Quotes: Spurs vs. Nuggets: 3/4/12

(At one point, I think they were up on you 21-9 in rebounds early. Was this a problem matching their energy a little bit early?)

“I thought they did a great job of attacking the rim, being aggressive with the basketball and we responded to it in fits and spurts here and there. They were much more consistent with their aggressiveness than we were.”

(On Tim and playing through his stomach ailment…)

“I don’t think he was at his best. He wanted to play and he felt good enough to play, so we tried to massage it as best we could. I thought he gave a heck of an effort considering everything.”

(On Manu’s play in his first game back)

“He played the same he always plays. Whenever Manu’s on the court he plays hard. Tony was great. He did a great job of keeping us in the game, scoring, moving the ball like he has all year long. We made too many strategic mistakes down the stretch defensively. We had breakdowns that were really gross and really hurt us. That combined with their physicality and their aggressiveness for much more of the 48 than we did, accounts for our demise tonight.”

(On the problems Lawson presented)

“He was very aggressive. He made some shots, but the whole team played well. Everybody was making shots. They made all the hustle plays and we made all the mistakes in the fourth quarter.”

(On the overall energy of the game)

“They brought a lot of energy and we did not match that. We started the game very flat. I do not know why, but it was just one of those games.”

(Spurs out of sync since the All-Star break?)

“A little bit, but we need to get it going.”

(On playing with Manu’s in first game back since injury)

“It felt good. We really need him. Obviously he is a big key at what we do and we need him at 100%. Tonight was a good first game for him.”

(On Gary Neal missing potential game tying three pointer)

I thought it was going in. It was a great look and a great shot. That was the shot we wanted.”

(On the physical play of the Nuggets…)

“They were real active. They played with a lot of energy. There were certain parts of the game when we did not match that and that was the difference in the game. They made a lot of plays and got an early lead, but I thought we fought back pretty well. We just were not consistent throughout.”

(On his energy level…)

“It was so-so. It was alright.”

(On the problems Lawson presented…)

“Obviously with their speed, that’s what they do. They push the ball and rely on fast break points. He was great tonight. He got in here and made some plays. Even when he didn’t make plays they got offensive rebounds and made plays that way. Their energy exceeded ours.”

(On how Manu looked in first game back since injury…)

“Good, real good. He still has a long way to go. But just to have him out there is great for us.”

(When asked about Ty Lawson’s 19 foot jumper towards the end of the game tonight…)

“I told him during a timeout that he’s going to have to make a shot. He played great. His rebounding was good too. Tonight I think we were fundamentally solid as they (the Spurs) were. They are just one of the most fundamentally tough teams to beat. We never lost our belief and faith that we could win the game. The guys have been hitting them great since the second half of the San Antonio game three games ago. I thought our team has been playing with an attitude and playing the right way. Unfortunately we have to forget about this one and play another one. I’m happy for them.”

(When asked to put into words beating one of the hottest teams in their home without four key Nuggets…)

“The thing is we really don’t have time to get happy. The schedule has something like 28 more games left and they all have to be presented with a little more importance than a regular season game.”

(When asked about the adjustments he made on the inside…)

“Our number one focus was how to mess around and get (Tony) Parker under control. We played different ways on him, three maybe four different ways. He was good, but he wasn’t great. I think we caught (Tim) Duncan on one of his bad nights. We worked very hard to challenge the three ball; even though they made 10 three balls. Parker, Duncan, (Manu) Ginobili, and the three ball is how they play and they do it as well as anybody in basketball.”

(When asked about the timeout he took when Manu Ginobili hit a three pointer early in the first quarter…)

“It wasn’t Ginobili’s three, it was (Matt) Bonner’s three’s. Bonner got two off of our mistakes. We were supposed to be switching on him. Ty switched on him one time and got sucked in. Then Ginobili got a transition three on a bad pick up. Those are just things you can’t do. You can’t give them those easy baskets to their strength. You have to try to mess with him and make him try to dribble the ball and make him play away from you. I thought for the most part we were mentally in a good place. I told the team after the game that I don’t want to break the news, but we can play better. I don’t know if we can play harder, but we can play better.”

(On his shot late in the fourth quarter…)

“It was huge. It has been one of the shots that I have been working on, so when I hit it last game against the Lakers, I knew I could hit another one. I’m glad I took it and like I said it’s been a shot I have been working on all season”

(On the full strength of the Spurs and having Ginobili back and still coming out with a victory…)

“It’s huge, especially having a few of our guys out. It’s a huge win for us and we have been starting to gel as a team. The first few games having Nene and Gallinari down, we didn’t know what the new big guys liked to do. Now we are starting to feel each other out and are beginning to play a lot better.”

(On keeping up with the red hot Tony Parker...)

“I just attacked him. I tried to make him shoot more. Playing good defense is key when guarding a guy like Tony Parker and not letting him get to the paint was also key. In the second quarter, he did what he wanted to do but for the most part we just made him shoot the ball because he is a lot more dangerous in the paint then shooting the ball.”

(On beating the Spurs…)

“It’s always tough to win in San Antonio. It’s a good win for our team especially after the big win the other night in Houston so it’s another big win for us.”

(What was the key tonight…)

“We are finally getting it together and learning to play with each other. We had a few guys out but now we are gelling a little better and getting those guys back soon can only help but we are playing good basketball right now.”

(On the Nuggets winning record when holding teams under 100 points…)

“We wanted to come out aggressive and coach wanted us to be a more of an aggressive defensive team. I think we have been doing that over the last three games.”

(On back to back games…)

“It’s tough but we are playing good right now. We have to go back home and get some wins. We have a nice home stretch, so it’s good for us.”