What the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs said
after Game Eight of the Perfect Season.
I mean, reley..
Quotes
Mavericks
Coach Carlisle
(Was it just one of those nights where everything just went wrong for you?) "San Antonio's energy was better to start the game and in the first half and that was the difference in the game. We struggled, but their competitive level was higher and really the decisive part was the first half. We responded much better in the second half. We won the second half and that's a positive, if you're looking for positives. It's a hit first league, they hit us first, and we didn't respond well enough in the second half."
(On the Spurs 3-point shooting) "Their shot making was there and we struggled all night with ours. You got to give them credit. They throw in sixteen threes and that's shooting the heck out of it. Some of that is obviously we made some mistakes, but they put us in those positions so you give them credit."
(On the Spurs hitting three field goals in the 3rd quarter, but still up by 24) "I'm looking at that saying our defense is finally looking like it should. It's a tough loss, it's disappointing, and I don't know if there is a lot of analysis beyond that. We got our butts kicked. That's alright, we will take it like men and get ready for the next one."
(On Jason Kidd's back injury) "It did happen on a play, and I didn’t know which one. But it definitely happened on a play. It's a lower back injury, we will evaluate it tomorrow, the next day, and see where we are."
Dirk Nowitzki
(On the first Quarter) "They came out swinging. And we were reacting instead of acting. But, I mean, you’ve got to give them credit. They came out on fire. After that first quarter, they really didn’t shoot the ball well either and I thought we defended them well."
(On the lack of energy) "Some of it is on us, but six games in eight days is a lot for anybody."
(On the Mavs) "I like that we fought back and tried, but offensively, just nobody had legs. A bunch of shots were right there that could have gone for JET, myself, L.O. Lamar Odom, a lot of guys. Everything just seemed to come out. You know, when you have a lot of games like that, that’s gonna happen."
(On the good basketball product tonight) "We know this league is about money, so the more games they get, the more money they make. So it's really not about the product that much to them. But it is what it is. It is a lot of games, but I think every team has to deal with it now and we just have to get better."
(On Kidd's impact) "He's our floor general out there. Even those games we won, he didn't really have a big scoring night or a game where he's been on fire, but just his leadership, him running the floor, running the ball out there, it's very important to us. If he's out we just have to get it done somehow. Just got to fight through it, but it's definitely tough out there without your floor leader."
Jason Terry
(On the Spurs) "This is our sixth game in eight days, so that was a tough stretch for us. Once we get down in the hole like that it’s too hard to pick yourself back up when you’ve been playing that much. At the same time, it is what it is. They struck first and they were able to pull out a good win."
(On the Legs) "We're a team that prides ourselves on getting stops defensively and making them pay on the offensive end, and that didn't happen tonight. Maybe when guys get their legs back, we'll start making shots at a higher percentage."
(On the Game) "They came out early and ran at us as we couldn't recover from it. In the third quarter we did a better job but it was tough when you're playing on the road in a tough environment. They came out and made shots early and it gives them a lot of confidence. There were guys tonight making shots that wouldn't ordinarily make those shots."
(On the Mavericks poor shooting tonight) "It was tough. When they're making shots and we're not, it's going to be a long ball game for us. Again, we're a team that prides ourselves on getting stops defensively and making them pay on the offensive end. That didn't happen tonight."
(On if tonight was a lack of shot or the influence of the Spurs) "Well again defensively we didn't get the stops we wanted early and offensively we definitely didn't make the shots that we wanted. Anytime you do that it doesn't matter who you're playing, you're not going to win, especially when you're playing a tough San Antonio Spurs team."
Ian Mahinmi
(On the Game) "It was a tough game for us, a tough game for me. They really came out and they hit us first right out of the gate, and it was tough for us to kind of get some momentum back, because it’s hard when you play behind 10, 15, 20 points.’’
(On the Spurs) "You fight, you fight, you fight, but it seemed like they always had an answer for everything. But you’ve got to give credit to the Spurs. They really made tough shots, they played well, and they executed well. So I tip my hat and move on to the next one.’’
Shawn Marion
(On the Fans Way) "There are going to be some games that don’t go our fans’ way. There are going to be some nights where it is just not going to go in, but it is what it is. We just have to stay out there and get better."
(On his team lacking momentum tonight against the Spurs) "They came out aggressive as they hit their first seven shots, as most of those were threes. When you play a team that hot, we were able to finally slow them down. They came out playing with some high energy and hitting some shots but for the most part I think we were trying to get some stops. Together we weren't able to capitalize on the stops as for us it seemed like the basket got smaller tonight. It was a rough stretch for us as it's hard for us. This is our sixth game in eight days so that was tough stretch for us. Once we get down in the hole like that it's too hard to pick yourself back up when you've been playing that much. At the same time, it is what it is, they struck first and they were able to pull out a good win."
(On the toll of playing these six games) "My body feels ok besides me feeling under the weather and my left broke finger. For the most part I'm cool as I'm just trying to do what I can to help the team by being effective."
(On if comprised NBA schedule will lead to cold and hot streaks) "Yeah, definitely as you've seen some already. There are going to be some games that don't go our fans way. There is going to be some nights where it is just not going to go in but it is what it is. We just have to stay out there and get better."
Spurs
Coach Pop
(On the Game) "They were four in five nights, we were three in four nights and neither team was very sharp. We happened to shoot well. We're thrilled to have the win; we're not going to give it away. Our guys played hard and we ended up with a good win. But both teams have a long way to go."
(When asked if he had a good look at some of his players tonight) "I thought T.J. Ford was great. T.J. was really good again. He was aggressive and energetic. He did a real fine job for us."
(When asked if he liked the job DeJuan Blair did on Dirk Nowitzki tonight)
"That's a big challenge. You didn't see the real Dirk tonight, that's for sure. As the season wears on, all the teams will get into better shape and get sharper and look better. DeJuan is working hard at it and it's an education no matter what the situation is to guard Dirk Nowitzki."
(When asked if he liked what he got from Richard Jefferson on both ends of the court) "I think Richard Jefferson was more aggressively minded tonight. No Banana Boat or anything. We know he can shoot the basketball. I thought he was better at going to the board and getting down on defense all those sorts of things; that's good to see."
Matt Bonner
(On hitting threes) "They felt the same. Just open shots and taking them like I have been all year. Tonight they were going in, which is a good thing. Just going to stick with the process and hope I can keep shooting like I did tonight."
(On grinding the game out) "We were both coming off back-to-backs, they had to travel, but we had the home court advantage and tried to come out with energy and use that home court advantage to get us going. We made a lot threes in the first half and it got contagious. We did it with defense in the second half, because we didn't shoot to well in the third quarter."
(On the Win) "It's important. It's a long season, it's early in the season. They were coming off a back-to-back, so you've gotta keep some perspective. We played hard tonight, protected our home court, and we're happy with the win."
(On scoring more than Duncan and Dirk combined) "That was a Christmas miracle."
Tim Duncan
(On winning in ugly fashion) "Its kind of a change, we've had guys like Monta and K-Love come out and really light us up in the last couple games, the ones that we've lost. It was great to come out tonight where somebody didn't make every shot out there. It was great to win. We did enough early on to get a lead and kind of put the pressure on them and they weren't able to get back in to it."
(On Matt Bonner, leading Scorer) "That’s what Matt Bonner is supposed to do. That’s what we brought him here for. So that’s what we expect from him night in and night out from now on. I guess."
TJ Ford
(Was this a lockout game) "No, today I thought we were mentally tough coming in on a back-to-back against the defending champions. Our starters did a great job, they came out and set the tempo and carried us the whole game."
(On winning back-to-backs) "We've got to dig deep. This season is about mental toughness. How can we prevail with mental toughness. It's only going to get tougher. We have a lot of games this month. Tonight was a good test. We got to get ready for an up-tempo game against Denver with a lot of athletes, a lot of young kids and a lot of speed. They're playing well. It's going to be a tough stretch. We got one day to rest up and then prepare for them and get to playing again."
(On playing with the second unit) "We know all the plays but for me, it depends the on the flow of the game. The coaches do a good job of helping me when we need to run a set. For the most part, we try to create our offense through our defense and get out and get easy buckets. We just run the motion offense and there are so many options with our early offense, everyone has an equal opportunity and that's a good thing about it."
Vids
Game Recap
NBA.com Postgame
Coach Pop | Tim | Neal | Bonner | Ford
Links
MMB | Bowecap EW
It's hard to justify Roddy Beaubois' 21 minutes of 1-for-8 shooting and four points as quality, but Beaubois showed some things. His three blocks flashed his freaky athleticism and he played some credible 1-on-1 defense on Tony Parker. I'm a little confused on where Beaubois' jumper went over the last two seasons (42 percent last year, 33 percent so far this season) but the young guard took quality looks within the offense, he just has to knock down the pull-up elbow jumper off the pick and roll.
I can't write anymore bullets because I broke half of my fingers with a tack hammer while watching this game. Just assume that anything I didn't cover, I thought completely sucked (Like the Mavericks completely depressing offensive efficiency, turnovers, etc., the works.)
Pounding the Rock Crush Punchless
Neal scored nine of his 12 points in the opening period, but it was Matt Bonner that stole the show throughout. His 17 points were more than the combined total of Dirk Nowitzki (6) and Tim Duncan (10). It was nothing more than a typical night.
"That’s what Matt Bonner is supposed to do," Duncan said as his deadpan acknowledgement and general look of sincerity fixated upon the reporter. "That’s what we brought him here for. So that’s what we expect from him night in and night out from now on ... I guess."
All joking aside, let’s call this one like it was: Dallas was cooked. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to discount what the Spurs were able to do, but once Gary Neal knocked down those early threes it was a punch to the gut of the Mavs. Open jumpers were falling short, defensive rotations were late, Jason Kidd was chasing Neal through screens with a cane … they were spent.
48 Minutes of Hell El conclusion
The Spurs were at least able to limit the older guys’ minutes in the second half, not doing that thing they tend to do where they blow big leads. Credit the Mavs’ fatigue for that.
The Mavs were 1-19 from three, which makes me want to vomit. Was more missed shots than good defense, in my opinion.
2MG's Difference
Jason Terry was probably the best Maverick in the game…and he went 4-of-14 from the field. But at least he was aggressive? It’s hard to praise certain players for merely drowning more slowly than the others.
I know the Spurs had a powerful need for a scapegoat last season, but I was never able to make much sense of the blame placed on Richard Jefferson. Maybe Spurs fans expected a more dynamic athlete and shot creator, but I don’t see much problem in having a solid defender and lethal corner three-point shooter capable of wearing other hats from time to time. Maybe he’s not earning his paycheck with that skill set alone, but the Spurs have so much committed salary that picking nits on "overpaid" players misses the boat.
Hoopdata Boxscore
later
Stats
FT-Watch
Haywood bricked two of four from the line. So far he is sporting a still solid brickrate above 50%. Celebration for our
thirdbest Center, Beaches! [nsfw]On the other Hand, Dirk missed his lone FT. Mayans, anyone?.
Rest
Outrebounded? Nope, 52-42 as both teams stayed in the 30s percentagewise
Shocker of the Night: Mavs 1-19, Spurs 16-33 on 3FG
27 FG, 11 Assists for the Mavs. Miss you, JKidd
Malus
Just sad.
Disclaimer: If you couldn't tell by now, all italic sentences are made up thoughts, not actual quotes.