Pelicans-Heat Postgame Quotes

Pelicans.com

Pelicans Head Coach Willie Green On what he saw out of CJ McCollum tonight: “He’s good. His ability to be able to get his own shot, create for his teammates – Like you said, it was a long night for him last night, and then early morning, and then shootaround earlier today. Just in general, our team was a little out of our normal rhythm, rightfully so.”

On the potential this team has down the line: “I think we have the ability to space the floor more. Being able to attack the basket with our guards and our wings. We can still get to our big lineup, which will be important for us. For three and half quarters, we were right there, and then we just kind of ran out of gas. That’s a really good team. That’s a tough team to come in, making changes through trades, and play the Heat, one of the better defensive teams. Their physical, they can shoot the three-ball and they executed down the stretch.”

Pelicans Guard Jose Alvarado On playing against the Miami Heat: "Really tough. They're number one in the East for a reason. They're going to compete for a championship probably, I think. You know, they're a tough, gritty team. That's why I think they are known for that. You have to be very disciplined to beat them. You can't have turnovers. You got to make open shots with them because they're going to make you pay. Miami Heat are a really, really good team. You just got to be really disciplined with them and we fell short today."

Pelicans Guard CJ McCollum On his last 24 hours: "It's been fun. It's been a fun ride. I'm thankful to be here, happy to be able to play. I'm a little tired but I'm going to get a good night's sleep tonight. (I was) a little flat, but I like the energy that we played with. I thought we competed. If I shoot the ball a little bit better it's a more competitive game down the stretch."

On being on the floor and figuring out how to play with his teammates: "It was really cool man. To be out there after watching them from afar, being able to play, to see how Coach Willie (Green) does things. To see how we execute down the stretch. To see what everyone can kind of bring and provide for this team. To see the fans getting involved in this game, the yearning for us to play well. I'm looking forward to continuing to get better for our team (and) continue to play winning basketball. (I want) to help put us in position to be successful, and I think that's the ultimate goal. As we continue to gel and get more comfortable with each other, kind of figure out what we need to do to get better, we're going to put a great product out.

pelicans-vs-heat-postgame-quotes-2-10-2022

Pelicans vs. Heat Postgame Quotes 2-10-2022

On the team’s performance:
“Nineteen turnovers and 19 fast break points for Miami, and I probably didn’t use my bench enough. So we probably had some tired guys on the floor. We overused our guys trying to get back in it. We probably got gassed a little bit.”

On the Pelicans backcourt:
“They had a tough night shooting the ball, they shot 5-for-25. It was a rough night, no question about that. Those kind of things happen. I’m not worried about that. We have to start taking care of the ball and we have to start running back on defense consistently. Those are things that we should be able to take care of and I have to do a better job with our rotation and our offense. We had too much confusion on defense in the first half. When you have confusion on the floor, you have to take that as a coach.”

On why there was confusion on defense:
“We haven’t drilled enough.”

On the bench performance:
“Josh played well and J.J. played really well on Wednesday. We’ve had really good production out of those two guys and I haven’t even given anybody else a chance, so that’s on me. I’ve got to start using those guys more, giving those minutes so they get a chance to produce so we’re not as tired late in the game.”

On defending Duncan Robinson:
“We got confused twice on cuts and curls where we weren’t talking to each other on defense. He made a couple where he was running full speed and where our defense wasn’t bad. He made shots, so it’s a mixture of a lot of things. The guy is a great, great shooter. So he’s going to have nights like that, but at least three of them were ones we could’ve done a better job.”

On Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson’s minutes:
“We played Brandon Ingram the entire third quarter and brought him back on really short rest. Fatigue was part of it and probably not optimal play calling on my part. I think those were probably the two factors. It was probably a bit too much, but we dug ourselves a hole and generally you need your best players to get back in it.”

On the team’s second quarter performance:
“Miami executed very well. This is a team that made a run to the Finals and have been together, and understand execution and things. We had a lot of problems with our defense in the second quarter where we weren’t locked in to what we were supposed to be doing. I think our guys were confused as to what was going on. That’s something we need to work on and drill.”

On controlling turnovers:
“Just a sense of awareness of who we’re playing and those teams’ tendencies. We just got to have a better IQ in that situation.”

On the importance of transition defense:
“It’s something we really need to work on. Tonight, we gave up too many transition points. We got a lot of fouls in transition. Stuff like that can’t happen if we want to win.”

On improving defensive communication:
“Coach explained it very well. This is our job. We just got to talk. There’s no way around, there’s no special formula for it. This is our job. We got to talk to each other. If we want to win, we’re just going to have to communicate.”

On learning the new system in only three weeks:
“It’s like I said before our first game. We’ve only been together a certain amount of time. We’re going to have trials and error. It’s just a part of the game. One thing we can do from a situation like this is learn from it. If we don’t improve off it, then something’s wrong. We got to learn from it and keep pushing.”

On whether he was tired at the end of the game:
“No, we didn’t feel too gassed. Coach really, when he gives us a break, he gives it to us at the right point. We always come in fresh. I can’t speak fully for B.I. on that, but I know I wasn’t too gassed at the end.”

On his play and the game:
“I could have been a little better from just seeing the game a little bit better and just slowing down and getting people involved and get guys in their rhythm.  I think it’s a little better when we get stops on the defensive end.”

“We just get better from this.  This is a long season and we will continue to move in the upward direction.”

On the spacing during the game:
“The Miami HEAT are known for being in the lane and being handsy.  We did everything that we could to try to get to the lane.  I think our spacing could have been a little bit better.”

On the biggest lesson from tonight’s game:
“The biggest lesson from this game is, just continue to play hard.  I think we have to be the hardest playing team every single night no matter if the ball is going in or things are not going right on the offensive end.  We just have to stay the same players and the same team.”

On team’s second quarter performance:
“Our defensive mistakes that we shouldn’t have had. A lack of communication. We need to communicate better on the defensive end. There were three or four trips in a row where their guys got to the rim, so we have to communicate better. Offensively, it’s always tougher when you’ve given up buckets on the defensive end and you’re coming back down playing against a set defense. I think we did a pretty good job moving the ball, but we could’ve done better. We have to get more stops on defense so we can play fast in transition. That’s what we want to do. Everything starts on the defense.”

On Duncan Robinson:
“It’s always tough with him because he’s a mover. He moves tremendously without the ball. Bam, their other bigs and even the other guards do a great job of getting him open. We’ve got to make sure we’re always locked in to a shooter like that. Whether we get hit on a screen and have to switch out we have to communicate.”

On team’s defensive transitions:
“We’ve got to make sure we get back. We have some really good defensive rebounding guards, so we’ve got to make sure that one of us gets back. That just comes from continuing to play together and knowing each other’s strengths and seeing where everyone is on the court.”

On team having tired legs in the fourth quarter:
“Maybe, but I always have the mentality that you’ve got to fight through it. It was a very short training camp coming into the season working on those habits, but I think we did a good job with the time that we had. We just have to make sure when we’re tired that we lock in even more, mentally and physically.”

On learning Stan Van Gundy’s system:
“We’ve got to learn a lot more. We have a foundation of it, and now it’s just about getting the experience of it. That comes with time. It’s going to take some time but we’ve got to be professionals. It’s a shorter season, so if we want to make the playoffs and be the best we can be, we’ve got to start getting those habits down and getting that experience as fast as we can.”

pelicans-at-heat-postgame-quotes-12-25-20-2020-21-nba

Pelicans at Heat Postgame Quotes (12/25/20) | 2020-21 NBA

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On the team playing hard:“I thought our effort by and large was very good, especially for the first preseason game. The effort will have to get even better as you head into the regular season. A big component of that is we have to get in better shape. But we’re no different than anyone else in the league. We tried to push our minutes out a bit today. We played a few guys for 33 minutes. You could see it out there at times. We’re just doing it day-by-day. The best way to get in shape to play basketball is to play basketball.”

On the defense:“We did make some good plays on the ball. There’s no question about that. You hope that will continue to improve. We were still, to be quite honest, late on some helps and rotations. Overall, the effort was good and something to build on. We’ll get an off-day tomorrow from practice. We’ll come back in on Wednesday and try to build and get better.”

On Brandon Ingram:“He took the game over on the offensive end. In the second half, especially after his second rotation, he was very active with his hands in creating some turnovers. He should be able to do some things like that with his length. He should be active and he can cause problems for a lot of people.”

On balancing minutes between Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram:“I think I would like to as much as possible have one of them on the floor at all times. We’ll see how that goes to be quite honest. The problem with that, it’s obviously an advantage to have one of them on the floor. But that means they get less minutes on the floor together. Because they have to get rest at some time.”

On Zion Williamson:“Zion, what we’ve said all along, when we can get him attacking the basket and in motion going to the basket, it’s really hard for anyone to stop him without fouling. The two most impressive things about his night to me were his defensive rebounding. He hasn’t really been doing much of that in practice, and it wasn’t his strength last year. For him to be able to rebound the ball the way he did on the defensive end was good. Obviously, his free throw shooting was outstanding. He’s going to be at the line a lot. His ability to make free throws will be huge for us.”

On the rebounding:“We battled hard tonight which was good. That’s a great sign. We were a really good offensive rebounding team last year and not a very good defensive rebounding team. To do that tonight, I thought, was really good to have that edge. The best thing of the whole night for our team was to only have five turnovers in the last three quarters of the game. We had six early and we looked sloppy. We know that’s been a problem that we’ve toned down. We played much more solid basketball the rest of the way.”

On being back on the court coaching:“It was good. A little rusty to be honest. A little slow on a couple of play-calls and things. Definitely noticed a little rust, but it was fun to be back out there. It was weird to me. I’m somebody who likes to turn and talk to the players on the bench a lot. They were a long way away. Now you’ve got to walk all the way down the sideline. That was weird for me. I like to point things out to the people on the bench so we’re learning as we go. It was good to coach a game again.”

On Nickeil Alexander-Walker:“I thought he did some really good things. Obviously, some things that as a young player you’ll continue to work on. He can really shoot the ball. I think we still have to get his shot, pass and attack decisions down. Sometimes he passes up a good shot to take a tougher shot. I think he’s very skilled. He’s extremely hard-working. He really wants to be good. That’s a great starting point. I thought his first time in off the bench, he gave us a great lift.”

On playing extended minutes in tonight’s game:“I felt great to be out there for extended stretches. I haven’t played that many minutes in two-and-a-half years. It was a great feeling to experience that again. It was a different feeling. I think I was only able to finish a game, maybe three, four games last year. It was a great feeling. When the clock struck zero, I was like ‘it’s been a while’. Then when I heard I played 33 minutes, that’s why I play basketball to play a lot of minutes and help my team win.”

On his two areas of emphasis coming into this season:“Obviously the defensive boards so I can push the break faster and get my teammates involved, and the free-throws because I feel like I’m going to get fouled a lot. Free-throws are free money. I’ve got to make that count.”

On his shooting work with Coach Vincent:“Me and Coach Vincent have been putting in a lot of work every day in practice. Just working on everything with my shot. It’s been very helpful to this point.”

On playing with Steven Adams:“I think it’s great that we have Steven this year. It’s only one game. I don’t want to say something. It’s the NBA. There’s a lot of smart teams out there. They may make adjustments. Tonight, for the first game, it was great having Steven out there. He does draw a lot of attention and hopefully it can stay like that the whole season.”

On his first game with Coach Van Gundy:“We have a lot of room to improve. With Coach Van Gundy as our coach, we have the proper guidance. It was great. He coached us through everything. He’s a great guy and I feel like he’s a great coach as well. I feel like we’re going to learn a lot from him this year.”

On Brandon Ingram:“Brandon played really great on the defensive end, and of course on the offensive end. Brandon just has really long arms. So even if you feel he is a step behind when you’re making a pass, he’s able to use his length and get a deflection. He’s really gotten great at using his body. I feel like tonight we did okay. I think him and I have a lot of room for improvement playing off each other and learning each other’s game. That was the first time in months that we’ve played together in a game situation, so I think we have a lot of room for improvement.”

On Nickeil Alexander-Walker:“With Nickeil, his biggest change from last year to this year is confidence. He doesn’t get down on himself as much. As teammates this year, we’re a lot better at telling him that we support his shot. The biggest thing with him was confidence. I think he’s going to be just fine this year.”

On the team’s defensive performance tonight:“It was a good start for us. We see how we match up with another team. Of course it was our first game, but we can do better. I think it starts with me also. At the beginning, in the first quarter, getting to the basketball, positioning, everything. It starts with me getting to the basketball, setting the tone on the defensive end. We get better from that. We let teams get comfortable by not getting to the ball and I definitely started off in the first quarter because as the game went on, we got better.”

On how he performed on defense:“I had a lot of mistakes. First quarter, second quarter or whatever, I would have to go back and look at it. About 15 mistakes on positioning being the low man or whatever it is. We all can get better and it starts with holding yourself accountable.”

On if he feels comfortable taking the next step becoming a play-maker this year:“Absolutely. A part of the game that I’m most excited about is being a play-maker on the floor and getting everybody else involved. I think that is a way to play basketball that is fun for everybody. You feel confident and comfortable and basketball is fun to get everybody playing to their best strengths. I will be a playmaker this year though. The next game will be fun for us.

On if he tried to assert his leadership a bit more in tonight’s game:“Well Jaxson was actually fussing me out. I missed him twice on the lob and got him the third time. But yeah, it’s all been getting comfortable with this. I think I’ve been doing this for a year and pretty much got all of the same guys. So everybody is talking, everybody is communicating. Communication makes things more simple.”

On his performance in tonight’s game:“It felt good. I was a little anxious to start since it was the first game. It’s a new season, a new team. I have to find my new flow and potentially new spotlight. Mainly off-ball. Maybe some on-ball. I think it went well. I kind of let the game come to me. I found my spots early. BI and Zion did a good job finding me. I just played off them and played off the defense and kind of let it come to me.”

On his recent success playing the Miami HEAT:“I guess it’s just understanding their defense. Some guys just play better against certain teams. It helps me the way they play defense and picking my spots well. Both times I was able to find a good rhythm.”

On the team’s performance in tonight’s game:“We’ll just take any kind of win. I think we did well understanding our schemes and understanding where guys are supposed to be. Relative to their offense, I think we did a good job. We had a few mistakes here and there, but it’s going to come. It’s our first actual game against somebody else. Overall, I think we did a really good job. I think we did well for the most part. Again, it’s new. It’s our first actual game against somebody else, so we did make mistakes. But overall, to hold a team under 100 points shows that we’re on that right path.”

On Brandon Ingram:“He’s just playing hard. He’s really smart. He was able to read their defense and anticipate plays before they happened. That put him in position to get a steal or get a block. It’s the little things that he does on a day-in-day-out basis that allowed him to do that today.”

On his first game with Stan Van Gundy as head coach:“He was engaged into every play. Everyone knew what we were doing. There’s just a different feel from last year to this year. I think it was fun and I enjoyed it. I think it’s just knowing our calls and knowing our roles. We played with a little bit more purpose.”

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Pelicans at Heat Postgame Quotes (12/14/20) | 2020-21 NBA Preseason

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Pelicans‑Heat Postgame Quotes

Pelicans vs. Heat Postgame Quotes 2-10-2022

Pelicans at Heat Postgame Quotes (12/25/20) | 2020-21 NBA

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