Postgame Quotes: Suns vs. Raptors - Jan. 18, 2009

(On concern coming in to face a team that is wounded)
"I think that we were really trying to focus on what we had to get done. Whenever a team in this league sometimes is wounded and backs are in the corner that is when they play their best. Give it to them, they really gutted it out tonight and had guys really step up and help them. We just have to do a better job when we have a lead to milk our lead, milk the guys we have on the floor to really do a good job of trying to extend our lead."

(On Steve Nash being excited to play in Toronto)
"Yes, everybody gets excited when they come back home. It was great for him obviously to come out and play the way he did. He has been solid for us all year long. Sometimes with the system and everything the numbers don’t project because he doesn’t have the type of possessions, but he has still been our MVP this year and really doing everything that we need him to get done."

(On Jay Triano being given an opportunity to coach in the NBA)
"It’s obviously very exciting for him. I believe in him greatly as a coach. I know that he has a lot of great qualities that are difficult to find in an NBA coach. Given time, and a good run of health, the Raptors they do a good job and they love playing for him and that’s a big part in this league, that you enjoy playing for your coach."

(On adjusting to the coaching style)
"Well, it has been a big adjustment. Fortunately the adjusting is finally settling down. Also, the style of play is coming back somewhere towards the centre, so we are playing a bit of both, and combined with the fact that we are feeling more comfortable with both. Hopefully the adjustment period is almost over. It was a difficult first month and a half. We were playing quite an extreme philosophical game than we were in the past, but I think we have put that behind us." Have you ever thought about finishing your career in Canada? To play in Toronto would be a dream come true in a lot of ways. I have spent my summers here playing for the National team for about a decade, since I was a teenager. I have tons of friends and a lot of people here that I care about, and it is one of the world’s premier cities that coupled with the fact that it is that I love what the team has done here, it’s an understandable situation. But I love playing in Phoenix, I built a home and a career there. It’s a year and a half away, it is very difficult to judge at this point. The Phoenix Suns are playing well and that is probably going to be a number one priority for me, but if not, Toronto would have to be on top of the list as far as considering other markets.

(On the team’s effort)
"I liked our effort. I thought that our guys played tough. I thought they played hard and they played extended minutes. I really like the way that Jamario (Moon), Joey (Graham) and AP (Anthony Parker) played together on the perimeter. I thought that they did a nice job of keeping the ball moving and we got some good things offensively from it."

(On halftime adjustments)
"The biggest problem that we had in the first half was transition points. This team is too good. if you give them odd number of looks they are going to pick you apart. We were running beside guys instead of getting back and shoving bodies. When we made that adjustment at halftime we just re-emphasized the fact that we had to get back. I thought that we were much better with only eight transition points in the second half which is not bad for a team that can push it."

(On missing 3 players today)br> "I get a list of nine guys that can play today and I am going to find a way to play them the best that I can and see if we can win a basketball game."

(On playing in the backcourt with Anthony Parker)
"We tried to start off the game with the mis-match on Steve Nash and that is how we got the foul on the first play of the game. Jay (Triano) drew up a great play. We were just trying to mis-match out there. With the size and length we had on the wings we tried to off-set some things. It was working pretty good for us until they started hitting those threes."

(On the game changing from the wing to handling the ball)
"You get more opportunities, you are obviously involved and you have a feel for the game. Especially with the amount of bodies you have to be aggressive. Fortunately I was aggressive and hit a couple shots early and got in a good rhythm. We did a good job of pushing the ball."

(On being over anxious late in the game)
"It tends to happen. I mean it is the nature of the game. It gets a little tighter and you want to win, there is a little more pressure involved. You just have to rely on your talent and what got you here."