Gregg Popovich | Tim Duncan | Stephen Jackson | Steve Kerr | David Robinson | Malik Rose

Q: It seems as though the defense was moving and switching nicely, and how about Tim's performance?
Popovich: You're just saying that because we won. When a team wins, you guys want to say you did this, you did that. We did the same damn thing and we made some shots down the stretch. We didn't play any different defense, a little zone, a little man, but we didn't do anything different than what we do any other game, honest.

Q: What about Tim's performance?
Popovich: I thought Tim was real strong tonight in the sense that he just really did a great job of making that decision between when he was going to do it, when he was going to trust his teammates, kick it to other people and let them have at it. I thought his timing was good. He didn't hold it too long or kick it too soon, which is harder than people think. He did a great job in that regard. And he was strong on the board and went to the hole and was tough.

Q: Can you talk about the defensive sequence at the end where you got steals from Kerr, Manu and David, and getting some stops when you really needed them?
Popovich: As you might guess, down the stretch in games, people who make shots win games for you, and teams that make stops win games for you. We were fortunate that we sort of had both going at the same time because of the people you said, Manu, Steve, David all got steals in the halfcourt. So defense was pretty good and we followed it up by actually scoring a little bit down the stretch and that really helped us.

Q: It seems like Malik has really become a barometer for the team; when he plays well, you win and when he doesn't, you don't. How important is he to the team at this point?
Popovich: When he plays well, like he did tonight, he's huge for us and I thought he did a great job tonight of predicating his game on board, defense, running the floor, and didn't worry about anything else, whether a shot would drop or not. I think sometimes he has a tendency to worry if his shot doesn't drop like he's letting us down but he reversed it tonight and predicated his game on the correct things. I thought it just helped him flow. He went up, shot it and wasn't worried about it, so he was in more of a flow, so he was huge for it.

Q: With Kenyon Martin ill and pretty clearly not himself, how much of a different team does that make the Nets?
Popovich: I don't know anything about that.

Q: Did you notice a difference with Kenyon tonight?
Popovich: I guess not, I don't know. I had no idea he was sick.

Q: Only four points, obviously, they are a different team, don't you think?
Popovich: If he scores four points, they are a different team, that's right.

Q: You took Parker out early in the third quarter, and then you sat him down and you really talked to him, it seemed like for about 15, 20 seconds, what were you talking to him about, what were you hoping to get out of him at that point?
Popovich: We're going to make a book of Popovich/Parker speeches that I'm going to give to him and read over the summertime. Lord only knows what the hell I told him. I don't know, play better, we need you, all of that trade coach stuff. He came back in, I thought he was a little bit more aggressive in the second half, and helped us. But Speedy, he's gotten us through while Tony's been deciding how aggressive he was going to be or how hard he was going to play. Speedy's been great in filling that gap for us.

Q: In a situation like that, are you wondering, maybe I'm just not going to get much from him tonight, and going forward, or do you just say, whatever he can give us, he can give us?
Popovich: Each game is new. Tony Parker is my guy. I mean, I've been on him from day one, since he got here two years ago, trying to mature quickly. And it's tough for him sometimes. He's 21 years old, and thank goodness he has a tough constitution because I am on him constantly. I think it has helped him grow much more quickly than he would have than if we had just pampered him for two years.

Q: It seemed like you spent more time in the zone tonight and they shot you out of it at the beginning of the third quarter but came back at the end?
Popovich: We did use it more, correct. When they made shots, I thought we did a poor job on the ball. It wasn't anything different, but Jason got the ball and guys just stood in front of him, no contest, nothing, and he knocked down some shots.

So I thought we'd better get out of it a while and get them aggressive again because they were starting to think that the zone was just going to stop them every time. You have to put some effort behind it and it wasn't there. I thought Jason took advantage of that real well and Kittles hit one in the corner, so we went back to man for a while just to get them not used to having those positions on the floor.

Q: Speedy had led a huge run for you guys in the second quarter and you talked a little bit about him, but he seems to be the Rock of Gibraltar for you guys, you call on him and he steps up for you; can you talk about his impact tonight?
Popovich: As I just said, he's done a great job for us when he's come into a game. He's kept us in offense, scored a little bit, played good D, done a good all-around job when Tony's not in.

Q: Can you talk about the contribution of Steve Kerr tonight in the last quarter?
Popovich: Steve was fantastic. We got a little bit of foul trouble there, and we put Steve out in a couple of situations where they have to make a couple decisions, double-teaming wise. He's the consummate pro. He's the guy that -- well, all the guys that are sitting on the bench have really done that. They have kept themselves in shape, played two-on-two, three-on-three and he's always ready to go. Tonight is another example of that. He comes on the court, knows what we are doing, he's in shape and he did another fine job. Obviously he was a huge factor down the stretch.

Q: Throughout the playoffs, you won almost every game after losing a game, do the players play better maybe when you're mad at them after losing?
Popovich: Yes.

Q: Why don't you get mad after you win?
Popovich: That's a good point. That's a good point. (Laughter).

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Q: Did it look like Kenyon was sick tonight, and can you talk about the contribution of Steve Kerr?
Duncan: Someone just asked me that. I actually didn't know he was sick. If he was, they said he was sick last game, also. I didn't know that. I didn't approach him any differently because of that.

Steve Kerr, Steve Kerr has been -- he's just been incredible. He's the definition of a veteran. The guy is always ready to go. He doesn't play for games in a row and then his number is called and he's always ready. He knows how to play the game. And as you see, he shoots the ball incredibly. That guy is amazing, he really is.

Q: Is in 1999, Avery Johnson said, "I just want to win the Championship for David." When you guys are not on the court, David Robinson has one or two games left, how much more motivation is it for you and the rest of the Spurs to send David out like John Elway with a championship ring?
Duncan: Dave is one of the guys, but there are some guys on our team who have not been here and have not had an opportunity to make it this far; Kevin and Danny, Steve Smith, David's last year, maybe Steve Kerr's last year, there are so many reasons to win it. But our motivation is just, it's been a long time since we've been here. We feel we have the team and the opportunity to do it and just don't let it slip by.

Q: Steve will often say about you, when you get 30 and 17, "That's just what we expect him to do." Is that what you say about Steve now, that you just expect shots to go in at the end of games?
Duncan: Absolutely. I love to see him on the floor. I love to get the ball on the post and see a guy trying to step off of him a little bit and to throw that ball out to him . Every time I throw out to him, I hope he shoots it, because I really do believe it's going in every time.

Q: He had not been out there for three and a half quarters, were you surprised when he was out there in the middle of the fourth quarter?
Duncan: No. Guys have been really ready to play off our bench, and that's something that's been great for us. Last game Kevin Willis came off after not playing for a couple of games. Those guys are true veterans. They are ready to go, they are at the call and they are ready every game. He's been doing it all year long. He went through a stretch where he played just about every game and then he went through a stretch where he didn't play that much at all, but he's always ready to go, so it doesn't surprise me at all.

Q: It seems when Steve was first in the game that they were really paying a lot of attention to him as far as trying not to give him enough room to get that shot off.
Duncan: You know what, he's just an intelligent basketball player. He didn't come out on the court and think, you know what, the first chance I'm going to get, I'm going to force a shot. And it was actually getting a little annoying for me because I wanted him to shoot the ball. But he waited his time, he went up and down the floor a couple of times, got himself warm, and when it came down to it, he hit some big shots. He knew when to take the shot and he came off a curl one time and took a shot, and he just knows when to take them and when not to.

Q: Why were you guys able to finish off quarters so well, in this game specifically? You had great runs at the end of every quarter.
Duncan: We did. I don't know why we are able to finish them. The only worry is, why we gave them back at the beginning of the next quarter. So we go up 7, 8, 9 points, four or five different times, and then all of a sudden it's a two-point game. More than getting up, our concern is getting up those leads. I thought we played well for stretches and then we just kind of went to sleep. They ran the ball back at us, things just happened. We just need to find a way to stay solid throughout those times.

Q: Talk about Tony Parker. He struggled again tonight, did you guys talk at all, and do you need to rescue him back for the rest of the series or is it just a game-by-game thing?
Duncan: It's just a game-by-game thing. I thought he did a pretty good job tonight. He didn't score the 20-something points that he's been scoring. Those guys really keyed in on him. They are not letting him get in the middle. They are not letting him get his floater in the middle and you make adjustments. I thought he did a very good job of making adjustments. A couple of times he got into the middle and tried to force his floaters instead of passing to the corners or dropping it off. Other than that, I thought he's doing a very good job. They are toughening the defense up on him. It's about making adjustments and he'll be better in the next game.

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Q: Did you make a conscience effort to attack the basket tonight?
Jackson: I just tried to get my game going. I just wanted to come out and be aggressive and play both ends. In the second quarter my shot wasn’t really falling, but I tried to do what I could to help us get a win.

Q: Were you worried about looking too far ahead?
Jackson: I don’t think anybody here on my team was thinking about Sunday. I think everyone came in focused on today, because we didn’t want to go down 3-2. We wanted to get this game.

Q: How does it feel to be one win away?
Jackson: It feels great, but we try to not get too excited. They’re still a great team, and we have one more to get. I’d rather be smiling and cheering after the championship than before it.

Q: Does it feel good to go home?
Jackson: Yeah, especially for me because I’ve played like crap these last three games, and I just want to get home and start over.

Q: Talk about Steve Kerr.
Jackson: He deserves this. Steve knows what it takes to win championships. He’s won championships, and he knows how to perform. If guys want to learn how to be professional, Steve Kerr is the perfect role model, for the simple fact that he hasn’t played much this year and is still able to come in a knock down shots ands help this team win. He’s unbelievable.

Q: Was Tim Duncan on a mission?
Jackson: I’m not surprised, because Tim has done it all year. He’s the MVP, and I’m never surprised with his play.

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Q: Steve, when you first came in, they seemed to be giving you a lot of attention, they were very cautious of letting you get that first shot off, was that getting frustrating for you? Was it hard to be patient?
Kerr: Not really, because that's kind of my role. I'm not a big scorer. I'm somebody whose supposed to spread the defense out, keep people honest and I really think my job is just to try to make things a little easier for Tim and give him some space. So the first few minutes, that's what I was trying to accomplish. There were a couple of times when I felt like I was open, but I didn't get the ball. But eventually I was loose, and Tim drew a double and I stepped in and got an open 3.

Q: In a story today in USA Today was published about you and your father being lost in Beirut, how close do you follow the situation in Israel during your playing time? How important is it to follow it?
Kerr: I follow it daily. I read the papers. It's terrifying what's going on right now. It's a shame, and I think daily about the situation there and the people who are suffering there. It's something that obviously my family has been concerned about for longer than I've been alive.

Q: You have won four NBA titles and the biggest 3-point shooter in the history, what is your feeling about not playing in the last four games, and now you know you can contribute more?
Kerr: Well, I understand the situation. I have people ahead of me who are better players than I am. That's just the truth. I think Pop has done a great job all year long. We won 60 games, we are in the Finals and one game away from winning the whole thing. My role is what it is. If they need me, I'll be ready and if not, I'm fine with that.

Q: How do you get ready in that fourth quarter, watching the game? How do you prepare yourself to get into that game?
Kerr: Well, I prepare myself every game the same way. I work hard on the off-days to try to stay in shape. I shoot a lot in the pregame and to get a nice sweat going, a nice rhythm, and I think more than anything, I have the experience of playing for 15 years to not get too nervous. I've done this a lot.

I was really nervous my first time in the Finals in '96, and I did not shoot well. And I understand what's going on out there for a lot of the guys. You miss a few shots and it feels like the whole world's coming down on you.

I was there once, and I try to talk to the guys a little bit about that sometimes, and it's something that I have an edge with because, as I said, I've been there many times and I've gotten over that nervousness. I'm at a point in my career now where I just understand. Just shoot if you're open and if you miss, you miss, but you just let it fly.

Q: You're listening for four games why anybody can't shoot in this series, was this your reaction to that and your performance?
Kerr: Was this my reaction to it? I guess. I didn't really give it a whole lot of thought during the week. I know that people are struggling in this series. I think it's the two best defensive teams in the league, and New Jersey has done a great job on us of giving us a lot of problems. But that's my role. I can come in. If I'm open, I can make a few shots now and then.

Q: Do you see yourself now as a legendary figure because of the shots you keep making in these crucial games?
Kerr: Well, I don't know. I don't really think that way. It's certainly nice to be developing a reputation at this age, I guess. I've hit a few big ones before in my career. This post-season, these two games I've had -- I've got the greatest job on earth, I come in, I play like six minutes, I make a couple shots and then I come do interviews in the interview room. It's awesome. (Laughing).

Q: Can you talk about the strip you had on Kenyon, and are you more proud of that than the 3 you hit?
Kerr: I'm glad you recognize my defensive prowess. About time somebody did. (Laughter).

We were in a zone on that possession, and I was kind of sagging down. I knew that Kenyon loves that fake to the baseline and middle penetration. He loves going middle, and so I just anticipated it and got my hand on the ball.

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Q: You said you wanted to see energy and fire from some of the younger guys. Are you happy with their play?
Robinson: Yes. You get to this point of the season and these young guys have done so much to carry our team, carry such a big part of the load, that right now they have to stay up emotionally. I don’t care what you feel like, if you’re tired or whatever, you have to chuck all that stuff out and stay focused. I think they did a better job of that tonight. We still didn’t get a heck of a lot of scoring from some guys, but the energy level was much better. I thought we moved the ball around better and played smarter basketball.

Q: Was Tim Duncan on a mission tonight?
Robinson: Tim was great tonight, from the get go. That was one of the keys. When he gets started early, our confidence level is just higher. Guys just feel better and play better.

Q: How nice is it to go back the San Antonio?
Robinson: It’s great. You know, the rims always look a little bigger at home. For us, we’ve been shooting so badly. Our three-point shooters are so good and we haven’t been making shots. Getting back home, we should shoot the ball a little better. Obviously, being in the environment that we feel a little more comfortable in, we should play a little better.

Q: What can you say about Steve Kerr?
Robinson: Steve’s been amazing these playoffs. It’s really been his moment to shine. He’s been fantastic for us, really pulling us through a couple of games. What he did tonight was as big as those threes he hit against Dallas.

Q: How exciting is this whole thing for you?
Robinson: Who could write a script like this? This is awesome. I’m just so happy to be in this spot -- be with a team that can win a championship. We’re one game away from winning everything, and you couldn’t script it any better.

Q: What did you say to Tony Parker tonight?
Robinson: I just told him, “Hey, you’re the young guy. I need some passion and fire.” He hit some of the biggest shots of the game at the end of that third quarter. I want him jumping up and down, fired up. I don’t care if you miss shots, make turnovers, as long as you show that energy. That’s what we need from our young guys.

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Q: How ready were to you play tonight and how much did you want to get out there tonight after Wednesday?
Rose: After Game 4, I was just really frustrated, angry with myself. I felt like I let my team down. I felt like if they got half of a performance out of me in Game 4, I think we would have won that game. I was just looking forward to coming out Friday night. I didn't know how many shots I was going to make, I was just going to take them all confidently and play aggressively and things worked out well tonight.

Q: Pop said you concentrated on rebounds and getting back and then the shots came.
Rose: I was trying to do some other things. I'm always trying to be a little aggressive when I get in there, but got a little gun shy after Game 4, but I had to take the next shot. I took my first couple and I don't know if they went down tonight but I was in a better flow because I had done some other things on the floor.

Q: Is it nice to see that you can score 90 points?
Rose: Yeah, we had a little celebration on the bench when we got to 90. We were really excited. It was almost like 120 points, the way this series has been going.

I'm just happy with the win, really. It's nice to get the 90 points or whatever, but what I think we are really impressed with, what did they end up with, 70, 80-something? They didn't get too many points on their end. That's a credit to our defense.

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