See what the Brooklyn Nets had to say after their 105-91 win over the Chicago Bulls.
STEVE NASH
On Durant, Harden and Irving playing together:
"I think the fact that they were on the court together is positive. They had a chance to feel it so it’s not so brand new when we start next weekend. I thought we were just flat to start the game just frankly. I don’t know that I could blame it on the fact that they haven’t played together for a while. I just thought we weren’t ourselves. We weren’t sharp and we weren’t firing on all cylinders, but we got it out of the way. That’s the way I look at this game. We got a win and we got it out of the way. It wasn’t great but here we are with one game left and in a good position to be the second seed.”
On whether Durant, Harden Irving play Sunday if need win for No. 2 seed:
"We’ll consider it. It’s just a matter of how they come through, how they feel in the morning and are they available. But if we need that win tomorrow, we’re not averse to those guys playing tomorrow as well."
On importance of Brooklyn's depth:
"It’s important, especially because we’ve had so many games this year and we’ve had so many different lineups. Guys have got to stay prepared and be ready to jump in at a moment’s notice. Certain nights, they kind of give us a lift. That’s the nature of basketball. It can’t always be the starters that are going to win the games. You need an individual to step up, a group to step up and your bench to play well. If you have a strong bench, perhaps they can perform consistently and you’re a much better team."
JAMES HARDEN
On getting going in second quarter:
"We woke up. It was a 1 o’clock game. Yeah, we kind of eased our way into the game a little bit, but we found a rhythm on both ends of the ball. The second unit did an unbelievable job of locking in defensively and then making shots, sharing the basketball, Jeff played well, Nic, Bruce, Landry, down the line we’ve been playing well. We’re going to need that confidence from every guy tomorrow and then going into the postseason."
On staying connected with Durant and Irving:
“We just stay in tune, we're in tune to what's going on. We know, we watch, obviously, the games, and we're all engaged. So throughout the course of timeouts, we might share some information that we can pass along on to one of our teammates. It's always constant communication, whether it's between us the coaches there, so we know what the ultimate goal is. And, coaches, credit coaches: They did an unbelievable job of just making sure that we're locked in on both of both ends of the ball. Me, myself, Kevin, and Steve had a film session a few days ago just to kind of sharpen things up – and also with Ky. So it's just things like that, that we can just continue to communicate, talk about. And then obviously, throughout the course of games, continue that communication, and try to go out to execute as much as you can.”
On importance of roster depth:
"They're the pieces, and I met with the guys, I forgot what city it was in but it was about a week ago. And obviously we know that myself and Kevin and Ky are gonna do what we do at a high level, but I wanted those guys to know that they're very, very important to this run that we're about to go on. Each individual guy. It can be a different game that they win. Whether it's a rebound, whether it's a shot, whether it's a defensive play, a box-out, whatever it is, but they're very, very valuable to this team and we have to do it together. So I'll do my part in the sense of making their job easier offensively, but we all have to do our parts defensively, be on the page on the detailed little things and it's been going great since then."
KEVIN DURANT
On if rust amongst big three combo affected start:
"To be honest man I think the timing of the game, the significance of the game can be a factor into I guess rust but I think they started off the game hot we came down and held them to 34 percent shooting after that. We were all on the same page defensively and offensively we missed some looks, especially me, but for the most part we moved the basketball, low turnovers, I feel like we were in rhythm but if we made some shots, well if I would have made some shots tonight it would have looked better overall. But I think we're in a solid groove."
On potentially playing on Sunday:
"I expect to play. I mean we want to finish the season off so I'm sure we're all looking at that game and seeing what happens. Just for rhythm and just to get back on the court again I want to play. But we'll see what happens tonight. I trust the coaches and training staff to make the right decision but as a basketball player. I definitely want to be out there regardless."
On play of second unit:
"Second unit was huge. That confidence that coach gives them to go out there and play fast-paced basketball -- I mean, they changed the tempo for us, pushed the lead up, defended well. We're going to need that from them."