Detroit: Maurice Cheeks | Chauncey Billups | Kyle Singler
Brooklyn: Jason Kidd | Deron Williams
(On defense tonight): “Our defense was better. I thought our ability to push the ball up the floor and get a lot of easy baskets enabled us to get the lead, but still I thought they beat us off the dribble. When they missed shots, we were able to push the ball. I think that was the difference for us; is pushing the ball and getting easy baskets, particularly in the first half. Third quarter we did a little bit more, but in the fourth quarter we didn’t continue pushing the ball. But the reason why we got the lead was because the way we pushed the ball.”
(On Andre Drummond): “He’s been energetic, number one. We’ve been talking about trying to use him wisely. He’s been very energetic. Obviously getting 22 rebounds and running the floor, getting up and down the floor and blocking a few more shots. I think it just looked like he got a second wind and has just been running the floor well and just being around the rim.”
(On his health): “I feel good, I’m feeling much better now. Hopefully, Arnie (Kander) said that at the All-Star (break), I’ll be able to play. Eight minutes, I’m pretty sure I can do that tomorrow, got to be smart.”
(On Andre Drummond): “He’s getting better, Andre’s getting better. He’s just such a load up there. I’ve been on the grind a little bit about defense, I think he should be a better one on one defender. I’ve been riding him about that but he’s on his way to greatness.”
(On Pistons’ overall play): “We turned the ball over, but we’re never going to play perfect basketball. What was good to see is we came out in the first half and we played well, established ourselves, and we just have to play better in the fourth quarter. We’ve said that since the beginning of the year, it’s been with our team, so we have to get through that and play like we played in the first half.”
(On the Nets cutting the lead in the fourth quarter): “What was great to see is we didn’t totally crash. We fought through it, (Rodney) Stuckey and Brandon (Jennings) they helped us out a lot and Dre (Drummond) came up some big rebounds for us and they kept us in the game.”
(On First Half): "They got in the paint and we kind of got behind early and we were fighting uphill the whole night."
(On battling back): "The guys kept playing. The guys who were out there playing continued to execute. We got some stops finally, but the big thing is that we continued to play."
(On team effort): "Detroit is a very good team. We just could not get a rebound or a stop, so I am trying to find guys who can play."
(On loss): "It was the same thing that went wrong the last time we played them (Detroit). They had 40-plus points in the paint, we weren't getting back in transition defense; they were just running the ball up our throat. We just weren't ready to play tonight. Our energy wasn't there, our effort wasn't there, and they seemed to have another gear than us."
(On facing big front-line teams): "We knew what we had to do; we needed to rebound and get back in transition defense, and those are two things we didn't particularly do well. We just struggled tonight and hopefully it doesn't come with regularity."
(On losing four of the last six games): "We just have to be ready on Sunday. We have to bounce back and get that one, and then we can go from there."