Post Game Quotes and Poll: Mavericks vs Wizards

Maverick coach Rick Carlisle:

On Vince Carter and Chris Kaman:

Vince had a great game. Offensively he was efficient. Defensively he was in the right place. He got some big rebounds for us. We need him to make plays, simple as that. I really thought everybody played well. I was especially impressed with Kaman's game defensively tonight. He was down in the stance, was showing a level of aggression that helped us particularly in the third quarter."

On Vince Carter's athleticism:

"The play at the end of the game was pivotal because it kind of sealed the game. And it opened it up. He said to me coming off the court following the timeout, 'I bet you didn't think I could do that.'. But he still has tremendous athleticism even though he's an older guy. He's taking care of himself. He's worked extremely hard, especially this year. And he's a really important guy for us."

On Dirk Nowitzki:

"I think the key thing right now is conditioning. When he gets warmed up and loose he moves well. Then the key thing is to get him out for a break, but not let him sit too long. When any veteran sits too long they're going to stiffen up."

Wizard's head coach Randy Wittman

On the third quarter:

"They (Mavericks) came out and kind of blitzed in the third quarter. As a team they turned up their intensity and shot very well from the field. They got a lot of shots to go for them that weren't falling in the earlier possessions of the game. It's tough to defend a team that's shooting 67% from the field."

Shawn Marion:

On starting the third quarter strong:

"I was just trying to be as active as I can. I think we all got to help each other. You win and lose as a team. I think everyone collectively did the little things to help us win tonight."

On championship veterans setting the tone:

"Coach (Rick Carlisle) does it very well. He says it adamantly and repetitively. I think we try to put them in that mode, that mindset. This franchise prides itself on winning. We've got to get it together and get going; anything is possible."

O.J. Mayo:

On the win:

"It was good. We had a good practice over the holidays and really pushed each other. We really owned up to us not playing good basketball, so we came in here tonight with an opportunity to turn things around."

On Vince Carter:

"I told him whatever he did last night, keep it going. He was jumping, getting put backs. I actually talked to him in the first half about it and then he came out and got a dunk at the end so he was looking good."

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