Wolves - Grizzlies Postgame

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Wolves-Grizzlies Recap

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NBA Postgame Quotes
Minnesota vs. Memphis
April 12, 2008 @ FedExForum

Minnesota Head Coach Randy Wittman:
On playing back-to-back games:
“I was a little concerned because last night we expended a lot of energy in that game. I was a little worried. But our guys came out and were getting stops early on the break. We got easy baskets. I think Kirk [Snyder] was really huge for us tonight. He got out in the lanes and Randy [Foye] threw the ball ahead. We scored quickly at the start of the game. It kind of gets you going then. That was the key to the game. We ran and threw the ball ahead as good as we have in a long time and converted the fast break.”

On being one rebound shy of matching the franchise high:
“We should have gotten it. We gave then 17 offensive rebounds, so we should have had one more in there somewhere. We had four guys register double-digit rebounds tonight, I don’t think we’ve had that this year; I know we haven’t. We had Corey [Brewer] and Kirk [Snyder] coming in, twos and threes, really making it and they can bust the ball out.”

On Kirk Snyder:
“He’s been solid for us numbers-wise. I thought he did a decent job on [Rudy] Gay. He matched up with him and made him take tough shots. I thought he really got us going. His activity and his energy, the others guys fed off of that.”

On the positives for the season:
“Our second half has been positive. We struggled early in the year. I think we’ve won 14 or 15 games in the second half of the year of our 21. Our guys learned how to win at the end of the games. We had guys that played well. They developed their games from where they started from to where they are. Those things are positives for us.”

Minnesota Guard Randy Foye:
On the win:
“We gave it everything. It was basically a turnaround from last night. We played really well last night in the fourth quarter. I think we just continued on in our first quarter today.”

“We kept the momentum from last night’s fourth quarter. On nights like that you just keep on going. I wish we played tomorrow with how much momentum we got in tonight.

On the second half of the season:
“We’ve been playing together. We’ve practiced everyday hard. Coach [Randy Wittman] is working us hard. The main thing is we’re staying together and we’re not giving up. We’re trying to learn everything and we’re trying to finish it strong.”

On expending too much energy in last night’s game:
“We played a lot of minutes last night. [Coach Randy Wittman] was just watching some of the minutes of some of the guys. He did a great job on subbing us in and out. I was a little bit tired, but I just played through it.”

Minnesota Center Al Jefferson:
On the win:
“Playing against those guys [the Grizzlies] you can’t turn the ball over. We just tried to attack them first and have them turn the ball over. We were able to be there and get the lead and hold on to it. You can’t turn the ball over or they’ll take it in. You have to take advantage of it. We had a lot of turnovers, but we still did a good job. I think Kirk [Snyder] did a good job on Rudy Gay in the second half. He made it tough on him. It was a good effort by us.”

On how many minutes he played tonight:
“With five minutes to go in the third, I was like ‘What is he doing?’ [Coach Randy Wittman] told me I played a lot of minutes last night and he was going to give me some rest. You feel like you could go all day until you get that rest and you realize that you really needed it. I guess that’s why he’s the coach and we're not."

Memphis Head Coach Marc Iavaroni:
On the loss:
“It was difficult getting a rhythm to this game. We had some guys out, but I thought the guys who took their place played hard. They were just better than us tonight. They shot the ball well. They rebounded and they dominated us inside physically, 62-45 on the boards. And they shot the ball well. Overall, we were out of rhythm. Unfortunately, we were not able to come up with a victory our last game at home.”

On the game:
“It’s has been an up-and-down, quarter-to-quarter game. Forty-three points is probably the most we have given up in a quarter in a while. Obviously that is high, but they did battle back. The third quarter we couldn’t get into a rhythm that allowed us to make a run at them. Basically they scored, we scored, they got a stop, and we got a stop. We couldn’t make any traction and they cruised on in. Too many second shots and 28 second chance points are not going to win you games.”

On the season:
“I think what’s the challenge is the things that don’t occur on the basketball floor. On the basketball floor you have experience to rely on. As an assistant, you’ve run practices, you’ve coached, and you teach, you strategize, you X and O, you do all those things. I think the challenge is off the court and keeping everyone plugged in. Communicating everyday with your general manager is something that is always done and requires a lot of hard work. Being on the same page with the ownership, the general manager, and your staff in terms of the future and us all agreeing on a direction is something that I have found very important to us this year. We took a big gamble and we think the gamble is going to pay off. It’s like any other team, whether it’s Phoenix trading for Shaq or us trading a big name player like Pau Gasol. We feel it is in the best interest of the franchise. Although we may take a hit in the short term, we feel we have to take that risk in order to go for our dreams. I think planning is really a tough endeavor.”

Memphis Center Andre Brown:
On the game:
“It was tough. We got the loss. It was the last home game, and we wanted to give the fans something to think about.”

On his career high in rebounds:
“I feel good about it. Overall, it was a good performance. I would have liked to get the win out of it.”

Memphis Guard Michael Conley:
On the loss:
“I think that we started to come up with a lot of the loose balls. In the first half, they were getting all kinds of offensive rebounds. They stopped our break, and we really could not get into our rhythm. In the second half, we started getting rebounds and getting out and running.”

On getting beat on the boards:
“They had a lot of guys down low. Al Jefferson is a great player, and he did a great job of getting to the basket. The rest of their players did a great job of getting them in as well. It was a tough night for us on defensive rebounding. I thought in the second half we really picked it up and executed a little better. We got back into the game.”

On his rookie season:
“It has been a long year. It has been a roller coaster. There were a lot of ups and downs. With the trades and injuries, it has been a whirlwind. I am glad to have this year under my belt. I have learned a lot from it, and I think it will make me a better player. It has been a productive year.”

Memphis Forward Rudy Gay:
On the game:
“We let it get away from us early. It was a tough game for us. We took advantage of our speed. We tried to get out of the hole, but it was deeper than we thought it was.”

On the season:
“It has been tough. I think this season has made me a better person on and off the court. I can use this to make me a better player.”

On the Most Improved Player Award:
“I think I am just as deserving as anyone else that is up for it. It is a lot of good guys that are getting better. I happen to be one of them. If I don’t win it, I understand.”