Postgame Quotes: Suns at Wizards, Jan. 26, 2009
 
Terry Porter | 
Steve Nash | 
Shaquille O'Neal | 
Grant Hill |
Ed Tapscott | 
Antawn Jamison | 
Caron Butler |
Click on a player to read quotes
| Suns Head Coach Terry Porter
“We just came off of a long road trip and I am trying to give the guys energy and interest into the game. I thought that the Wizards really came out with a good start. Jamison was on fire really early on. The second half we made some adjustments and we did a better job of not letting them catch the ball. Offensively we turned it up a little bit. Barbosa was huge for us off the bench. In the second half, he made the right shots and helped extend our lead to a point where we were able to maintain a cushion.”
(On ending the road trip)
“The first games back off of a long road trip are always tough so we have to make sure that we remain engaged. It is nice to come off of this road trip with two wins and have that confidence back as opposed to going home with a loss.”
(On the Suns' season)
“We have had a lot of ups and downs this season and this game is definitely part of it. This team has always responded well when they are faced with adversity. Although we just had two disappointing losses, we still had a chance to finish the trip at .500 and they finished it tonight with a win.”
(On Amar’e Stoudemire)
“He was good tonight and he did a good job of attacking the offensive boards. That is exactly what we need. We really need his presence on the boards.”
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| Suns Guard Steve Nash
(On Shaquille O’Neal)
“He is playing well right now. I don't know how many people can guard him when he is playing like he has recently. We have to find that balance of going to him and spreading the ball around when they are doubling him."
(On the road trip)
"To get back-to-back wins to end the week was important for us, especially going back home."
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| Suns Center Shaquille O'Neal
“At the end of the road trip, to not have many mistakes -- especially when our guys are tired and a little banged up -- we were able to play well down the stretch which was good. We just have to use this win as some momentum when we get back home."
(On Wizards center JaVale McGee)
"I really like him as a player. He is going to be a special player in this league. I really like his game. JaVale is going to be one of those big men that we talk about in the future."
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| Suns Forward Grant Hill
(On Wizards forward Antawn Jamison)
"He is just a true warrior and champion. I have a lot of respect for him as a player and as a person. He plays hard every game and when they are able to get healthy the Wizards should be ready to roll."
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| Wizards Head Coach Ed Tapscott
“We didn’t have enough scoring to sustain our progress from the first half. It is imperative that we find a third guy to give us consistent scoring. I can’t ask Caron Butler or Antawn Jamison to do any more than they do.”
(On finding a third scorer)
“We couldn’t keep pace offensively. We got a lot of scoring out of our two forwards and our next highest scorer, Andray Blatche, only had 12 points. We must get consistent scoring out of a third guy.”
(On Shaquille O’Neal)
“Shaq played an awesome game. We were trying our best to give our young guys help guarding Shaq but he exposed the double team by finding the open shooters. He has played in the NBA a long time and is very familiar with the defensive rotations; this knowledge allowed him to find the right shooters at the right time.”
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| Wizards Forward Antawn Jamison
“We did a good job for the first three quarters; we were only down two to start the fourth. We didn’t move the ball the way we did in the first three quarters. They (Phoenix Suns) did a good job executing and they got stops. He (Shaquille O’Neal) was feeling it tonight, Steve Nash got everybody involved and (Leandro) Barbosa came and gave them a spark off the bench.”
“The only thing you can do is stay positive and hope that the future holds something better. Right now (we need to) keep plugging away and keep fighting. Nobody is going to feel sorry for you, so it doesn’t do anything to be negative or to come into here down. It is what it is. As long as I can look myself in the mirror and know that I stayed positive and gave 100 percent throughout the season, then I can live with that. And hopefully the other guys will feed off of that.”
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| Wizards Guard Caron Butler
“Obviously it was tough, but that’s how it happens sometimes. We’re going to continue to go out there and try to perform at the highest level that we possibly can. We (the captains) have to set the example and set the tone. The guys worked hard; they played their hearts out and they gave us what they had. Hopefully it will be different in the next game against the Miami Heat.”
(On Shaquille O’Neal)
“He’s a physical player and he has a physical presence. He’s one of the greatest centers of all time. For him to play ordinary is not accepted—he’s going to bring an extraordinary performance night-in and night-out because he’s a legend. They said he didn’t play in back-to-back games, but obviously he came in and performed well.”
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