We've got to make every game a defensive game. ... When you play the worst defensive game of the year, you get beat. Point blank. |
When we were down at halftime, (Bryant) was ticked. He said nothing and that was scary. |
When you play good defense, you give yourself opportunities to beat teams. When you play bad defense, you give yourself opportunities to lose to any team. |
Why would he do that?! |
Without our best offensive player, we've got to play better defense. |
[Like teammate Caron Butler a year ago, he seems destined to finish third in Rookie of the Year voting despite impressive stats. Through Monday, he ranked third among rookies in scoring (16.2 points), third in field-goal percentage (45.3), third in steals (1.28) and fourth in assists (4.4). More impressive, he's done it while learning to play point guard. With a lighting-quick first step, Wade can get in the lane against anybody, and his jump shot has been solid so far.] He's the best rookie I've every played with, ... He just makes plays. He's not getting a lot of hype right now, but people are going to find out about Mr. Wade. |
[The Lakers' weakness in the paint isn't lost on the team.] It's my job to take some pressure off [Bryant] as far as making plays, ... I wasn't able to do that tonight. That won't cut it. I've got to find a way to become a little more assertive. |