NBA Playoffs 2003
Round 1, Game 2
Timberwolves 119, Lakers 91
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"I told the guys before the game that we need to put ourselves in a situation where we can do the things that we do well. We shoot the ball well and we move the ball well in our offense. We did that tonight. We wanted to be able to apply some full-court pressure and be aggressive, and we did that, too. We came out with a good amount of energy."

"We couldn't have had a good performance. We couldn't have had a great performance. We needed to have a superior performance. KG was great. To have a 30/20 game in the playoffs is unbelievable. Troy was exceptional. This is as good a game as we've played since I've been here. We had 48 minutes of intensity without any major breaks."

"Kobe's one of the most difficult players to defend because he has such great range. AP and Kendall did a nice job, and KG had a good four-minute stint. He's a nightmare to watch on tape. We brought good pressure all the way up the floor, and kept them out of their normal flow. We can't let them get in a halfcourt set. I wanted to take some time off the clock and keep them a few steps out of their offense."

"He (Garnett) had some unreal games against Dallas last year. But other than the All-Star Game, this probably was (his best game). With the caliber of the game, and the pressure of playing against two of the best players in the league... He was phenomenal. This is what I've been saying for 82 games — that he is the MVP. Nineteen defensive rebounds is an unbelievable statistic."

"We tried to exploit some of their weaknesses. Troy is the kind of guy who can attack. He was extremely aggressive. Our centers — Rasho, Marc and even KG — did a great job setting screens and got our guys some open shots. We know we can hit open shots."


"As a team, we played really, really, really good defense. The energy was there. Guys were talking... We were communicating. All the things we knew we could do, we did tonight. Things that started in the third quarter of Game 1, we sort of carried it over to Game 2."

"He (Hudson) was a lot more aggressive. I went to Troy and said to him, 'Don't change anything you've been doing all year.' The playoffs aren't the time to start to cater to shot selection — which is sometimes Troy's biggest thing. I was telling him to just play. The hell with all the commercial stuff. We know what we've got to do. We know we've got to help each other on 'D' and stay aggressive — and he did that."

"We just got after it. We've got a lot of confidence in ourselves on both ends, and we just got after it. I'm not going to say we did something special. We just pressured it up 94 feet. The things we do in training camp, the things we do in practice every day — knowing who's over the ball and making them cough it up, trying to get Shaq to come up. It wasn't really anything special. If you go back to the third quarter in Game 1, it was a similar type energy and enthusiasm."

"It was absent in the first half (of Game 1). We didn't come out with that crazy energy. We didn't come out with that crowd-fueling energy that we know we can have. Tonight we did. The difference is, we made Kobe take some difficult shots. The shots he made were hard shots. We contested every shot for the most part. We controlled Derek Fisher and Rick Fox. Those are the keys. If we can control those guys, and Shaq and Kobe only get 27 or 30, we feel like we can put ourselves in a good position to win."

"We're going to build from it. Flip is going to have a game plan tomorrow. We have no idea what we're going to do. I'm sure he's going to put some wrinkles in there. It wasn't like we played the perfect game. We shot the ball exceptionally well, we were aggressive for the most part, and the defense couldn't have been any better. But we skidded a couple of times — having Shaq one-on-one in the blocks — which is something you cannot do. I'm sure we're going to go over some things, but we've got to carry this momentum over."

"I think we have a good game plan that works. I think they've seen the results. They're going to make some adjustments, but we can't be worried about their adjustments. We have to be totally confident in what we do, and carry this thing over — take our half of the momentum and carry it with us. We can't change what we do. We've got to play with energy, and tonight we played with a lot of emotion — a lot of energy."


"Kevin was great tonight. That's why he should be the MVP of this league. Tonight, the whole team played well and we came away with a big fat win."

"(Not guarding Bryant) didn't affect the way I played. We learned a lot from the second half of the first game. We got much more aggressive on defense. I think we kind of defined what pressuring the ball was. At the beginning of the game, we didn't know what we could get away with as far pushing and reaching. We took it with our aggressivness and did a great job."

"We can't get too far ahead of ourselves. It's a seven-game series and this was one of those games we really had to win. I think we grew up a lot as a team. We learned a lot about what it takes to win in the playoffs. Our intensity was definitely stepped up and every man who stepped out on the floor played with a lot of heart and with a lot of intensity and aggressiveness. We just have to keep growing as a team."

"Now we know what we have to do. There are nights when shots aren't falling and things are going your way. But when you can play defense, play aggressively and make it tough on the other team, you can come away with wins no matter what."


"I'm just happy we were able to pull off the win, and I give credit to my teammates to get me open. They set a lot of screens for me, and gave me the ball when I was hot... Against the world champs, on national TV and in the big game — that's what you dream of. My dream came true tonight."

"We just carried on from the third quarter from the other night. I think the third quarter the other night is how we have to play to win this series. We came out with that same focus tonight. We pressured up on defense and were aggressive on the offensive end... At times we took bad shots, but it didn't matter. You have to be aggressive against these guys."

"Now we can go into Game 3 with a positive attitude. Go in there and focus on doing the same thing we did tonight: being aggressive on both ends of the court and taking it to them... That's my style of play — being aggressive. When I'm not aggressive, I limit what the team can do on the court."

"He (Peeler) has been doing a great job for us on the defensive end all year long. Even in Game 1, guys on the bench were asking why isn't AP on Kobe... He has the ability to stay in front of guys, he has great hands and he has quickness — and he strong as well. He did a great job tonight."


"We really came out and stayed focused. From the beginning, we stayed with our game plan... We kept the same game plan from the first game, but we just came out and did it from the jump. We didn't waste any time."

"We came out and played aggressive from the start. The first game, we didn't play hard at the beginning the way we should have — and you saw the outcome. Today, from the jump ball, we played extremely aggressive and stayed to what we were supposed to."


"Just believe in my teammates, and know that they're going to be there around me. That's the main thing — to have confidence in your teammates. It's tough (defending Bryant). He's going to shoot the ball every time. He's one of the premier shooters — second-leading scorer in the league. He's always going to be looking to go. No passing and going through with him. It's always going to be putting the shot up. So you just have to make sure you stay tough, and you can't get down when he makes one."

"The main thing I was thinking about earlier today is that it's just going to make me a better player playing against him, with what he can do on offense. You just try to make it hard for him to get 30 or 25. No matter how many he gets, you try to make it hard. It's going to make you a better player when you're going up against one of the best."

"This is the main thing I've got to think about right now, is stopping him and making it hard. I told the rest of the guys that I'm like the Secret Service. I'm trying to go in without a gun or a net. Troy and KG have got to go in and save me. I've got to be out there and stick my head in, and try to make sure I make it tough for him."

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"We ran into a buzzsaw. They were very aggressive, and took us out of the rhythm of the game. It looked like Shaq had been away from the game for a couple of days. The thing that bothered me the most was the amount of free throws that we gave up."

"We settled for three-pointers. This was a night when we didn't have the timing or rhythm to make them, as opposed to Sunday... In our offensive schematic, we want the post to come up the floor a little bit, to relieve some of the pressure on the guards bringing the ball up the court."

"They can't play any better than that. It was a desperation game for them. We came here, and now we have homecourt advantage. I don't think we're supposed to sweep every series. Now we'll come back here (next Tuesday) and see what we have."


"My shoulder feels pretty good. It's a little sore right now, but it should be good by Thursday. I jammed it a little bit... I thought Shaq looked pretty good. He looked normal to me. There was nothing wrong with him. He played a pretty good game."

"It took a while to adjust to their pressure and find a rhythm. We had it going in the second quarter, but then kind of lost it at the end of the quarter. The difference tonight was Minnesota was scrappy. They got after loose balls. We lost the battle to loose balls, and they were more aggressive on defense. They played better than we did tonight. This feels a little different, being tied 1-1 — but 11-19 was unfamiliar territory, too."

"You don't like the feeling of the other team taking the game to you, but it kind of excites you because it says the playoffs are here. I'm excited to get to the table and play Game 3."


"We came here for two games, and they came out after losing Game 1 and played with desperation. They had a desire to stay in the series, and they played with their lives. We were here to win a game (tonight), and they were here to win — but it was at totally different levels. Will they be able to do it again on Thursday? We'll see."

"It all starts with Shaq, but we are all responsible for the loss tonight. Obviously it starts with our two superstars and then goes down the line to everybody else. We all just didn't get it done tonight, and we'll have to be ready for it on Thursday."


"They shot the ball really well tonight. They came out with great intensity, and we didn't match that intensity and fire. We just can't dig ourselves into a hole like that, being down 20 points and having to fight back."

"They just came out and played well tonight. I don't know why, or what they did differently from Sunday. Kevin Garnett is going to get his points, which he did in a big way tonight. You just can't let the other guys get 20 and 18, as they did tonight."


"Sunday, the shots went down great for us. Tonight, they shot the ball great. Kevin Garnett hit some really big shots and came up big for them. They played really great tonight, and they were very aggressive. Now we just need to head back home and get ready and practice, so we'll be ready for Game 3 on Thursday."

"Shaq's going through a lot right now. He's going through a lot personally. He was very close with his grandfather, and we just wanted to support him in any way we could. It was just amazing that he actually played the game tonight. It's amazing how he played, because he was at the service today and then flew into town this afternoon. And then to come out and play the way he did with what he's going through..."