See what the Nets had to say after their 114-112 loss to the Thunder.
KENNY ATKINSON
On keeping team positive:
"We've got good guys. Of course we're down now. It's a darn shame, because I thought we played a hell of a game. I thought we played a heck of a game. We knew that the storm was coming. They're too good. They're playing too well. You knew it was coming. The regret is not holding on to a 20-point lead. It's just frustrating now because our guys did a lot of good things out there."
On offense in fourth quarter:
"Obviously they started switching everything. So it becomes, can you beat your man and get to the rim. They switched everything. We got some good looks. We did make some shots. Joe went to the rim and Allen Crabbe had an open three. I thought there were missed opportunities, missed open shots than our shot selection. The D'Angelo one at the end of the shot clock, it's just something he's got to learn. You've got to take the shot clock down. You've got to leave a little time on the clock, but that's just a learning thing for a 22-year-old point guard."
On Paul George:
"We tried different things. We had a few things in place. He’s a great player. You try to do different things, and he still got going. We talked about bringing different personnel in. I felt like we needed guys out there to space the floor with their switching – go small, go bigger, put Rondae on him, keep Rondae out. That was all discussions."
ALLEN CRABBE
On the fourth quarter:
"We didn't execute in the fourth quarter. We turned the ball over. They were just more aggressive in the fourth quarter. They picked up their energy, turned us over, back into getting easy points in transition. They were just controlling the pace the whole fourth quarter basically."
On losing streak:
"Honestly, it's deflating. Third or fourth game we could have won. We've had trouble. Over the whole game we've played great all three quarters, but it just goes to show you you've got to play all 48. That's all you can really say. Can't really dive into how it feels. That's the only word I can come up with."
On Paul George:
"He's a high-caliber basketball player. You can't let somebody get hot like that, especially where the game was changing to. They had all the momentum, so everybody was fired up. Pretty sure everybody was out there feeling confident. For a guy like that, I'm pretty sure it only takes one or two baskets to go in before he starts feeling like the rim is really big. Everything he started shooting was going in. Like I said, they just controlled the fourth quarter. They had all the momentum."
JOE HARRIS
On the loss:
"Frustrating as well, just because it seems to be kind of a repetitive theme with these games where we're not able to lock in, execute down the stretch, put teams away. Obviously, it's the NBA. Going against somebody like Paul George you've got to go in there in the fourth and, difficult matchups, but at the end of the day if it's a battle of wills and we're trying to get a win, you've got to step up and take some ownership, some personal pride, collectively, get stops, get rebounds, get the 50/50 balls. There were 50/50 balls at the end that we didn't get, and those are the winning plays that we need in order to finish out close games down the stretch."
On leading after three quarters:
"We had discussed it going into the third. It was mentioned across everybody in the locker room that they come out, they're the best team in the third quarter in the NBA, and we did a good job staying consistent with what we had done in the first half. Obviously they made plays in the fourth. Yeah, at the end of the day it doesn't really matter. This is the NBA. You've got to be able to play a complete a game, and we've yet to do that, especially here in these last eight games."
On fourth quarters:
"It's definitely, I would say, it's a mix of obviously going against great players, talented players that are going to step up and make big plays. But you can't let a big shot by Paul George deflate you on the offensive end and discourage you from executing offensively. You've got to still be able to come down, be mentally tough enough to execute whatever plays Kenny's drawn up or whatever play D'Lo or Spence is calling. That's just a hurdle that mentally we need to mature in that regard and just get better. I think that's ultimately what it is, and that's why we've been limited in closing out big games."