BOX SCORE
Wolves-Grizzlies Recap
NBA Postgame Quotes
Minnesota vs. Memphis
April 6, 2008 @ Target Center
Memphis 113
MINNESOTA 101
Minnesota Coach Randy Wittman:
"It almost looked like we came out to play this game to get it over with. We dug ourselves into a deep hole again. We kind of figured it out with 36 points in the second quarter. We had a group of guys that played and passed and shared the ball. Nobody was worried about who got touches and where the ball would go. We got back into the game, but then we revert back to that other style and that will cost you."
"There was a huge play when we got up five in the fourth quarter and we had a 5-on-4, and one of their players fell down at the top of the key, writhing in pain, and we turned the ball over for a layup at the other end. That kind of broke our back. We had a stretch there for two-and-a-half minutes where we put them on their heels. That was the point where I thought we could push them over the edge, and then we turned it over and they got a layup. We didn't have anyone that was an answer for Miller or Gay. We tried different guys on both of them with not much of a different result."
"You can't get a guy like (Miller) started. I thought we gave him way too many open looks in the first half. If a guy like that gets in his rhythm, now he thinks he can make it from anywhere, and he damn near made one from half court."
"We lost this one at the start of the game. We've got to try to pull together for these last six games. These are tough circumstances when you're winding the season down and there's nothing to play for. But we've had these little goals coming down the stretch and this game was one of them. We had two games with the Grizzlies, and one game to catch and pass this team. They were the next guys ahead of us. For the end of the season, this was our little playoff run. Who's ahead of us that we've got to catch as the season winds down, and this was one of them."
"That was (Jefferson's) doing. The second half was the first time in a while that he's really attacked and been Al Jefferson. He demanded the ball and looked to get position for the ball in the second half. In the first half he was catching the ball 18 or 20 feet out from the basket. We're not going to throw him the ball there. I think a little bit of it is fatigue. But you've got to learn to play through that. This is the first time he's played this many games. We've played 76 games and he's played every one of them. I'm proud of that fact and I've told him that. To play 82 games, we had a guy here for a long time who did that. The good ones do it a lot if they're lucky enough not to have injuries. He's striving to do that, but I think he's seeing what it takes to play 82 games."
Minnesota Guard Randy Foye:
"We're disappointed how this one ended. We felt that we controlled the game after the first quarter, and in that last seven minutes we let them take back control of the game and we slipped a little bit and we can't have that. When they come back and make a move, we have to make a move and come stronger."
"We should've stepped on their throats right then and there. We got the lead and we should've ended it right there because they were struggling. But we let them back in it and that was the game. We can't do that. We just have to keep playing."
"It's hard to stop a guy who can take it to the basket and take 'threes' like that. You just have to try and deny (Miller) the ball. That's really the best defense you can play on him... They have two good players, (Miller) and Rudy Gay. Rudy's a young guy, he can play, and Mike Miller opens it up for everyone."
"We definitely have to get these wins against the teams that are close to us (in the standings). That's been our focus, but we can win any game if we come out and play as hard as we can."
Minnesota Forward Craig Smith:
"They got into the paint more and were aggressive attacking, especially Rudy. And Mike Miller was just on fire from the outside... He was real tough tonight. Guys were getting in his face and giving him contested jump shots, but he was still making them. He was just having one of those nights where he couldn't miss... He almost made that one at the end, and I don't think he was even trying to make it."
"We were missing shots and stuff wasn't going in for us either. We were having a tough time scoring as well, but we had an advantage and we couldn't convert on some of their misses... Down the stretch it was Rudy attacking the paint and getting to the line. That's what really hurt us."
Memphis Coach Marc Iavaroni:
"It was good to see us make a lot of little plays, a lot of things that added up in the game plan. Guys were really tuned in. Although the defense wasn't stellar from a percentage point of view, we got big stops late. We held them to 20 points (in the fourth quarter) and got some key plays. The last one, the steal by Juan Carlos on Jefferson, I thought was the game."
"I was very proud of the guys, the way the passed the ball tonight. A lot of assists... 25 assists on 38 field goals, that is what we have been trying to get back to. We have been through a lot this year. It is great to see the guys still working hard together and getting a victory in the process on the road. It was a good win."
"I don't think they had an answer for Rudy Gay, honestly. He went to the basket, he showed the type of assertiveness at the '4' spot against Gomes. It was a tough matchup for them. He did a nice job of making plays and finishing. Then Mike Miller, some big, big, big shots. An overall team effort. Kyle Lowry was playing very well down the stretch."
"We liked (Gay) at the end obviously, but I think overall he set the tone with his unselfish play, his physical play. He was totally in there tonight. He really was focused."
"(Miller) is always a danger. In fact, he was kicking himself because he missed a couple easy two-pointers off some pin-down action. To his credit, he stayed around for the big 'three' at the end he made that really gave us a little bit of a cushion."
Memphis Forward Rudy Gay:
"It was easy for us. A lot of people were hitting shots. It was just fun to play that way, just to move the ball and get everybody involved... It was a pretty good pace. Basketball's a game of runs. They made their run, we made our run. Thankfully we made ours at the end, so it made us happy at the end of the night."
"I think we're still on a pace to become a pretty good team. I think it's going to take a while. It's going to take a couple more practices, but I think we could be a good team. Just a lot of things happened too late in the season."
"It was just easy for me. A lot of people were collapsing on me, so it opened up my teammates and I ought to make those kind of passes. If I make a pass, people like (Warrick) have to knock down shots."
"We like to run. That's the kind of team we are. I think they're the exact opposite. They'd rather shut it down and get the ball down to Al. But I think that works in our advantage. Their rebounds turn us into a fast-break team... We pressured them pretty well. For the most part they were knocking down shots, but in the end we picked up our defense and limited their shots."
Memphis Guard Michael Conley:
"We got a lot of big stops, a lot of big rebounds. We came up with loose balls and when a team can do that, you're destined to win the game, and we put it out there... We saw on film that they're not as good getting back on defense, and we wanted to exploit that the best we could, and we felt we had the team to do that. We've run all year long, so we didn't want to stop tonight. We felt pretty confident coming into tonight's game."
"(We were) a lot more patient, a lot more focused, I think. Guys were more ready to go from the start. We paid more attention to detail. You could see from our first couple minutes of the game, we were ready and tuned in, so I think that was a big factor."
Memphis Guard Mike Miller:
"We ran some things and screened a little better. It was just a good ball movement night... I just got some shots. I wish I'd have been really shooting it. If I had really been shooting it, I don't know. I missed a couple that I don't think I should have missed. But it is what it is now. Get 'em next game."
"It helps it a lot (hitting shots). It opens it up. When you're making 'threes' -- and that's the case with any player or any team -- when you're making 'threes' and you're making jump shots, it opens it up inside for big guys. It just makes it a lot harder to guard a team. So it's always key to make shots."
