SONICS COACH NATE MCMILLAN:

On the game:
I didn’t think we played a good game in the first half and somehow we got back in the game in the second half and get a 10-point lead and then we just had mental breakdowns late in this game and we ended up giving it away, a game we had control of. It seemed like we were a step slow for whatever reason. I didn’t see the energy, the intensity that we normally play with for pretty much three quarters. Then we got some energy, we started scrapping, we made some shots and some stops. But then we had breakdowns that cost us. We gave up some easy baskets, we made some turnovers and we came down two or three possessions and we couldn’t knock down a shot when we had a 10-point lead.

On why the Mavericks shot so many free throws:
They just started to put their heads down. They were aggressive trying to get to the free-throw line. We got confused in transition a couple times. We didn’t do a good job of communicating. In that situation we know what we should do and we didn’t get it done.

On the Sonics execution:
Sometimes we were settling for the quick shot against their man, their zone as opposed to making their defense work. I thought we stood a lot tonight and just didn’t have the movement and just seemed like the energy wasn't there.

On Dallas' aggressiveness:
They just controlled the offensive glass in the first half. Hustle plays, second opportunities, they just controlled that. The second half, we came with some energy and got some stops and were able to make some baskets. I thought they looked like the aggressive team tonight.

GUARD ANTONIO DANIELS:

On the Sonics offense:
We had some good looks at the bucket and we didn’t knock shots down. But we also didn’t execute as well as we’re used to or capable of down the stretch. We took some ill-advised shots and when we had them down by 10 we didn’t do a good job of managing the game and getting looks that we wanted to get.

On whether the Sonics relaxed down the stretch:
It didn’t feel like we relaxed but kind of rushed more than anything else. It was like we were trying to get the game over with too fast instead of just managing the game and letting it come to us. We spent a lot of energy getting back into the game, but once we got the lead we didn’t do a good job of sealing the deal. We made a couple of errors. We had a couple of defensive lapses that we’re not used to having.

GUARD RAY ALLEN:

On the game and his performance:
My shot wasn’t falling, but we had control of the game in the fourth quarter … but it got away from us. We could have won that game regardless of what was going on with me. It wasn’t my night, but we were up 10 in the fourth quarter. We didn’t manage the game down the stretch. I had open shots all night, I just missed them.

DALLAS COACH DON NELSON:

On the game:
I think we were the recipient of the Sonics having two great wins and them getting stuck with travel and a whole bunch of stuff that really helped us win this game. I don’t know that we could have won it otherwise if they had a fresh team with fresh legs. I don’t think we should be too proud of ourselves on this one. We fought hard and we played well enough to win. You are going to have to play better than we played tonight if you are going to win in Seattle under normal circumstances.

On the last shot:
We were going down low to (Dirk) Nowitzki and when he kicked it out the second time, we walked into the long three. (Jason) Terry has been making that shot. He has made big shots for us all season long. That is the second game in a row where he has made the game winner.

He should be proud of that, because I didn’t think he played all that well the whole game. That big shot gave him the reprieve from the coach.

On the Mavericks defense:
We went to the zone defense and we are vulnerable for the three-point shot, but at least we took them out of their offense. We did not allow them to run the screen-and-roll or run their normal offense. They had to attack their zone and I think we got a little lucky that they missed shots. They had a couple of good looks and missed them.

GUARD JASON TERRY:

On the game and his last shot:
Wow, it was by the grace of God tonight. The ball ended up in my hands and I knocked it down. Tonight was a total team effort. We had guys play well and it was a total team effort. The Sonics are a tough team. They are for real. A lot of people sleep on them and think that they are just having an okay season, but they are a good team.

On playing at home:
It was big. I had over 75 friends and family members in attendance. The whole city was watching so I just thank God for being able to do something at the end and to have some input on the outcome of the game.

Notes: