We've always had a hard time defending him because he's a skill guy -- not only as a low-post scorer, but he's a good passer and he shoots it very well from 15-17 feet. And with the loss of Aaron Williams and Alonzo Mourning [because of the Vince Carter trade], we thought we needed some size. He helped Detroit, especially against the Lakers in the finals. |
We've been a little bit up and down through the preseason, so it's good to end on a positive note, ... At the same time, you don't want to overlook the things you need to work on. |
We've been a little bit up and down through the preseason, so it's good to end on a positive note. At the same time, you don't want to overlook the things you need to work on. |
When things are going well, the focus is that much greater because you don't want to lose. You're able to develop confidence and trust in each other, and your attention to detail is greater. Then things have an opportunity to snowball. |
When we play at a high level, it starts on the defensive end. |
When we win it is usually because Vince (Carter) does a really good job of attacking and keeping pressure on and we do a good job of keeping the ball moving. |
With the turnovers, trying to throw a back-door pass or one or two in transition, you can live with those. It's the unforced ones you want to cut down. |
With the turnovers, trying to throw a backdoor pass or one or two in transition, you can live with those. It's the unforced ones you want to cut down. |
You can never say enough about his will. |
You can't really think about it because it just can change daily. The one thing is we're playing a lot of them within the last week or so. We have to just worry about ourselves. |
You can't take what Jason does for granted. It's unreal that he gets a triple-double so many times. You can never take great players for granted. We appreciate all the things he does for us. Some of the things he does you can't put a value on. His leadership, showing the way and setting the tone. He's just a special player. |
You guys know how special Vince Carter is. He is a special, special guy. He has helped turn around this franchise, we have unbelievable trust in him and he delivers time and time again. |
You have a team that has been as good as it gets since the All-Star break. They have two of the top five players in the league and they have a great supporting cast. |
You have to give Dallas credit. They were the far better team tonight. They imposed their will and totally played at a much higher level than we did. |
You have to give Indiana a lot of credit. They are a team that keeps battling without some of their core pieces. |