One of the most admirable qualities one can have is a never give up attitude. The Grizzlies not only showcased this tonight in their 107-102 win over the visiting Dallas Mavericks, but appear to be ready to use it as a theme for the rest of the season, as the win tonight marked their third straight and fourth in the last five games.
On the win:
“I said at halftime that the team that guarded would win. They had 32 points in the first quarter. We had 34 in the second quarter. The team that guards is going to win the game. We went out and did a great job in the third quarter, but we just couldn’t get away from them. We kept shooting ourselves in the foot, so they stayed close and came back and took the lead. In the fourth quarter, we did a heck of a job guarding them and executing.”
On the team effort:
“What can you say about Mike Conley and the big shots that he made, O.J. (Mayo) made big shots, Rudy (Gay) rebounded like crazy, (Greg Buckner) makes a big block on Dirk Nowitzki, everybody contributed. The bench did a superb job. It was a team win. A lot of individuals stepped up and had big games. Rudy Gay had 27 points and 10 rebounds and he did an incredible job on Dirk. We forced Dirk to have to guard on the other end with the way we were playing on the pick-and-roll. At the end of the game, he didn’t shoot the ball very good. He had some shots from out far that he didn’t make. I am just excited because it is another step for us of where our maturation is. We have to do it over a long period of time in order for someone to say that this is us. It is looking promising. You can see the light a little bit. They see the light. It is always great to get wins to confirm all the work that you are doing, and see that it is working.”
On playing with poise and awareness:
“I am encouraged by the poise and the awareness during the game. They know what is going on. Mike looks at me and he wants to run a play coming down the stretch. I said to go ahead because he must see something so I am going to let him run it and we ended up getting a bucket. It is always about the players. When the players get to that level where they are seeing things and playing off of each other it is a beautiful thing to watch.”
“We wanted to win and they went out and got the win.”
On what it took to keep their composure:
“Defense and rebounds. Marc (Gasol) got a pretty big rebound.”
On winning at home:
“We got to think about the home-court advantage. It definitely starts here. Every team that plays well starts at home. It’s something you have to build on. I think sooner or later people will understand that we are trying to strive in the right direction.”
On his steal:
“Coach told me to turn my back to the ball at the beginning to see where everyone was going and if I can make a jump on the ball, then go for it. I saw Caron Butler in one corner at the beginning and I figured someone had to be piling to the top so I just jumped that way and took a gamble and it worked out.”
On the team’s improved play:
“This game is more mental then what people think. You have to come out with a mindset of being ready to go from the jump. I think the guys were ready to go from the start. Defensively, we really just stepped in and made big plays in the end. I think if I am aggressive then good things happen for me and my team. I think if I am aggressive in defense and get my hands on the ball and gets steals, the efficiency will come.”
On the win:
“We lost a bunch of games that we had in this same situation and tonight we executed better. We made the free throws and we had stops, which at the end of the game is going to give you wins.”
On the fans:
“We have to bring them back. We know its tough and it’s not easy to support a team that is just starting right now, but we need them. When you go see the playoff teams, the seats are full and that helps the team a lot at the end of the game. If we had big crowds, it’s going to pay off. To win in front of all your people gives you an extra motivation. It’s definitely a great feeling to have.”
On not being satisfied:
“I told them at halftime to not be satisfied with being tied with a good team that is a playoff team. We have been here a lot of times. We don’t want to be content with just having a good game or being close at halftime. Let’s see if we can win the game. We have taken it to another level and we need to show it. They came out in the second half with great focus and great energy.”
On the loss:
“Our undoing was our poor defense and inability to rebound the ball. (When you) give up 54 percent shooting for the game and get beat by 13 on the boards, you aren’t going to win on the road. (We were) just very poor at the defensive end.”
On the loss coming down the stretch:
“We have to do better, it is as simple as that. We knew (Memphis) was a capable team. We knew that our effort was going to have to be really good to beat them. They shot 61 percent in the first half. That is just not going to get it done. It is just very disappointing.”
On the loss:
“I missed a lot of shots there in the fourth that I’ve just got to make. I had two great looks at treys, one at the top of the key, trailing when it was tied with a minute left. It was frustrating. We couldn’t really stop them. We let Memphis shoot 54 percent. That just isn’t a good defensive effort. It puts a lot of pressure on our offense. If we can’t guard them, we can’t get any stops. They got to the free throw line a lot. That means we have to score every time down. We just couldn’t pull it out in the fourth.”
On Memphis’ play:
“That’s what guys have to do. I’ve been in that position, I think my first three years in the league, with nothing to play for. Guys are professionals in this league. They kept competing and that’s what teams do - keep playing hard. Nothing is given to you in this league. You have to go out and earn it. I think we didn’t do it enough from early on. They got whatever they wanted. If you don’t set that tone early, that means they have confidence.”
On the poor defense:
“When we make up our mind to play, we are a good defensive team. We can’t let games like this slip away, coming down the home stretch. It’s not like we have any easy games left. We can’t overlook anyone. It is going to be up to us to get the job done defensively.”
On Memphis’ play:
“It’s just a young team. They play hard. Last time I checked, I don’t think they’re going to be in the playoffs, but they’ve got something to play for - next season. They want to go out there and show that they still care. They are a young, up-and-coming team.”
On the loss:
“It is definitely a blow. Like I said, every game from this point is going to count for us. We don’t just want to get in the playoffs, we want to move up. The only way we are going to do that is if we win games.”
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