2002 NBA Playoffs: First Round
April 21, 2002
Game 1: Mavericks 101, Timberwolves 94
American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas)
Dallas leads series 1-0
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"When you get 26 second-chance points to 2, that's a positive. We played hard. But they did what they are very capable of — they went on a couple of 10-0 and 10-2 runs. As soon as it (the Nash shot at the end of the 3rd quarter) left Steve's hands, I knew that it was going in. And then the bank shot from the top of the key by LaFrentz — those are a couple of fluke shots to end the third and begin the fourth. It changed the momentum. Nowitzki was great and there is no question that Van Exel had a big impact on the game — the things he did offensively, both from the standpoint of hitting some big three-point shots and then also getting seven assists and spreading the offense. Dallas is extremely good at scoring in transition."
"He (Nowitzki) made some big shots. Some of our guys were a little frustrated, but they're a good team. Some of their other people came up big — namely Van Exel — in the second quarter. They made some big shots. We have to find a way to contain a little bit better."
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"Other than Raef (LaFrentz), I don’t think they have a lot of shot blockers. (Eduardo) Najera guarded me a lot, Dirk (Nowitzki) at times, and then Raef. So it was really Najera and Raef guarding me. Najera is not a shot blocker; I don’t consider him one. Raef can, with his size, block shots. At times I rushed, and other times I just missed."
"It (Nash’s shot) put the crowd back in it. I think at that point we were ahead 73-70, and the momentum just swung. Then Raef hits the bank shot. It was a three at that, not even a two. Those are all momentum shots."
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"We played well enough to win and it is going to be a great series, I feel. I think the teams are very even. Nowitzki was huge and he tweaked his ankle a little at the end. Thank goodness we have a few days off. I played Nash way too much, but I felt I needed to do that to win the game. LaFrentz seemed a little nervous, so I took him out early. I thought Eschmeyer did a real good job. He got a little confidence back. I've got my rotation now. I thought we needed every player that we played to win the game. I thought we played well."
"I expected this type of game. I expected a very close game. I think both teams are very even. They had a bit of bad luck at the end of the year and we had a bit of good luck. We could have easily had their record at the end. They could have been playing in Minnesota today and we could have been the visitors."
"I like having Van Exel in the game. Eddie (Najera) wasn’t good early, but he turned out good late. He understood his role better. Not that he doesn’t make mistakes, but he’s a young player and we needed to get Van Exel in the game."
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"The coaching staff emphasized the importance of winning the first game. We knew that Minnesota was going to come out with a lot of intensity and we knew it was going to be a tough game, but fortunately for us we were able to win an ugly ballgame."
"At the start of the game, we were missing shots that we usually make, but you have to give credit to Minnesota’s defense. They played the type of defense that you need to play in the playoffs. If you look at the history between our two teams, it has always been ugly ballgames, nothing spectacular, and today was nothing different. Fortunately for us, we were able to come out on top."
"That (Nash's shot) was the biggest shot of the second half to me. For us to see that ball go in, I knew good things were going to come for us because of that shot. We carried that shot with us into the fourth quarter."
"Kevin (Garnett) is one of the premier players in this league, and no matter what you do against him, at the end of the night he always seems to have big numbers offensively, and tonight wasn’t anything different. We just wanted to make it tough on him. He makes everything look easy."
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"We know that the pressure is on us. We have home-court advantage, and we want to protect our home court. I haven’t been doing a great job lately of getting to the foul line, so I just tried to drive a little more and post up a little more, and it worked out well for me tonight."
"We were lucky to have won the game. We just have to all get in there and battle for every rebound. We have to do a better job on the boards and then I think we’ll be fine."
"They (Minnesota) had the momentum going their way. Steve’s shot was huge because that got the momentum turned around for us."
