, and we have to do those things better in order for us to win. But you've got to give them credit, especially with Manu, Tony and Tim, their big three, scoring the basketball the way they did.
Q. They came out of the time‑out in the second quarter and Tony kind of took over the game and gave them the lead again. Just talk about his role in that and what you're going to have to do to stop him?
COACH MIKE BROWN: Tony was terrific. I thought when he wanted to get to the rim, he did, most of the night. And he had us on our heels, whether it was in transition or in an iso or playing pick‑and‑rolls. We have to do a better job of keeping him out of the paint and see if he can beat us shooting the ball or swinging it and having somebody else shoot it. But he was good getting in the paint tonight.
Q. Have you ever seen LeBron struggle like this in your two years as a head coach, and how much of that was the Spurs and how much of it was maybe just opening game jitters?
COACH MIKE BROWN: You know, I've seen him struggle before. He struggled mightily tonight. They did a great job. They closed down the paint, and we tried to play second pick‑and‑roll with him. Their bigs did a good job jumping out and containing him and blitzing him, so he wasn't able to get to the paint, and the couple of times he did get to the paint, he wasn't able to finish because they're bringing bodies, not just one, but they're bringing two, three bodies, and he's faced it before.
But the thing they did really well when they drove the basketball is got to our shooters. We didn't do a good job of closing out. When he kicks the ball we've got to make them pay when they spread out by looking to get into another driving kick.
Q. Parker's penetration, it seemed like your guys ran at him a lot and he went right by. Was that by design to try and make him give up the ball or was that a break down defensively?
COACH MIKE BROWN: No, not supposed to run at him.
Q. Was that part of the problem?
COACH MIKE BROWN: Some of it, yeah. We did. We've got to know our personnel a little bit better. Tony is one of the quickest guys in the NBA, and he's already going to get by anybody almost that's guarding him. So, you know, we've got to live with one or two things. Do we live with
him at the rim or do we live with him shooting jump shots and beating us, and if he shoots jump shots and beats us, then so be it. But we've got to understand our personnel a little bit better out on the floor.
Q. With his quickness and Larry's injury, any thoughts about a line‑up change with Boobie (Daniel Gibson) maybe getting more playing time or a start to try and counter Tony?
COACH MIKE BROWN: No.
Q. You talked about LeBron struggling mightily. How did you see him deal with that mentally at different stages throughout the course of the game?
COACH MIKE BROWN: You know, at times he was pretty good, and at times, you know, he wasn't. You know, there were times when he would just pound, pound, pound, dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble, and then shoot a three or shoot a leaning shot, and some of the shots he hit, but we have to do a better job as a staff and as a team and he's got to do a better job for us at making sure that we move the ball, move the ball, and get some pretty good shots, because again, that team, they're sitting back and they're waiting on him. If we bring the ball up and just try to get into a spread and have him attack, it's not going to work because they're sitting at elbows and boxes and they're closing out to our shooters really well. So we've got to make sure we get into something. If we come down and we're in early, we've got to set screens better, we've got to cut harder, and we've got to move better. When one guy catches the basketball we can't have five guys standing in an iso or one guy playing the pick‑and‑roll. We've got to do a better job of moving bodies.
Q. With what you know about him mentally you know he's going to make the game adjustments. But with what you know about him and how he reacts to games like this, how do you think he's going to react to this in terms of emotions and mentality?
COACH MIKE BROWN: He's a guy that I don't think I've ever seen him rattled or flustered after a game like this. You know, situations like this when he faces defenses for the first time, a lot of times, too, he's pretty patient, so he'll read, read, read, read, read, and once he gets used to a defense, he's been pretty good for us. Hopefully this was great for him tonight to be able to experience what they're trying to do to him, and we as a staff, we as a team and he as an individual can make some adjustments come Game 2.
Q. You've obviously known the Spurs for a long time. What do they do that's so good when they find one star player that they want to shut down? What are the key things that they do?
COACH MIKE BROWN: They're doing basically what Detroit tried to do to us. They're selling out on LeBron. When he has the basketball, he plays pick‑and‑roll, they're putting two guys to him. And they're pulling a third guy over. And if he gets into the paint, they've got three guys around him. So what they're doing is they're saying, hey, somebody else beat us. So we have to continue moving the basketball when he gets doubled and tripled, which he did sometimes, and he found some guys that were open. Boobie hit a three I think in the game because he got doubled and we set screens and reacted the right way to the double‑team. The San Antonio are doing exactly what they're supposed to be doing to LeBron and we as a staff have to figure out how to help him and the rest of the guys on the floor.
Q. You mentioned you're not considering a line‑up change, but with how well Gibson shot the ball again tonight, do you think he'll get more playing time in this series?
COACH MIKE BROWN: Yeah, he'll get some playing time. He played well for us on both ends of the floor tonight, and obviously, like you said, he did shoot the ball well. He'll be out on the floor for us. It's one game, and we're going to go back and take a look at the tape and we'll make some adjustments, and I'm sure they'll make some adjustments, but one of them won't be a line‑up change.
An interview with:
LEBRON JAMES and DREW GOODEN
Q. LeBron, you've got one game out of your way. How much tonight was just your shot not falling, jitters? What was going through your mind tonight?
LEBRON JAMES: You definitely give a lot of credit to the Spurs. They definitely played well tonight defensively, offensively. Some of it was me missing a lot of the shots that I usually make and some of it was the defense that they put on me and on our team in general. It's like a half and half thing.
Q. Can you guys just talk about especially you, LeBron, their double teams and how you can't go anywhere with two guys on you?
LEBRON JAMES: We're going to have to make adjustments. You're coming to Game 1 you don't know what to expect. We don't know what they're going to run against us offensively. We've got to make adjustments in Game 2. A lot of credit to the, they played extremely well defensively. It's a series. Things happen. They're up 1‑0 and we'll make adjustments and be ready for Sunday.
Q. Just individually what was it like for you?
LEBRON JAMES: It was definitely crowded. They did a great job of shrinking the floor. If I went by one guy, another guy stepped up, something I'm going to have to make an adjustment for for Game 2. I'll definitely be ready to counter some of the things they did defensively.
Q. Coach Brown used the expression "struggled mightily" for you. How would you describe how you played tonight?
LEBRON JAMES: I didn't play extremely well, definitely. Not just shooting the ball, but the six turnovers was uncharacteristic of me in the postseason, tried to force a lot of passes in there that looked open at times but really wasn't. I have to play better, and for us to win, me being the leader of this team, I have to play better in order for us to have a chance to win down the stretch, and my teammates know I'm going to bring my better effort in Game 2.
Q. How did it feel for you out there?
LEBRON JAMES: I feel good. A lot of shots I took is shots that I make. They felt pretty good, they just didn't fall for me. Things like that happen. You have one off night, but the thing like this is it's not like the NCAA tournament where you have one game and you're out. We've got to regroup and be ready for Game 2.
Q. As poorly as you played the first half, you're only down five at halftime, they come out and here we are a different series, same old story again. Their adjustments, your lack of adjustments? What is it about the third quarter?
LEBRON JAMES: Same answer I keep giving. We don't know. We haven't put our finger on the third quarter yet. We did a better job last year in Game 5 and Game 6 of playing great basketball in the third quarter, but once again it caught up with us again. We don't know what it is but we did a great job of figuring it out. We're going to do it pretty soon. We definitely want to get a win on this floor before we go back home.
Q. Seems like the deeper you go into the playoffs the more people they're sending at
you and now it looks like basically you're being played by one, two and three people watching you all the time. Does it change the game for you?
LEBRON JAMES: No, it doesn't. I know I'm going to see a lot of double teams, at times triple teams. It's something I've seen before and it's something I've been able to adjust to from game to game and in different series of this postseason. It's not like I've never seen a double‑team or triple‑team before, I just have to play better, and I definitely have a better effort on Sunday.
Q. Drew, just curious, you guys beat them twice during the season. What do you see differently in this team and what they do defensively than maybe you've seen throughout these playoffs, even during the season? This is a team that's been here before and they know how to step it up.
DREW GOODEN: I think the scouting comes into play right there because the beginning of the year you're running sets, and this time of year you're not running those same sets. I think they did a great job watching us in all our series, knowing what we like to run and try and take us out of it and make us feel uncomfortable.
Q. It seemed like they did that in a lot of ways. There were some plays you ran against Detroit that they had an answer for.
DREW GOODEN: Exactly. That's the good thing about this series. You have time to make adjustments. We're going to look back at the tape and see what type of adjustments we need to make, go out there and execute for Game 2.
Q. Drew, where does this team stand in terms of other teams you've played on, on being able to adjust from series to series or game to game? Why do you think you guys are going to be able to do this?
DREW GOODEN: This is the best team we've faced, and we know that. I think from our roots, our coaching staff, rooting from the San Antonio, trying to simulate the same things they're doing, we kind of use them as a measuring stick to see where we're at. I think we are comfortable running our offense against them and our defensive principles, but at the same time, their experience I think kind of overcame us in this first game. Like I said, we'll make adjustments and we'll be all right.
Q. Drew, in addition to LeBron getting his hot hand a little bit in the fourth quarter, you guys played much better and never quit. Anything stand out in your mind that you began to do better in the fourth that you can take over to Sunday?
DREW GOODEN: I kind of got the guys together in the fourth quarter and I said there's one thing we need to let this team know and every team we've played in the past that we're not going to let it down. We're going to take possession until the time runs out and see where we're at. We did that to close Game 1, so hopefully the intensity will carry over into Game 2.
Q. LeBron, in the Eastern Conference playoffs a lot of the guys who were defending you overplayed you and tried to force you left. Bruce tried to play you straight up and didn't force you either way. How did that impact the way you played?
LEBRON JAMES: I think defensively he's very good. He's one of the best defensive players in this league, and the guys behind him help him a lot. It gives him an opportunity to get up into me and force me into the bigs, and the bigs are very good, Elson and Duncan, of course. He has a lot behind him. He doesn't have to do it by himself. I'm able to go right and left, so there's nothing that I can't do out on the ball court. I'll just have to make an adjustment and come into Game 2 with a better mindset and try to get a win.
Q. Here's a football analogy. It seems like they wanted to make you go east and west instead of north and south. Is that a fair assessment?
LEBRON JAMES: That's definitely a fair assessment and I have to do a better job of trying to recognize that, trying to attack north and south instead of east and west. They tried to make me dribble out towards the side line. The bigs did a great job coming off pick‑and‑rolls, of showing hard and allowing Bruce to get underneath the big, try and attack me coming right underneath the big. I think our coaching staff is very aware of what was going on, what happened in Game 1. I think our players are very aware of what happened in Game 1, and we'll make an adjustment. It's not like we haven't been in this situation before.
DREW GOODEN: I kind of walked in here and it was reminiscent of the Final Four, all the media attention and coverage, but it hasn't really hit me yet.
Q. Can you talk about the challenges of trying to guard Tim Duncan?
DREW GOODEN: We talked about this yesterday. Like I said, he's down low, very consistent, stays within himself, and it's going to take a team effort to stop him more than an individual effort.
Q. You know that the challenge is here for you guys, but in a sense is it any more of a challenge than it was in the last round? Talk about what Detroit has been doing in the Eastern Conference.
DREW GOODEN: Yeah, Detroit was the team to beat to get to this point, and we finally got past them. It's kind of like beating your master before you leave the dojo or something like that. But I think they got us ready for the series, and I look forward to playing in it.
Q. What do you guys take most from your two wins in the regular season this year?
DREW GOODEN: I think knowing what they run, knowing the types of offensive players they're running, how they play defense, the rotations are similar to what LeBron teaches, and throughout the season we try to use this team as a measuring stick to see where we were, how we were running plays. And I think now this is the ultimate measure stick is playing against them in The Finals.
Q. What's your mindset heading into Game 1?
DREW GOODEN: I think we've been talking about so much, not just to be happy to be here, but to win this, to win The Finals. I think everybody is motivated and everybody has enough confidence individually and as a group that we can beat the San Antonio.
ANDERSON VAREJAO
Q. (Talk about playing against Tim Duncan.)
ANDERSON VAREJAO: You've got to play hard against him, you've got to play smart against him. He's one of the best five players in the NBA for me, and you've got to take his space out, don't let him catch the ball where he likes to play. He's a great player. He can face up, he can back you down, he can do a lot of things. All we have to do is play smart against him.
Q. Is he more disruptive for an opponent as a scorer or as a play‑maker waiting for the double‑team and passing out? In which way is he more dangerous, scoring or making plays?
ANDERSON VAREJAO: Both ways he's great. He's very good in both ways. He can pass the ball, he can score we all know, and he's playing like that for many, many years. He has for the last, I don't know, five years, six years, whatever. The thing we're going to have to do is, like I said, be smart against him.
Q. When you guarded him in the past, and I remember you guarded him in 2003 down in Puerto Rico, what have you tried to do against him?
ANDERSON VAREJAO: I tried to be active all the time, move my body, don't let him think about what he can do. I just tried to guard him. That's all I did.
DANIEL GIBSON
Q. You seem to be putting on some moves the last few games that we hadn't seen in the last few years. Where did that come from, the hard drives to the basket, the pull‑upshot?
DANIEL GIBSON: I mean, just working hard throughout this entire season. Chris Jent, who's our player development guy, he's been working me constantly, just working and working and working, and I think the more work I put in, when I got the opportunity on the floor, I just took advantage of it and tried to go do it.
Q. Can you take us through your decision to leave Texas? You only worked out for two teams. Take us through the process and how difficult a decision it was.
DANIEL GIBSON: Yeah, when I decided ‑‑ me and my dad, we decided that I was going to leave. But at the same time, we knew that he didn't want me to go and work out for a lot of teams. He wanted me to go and work out for teams where we felt like I was going to have the opportunity to play and be productive. We kind of broke it down, and I worked out for the Rockets because I felt like that would be a team that I could play for and help, and also the Cavs.
I think that after my workout for the Cavs, I was like, I think I might have missed maybe one shot in my workout. After I had a workout like that, I was kind of like, I'm going to just leave it to chance. I think those guys really like me and like what I did out there on the floor, so I was hoping that if they got the opportunity to pick me that they would.
Q. You were so wide open in Game 6. I'm just wondering what adjustments you think San Antonio is going to make in Game 1 and throughout this series and what you'll have to do then to adjust to them.
DANIEL GIBSON: Well, I'm pretty sure some of those looks will be more contested, they'll be there. But I think at the same time, you still have to pay attention to LeBron, and that's where I get a lot of my looks from. When teams collapse on him and try to stop him from getting to the basket, I think he kicks it out to me, and that's where I get those open looks from. So I believe that if I continue to find an open spot and continue to move the ball, I think with teams focusing on LeBron I'll still get some of those looks.
Q. Tony Parker, you'll probably have to guard him at some point. Can you just talk about the line‑up that you faced to get to this point, another point guard, Tony Parker?
DANIEL GIBSON: Yeah, Jason and Tony and Chauncey Billups are bigger guards who like to post‑up and put you on the floor. But Tony is a different type of guard. He's a guard that likes to push the ball full court and bring it at you face to face. He's a lot quicker, probably quicker than those guys. I just think if I continue to watch him on him, continue to work and just try my best to stay in front of him, because I know he's going to be a tough cover.
Q. I know you only missed the one shot and you had a great workout with him. That gave you confidence, but did you have any other assurances? They had three picks, but did you get an indication from them that if you were available, somewhere along the line they would take you?
DANIEL GIBSON: (Laughing) no, I just kind of played it from my heart. Me and my dad, we just kind of sat down, and after that workout, I just felt so good about it and just felt so good about the way that I had talked with Coach Brown and the way that I just felt with the team. I just felt like if they had that opportunity with three picks, I felt like with one of those picks that they had to take me.
DONYELL MARSHALL
Q. Q. Talk about this being your first trip to The Tinals.
DONYELL MARSHALL: It was funny because we got here yesterday, and it was like a travel day yesterday. All right, today, now being here, being part of this, and now I'm starting to really feel it. As you see, I'm starting to sweat and everything.
But it feels good. It took 13 years to be a part of it. It's funny because we were on the bus, and LeBron asked the question, "What's media day like?" And nobody could answer him because nobody has been here before. It's starting to kick in now.
Q. How big a factor is that, that they have so much more experience at this than you do?
DONYELL MARSHALL: Obviously a lot of people look at that as a factor for them, but we're a confident team, we've always been confident, and we feel that we can play with anybody. We're going to come in here. We've got just as much of a chance to win it as they do.
Q. Distractions, how are you guys handling it?
DONYELL MARSHALL: Actually it's been pretty good. It's been pretty good. Right now when we have family members call, the members that have been following me throughout my career, so they're not a distraction. Obviously being down here with not too many Cavs fans, you don't have that other distraction yet. Right now it's been pretty good so far.
Q. How about LeBron and the immense scrutiny and everything that he's going to be under over the next couple days? What advice will you give him?
DONYELL MARSHALL: Well, if I was here before, I'd be able to give him some advice, but I haven't been here, so I really wouldn't know ‑‑ he's taken scrutiny the last years I've been with him, and he's always come back from it. I think he knows how to do it. Obviously in Game 1 when he passed up the shot, people scrutinized that, and he's come back from that to help us get here.
ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS
Q. Have you adapted to the circus that is the NBA Finals? You guys have never been here before?
ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS: We're getting used to it. It's a little strange obviously, all the attention and everything. But when it comes down to it, it's still basketball.
Tomorrow we'll try to play the same game that we play every day. It's just a little bit more intense, takes a little bit more of your time.
Q. Can you talk about some of the difficulties that defending LeBron presents?
ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS: A lot of it, he's got the complete package. Shooting the ball, moving to the post, great passer. Like I said before, what we have to do is make the adjustments game by game.
Q. Does he remind you at all of Anderson Varejao?
ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS: A little bit. I think he's a little bit more offensive oriented than Anderson, but both guys are great NBA chargers and stuff like that.
Q. Have you reflected on your career and all the pain you've gone through, the foot injuries, to finally be at this stage?
ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS: A little bit. It sounded kind of final a few days ago, and now this is just another series. Obviously it's The Finals and this stage is a lot bigger, but like I said, it's just basketball again.
None of us have been here before, but we're bound together and we'll take it one game at a time.
LARRY HUGHES
LARRY HUGHES: We don't have any fear because we're just embracing this opportunity and want to have fun with it. At the same time we want to be focused and we want to be professional. We know that a lot of us may not get to this point again. It's never easy.
Q. This is probably old hat to you, but do you ever stop and think, this 22‑year‑old kid in LeBron and the stuff that he's doing and the people that he's being compared with, how do you describe that?
LARRY HUGHES: I just think it's all outside right now, all the time and the things he's done in the playoffs and the guys he's being compared to now. It's really outside talk to us because we have a goal, and that's to win in these Finals.
We understand that he is and will be one of the top players in this league or top players to play this game. So with that, we want to let him carry us as far as he can and be there to support him and also to help him win.
Q. He's mature, he seems humble, he goes out of his way to not make the story about him, but yet he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was 16 or 17 years old. Before you met him, did you think, oh, man, this kid is going to be totally full of himself, and were you pleasantly surprised?
LARRY HUGHES: Well, I'm the guy that believes in the best of people. Guys that are selfish and not team players and bring most of the attention on themselves don't make it far. He's a guy that doesn't do any of those things. I think he'll be even better than he is because of how humble he is, the team player that he is, and wanting the best for his teammates. I think that'll take him a long way.
Q. He's 22. How can you tell?
LARRY HUGHES: Did anybody see him come in? No, he's a funny guy, man. He's a guy that has a joke. He's always laughing, and when his commercials are on, I think the best reflection of himself is that he could have possibly given the world to see because that is him. One minute he can be serious in a situation like Game 6, Game 7, and the next minute, you catch him walking in the building making facing and clowning around.
Q. The fact that a 22‑year‑old kid, for lack of a better word, is the leader of men at this point.
LARRY HUGHES: Oh, no kids, no kids. I mean, 22 is ‑‑ a lot of people are starting their lives at 22. I think he's mature.
Q. What do we not see that you get to see every day?
LARRY HUGHES: I'm not sure. I think as much as he's interviewed and as much time as he spends on the camera, you get to see it because he doesn't hold anything back. I think he's himself before anything, and I think he lets you judge whether you're going to accept him or not.
SASHA PAVLOVIC
Q. The fact that you guys haven't been here before, could it be possibly better that you're opening up on the road?
SASHA PAVLOVIC: I don't know, we'll see. It's so exciting for us. I can't possibly explain this feeling. But we can't let that distract us, and we just have to stay focused and try to win games.
Q. We all know what a challenge it was for you to get by the Detroit Pistons, but because they were so powerful in the Eastern Conference, is this really that much more of a challenge for you guys?
SASHA PAVLOVIC: Yeah, it's much more of a challenge than Detroit because we're here right now, and I think it's going to be ‑‑ we all know there's going to be hype, but that's why we're here. I think we deserve to be here, and we played a pretty good season and even better in playoffs, and we're just going to try to win games.
Q. Do you feel like the Cavaliers' surge in the last half a season sort of coincided to the point that you went into the starting lineup and maybe opened things up a little bit with your shooting?
SASHA PAVLOVIC: No, I just worked so hard this summer, and I know coach told me before the season I have to step up my defensive game, and that's what I did. I worked hard on that this summer, and he gave me the opportunity and I used it. Now I'm in the starting lineup, and I'm just going to try to help my teammates win games.
Q. What's the biggest thing you think you learned in the last series about yourself?
SASHA PAVLOVIC: For me every other game is a new experience for me, and this Eastern Conference Finals was the biggest experience I've ever felt in my life. I think it helped me a lot. Now I know what playoffs means, what Finals means, and I think I'm going to be better in my game because of that.
