NBA Finals Game 1: Spurs Quotes

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Gregg Popovich Tim Duncan Tony Parker Manu Ginobili

COACH POPOVICH: COACH GREGG POPOVICH: We were down defensively for a long time and Manu Ginobli did what you saw him do, and that was the difference in the game. I don't think we did anything to separate ourselves like, "we ran this play really well or we did this really well." Manu had one hell of a night and we did play good D in the second half. We boarded well, so we put ourselves in a position where we could win a basketball game, but offensively, it was Manu Ginobli. He was something else.

Q. Did you sense Manu getting frustrated in the first half and is that why we saw the second half that we did?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: No. Manu, frustration isn't part of his personality, he just goes. He doesn't get frustrated. He just, you know, if anything, he might get angry at himself for making a mistake or that sort of thing, but nothing holds him back in that regard.

Q. Can you talk about the layoff and what that did to start out the game? It looked like you started out a little slow.
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Yeah, you know, I have no idea. That's a subjective sort of situation. Who knows. Maybe sitting around before the game, maybe the hype, maybe everybody was nervous, or maybe they were rusty from the layoff. I don't know. I don't care, I don't think about things like that. I just know that we started out pretty poorly and we got better as the game went along and we came together and played the way we needed to.

Q. Can you talk about the two and three minute stints that Glenn had in the third quarter.
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Glenn did a great job. Obviously he's been sitting around, and again, trying to get in shape, but he played some pretty good D. He got a couple boards for us. You know, he's got a good he's got a big body out there. He gave us a few minutes on Prince because we had a little bit of a foul trouble situation there early, and he gave us good minutes. He really helped us tonight.

Q. I'm just curious, you've seen Manu and his growth the past three years, how big does his play in a game like this help take the pressure off Tim Duncan and make you an even tougher team to beat in this kind of series?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: It's huge. You know I say Manu did this and did that, but Timmy had 24 points and 17 rebounds and he had blocks and played some great D tonight and did some wonderful things tonight, and I just ignore him. He gets the same treatment David Robinson got; you take it for granted every night. Trust me, Timmy appreciates Tony and Manu when they do what they do, and tonight it was Manu. And it does make it easier because they can't key on him and we can move the ball better, spread the court better and it's huge to have the guys do what they do.

Q. Did you get the sense that Manu Ginobli seemed to get energized from a block charge call on Ben Wallace?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: No, he's always energized. Seriously, there's not one thing that, you know, makes him get going and makes him step it up a level. He plays at that pace all the time.

Q. You talk about the defense being better, was it tactical or was it effort that got the defense playing better in the second half?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: It was a little bit of both. I thought we got out of kilter in the first half and I think everybody was trying to do it themselves. The ball didn't move very well. Manu tried to get it to done, Tony tried to get it done, Timmy tried to get it done and Detroit is too good defensively and they switched a lot of the pick and rolls and if the ball stops, and get pounded you're not going to score and we got 35 points. The second half, the ball moved and that was a real key for us to get that going.

Q. You took two early time outs in the first quarter, just wondering what you said to the team while you were trying to slow it down a little bit.
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I asked them if it wasn't too much trouble, if I wasn't being too pushy, if they could execute what we were trying to do, and if it didn't make them too angry if they also wanted to play some defense on the other end, that would be great. (Laughter).

Q. Is it a bit of chicken and egg, you said Tim appreciates when Manu or Tony goes off, but doesn't he set all that up for them as well?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Oh, sure. He's the key to the whole deal. He's got to be respected down on the block or wherever we put him, and he spreads the court initially because of his presence. There's no doubt about that. It's just that those guys, you know, can attack and with the rules the way they are now, every team is looking for attack guys, and we all do it. Every team has guys that are catching it out of double teams and really taking it to the hole and either doing it themselves or kicking it to somebody else. You know, the rules help everybody in that regard. Timmy, he's the beginning of it, though. He doesn't have to be the end all the time now. That's the important part.

Q. You outrebounded a pretty good rebounding team tonight, were you expecting to do that?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, we wanted to do that. What we didn't want was for them to beat us up on the offensive board. Tayshaun does a good job of it, and Richard, as far as smalls are concerned. And obviously their bigs do that. With the defense on both teams being so good, we didn't think we could afford to give up extra possessions in that regard, so we didn't go in thinking we were going to do X or Y, we just wanted to stick with them on that aspect of the game.

Q. Talk about Nazr Mohammed. He was a journeyman for a while, talk about what he's meant to the team and now seems to be hitting on his spot.
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I mentioned in a pregame little deal here that we would not be here without him. He's been fantastic through the end of the season and through the playoffs and not really knowing the system, like he's out of spots tonight where he wasn't supposed to be and he's still learning what's going on on both ends of the court. Considering that, for him to go out and do what he's done, I think is really fantastic for him, and for us.

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Q. One word, Ginobli. Talk about his play in the second half and what he means to you guys.
TIM DUNCAN: Unbelievable. He was great. We got a little stagnant there because he was amazing. We just stood around and kind of looked at him and he made big shots, he got on the roll there, I think early on, I think everybody had a little bit of jitters in them, a little bit of that break in them and we had to kind of get through that. A couple turnovers, a couple missed shots and then that second half there, Manu gets rolling and everybody kind of builds their confidence. Defensively we were solid the entire way, and that's what we've got to do for each one of these games.

Q. How important was it for you to get off to a great start having a double double in the first half with both teams struggling offensively and shooting 30 percent field goal wise?
TIM DUNCAN: Like I said, I started out, I struggled, too, starting out. Three turnovers early, missed a dunk, just things not going right. I think everybody had to kind of shake that off a little bit there and I think I was as big of a culprit as anyone. Had an opportunity to hit the glass and got a put back or two. Got some easy baskets and really got myself rolling in that respect.

Q. Can you talk about the difference between Manu from this year, as opposed to two years ago, offense wise and his game?
TIM DUNCAN: I think his confidence has always been there. I think it's our confidence, that's the difference, in him. I think Pop's confidence is different in him. He gets on those rolls there and Pop understands to let him go. He does things outside of our offense. He breaks things off sometimes, but you have to understand, when he's in a situation like that and he really starts to feel good, he's going to make your team better by letting him roll. He's going to find open teammates if they are there, he's going to take it to the basket if it's there. He's going to make the right decisions. I think Pop is real confident in what he does and gives him that opportunity to do it and just kind of sits back and let's him go.

Q. Pop said he was real polite with y'all in those first two time outs when you got off to that sluggish start, can you give us your version of it?
TIM DUNCAN: Polite? Is that what you call polite? (Laughter). He didn't go crazy on us as he does sometimes, but he lit us up and he got into us. It was something, as I said, it's those early jitters and I think he understood it a little bit, but he didn't accept it. He really got into us and really got us focusing away from the basketball, everybody is worried about making shots and things like that. He got to us focus on playing defense and getting possessions, stop possessions and pushing up the floor and things would happen. Once we started doing that, I think everybody can got really relaxed.

Q. Chauncey said that they love it when Rasheed is aggressive, and I think he only ended up with six shots in the game. Would you characterize Rasheed's game tonight on the offensive end as aggressive?
TIM DUNCAN: I don't think he got that many looks. I think early on, I thought he was aggressive. He got a couple early baskets, and was giving us problems early and he got the first six points early on or something like that. He wasn't aggressive but I know he's going to be. I know he's going to change his mode coming out the next game and he's really going to attack, so we're going to be prepared for that.

Q. It seemed like they had trouble matching your energy level in the fourth, do you think that's when maybe the rest helped you guys?
TIM DUNCAN: That's hard to say. That's hard to say. I think what it's about for us is just playing that 48 minute game, playing from start to finish. I don't know if they got tired or not, but what we wanted to do was keep it on, keep pushing up the floor defensively, not give any open shots. I thought Bruce did an excellent job on Rip, running around with him. Rip's a heck of a player. He never stops moving, but I thought Bruce did an excellent job of fighting through screens, getting in front of them and only stagnating them in that respect and I think that worked to our advantage later on. Whether they got tired or not, I don't know, I can't answer that question but what we wanted to do was keep the pressure on them and keep pushing it back at them.

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Q. Congratulations. Talk about Manu's game and how he just seems to come on so big for you guys late in the game and step up and take over.
TONY PARKER: He played great. Hit some big baskets. He got us going and in the second half, with Timmy, both of them made a key basket and I thought that it was huge for us, for our energy because we start very slow, a little bit of rust and out of rhythm. And finally in the second half, we tried to do better and we found our rhythm.

Q. Did you think that the block charge call on Ben Wallace when Manu Ginobli was trying to drive was a catalyst for the offensive spurt?
TONY PARKER: That was a tough call. Manu, he got mad after that and he didn't stop penetrating. He kept attacking and finally the fourth quarter, he hit some big baskets, that one in the fast break and that big three he hit late in the fourth quarter.

Q. Talk about your start, you looked a little frustrated early on, a couple calls.
TONY PARKER: Like the whole team, like the whole team. We need to understand that every time we're going to penetrate, we need to protect the ball and be strong. I thought I got fouled a couple times, but that doesn't matter to me. You have to keep going and be strong and just try to make some stuff happen. We know it's going to be very physical with Detroit. They have a very good defense.

Q. You were able it get in the paint the first half there, that was a key factor. Would you talk about that, please.
TONY PARKER: Going to try to attack, same like Manu and try to help Timmy out. He's doing the best he can inside and we need to help him try to score and try to get some easy baskets for Brent and Bruce Bowen on the corners and try to get some offense. You know, it's going to be low scoring in this series, and so anything we can help is going to be good.

Q. About your team rebounding tonight, you know, this is a good rebounding team you guys outrebounded.
TONY PARKER: Definitely, they kicked our butt in the first half, and finally in the second half we did a better job. We just have to make sure that everybody is rebounding, me, Manu, Bruce, we need to try to help Timmy and Nazr. We can't expect them to take every rebounds, because Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince especially is a very good offensive rebounder.

Q. Do you think that the beginning of the game was a testament to their defense or were you guys a little rusty after the long layoff?
TONY PARKER: A little bit of both. A little bit of both. A little bit out of rhythm and a little bit of Detroit. You know, they play very good. They had a very good beginning of the game and they got a great start. Just have to make sure in Game 2, we have better energy and better start because we can't let that happen two times in a row.

Q. Could you talk about the game Chauncey Billups had and how he was able to be successful.
TONY PARKER: He had a good game. He had a good game. Early in the game he hit some shots, hit a couple threes and that got him going. In the second half, he had some tough shots in the post ups and fast break. I just have to make sure I don't let him get going early in the game. He's a great player and he's going to score some points.

Q. Getting back to the energy, did it seem as though Detroit kind of ran out of gas, maybe in the fourth quarter, failing to match your energy
TONY PARKER: Maybe they used a lot of energy early on in the beginning of the game. I thought our energy picked up in the fourth quarter. I don't know Detroit felt, but I'm sure they are going to watch film and see what they can do better in the fourth quarter and that's what's going to happen against Detroit for 48 minutes. When we have a bad start, we kept saying in time out, we have to keep playing and it's going to be a long game, and finally is the half. We had some good stuff happen for us and I'm sure Detroit is going to think about that.

Q. Do you think the rest helped you guys out in the game?
TONY PARKER: Oh, I'm sure, definitely.

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Q. You started out slow and then you played stronger.
MANU GINOBILI: Yeah, I struggled in the first quarter, especially at the beginning. I don't know if I was nervous or rusty or whatever, but I didn't play well. I realize when I went back to the bench that I was not seeing what was going on, too much thinking about going and finish. You've got to think more when you go by the first line, you know, to kick it out again, find an open teammate. So I was very upset at halftime, and I tried to calm down, play a little slower pace, and things started to go better.

Q. Your scoring obviously was big tonight but another big factor was your rebounding, your team rebounding, you were a big factor in that. Could you talk about the team rebounding and your focus there.
MANU GINOBILI: Yeah, that was the thing that we talk about a lot in the last three or four days. We knew that against this team with offensive rebounders like Rasheed, Ben, Tayshaun Prince, it was very important to get some boards. And we were huge at that. I think we beat them really yeah, by 14 rebounds. So they are very good at that. I bet that the coaches are very glad that that happened.

Q. Compared to two years ago, you just talked about your patience, are you a more patient player, are you a more confident player? How has your game developed since your last trip to The Finals?
MANU GINOBILI: No doubt that my confidence has been built up a lot. Now I know that even if I don't play that well at the beginning, I'm going to be on the court, and probably in the fourth quarter, I'm probably going to have the ball in my hands. So that was a big difference when, like my first year here, where I was going to play, but trying to finish some plays, playing hard defense, and, you know, I loved it, too, but now it's different. It's a whole different role. I feel that responsibility of the end of the game way more, and that's what I love doing.

Q. Obviously you got on a roll, but did you sense that maybe their energy level wasn't the same as yours, and that's why you kept going out and you wanted to keep going at them in the fourth?
MANU GINOBILI: I think their energy level was good, probably not as good as the first quarter, but we really held them. We were very flat in the first five, six minutes. Then when we raised that and started matching their energy, we started doing things better. But I didn't see that they were tired or not aggressive.

Q. Tell us about what you expect the adjustments they will make come Sunday overall and against yourself.
MANU GINOBILI: Well, they are going to try to play more aggressive for longer periods. We know that these two teams, the difference is going to be there, so it's very important to grind it out for 48 minutes because you can't stop playing for four or five minutes. It's a big mistake. What I expect on me is that it's going to be way harder to penetrate, probably the way it was in the first half where I didn't find any room. They were switching and collapsing a lot in the paint, so I was always going against two or even three guys. So, I know I'm going to expect that, so I don't care. I really got to try to play smarter. If they collapse a lot, try to find the open guy. I don't care or I don't need 20 points to feel good about myself, so I think I can do other things.

Q. Your fourth quarter play seemed to spark your team tonight to victory. Can you compare your fourth quarter tonight to other stretches in other past games. How does this game, how does this stretch match up?
MANU GINOBILI: The emotional part of this game is so big, it's different to anything else. When I started feeling that everything was going so good for me and I was being able to finish or hit a three, the one I hit in the fourth quarter, I just felt I was, you know, great, couldn't feel better. This is an NBA Finals and the first game is always the key, so it was probably one of the highlights of my season.

Q. Talk a little about what it says about the Spurs when y'all can score 120 and run with Phoenix and then when you get two defensive oriented teams, what the difference is, how y'all adjust.
MANU GINOBILI: Well, historically, this has been the way we always played, especially the last two years. We know that we have players to play faster, but playing faster, you've got to be good, because if not, that turns into a lot of turnovers, blocked shots and we don't want to do that. So we are improving the way we run, transition and things like that, but we're still not there. So if we can, it's fine. Against a team like Phoenix, it's easier because they take too many shots and most of the times you get long rebounds or turnovers and you can run faster. But against a team like Detroit, it's not that easy. They hold the ball and sometimes you back away from Tim, put the ball inside, a way for him to kick it out and make a better decision.

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