(On the team’s defense): "Honestly, I thought the problem defensively started before the game. We just didn’t come with the proper mindset and with the energy level that we had the other night and have had the last several games. This is a tough league. If you don’t bring it and you don’t come with, as a minimum standard, the highest level of energy and competitiveness, you’re going to get beat or you can get beat, and that’s what happened."
(On if the team didn’t pick up the energy due to LeBron James’ head cold): "It should have been the opposite. It should have been that we recognized that LeBron came to play even though he was sick and wasn’t able to practice this morning as you know. I think we should have picked it up with other guys bringing extra energy because he tried. He wanted to play. It’s not that he let us down at all. That was a job of everybody else, to lift themselves up and give more."
(On the team’s turnovers): "We did not do a good job with the ball and the turnovers that we had led to quick-return baskets because we were not in position to recover. Unquestionably, that was a huge factor in the game."
(On Ty Lawson): “He played great. You have to credit him with the job that he did. There’s so many things that go into a basketball game. It’s not one guy or one play but obviously he put his mark on this game. He was the difference-maker tonight. No question.”
(On the Nugget’s play tonight): “They were the more desperate team and that’s why they walked out with a win.”
(On what was the difference tonight): “In my mind, nothing. I felt okay, good enough to go out and help the team win and as a group we didn’t carry that.”
(On not coming to the game with the right mindset): “I don’t know. I didn’t feel that. It’s easy to say that after the fact. For us, we just have to play with our back against the wall every game. I think we felt good about a four game winning streak…and then you have a team that hasn’t been playing well this year come into your building and expect it to be a cake walk and that’s what happens.”
(On helping to expedite the learning process): “For me, I just continue to try to lead by example, by my voice. Let them know how important each and every game is. It’s not even a win or lose thing. I mean, you’re going to win games when you play great and you’re going to lose games when you play great. It’s how you approach the game mentally. If you go out of a game and you feel like you gave it your all, and you still lost, you can still be satisfied about that. But for a game like tonight, I’m not happy about it.”
(On if coach’s remark that tonight’s game could be a trap game): “He stressed it to us as much as he could. I feel like we came out with an intensity in the first quarter and then took our foot off the gas pedal. It was just one of those games for us. They were the better team tonight. They made plays when they needed to, especially down the stretch. They were getting all the 50-50 balls and all the turnovers, including my four. They got a total of 26 points off our turnovers. It’s entirely too high. If you cut that down by about nine or 10 points, it’s a totally different game. For us going forward, it starts with me just being smarter with the basketball and making better decisions.”
(On tonight’s disappointment): “It is a disappointment. But we have to have an “on to the next one” mentality. We play against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. We’re going to watch film at practice and have a great practice tomorrow and get ready for them.”
(On bringing it early in the game): “I thought we did. We came out with great intensity and then there were just lulls within the game. It happens. We have to just continue to have that mindset that we’re going to come out and smash teams. It’s one of those games where it could have gone either way and they got the better of us tonight.”
(On tonight’s game): “The things that we needed to do better against this team that we didn’t do last week when we played them – I thought they did it. I thought that we got great contributions from the guys that came off the bench…The difference was our defense. We held the team to under 100 points, we were flying around, we were active, we were contesting everything. The shots (the Cavs) made, they had to earn them and they had to work for them. There weren’t many uncontested shots and that’s how we have to play.”
(On responding to criticism): “We’re under fire in a lot of different ways and one of the things we talked about was no matter what, it’s just us in the room. We have to stick together, we have to have each other’s back. The only way that we can shut everybody up is by our actions out on the floor and getting it done. We know what kind of team we can be when we do the things that we need to do and I thought that (the players) did it tonight, so they get all the credit.”
(On his team’s progress tonight): “As a group we were struggling a little bit. Obviously the starters were a little more responsible for that, but all of us as players and coaches go through some chemistry and some growing pains. I just think we’re getting better at what we do, especially the starting group.”
(On takeaways from tonight’s win): “Just commitment and effort. Obviously, when you play upper-echelon teams your focus is a little more heightened. We just have to mature as a group and bring that same focus and commitment to the defensive game every night. Hopefully we can sustain it on Wednesday.”
(On the Cavs’ comeback attempt): “You’ve got to expect a good team with big players to try to make an attempt at getting a victory towards the end, but we had some big rebounds, some big stops, some fortunate plays, some shots and misses on their part. It’s all part of the game so it’s a good win for us.”
CAVALIERS NOTES:
- The Cavaliers had four players score 20 or more points (James - 22, Irving - 20, Love - 20 and Waiters - 20) for the first time since March 3, 2004 at Dallas. (James - 28, Ilgauskas - 26, Boozer - 23, Nailon - 23).
- Cleveland recorded a season-high eight blocks and notched seven steals.
- The Wine and Gold went 19-23 (.826) from the charity stripe, which was the fifth game this season that Cleveland has posted a mark above .800 and is now shooting .811 on the year.
- The Cavs connected on 10 three pointers and have now made double-digit triples in three of its last four outings.
- LeBron James registered a team-high 22 points, nine rebounds, five assists and a season-high two blocks in 41 minutes of action. It was his sixth straight game of 20 or more points and seventh on the season.
- Kevin Love recorded his fifth double-double of the season by scoring 20 points on 7-13 (.538) shooting, while grabbing a game-high tying 11 rebounds in 38 minutes. It was the second time this season that Love has gone for 20 points and 10 boards.
- Kyrie Irving went going 4-6 (.667) from behind the arc and finished with 20 points, a team-high eight assists, four rebounds and two steals in 39 minutes of play. Irving has now tallied four straight outings of 20 or more points and has seven on the season.
- Dion Waiters came off the bench to score a season-high 20 points on 9-16 (.563) shooting, while adding two rebounds and a pair of steals in 28 minutes.