Dallas Mavericks @ New York Knicks Post Game 32 Quotes "Dead wrong"

What the Dallas Mavericks and the New York Knicks said 
after Game Thirtytwo of the Perfect Season.

What was that about Jeremy Lin, Buckets?

Quotes

Mavericks

Coach Carlisle

(On Jeremy Lin) "He played terrific. He was good in the pick-and-roll and more than anything he lined us up one-on-one. He threw in two or three shots at the end of the shot clock and one or two of them were threes. You have to give him credit, he’s playing great."

(On Teams keying in on Jeremy) "It'll be the job of others to help out and pick up the slack. He won't continue to score like this. But as difficult as that may be for them, it's a lot easier to stomach when you have legitimate help."

(On Novak) "Novak played his game. He had open shots and scrambled around defensively. He’s helped change the complexion of their team because he's such a threat from the three-point line. We know all too well what he's capable of, and he's a very good piece for what they're doing."

(What did y'all Lin?) "I thought the two things that did us in were the 17-0 run in the first quarter after the LMAO-flagrant foul, we went from up five to down 12. And the run that they made at the end of the thirds Odomized us. They’re going to hit threes. They’re a good shooting team. They cause problems to facilitate threes. But those two runs and our turnovers did us in,"

(On MDA) "Mike D'Antoni, he's as good a coach of point guards as we've seen in this league. Nash was a two-time All-Star and he immediately became an MVP in Phoenix. That's the kind of impact he's had on point guards.''

(On Steve Novak) "Novak played his game. He had open shots and scrambled around defensively. He’s helped change the complexion of their team because he’s such a threat from the 3-point line. We know all too well what he’s capable of and he’s a very good piece for what they’re doing."

Dirk Nowitzki

(On Refereeing) "Hey, I do my fair share of complaining during the game. But it’s not my style to complain after the game. I don’t think it’s necessary to do that.’’

(On Jeremy Lin) "I really like him. It’s a great example of if you work hard and you get your opportunity, make the best out of it. That’s inspirational."

(On Lin's game) "He's tough, he's tough. I thought we really tried to trap him off the pick-and-rolls, but he's crafty, he knows how to get to the basket, he had a couple of and-1s there. He knows how to cut off, spin and still get to his spot. And he made some tough shots, some tough 3s on some switches, that one over 'Trix was tough."

(On not closing the 3rd after being up 70-60) "That really got the crowd back into the game. We did a really good job of keeping them out and having control of the game until that last stretch in the third quarter."

(On banging knees with Amar'e) "What happened was he clipped my right leg but I kept on the drive and my left leg actually buckled on it so I hyperextended it a little. It loosened up after that and I was able to finish the game.''

(On playing against Tyson Chandler) "It was weird. We had dinner last night, and it was great seeing him. Obviously we miss him. He's a great guy, a great locker room guy and just a warrior. He helped us win a championship and he's part of the Mavs family for the rest of our lives, and it was definitely great seeing him. He's a competitor and I wish him luck. It's going to be great when he comes to Dallas on March, 6th and receive his ring. I think he's going to get a great welcome back by the fans, because he deserves it and he was part of why we won last year.''

(On Boston next) "We would have loved to have ran the table heading until the All-Star break, but it’s a tough loss. The good thing about the NBA is there’s always the next night. Boston is playing tonight as well, so they’re gonna be on a back-to-back, which is good. So, in the NBA you’ve got to forget, you’ve got to have a short memory and come back tomorrow and leave it all out there."

Jason Kidd

(On where the Game was lost) "In the third quarter, we were going and the game was in our hands to finish off. We didn’t do it, and tip your hat to them, they kept playing. We just stopped playing. That group we had out there gave them life. We're up 12 and all of a sudden Dirk and I come out and we found ourselves only up three after the third period, so that was the game."

(On who Lin reminds him of) "He is taking Mike D’Antoni’s offense and looking a bit like Steve Nash out there. Nash has had a lot of success running that system. It is a point guard’s dream. He's a great kid, he's very humble and, again, he plays extremely hard no matter if he makes a mistake or he makes a fantastic play. He just plays the game the right way, and as a point guard, that's what you love to see."

(On Californian Point Guards) "We develop some of the best."

(On defending Lin & not closing) "We tried to put some pressure on him with double teams to make him feel uncomfortable. The game was in our hands to finish them off but we didn’t do it."

(On Lin talking him to trash) "He was telling me that coming down the stretch I know you're going to make a 3, and I unfortunately didn't do it tonight. The ones that I did miss, he thought I made, so he's softening me up."

(On if Lin is here to stay) "Why not? Why not? I hope he does. It's a great story. Last year we had the same thing with guys getting the opportunity to play and we won a championship. And so why not have the same thing for him? Maybe not a championship this year, but why not be successful and see what happens down the line?"

(On teams passing up on Lin) "They all thought that he had talent. We were just a little loaded at the guard position, and I thought he played well in Golden State, but they were loaded there too, and now getting this opportunity here with the right guys, it fits. So it’s awesome."

Jason Terry

(Pregame Opinion on Jeremy Lin) "I've been a point guard in this league and 45 turnovers in seven games would have gotten me on the bench real fast. He's in D'Antoni's system, and any player that plays a guard position in D'Antoni's system has opportunities to be able to put up good numbers, and I think that's what he's been able to do. The ball's in your hands a lot and you're going to have turnovers. I think it's a lot of hype right now. Is he going to be a good player in the future? If he continues to work, he will. But given the opportunity, he's taken advantage of it. But everybody's making a lot out of just the seven games he's played. I've been in the league 13 years, and seven games don't necessarily make a career, but he does have great buzz right now. But we'll see when he face the champs tonight.'

(On Lin then actually playing decent with 28-14-5) "I still feel that way,. He’s going to put up numbers with the ball in his hands. How can he not? But he surprised me by staying aggressive. I’m proud of him, watching his journey and where he’s come from. He’s persevered and he’s shown a lot of toughness. It definitely surprised me. He's a tough kid, and tonight he showed it.''

(On his flagrant Foul) "I don't think it was a flagrant foul. The league can look at it and rescind it if they want to. If not, I'll take the hit. Even Lin said it wasn't a flagrant foul. They're an emotional team, they play well in their building and that play did spearhead a run. But we answered and responded with our own run and just didn't get it done. I definitely ran into him and that was my intention, to take the foul in the open court and not allow him to get a layup. Maybe I could have wrapped him up. It would have looked less heinous, but I didn't lower the shoulder or anything. I ran into him, he fell and they called it."

(Lin said what?) "He told me right after that. Again, it's part of the game. He's a tough kid, he took it and they came back and did everything they needed to do to win the game."

(It was pretty obvious, but why did they call that a Flagrant?) "They called it on emotion. Once they heard the reaction of the crowd then they made the call. That call didn't necessarily win or lose the game for either team and it's just part of the game. The NBA is known for this stuff. Just move on."

(On the Knicks) "I think they found something in Lin, and they're starting to piece together a team that can beat anyone."

(On Novak) "You let Novak be a factor in this game and you're putting yourself up against the wall, because all he can do is spot-up and shoot 3s and he shoots 3s with the best of them. That's what he's hung his hat on in this league, and he's a specialist at that."

(On J.R. Smith) "Say what you will, but J.R. can play. "He's definitely the dude to give them that lift. He can shoot from anywhere. Score from anywhere. He's tough. He defends and he has no conscience. That means he's not scared. That helps come playoff time, and it's fair to assume the Knicks will be in the postseason, so things could get very interesting."

(On if Lin is enough) "He can't do it alone, though. The elite in this league can't, so you know he won't. But give the Knicks credit. Since they went out and got J.R., obviously they know that. When Carmelo Anthony comes back and you put them two on the floor together with Lin, look out."

Shawn Marion

(On 70-60 after 20-32) "We had to work too hard to get the lead. And we just gave it away."

(On Limpact on the Game) "It wasn't so much being that. It's the way they play, the way they get down the court. It's a challenge because you've got shooters coming out on the corners."

(On Knicks PG Jeremy Lin) "For his size he's able to make some passes that some other guards can't make. Primarily, he is the one handling the pick-and-rolls. He’ll go from one to another if he doesn’t get what he wants or what they want. So it’s a lot of work. He’s a feisty little thing. I give him credit — he plays hard. You have to take certain things away from him. There were a thousand pick-and-rolls out there. It’s hard to guard him. That’s the hardest thing to guard in the league."

Brendan Haywood

(+20 in 27 Minutes) "I can't work all the time, OK?"

Halftime Report

Just count the times the Mavs are mentioned, for laughs.

New York Knicks

Coach Mike D'Antoni

(On Lin's Game)"The game that he had, that's ridiculous. Seems like the harder the moment, the better he shoots the ball. He makes big plays and he's fearless. You can't teach what's inside his heart. You can't teach that, and he has it. His heart is huge."

(On the Defense Lin is facing) "He keeps reading it, they double team him every time. He still had turnovers, but the game he had was just ridiculous. You can’t teach what he has inside his heart, what he has inside his heart is huge."

(On Novak) "I’m not going to say he’s the best shooter I’ve ever seen. I’ve already screwed that up with Danilo Gallinari last season."

(On Smith) "With J.R. in there, we had no plays. I like to play that way. It’s hard to scout. We just moved it. I was waiting for another team to say ‘I have next.'"

(On Melo) "He has to play somewhere and we have to figure it out."

(On the Knicks) "We should be really good. Our chemistry has to get right and everybody has to adjust to everybody. That might not be perfect the first week but the potential is there. We have a lot of players; some might not play the end of the game, some might play 10 minutes while some might play 20 minutes. But we go with the feel."

Jeremy Lin

(On hitting a 3 over Dirk) "I think in the moment, I don’t really think too much about it. Looking back, it's like I was watching them win the championship last year, and that's obviously where this team wants to go. This is helpful to us, not just to me but to us, just to be able to see where our team can go and what we can become, and I think that's the biggest takeaway from tonight."

(On adjusting to schemes) "Obviously with the double-team, I was just trying to get rid of it or back it up and wait for the double-team to go away, then I would attack Marion. With the double-team, I hadn't seen that, and it caught me off guard a little bit."

(On Kid(d)s talking) "Jason is a Bay Area legend. I grew up in the Bay Area. I've admired him his whole career. We talked throughout the game. He told me to keep playing hard and keep building with the team. He's a class act."

(On Defense) "Obviously you can’t win championships without being a good defensive team. We came out, we moved the ball and we had a lot of people contribute. Across the board the efficiency was there from everybody."

(On Linsanity getting ugly quickly with paparazzi hounding his relatives, per usual) "I just want people to respect the privacy of my relatives in Taiwan and I think hopefully this will get back to everybody because they need to live their lives as well."

Amar'e Stoudemire

(Nobody gives a Ginobili what you say, but here's your vid anyway)

Tyson Chandler

(On the Mavs actually going ahead at one Point) "They're a dangerous team. They keep you at their pace the entire game and kind of lull you to sleep."

(On the Mavs defensive schemes for Lin) "I was talking to them before the game and they were saying they had an answer for Lin. I guess they were dead wrong on their scouting report."

(On Jeremy Lin's play) "What else can you say? He is doing a phenomenal job. It's exciting.''

(On believing to be signed longterm by the Mavs) "I honestly didn't believe that I wasn't coming back until I put ink to paper. My agent told me, 'I don't think you'll be going back to the Mavericks. I was like, he's been right every other time in my career, but he's wrong this time. There was no way I wasn't going back. When you reach the ultimate goal, it's difficult to walk away from that. And I didn't think I was.''

(Back to .500, ready to talk Trophy) "I’m loving the fact that I really feel the team I’m on now can really contend. The additions now, we’re a full team. We’re very deep in every position. It wasn’t like that when I first came here. We have all those pieces filled now.’’

(On teamplay) "We've had individual stars on different insights. But tonight I really felt like we were hitting on all cylinders. We really have a balance now, you can see it."

J.R. Smith

(On playing a lot) "Coach really shocked me. He told me I was barely going to play. If I did get in the game, it would probably be in limited minutes. I was in a great situation, going down the stretch and having that confidence in me. My teammates were unbelievable. They really helped me out big time. With that confidence right there, that's all I needed."

(On NBA-Action) "First five minutes was really mind blowing. First thing I was thinking was don't airball your first shot. You never live that down in New York City. So once I made my first one, that really got me going. Jeremy was telling me, 'Every time you play this game, don't do anything different. This is how we wanted you and this is why you're here and keep playing your game and we don't mind if you shoot the ball.' And that's what I did. That really helped me."

(On following Lin) "I didn’t see a full game in China. I saw a lot of YouTube highlights. Then I saw the Kobe interview: ‘Who is this kid?’ Then to go out there and have a game like that against the Lakers, he really inspired a lot of people around here and the world. He is a person people can look up to. When you heard his story, it gives you hope for anything."

(On maturing) "I’m just really getting to know the coaches, getting to know the system. It’s a clean slate for me. I’m not the same 18-year-old kid that I was eight years ago when i was drafted. I mean, I’m a grown man, 26 years old, and ready to make the best decisions for my teammates."

Steve Novak

(On scoring all his 14 Points in the 4th) "In the fourth quarter, things just really opened up for me. That’s kind of been why we’ve been winning lately. Everybody’s just playing their games and not forcing things.

(On the Knicks) "Sometimes we go up, sometimes we go down, but we’ve been very even-keeled and I think for us to be as good as we want to be, that has to be the case."

(On belting) "I’m a huge Packers fan, I was a huge Brett Favre fan and now obviously Aaron Rodgers. Our team security had been trying to get me to do it for a long time. I didn’t even think about it, but it felt good."

(On Melo, partycrasher?) "To get a guy like Carmelo in our lineup coming back, it’s hard to find how that’s a bad thing. This is my sixth year and I’ve never been a 35-minute guy. You just have to stay ready because you know your opportunity is going to come."

Vids

Game Recap

Full Linlights (reminds me of SL, lol)

Postgame

Lin Courtside

MDA | Smith | No mavs, ofc

Links

MMB | Rottcap Linshine

The atmosphere in MSG is always a little bit weird. When the game is going, they're pretty quiet. But as soon as something exciting happens, like, say, a score, they go bananas. It's very bipolar. And also they really seem to be buying into this whole Jeremy Lin thing, which was only slightly annoying.

Posting and Toasting Fast start good finish

- To my eye, the Knicks closed out on three-point shooters as well as they have all season. Then again, to my eye, Dominique Jones looks like a swollen Marlo Stanfield, so maybe get a second opinion.

- Lin got flagrant-fouled by Jason Terry (totally wasn't flagrant, but Lin sold it with a perfect penguin slide on his tummy) in the first half and Jeffries got in Terry's face afterward, which is exactly the kind of corny team-bonding shit I love to see on a Sunday afternoon.

Knickerblogger Tardy Rx | Monday Morning News

While attempting to face guard Dirk was certainly noble on Shump’s part, really it was more funny than anything. Dirk’s reaction was particularly priceless, jogging down to the defensive end after scoring or hitting a pair from the line with a smile so incredulous you’d have thought the Knicks had put Herb Williams on him. Credit Iman for his stints of suffocating D, but his offense? Woof!

2MG's Difference

Can we pause for a second to acknowledge the fact that Brendan Haywood grabbed an offensive board, swooped through traffic to the right wing, and dropped in a jumper?

Hoopdata Boxscore

The Knicks were 18-23 at the Rim and 12-29 from Three. The Mavs took 3 Shots from 16-23 Feet.

Stats

FT-Watch

Brendan bricked two of three from the line. So far he is sporting a brickrate of 56%. Celebration for our third best Center, Beaches! [nsfw]

On the other Hand, Dirk had one roll out.

Rest

Outrebounded? Yes, 40-38, The Mavs got 3 off Rebounds on their last play, thus winning the Board Battle 41-40 and it wasn't that close. Tends to happen when you have to trap 30 feet from the basket, scrambling and all. But still, it was costly.

36 FG, 21 Assists, 12 Steals, 3 Blocks, 19 Turnovers for the Mavs. Kidd and Odom hat some pretty dumb ones. Jeremy Lin had 7 Turnovers, but the Knicks had only 16 total. A Big Reason for the Outcome of the Game.

Malus

Disclaimer: If you couldn't tell by now, all italic sentences are made up thoughts, not actual quotes.

Also, the best Knicks on the Floor were Lin, Chandler, Odom, Novak and Smith. One last thing: Derrick Rose will start at the NBA All-Star Game for the last Time this year. In a long Time. Book it.