Game 16: Mavs at Cavs Open Thread

Not nice.

He’d be in jail.

We’re not losing this game because of Barea.

there should be a rule against that.

he had a chance one on one with Lebron

sucks

daniel gibson can see over him without having to jump

DALLAS HEAD COACH RICK CARLISLE
(On Mavericks defense): "We needed to be better defensively. Simple as that. You give up 68 percent field goal shooting in the first half, you’re going to be behind. And, we were fortunate to be 13 (points) down at that point. We were better in the second half, but when we got some stops, we weren’t able to convert on offense, so, hey, our undoing was the first half when we just didn’t do the job we needed to do defensively."

(On what percent did playing fourth game in five nights have): "Zero. We’re not going to make that excuse. Nobody played more than 30 minutes last night (at Indiana), so I don’t buy that."

(On defensive problems): "In the first half, we got caught ball watching too many times. Cuts for layups, cuts for catches that led to another pass and a three, it got us behind the eight ball. It was probably as poor a defensive half as we’ve played all year. And, you can’t do that against a team that’s this good in their home court. It makes it very difficult."

(On Mavs poor rebounding a factor in defensive problems?): "Yes. Varejao generated extra possessions. He was 7-for-7 from the field, Mo Williams was 7-for-7 from three, those numbers pile up and you can’t get over the hump. Disappointing, but we all know we needed to be better."

(On Dallas 2-1 road trip): "Giving up 60 percent field goal shooting on the last game of the trip…

…. leaves a sour taste in your mouth. I loved the way we played in Houston and Indiana, but this was a stinker."

DREW GOODEN
(On Mavericks): "It was frustrating. We didn’t play our game tonight and they did a great job of getting out on us early. They shot over 50 percent, I believe, for the whole game, and it’s tough to win basketball games when you let a team get it going like that."

(On matchup with Shaquille O’Neal): "I’m going to compete with him. He’s a big load down there, but he made the right pass out of the double team and Mo Williams was knocking down some shots, so we couldn’t double as much. They kept us off balance the whole night."

(On Cavs ball movement as a key to their shooting): "It was huge for them in knocking down the shots. It made it even harder to guard. It’s tough to beat any team with that."

(On Anderson Varejao): "He did a great job in the second half, getting a lot of second chance points and offensive rebounds for them. And, other possessions. That’s his job and he does a great job at it."

JASON TERRY
(On defense): "They were a step quicker. You take your hat off to them. They moved the ball well and found their shooters in rhythm, ready to shoot the ball. But, you can’t get your head down, you stay confident. We’re at home and we have a big game against Philly and our whole focus should be on that game. This one is over with. We didn’t do anything to divert what they were doing."

……………………………………………………………………………..

HEAD COACH MIKE BROWN
(On tonight’s game): "We had a lot of good individual team performances, especially offensively. A lot of guys stood out. LeBron, with the amount of time he has the ball in his hands, with 12 assists and only one turnover was phenomenal. Obviously, Mo shot the ball well. Even with his ankle bothering him, he hit some big shots in the second half. Anderson was terrific, especially on the glass and the 50/50 balls in helping us win that battle or stay close with Dallas. Delonte was great with the basketball, having 10 assists and zero turnovers. In the fourth quarter, our defense stepped up a notch and helped us get a little more separation."

(On difference in tonight’s game): "Last night, we didn’t do a good job defensively, starting with me. We were kind of all over the map and it showed. Defensively, tonight we were a little better. Offensively, we moved the ball and knocked down open looks when we had them."

(On Jamario Moon tonight): "I talked to Jamario before the game and told him he’s a very good shooter. He needs to attack more, drive more or every once in a while step inside the three-point line. I thought tonight he did that being 5-8 from the field and 1-2 from the three-point line. He was terrific with nine rebounds also."

(On Mo Williams tonight): "Mo is just a steady player. You know what you’re going to get. He has a pace about him that we need right now. He’s been shooting the lights out of the ball, but he’s also done a nice job in running the team and making plays for others. He’s been big for us these last few weeks."

LEBRON JAMES
(On having 33 assists on 45 field goals): "That is really efficient. They came with double teams, and at times they didn’t so we still made the extra pass and that’s why our guys were able to get some really good looks. We are a really, really good team when we do that."

(On the fourth quarter defense the past couple of games): "That is when the possessions get really tight and our defense gets really strong for us. We know that is closing time for us so it’s a really good thing to have, but our third quarter we need to fix a little bit better."

(On Delonte’s performance): "He was awesome; he was great. I told you guys before Delonte is just one of those guys he could not play for seven or eight straight games and come back in and it’s like he never missed a beat. I don’t know how he does it, but you have certain guys in this league that can do that and he is one of them."

(On Mo’s shooting the past few games): "Mo is Mo. Nothing surprises me (what he is capable of). Tonight was great though. Seven for seven from the three-point line is amazing no matter what type of rhythm you are in. To go seven for seven and not miss a three, that is awesome. That is just the hard work he puts into it and it transferred to the court."

MO WILLIAMS
(On shooting seven for seven from the three-point line):

 "I just stepped in and knocked them down. The last couple games, I think I was 2 for 15. (Tonight) I made the first couple, it felt pretty good and I got some open looks…I never feel uncomfortable from behind the line and tonight was one of those nights. I just felt real good."

(On playing well tonight despite his ankle bothering him): "It’s a part of basketball. You have just got to fight through those injuries. The back-to-back didn’t help it at all. I tried to get it loose for the game, but it’s what we have got to do. It’s nothing new…I think that these few days off will really, really help."

(On if last night’s loss affected his play tonight): "No. It doesn’t matter if I don’t shoot well the night before, I forget about it. I take it one game at a time. It’s something that I learned in Utah. Never let the last play affect the next play. That’s one thing that I always learned. I am glad I was a rookie when I learned it so I would continue to grow and the older I got, the better I got with it. Try and forget the last play and even try and forget the last game."

(On Delonte playing well): "It’s good for his confidence and it’s good for us because he is a heck of a ballplayer."

Ps: The Cavs quotes are just for cruelty.

Drew Gooden on the juxtaposition of the Mavericks and Cavaliers on Saturday: “They were coming off a tough loss in Charlotte and were ready to play. We were coming off a blowout win in Indiana and thought we could shoot lights-out again and it just didn’t happen.”