Postgame Quotes: Suns @ Kings, Feb. 5, 2010

(On how they won)
“It helped with Tyreke (Evans) getting in foul trouble early. He couldn’t play as aggressive as he usually does. I thought we were really efficient offensively in what we were doing. I thought we got the ball to the right people. Steve (Nash) got off to a great start and seems to be real aggressive against these guys. I wish he would be that way even more so sometimes. His shot was there and he got us off to a great start.”

(On his team’s defensive play)
“I thought we did a good job defensively. We had some breakdowns later on from a dribble penetration standpoint, but I thought, for the most part, that we did a very good job against them.”

(On what stood out to him)
“I just thought we did a really good job of staying aggressive. More so than anything, I thought we did a great job of defending. We had them under 40 percent most of the first half and we limited their second shots. Then I thought we came down and executed and got some big hoops. Even when they made their little run back at us, I thought we always came up with a basket that kind of stopped their run and kept a substantial lead. Other than the Denver game the other night, it is probably the most complete game we have played.”

(On the Kings’ rally efforts)
“They got it down to 10, and then I think we went on a 22-3 run. It was a solid performance, but there were stretches we let them back and we did job of turning it on against them. Overall I think we did a great job.”

(On having fun during times like this)
“It is fun. It is hard work. It is difficult to win games, but it pays off, you know, and is a lot of fun. Especially on nights like tonight when you get up and go on a 22-3 run on the road at the end of a trip. It is rewarding.”

“The things that we worked on – probably the worst team in the world to play against is the Suns after you do that. We’re trying to do a better job of controlling penetration and when you do that Nash can pick you apart. They have the best three-point shooting team in the league. For the most part, the things that hurt us the most in the first quarter were second shots. That hasn’t been that bad of a problem all year but it was a horrible problem in the first half. Nash wasn’t missing shots himself and when they did happen to miss, Lopez got the second shot and he was dominant in that first quarter. That really gave them some separation. So it wasn’t the things we worked on as much as the things that they did too well for us to overcome.

“I thought Donte (Greene) was outstanding for us tonight, obviously. The numbers are excellent and he took a major step forward again as he has been lately. Donte has probably come further than anybody else we have this year improvement-wise and I don’t see him slowing down at all.”

“The season is starting to pick up and teams are playing more aggressive especially with the veteran teams that are coming in, and that is why we need to keep fighting. It isn’t about coming out and giving up, we are coming out and still playing hard. We were down 30 and we were still fighting and playing hard. That is a good sign for a young team. All you can do is keep playing, that is all you can do and keep fighting.”

(On the Phoenix Suns’ play tonight)
“They have been together for a while and they have one of the best point guards in the league in Steve Nash. They have veteran leadership in Grant Hill and Jason Richardson. They are just a veteran team. For us, we are just not hitting shots and they were hitting everything. It was just one of those nights.”