Postgame Quotes: Spurs @ Lakers 5/21/08

On the Lakers coming back from a 20 point deficit in the 3rd:
“They started hitting some shots, all the obvious stuff, and we continued to attack but we couldn’t get anything to fall at that point. I know I missed 3 or 4 shots in a row, and 2 free throws through that stretch, and really gave them energy in this building, and they’re a good fourth quarter team, obviously they’re a very good team in the fourth quarter especially with Kobe, and they made shots and we didn’t.”

On losing for the second time after holding an opponent under 100 points:
“We did a lot of things right, but we had a lot of mistakes. We kept them in the scoring range we wanted them in, but obviously we’re going to have to make shots and finish quarters and games a little better than we did.”

On running out of gas as a team:
“It doesn’t matter what you want to define it as, we ran out of gas, we didn’t make shots, whatever it may be, bottom line they were better than us in that fourth quarter.”

On this being a tough loss:
“You have to win four games, so losses are losses. Obviously we were up twenty and we hoped to put that one away and put them on their heels but we didn’t. We have to recover, we have to come out next game and try to get that one.”

On the offense going away from him in the fourth quarter:
“They did a little double-teaming, they changed up some stuff on me, and I became more of a passer. I think I have to be more aggressive in that situation, and make some plays.”

On the last play of the game:
“We got some of what we wanted, obviously they played defense very well down the stretch there, and on that play Tony got into the middle and thought he had an opportunity to get a shot up or a dump-off to me, and there were just a lot of guys in the lane. Great scramble for the ball, both teams were in there, and they came out with it.”

On the physicality of the game:
“I get beat up every game. I don’t think anything is less physical than any other. They’re going to change up their schemes, they come in with guys off the bench, Pau was trying to be as physical as possible, so I think I’m the wrong person to ask about that.”

On this game getting away:
“I’m disappointed, very disappointed in the fact that whenever you have a 20 point lead in the second half, on the road, and you don’t come through, it’s very disappointing. These are the kind of games that keep coaches up late nights breaking down film, and players as well, just going through some of the plays that took place, and we definitely could have done a better job, and they just wanted it more towards the end.”

On the turning point of the game:
“It’s numerous things. I’m still emotional right now, so I really can’t give you something that would be worth me saying from a teammate’s standpoint, but I know we’ll break down film tomorrow, go over things, and come back ready to play next time.”

On being up late over this loss:
“Yes, players as well go through it. We’re disappointed that we had a great opportunity here against a very good home team, and we let it get away. You don’t want to take anything away from Los Angeles because they did a good job hanging in, and we just didn’t do the key things that were necessary in order to gain a victory tonight.”

On fatigue being a factor:
“I don’t think so. There’s no excuse for the things that went on in there. We didn’t execute the way we should have, and that’s on us as players. We will have a more concentrated mindset to come out and do a better job next time I believe.”

On losing their 20-point lead:
“One team makes jumpers, one team doesn’t. There’s nothing you can do about that. Kobe started making jumpers, everybody was getting involved and we didn’t knock down any shots. And the thing about us, (is) we play good (defense) but we carried them under 100 points, exactly what we were going to do, but we just didn’t make shots.”

On the physical aspect of the game:
“If you look at the teams, each team is really not a physical team. If you look at the forwards. All the forwards are perimeter forwards, except on our team we have Kurt (Thomas) and Fab (Oberto), but other than that we play outside, we shoot jumpers and we didn’t knock down jumpers tonight.”

On the cause of the Spurs’ loss:
“I just think it was us veering away from our game plan. Sometimes when you’re up twenty, you look for too many knockout blows by shooting three’s and I think down the stretch we should have got inside the ten and worked the inside and stopped shooting outside jumpers.”

On his health:
“I have a couple issues but nothing that bad that can justify the way I played today, so I’m very upset but you know, it’s over. Now we got to try to play them better next game.”

On his injuries:
“The hand is alright. It’s just a nail. My ankle is bothering me… I don’t want to talk about that. That’s not the reason I played so bad so I got to just step up and play better.”

On losing after having a 20-point lead:
“It’s a tough break. That’s the part that hurts more. We were playing a great game until that moment. We got all pumped up and we just stopped playing. We scored only 13 points in the last quarter. I think defensively, we were alright. Kobe got a little hot, but that’s kind of normal. We just stopped moving the ball offensively, we got stagnant, stopped making shots and (it was) over. ”

On the Lakers in the 3rd quarter:
“We had a lot of problems in the third quarter. That’s where it started. As usual, we give them credit. They started playing harder, started making shots, and their defense got tougher. But as you said, we just kind of stopped. We didn’t have many answers to their defense. I don’t know if it was our legs or if was our heads, but they got on a run and it was hard to stop them.”

On if this is a demoralizing loss for the Spurs:
“To a team that has been champions, I think they will bounce right back. That’s a championship team.”

On the play of the role players:
“That’s what good teams do. We got everyone involved. And we got 12-14 guys that can always say that, make plays. Vlady started the game hot, Sasha ended the game hot. Pau got going, of course Kobe got going. Everybody had a little run, they were able to make plays and it really helped us.”

On the first half and how the Lakers were able to win:
“They played well, this team executes. They do all the small things to win, and they did that tonight, but we just were scrapping. When you are down its just time to scrap, and on the road we are not going to be able to get down 20 points because the crowd just gave us energy tonight, gave us a boost and these guys played big basketball. Sasha played big basketball and really helped us, Jordan, Luke as well. We are a team, we’re a good team. That’s what being a good team is all about.”

On the first half problems of the team:
“It was tough. I think we couldn’t make a shot for the first five minutes. It was frustrating but the key things was to be with the game plan, know what we got to do and I think tonight we showed that we are a very deep team and that was a team win.”

On how the Lakers were able to come back to win down 20:
“Heart, I think we have a big heart and we didn’t want to give up. It was a huge game for us and I think the crowd at Staples saw that and they stuck with us for 48 minutes and it was great. Whenever somebody has a bad shooting night there are other players that can step-up.”

On his role in the come back win:
“It was a great challenge, and I like challenges like that. I think it wasn’t just me; it was a team effort, and team defense and the way we played. We stuck with our game plan and it was great.”

On his clutch free-throws to put away the game:
“I love the pressure. I love the last five minutes of the game and it wasn’t just those two free-throws, it was the way we managed the game and I’m happy that this was a great team win.

On 20 point comeback:
“Whatever you saw is what happened, that was the difference. We just kept playing the game. There is no script to an NBA basketball game. You just go out and play as hard as you can and just try to do the things you do, but sometimes they don’t go quite to plan, so just keep playing hard.”

On how their team won:
“As a team. That’s how we won. When you’re loosing games, very rarely does it come down to one or two guys’ success or failures. Tonight I think was an example of how great our team is, and our bench has been great for us all season, and they were fantastic tonight. They got us back into the game in the first half, Phil made some early substitutions in the 3rd quarter, they helped us get back in the game again in the second half. So this was truly a team win tonight.”

On worry for Kobe in first half:
“No not really. I could tell he was sizing up the game, sizing up this team. The playoffs are really interesting and you’ve been playing one team for two weeks, and then all of the sudden you face another team and you have to get used to the different speeds, and different sizes and different strengths and weaknesses and in the first half we weren’t sure exactly how we wanted to play against this team. We seemed to get a better feel for it as the game went on…”

On Lakers victory:
“I think it says a lot about the fact that we are growing into the team we need to be…like I said there are no scripts to the games, winning a Championship is not easy. It doesn’t come to those who just wait for it and tonight was an example. We went out and we won the game. We had to take this game from them. We did that and hopefully we can move on to Friday night and get another one.”

On tempo of game :
“We can play lots of different ways, that the thing about our offense. We can slow it down and we’d rather get out and run – we feel like we have a better chance of winning when we do that – but we’re playing against the Spurs, the defending Champions, best in the league, and what they do on defense, we have to work our offense. It was nice to struggle like we did tonight and still find a way to win. It gives us the confidence that if we can get it going on offense, we’ll give ourselves a better shot.”

On comeback:
“It was crazy. We were down 20 in the third and we ended up winning the 3rd quarter, by a point. Especially to do that against the Spurs, that’s impressive and I think it says a lot about the guys and we had people struggling in the field tonight and then we had other people coming to step up and that’s what’s made us tough all year…”

On comeback:
“We did a great job finding a way to get it done. How ugly it may be, at the end of the day you’re on top of the score board so it’s a big win for us and hopefully that deflated them a little bit and we’ll come out and play a lot better on Friday.”

On Spurs and their tempo:
“They played well. They played very well. I think their rhythm of attack was right there having played just days ago, and plus we hadn’t played in a game situation in quite a while, so it was good. They had an opportunity still and we found a way to still get it done.”